We live in a world where we are bombarded with four thousand marketing messages each day, where many struggle to keep on top of the "spam-stuffed inbox", where every market has more sellers than buyers, where a whole new set of rapid-relationship skills are called for.

While some bemoan the passing of a slower-paced world, the "attention-deficit economy" is the land of opportunity for others. So how do you capture the attention of prospective customers?

Networking and the death of prospecting
"We are only seven steps away from anyone in the world" goes the networking mantra, so armed with a tasteful business-card all we have to do is get out there, smile and be nice. Doubtless, there is some truth in all of this. My own business has benefited enormously from networking. But we must ask ourselves how long will networking be effective in the attention-deficit economy? If we are only seven steps away from anyone in the world, mightn't that also spell a lot of wasted time? Ultimately, prospecting of all types will die in the attention-deficit economy. Changing the way we do our prospecting is therefore just a temporary answer. In the end, we are all so busy, we simply don't have the time to entertain the prospectors - no matter how alluring their wares.

Successful alliances
Buyers - not sellers, will initiate the serious dialogue of the future. The sooner we learn to cultivate a perennial practice - a reputation that will attract buyers - the better. We can then eliminate the time, the cost and the frustration of prospecting entirely from a service business: and instead pursue strategies that make us outstanding. It is essential to be outstanding in the attention-deficit economy: "nice" is not enough.

Who are your clients already speaking to? How can you position yourself to catch the attention - not just of those who need your products or services, but more importantly of those already on the attention radar-screen of those ideal clients? What (and who) would you have to be to capture the attention of those advisors who already have the attention of your clients? These are crucial questions I have asked my clients and guided them through implementation to capture that attention we all need for prosperity.

(The above article is submitted on the basis that the following attribution is printed with it, using the exact wording below.) John Niland, November 2005