Leverage Your Network

If you are starting a business, one of your biggest resources is your local network. Friends, Family, Business Associates are going to be your low hanging fruit. Now, you need to be able to approach your network without overwhelming them or even letting them know you’d like their business. 

The best way to leverage your network is to engage with them. If you are starting your brand, ask for their input on your logo design, your messaging and your color scheme. Once they have invested their time in helping you, they will be more likely to share opportunities with you and even become a client. 

When I was starting my consulting business, the first thing I did was share my services lists with my network to get feedback on layout, pricing, and deliverables. All of them provided me some type of feedback and from that, each of them provided me with leads. It was funny to watch my network sit back and see how I sold and managed their referrals. Once their contacts communicated with them that my services, products and my AVP (Added Value Proposition) was the real thing, my network eventually became clients.