Infopreneurship for Small Business, Part One.

Posted on January 8, 2008

Small businesses thrive on their ‘bread and butter’ local clientele.   The key to SMB success is to keep informing your local prospects and customers that there is a reason to keep you (the SMB) top of mind in their everyday lives.  The result being repeat sales or referrals to your customers friends in the future.  In this article, I want to explore the concept of the SMB (you) becoming an infopreneur to your prospects and customers.  First, lets define infopreneur.  I define an infopreneur as a definitive information resource for your prospects and customers regarding your products and services.  Wikipedia defines infopreneur here.

Today we are going to spend a little time discussing how this year (2008) you can spend just a little time, being a better information source for your customers, which will help elevate you, your business, and your status in their minds.   You do this by sharing your valuable resources with them.  You might be saying, “give away my informaiton, but that is what my clients pay for?”  Well, we are not talking about giving away the farm… You will be giving away just enough information to keep their appetites wet for more of your products and services in the future.  You will also be keeping your name and personality in front of them, which is a key component of marketing your organization.  Some of what you may read here may be considered basic “sales 101.”  However, some of it may be thinking out of the box for many of you, or you may be doing it already without even knowing you are.  It will require you take more time (a few more minutes) out of your day to  provide more comprehensive information or getting on the phone to actually speak with someone.  We’ll go through several ideas and concepts below. 

In my opinion, more than sharing information, infopreneurship is a state of mind.  It is the state of mind to always be networking or marketing yourself and your organization in a subtle yet informative manner.  It will help you to sell and service both your prospects and clients without you even knowing you are doing so, especially after it becomes habit. 

So, as I said earlier, in so many words, “give away valuable information.”  Most if not all your marketing should revolve around this.  Why, because it can become your businesses identity helping to give your brand additional or some of it’s credibility, coupled with you and your reputation in your local, regional, or national geography. 

So what should you give away?  Below is a list of “information types” I think you should be giving away.  In later articles, we will get into more definition:

• Articles
• Reports
• Surveys
• Teleclasses
• Podcasts
• Ezines
• Other valuable information which will give your prospects a real taste of what your business, products and services are about.
  

By sharing these resources with your prospects and clients, you will connect with them more effectively.  For instance, by connecting with your prospect face to face, you then typically learn of some resource they are looking for.  Maybe you can provide it, provide most of it, or provide none of it.  But the end result is that you now have more information than you had earlier.  That said, if you know of the resource they are looking for, then it’s your obligation to let them know where they can get it.  If you can offer a piece of the solution they are seeking, make sure you know where they can accomplish the rest of their goal; even if you have to come back to them later with the right answer.  They will appreciate it, and the courtesy you have extended will come back to you eventually.  Your job, however, is not complete until you follow up afterwards with the resource you provided to the client.  Letting them know the client was given their name, number, and some high level information regarding their business.  Then, you must make it a point to follow up with the client to be sure they contacted your resource or your resource contated them directly. 

Make it a habit to be a resource and your prospects and customers will never forget you. 

Put “part one” of this series into use today.  I think you will be surprised how well it will work out for you.  Just don’t expect immediate results.  These things take time to work.