Trying new things in business is pretty much a universally good idea. I want to continue the discussion from last month about branching out in your business, because it’s a theme I’ve been exploring quite a bit recently.
As you know, I attended the National Flood Forum as an exhibitor, presenter, and debater. I’m happy to report that it was a big success. The organisers projected the attendance between 4,000 and 5,000 people over the two-day conference, and loads of people stopped by our stand.
Why was The Claims Desk’s stand so crowded? Well, many sought me out after seeing me in the event’s brochure. Others were in the audience that watched my presentation on the insurance claims process following a flood, and others saw me debate with a panel of experts about flooding and claims. After the presentation and debate concluded, many audience members went directly to our booth to request more information or to take a copy of our newsletter, which I had on display at the event.
These sources of foot traffic really bolstered the numbers. We gathered a lot of names and got many people signing up to receive the monthly newsletter and a copy of my new book, “The 5 Deadly Sins that Can Destroy Your Insurance Claim”. It’s all very exciting!
At this point in my career, I’ve seen many, many claims, but the marketing stuff is still fairly new to me. It’s been a fascinating journey attempting new strategies to reach prospective clients, and the success I’ve had by branching out into speaking, business networking, becoming an author, and more is spurring me on to keep trying new things.
I’m willing to admit that the experience was quite exhausting, however. My wife and I had to travel an hour and a half each way to the exhibition centre, and we were there from morning until evening both days, plus the day of setup ahead of time. As of this writing, we’re about to head to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands for a week getaway. Lanzarote is a great place to relax and break up the stress of all this growth in my business, but I’m also using it to finish my chapter for the Dan Kennedy book, “The Ultimate Success Secret”. Lanzarote has become a bit of a tradition for this time of year; it’s our fifth year in a row now!
I think all my marketing experience is even encouraging my wife, who has embarked on her own small business venture over the past few months. She’s in the final stages of setting up her online consultancy. Currently, she works as teacher for children with special needs (both learning disabilities and physical disabilities), but she hopes to move into running her small business full time. My wife’s consultancy website is currently in production at yellowsun.com. She intends to provide advice to parents who are struggling with how to help their children with special needs.
My wife has been putting the final touches on her website and on the launch in general. She’s definitely excited, but it’s been a bit frustrating for her to rely on other people for key aspects of the business: creating videos, website development, technology failures, and the like. It’s a pretty stark contrast to the autonomy she’s used to as a teacher.
The point is, whether your business is 11 years old (like mine), or not even 11 days old (like my wife’s), trying new things is vital. It’s difficult to appreciate all the things that go on when you’re running a business and being an entrepreneur, but I think my wife has a newfound understanding of what I’ve been doing to grow The Claims Desk. We’re excited to see what our marketing efforts will do for our businesses, and I hope you’ll continue to branch out and try new things in your business too!
Best Wishes,
Steve Lazarus
