Use the Resources Around You.

 Inside The Marketing Mind

Here’s an idea – get with your network of friends, relatives and neighbors and put them to work for you. Nope, I don’t mean putting them on the payroll. I mean tapping into them as a referral source.

Consider this. Most people know roughly 200 people. Those 200 people each know another 200. Do the math. That’s 40,000 potential referral prospects. Even at a close rate of 1%, that’s still 400 new gigs. Not too shabby. In reality, 400 is probably wishful thinking, but, none the less, tapping into your personal (not business) network can glean some good results.

Here’s what I’d suggest. Create a list of everybody you know. Close friends, family members and acquaintances. Write a personal letter to each one. You don’t need to do them all at the same time. Break it up and you’ll always have something to do. A letter will be more memorable than talking to your neighbor in the driveway or your cousin at a family get together. Most folks don’t write letters on paper anymore, so they tend to have impact. Be sure to include some business cards.