When did you last hear those immortal words ‘Your reputation precedes you…’? Did you groan and wonder, ‘I wonder what they’ve been told…’
Long gone are the days where we can hide in anonymity, safe in the knowledge that the only thing a new prospect knew about us was the recommendation of a close colleague, and then what we were going to tell them when we met.
On the other hand, a prospect knowing about us before we meet has a host of advantages. Marketers and Networkers have known this for a while.
For a start, if a prospect does some research which suggests you are one of the top people to contact, you can benefit without having even taken the time to talk to them on the phone.
Or if their research suggests you aren’t suitable for their project, they may not contact you at all and save you and them a shedload of money.
By the way, if that last statement made you think ‘but I want that person to ring me!’ then you need to read this post.
Think of the internet as a huge filter, a filter for your prospects.
People search for information online all the time. Today, anyone can put your name or your company name into a search engine and find out all sorts of information about you, information you provided, or information provided by others.
You can see the transparency of the internet as a threat or an opportunity, but either way you need to know about it. If your reputation network is strong, it will filter prospects before they get to you and save you time and money.
So why not find out what your prospects are finding when they search for you? And whilst you’re at it, check out your competitors too.
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