What is your best prospecting technique?

I'm just about to move to Farmville, VA. Not a hot spot of commerce.

Any ideas on how to prospect for new business? I am not up for being an "employee" (my mom wiped that idea out of my head years ago), but will pretty much work for anything web design or horse training as long as its not a salary position......I'm only 19, so hopefully am starting out entrepenurially (sp?)

 First of all you are Young and obviously have not given any forethought to the kind of business you would like to belong to or create. I mean from web design to Horse training can not get much more diverse. What skills do you actually have? What experiences do you have to offer someone who may look for some kind of service you may offer. You asking for Prospecting techniques but prospecting what exactly? Clients for web services of horse training? Both require experience, training and developement in order to master them so How exactly have you opaid your dues to Market yourself as someone who has such skills to help others?

Do you have college skills, have you graduated from a Tech school on web developement? What computer program languages are you fluent in and where did you get that experience? Do you know Fortran? Cobal? What is your strong points and weakness's as you see it.

I see someone who wishs to develop into a busisness person Yet I see no real experience in any of the ares you have mentioned.

Raised and trained horses from an early age? What specific experience do you have? Training Horses to do what? Tricks? Experience in Breaking wild horses? Wrangling experience with farm animals, grooming, shoeing, what is it you do exactly?

Before you can gain knowledge and figure out what segment of the world you would like to focus on you need to be more perceise as to what your seeking to do then you can focus on the specific industries which will help you most to reach your goals!

Not up to a Salaried position? Why? I have been salaried from my 19th Birthday till now at 52 and own three companies and still enjoy life and started out as a Manager in a restaurant all the way to working as a District Manager for a fortune 500 making over $100,000 a year in Salary which allowed me to save my money and Start my own companies I am up to three and all do very well with them all.

If you could find your Nitch and the thing you love the most thats what you should focus upon if possiable to build your experience and development would and will be key to your success in any endeavor as it is for most folks.

 I think at 19, you've got a lot on your side, even though you have limited experience. Enthusiasm, lots of energy, idealism...on the other hand, i think it's important to be willing to do all sorts of jobs, so that you gain valuable life experience. You may not want to discount anything at this point in your career life, why not take a regular job, plus develop your own businesses at the same time? What it will give you besides experience is a list of references that will attest to all your positive qualities as an employee, or provider of services.

 I have done a great deal of freelance web work in the past, and have always found that the best way to find prospects is to make an accurate inventory of your skills, and find someone established in the industry who has complementary skills, but lacks the skills you have and develope a working relationship with them.  You may need to be willing to jump through some hurdles to prove yourself, but these sort of relationships can be invaluable.

The other suggestion would be to locate some not-for-profit organizations to offer your services to, free of charge.  Pick organizations that attract local business owners, that way you have the opportunity to show your abilities to those who may need your services and are willing to pay for them.

 Thank you everyone!

I guess I should have been a little bit more detailed in my original question.

As I said, I am only 19, but I am going to Longwood University, in Farmville this August. My mom and dad let me take a year out to ride and compete horses and I was a working student for an Olympic level horse rider during my year out, until my horse fell on me this spring and I was laid up for a few months.

I really want to ride and train horses for a living, but while I am in college, I want to build some business skills and figure out how to get some extra experience so if anything ever happens, like I REALLY get squashed by a horse, and can't ride any more, I have a back up plan.

I will be studying Communication Studies and Political Science at Longwood. But I like doing web design stuff, and have a couple of horse related web sites that I am managing now. But my real love is riding horses. Plus I need to make some money to feed my horse passion - I can't expect my mom to pay for it forever. Which was why I posted my pretty vague first question.

So thank you everyone that replied - I will read and learn from your experiece :-)

Best,

Chess

Chess

If you wish to ride and train horses for a living thats a goal to certainly set. have you considered a degree in Animal husbandry? There are a number of schools which offer such a program I did a fast search and there are many.

As to having something to do as a backup, you need to focus on you’re specialty and the related degree program which can help you gain the best diversity.

There are also a number of professional programs for trainers and Animal Management type programs, Communications and political science are certainly time consuming courses which lend themselves to someone who would be thinking seriously about Public service or Governmental work of some sort.

I know and accept that folks have Various things which they like to do like say web sites. There are so many programs out there that do the basic work for you that it levels the playing field somewhat. To gain a Job in the field or to start a business doing that requires a few things however. you need a Body of work to show people examples of your work and how you do things for others. You would need more than the few you have admitted to doing. You would need I would think around a minimum of 10 to 20 sites to be able to give a number of different examples and industries you have developed web site for and that would allow people to see your work and make a decision as to your skill level and abilities.

the Best thing you could do in all honesty is focus in school, get a part time or full time Job in an area you like like on a farm or in some way working with horses or a riding school which are in areas close to you I also did a search and discovered some in your local area.

This forum is about prospecting and business and related topics and you have a ways to go before your ready to make that leap into a Business of some sorts due to your inexperience. You may have some good skills I do not know but from what I see in your conversation so far is someone who really yearns to be in a business he loves like working with horses and has a little experience doing that but has not paid his dues and become a Pro or professional in the field and have alot of work to do to get that experience and if I was in your shoes I would be doing anything possible to get the kind of experience in the thing I love to do and chase it like a Lion chases his prey day in and day out for he is always hungry and willing to attempt to do what ever it takes to get his next meal.

I think you have a ways to go before you can even begin to worry about how to prospect a new business when you do not yet have the skill set to demand money for the skills.

I wish you well, but you would do well to focus on school and what ever part time or full time Job you can get as close to the field you want to work in and gain some good experience and learn from some folks in the trade folks with a great reputation and outstanding in their field. Then once you gain some good experience and training from someone then begin to market your skills to those who use them.

While in school take a class in Marketing it will open your eyes and is related to the field you have already chosen in business related classes.

I went to school almost 40 years ago it took me many years to get to the point I wanted to be in and I was 48 years old when I started my first company and now have three companies a Limousine company, a Print Magazine which specializes in the limousine industry, and a Charter Jet service. All took a great deal of time and Money and I had to Market those companies in many different ways to many different kinds of people.

You can learn those kinds of skills! Some Whiz kids do it early in life, some like me do it late in life. Study hard, learn and grow and do it early if possible it will be more rewarding when you get to my age.  LOL

 Thank you Cliff,

That is all good advice, and I do thank you for taking the time to reply.

I was advised not to take a degree in Animal Husbandry (or Equine Sciences, which was what I was thinking about) because if I ever had an accident that prevented me from working in the horse industry, I would have a fall back in another area.

I 've been writing for several online horse magazines since I was 15 and have been published many times, so my plan was ( and still is) to try to build up my skills and portfolio in writing about horse issues while I am in college. I am also volunteering (with my mom) for the Obama campaign. All of this helps with my degree, I hope.

But, I still need to find some other opportunities to (a) add to my resume and (b) get some work experience. I know I have to pay my dues, but that is why I posted here to ask for advice. I'm not trying to be a whiz kid, but I do want to make the most of the opportunities I have and get any suggestions that will help me get to the point where I have some skills that are worth others paying me for.

Best,

Chess

 Chess

Life is risk there is No other way. Certainly we Manage the risks to the best of our abilities. To my way of thinking who ever told you or advised you to not get those degree's out of fear that IF YOU GOT HURT you would not be able to use those skills had a real Bias to the truth in my Opinion of course. Perhaps they fear what happened to Christopher Reeves or others who have been hurt by Horses.

The Percentage of people hurt by Horses and unable to work in gainful employment is No different than the Number of of folks in any industry who get maimed or hurt by their working conditions in general. The advice you have received is Bad, Likely from a Loved one worried about you but be that as it may be you must decide for yourself what actions to persue.

When was advised to not to attempt to go into business that I would never make it. I ignored the advice and moved forward. Yes i had some failures, Those Failurees help you to grow and learn and are a Natural course of things. We learn or should learn from our mistakes and adapt and change and not make them again and grow from the experience.

Do the Math...... If you were to get hurt what is the likely hood that you would be able to do anything at all? In your field or any other for that matter. I know the Odds are astronominical.

Well Best wishs i am getting back on topic now.

Cliff

 Hi Chess,

I think you have a good head on your shoulders , and i'm sure you will succeed in all you do. Just a reminder, you may already be doing this, but make sure you keep track of address/phone number details of customers, clients, organizations that you volunteer for, and then the same info for people who would be willing to recommend you, or write a reference, or write a review of your services. All this will be important for your resume information.

One more bit...don't ever make a decision based on fear of what may or may not  happen in the future. Look into your heart and go for what you really want.

with kind regards,

Rochelle

Yoda saya Fear is the mind Killer.... Fear of the (What IF) can stop you dead in your tracks.

The Potential injury and then what would I do? What ever i could do I will do is the answer to that question.

My Brother developed MS at 24 years old and is wheel chair bound and runs a fortune 500 company. you will most certainly never do or acheive your dreams in Life if you succume to the What if's!

Best regards