Seems no matter how busy you get taking care of your existing customers so they keep doing business with you, it’s always a chore to find new customers — especially the ones who stay with you for the long haul.

Using e-mail or social media or buying a mailing list are certainly options.

But you’ve probably found them short on results and you end up with something that does not live up to your expectations.

Overlooked resource — and what it can do for you 

Here’s where you may be neglecting a resource you already own but for any number of reasons you undervalue what it can do for you in terms of getting new work and also more repeat business...not to mention saving you the expense of renting an outside list of prospects who know nothing about you.

What I’m talking about is your house list of prospects and customers  — both active and inactive.

This is the best business list you will ever own.

They can be prospects you’ve met at trade shows or business conferences.

They can be old customers who have drifted away.

Really anyone you’ve worked with or think would be interested in what you do.

Add to that anyone you feel you may have been neglecting and want to find out how they are doing and if there’s anything you can do for them.

Making it work for you in a profitable way

What’s great about this list is it does not have to be a big list to be worthy of your time.

The secret to making it work for you in a profitable way is to make sure it’s up-to-date with current, accurate data.

That way you can reach out to anyone on your list and find out how things are going and let them know you are there to help them in any way you can.

You probably have a batch of these names sitting around gathering dust and you just never get around to getting it shaped up so you can put it to work for you.

If you can find the time, a good way to reach out to your prospect list is to pick up the phone and make a few calls. To get you thinking how this could work here are some suggestions:

Dig where the gold is

Start with the most current leads you already have on the books...this is probably your best list and will produce the biggest bounce for any outreach calls since these prospects already have an idea of what you do and are familiar with your services.

But for whatever the reason you never find time to do this yourself so these leads just stay idle and nothing much happens with them.

You just need to follow-up with them and show them you value their business and want to help them with any projects they may need.

A process that takes time

Yes, this is a process.

I call it list-building from the ground up with good quality prospects validated as showing an active interest in what you can do for them.
Of course, this is not a quick fix for getting new clients.

Just part of an overall outreach process that puts you in the driver’s seat for taking more control over your professional sales journey.

Do it right and you’ll build a loyal client base that will likely result in more referrals...more repeat business...and more money.