NEWS FLASH
Vickie Milazzo Named to Inc.'s 2004 Top Ten Entrepreneur List
The first private businessman to launch a human into space, a Hollywood superstar who made a groundbreaking film about Jesus Christ and Vickie Milazzo, an RN who is changing the face of nursing, were named Dec. 30th to Inc.’s 2004 Top Entrepreneur list.
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD, was honored by Inc. along with the Entrepreneur of the Year and nine other national newsmakers. Recognized as the pioneer of the legal nurse consulting profession, she turns traditional hospital RNs into entrepreneurs.
Vickie was one of thousands of entrepreneurs from all over the U.S. nominated in Inc. magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition. Her story and photo, along with space entrepreneur Bill Rutan’s and movie star Mel Gibson’s, can be seen on the
Inc. website where Vickie is honored as a Top Ten Entrepreneur.
BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING
Take Your Power Show on the Road
by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
CLNC®s who live in small towns often grow their business by marketing outside their area. But anyone can expand their target base. Don’t limit your marketing to clients in your immediate community.
"I tell everyone about what I do. It is not a secret or something to hide."
– Sara Majors, RN, PhD, CLNC, Alabama
"Always introduce yourself as a CLNC®. People will ask what that is, giving you an opening to describe your services."
– Lynette D. Murphy, RN, CEN, CLNC, Pennsylvania
Market Everywhere – Even on the Way to the NACLNC® Conference
Never leave town without a marketing plan. And this includes your trip to New Orleans for the 2005 NACLNC® Conference.
"When I decided to attend the NACLNC® Conference, I called a friend in Dallas who had taken the CLNC® training with me. Together we drove to Orlando and marketed in cities along the way – Jackson, Hattiesburg, Pensacola. If all the information we handed out got into the right hands, then 235 attorneys received our information on that driving trip. It was great!"
– Bonnie Rupke, RN, CLNC, Kansas
When you travel, take along a fistful of marketing packets and a plan for calling on attorneys in the area you’re visiting. Always have your brochures, business cards and promotional packets ready and remember to dress for success. To appear as successful as you know you’ll someday be, assume a winner’s mantle that includes style, attitude and professional integrity.
Your winning act means wearing your power suit and your confident smile. It means scrambling while not appearing to scramble. It means igniting curiosity, engaging attention and capturing commitment.
Look around for the nearest business park or high-rise building. Stop in and check the register for attorney names. Pop into the office. Tell the gatekeeper you were in the neighborhood and wanted to make sure that Attorney Smith was aware of the specialized CLNC® services you provide that have helped other attorneys win their cases. Present a sweet treat or a small gift to the gatekeeper. Mention that you’re only in town for a short time and you want to take the opportunity to meet Attorney Smith.
Inquire whether the attorney has a moment to talk. If not, leave your packet with the gatekeeper and ask when would be the best time to call back so you can follow up. Be sure to request the attorney’s business card.
Take a sincere interest in your prospects. Remember them by taking careful notes. Use this to your advantage when following up.
Always follow up by sending your promotional package, information newsletter, special reports or any other marketing items.
Follow up again once the promotional package has been received.
Regardless of the outcome, always follow up after an interview. The attorney-prospect’s take on your presentation might be entirely different from what you imagine. Your timely follow-up call or letter can tip the scale fully in your favor.
So take your power show out for a spin and market everywhere you go, especially on route to the NACLNC® Conference.
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of the Vickie Milazzo Institute. She is credited by The New York Times with creating the legal nurse consulting profession in 1982. Inc. named her to the 2004 Top Ten Entrepreneur list. She is the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Advancing the Profession and the Stevie Award (business's Oscar®) as Mentor of the Year. Vickie has revolutionized the careers of thousands of RNs.
