business networking

business networking

Marketing YOU! 10 grass roots outreach activities that really work

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Are you tired of investing in marketing that just doesn’t seem to pay off? Every time my calendar needs a boost I pull out these tried and true grass roots, low cost, high impact marketing tactics.

 

Strategically Network

 

1. Set up 3 appointments with providers who serve your ideal clients. This could be a phone call or coffee. Just be sure the time is used to your mutual benefit.

 

Be prepared with survey* questions and information or connections that could be of value to your partner. Let them know what kind of projects and goals you are working toward.

 

2. Contact 3 of your past clients. Repeat activities in #1.

 

3. Review your past proposals. Contact each by phone even if they’ve chosen another provider. Repeat the activities in #1.

 

4. Review the business calendars in your local paper and online. Find 2-3 new events to attend in the next 30 days. There are always new events, professional development, and happenings that would add value to your own business, expose you to new audiences, and add value to those you are contacting in steps #1-3. (Stop attending anything that is not producing value.)

 

Make a Name for Yourself

 

5. Start speaking. Consider everywhere you go a “mini-stage”. From your introduction to an informational presentation to a keynote, find places to share your insights and secret sauce.

 

6. Host your own event. Invite your top prospects, strategic partners, and/or past clients to an informational event. Plan to provide valuable information, insight, or introductions. If hosting an event on your own seems daunting, find a strategic partner who could benefit and share the load of producing. This doesn’t have to be costly.

 

7. Start writing. Your audience wants to know what you know. The mistakes you could help them avoid, the pitfalls, debunk the myths and lies they’ve been fed, give them the secrets to success…YOU know these things. Share them. Don’t let the fact that you had a teacher in your past tell you writing was not for you get started making lists, share your ideas, and do what works for you. Just get writing.

 

8. Join the conversation. Find others who are talking about what you want to talk about. This might mean you have to leave some of the groups you are currently involved in. Ask questions. Add your insights. Don’t worry about the competition. There is more than enough to go around. Get Grounded

 

9. Slow down to speed up. Shift your attachment and value from being “busy” to becoming “intentional”. Evaluate how you can create more impact from less effort. This takes reflection, evaluation, assessment. That won’t happen if you have no margin in your life or business.

 

10. Get out of your office. Connections are made when people see you. This can happen virtually if you are in a forum where you can be heard but will most likely be in your own back yard. Attend an event that interests you for no other reason than that it interests you. Do something fun. Learn a new skill. Take a class. You are a whole person. Your business will not fail if you walk away from the helm to renew your energy and add some fun.

 

*Survey questions I typically ask. What are the changes going on in your industry? How are they impacting you locally or personally? What are your key initiatives for 2012? Based on your experience in your profession/industry, what short or long term impact do you see on your business?

 

**Value add resources are anything of high value to the person I am speaking with. This could be events, books, insights I’ve gained from reading books or attending conferences, connections I can make for them, etc.

 

Grass roots’ marketing is organic. It builds trust. It lets your audience get to know and experience YOU. The bottom line is that this type of outreach really works. Apply for 30 days and see what you get…then do it again.

 

Do you have some suggestions to add to this list?

 

Want more Monetize Me! Expertise? Check out our Monetize Me! Expert Series. 

 

Networking 101: The Truth about What is Really Going On

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I confess….I have a real love/hate relationship with networking. Don’t let your jaw hit the floor. It’s true!

 

I love it when it works. I hate it when it doesn’t. You know what I’m talking about.

 

I love it when I am in a group of like minded people who understand the value of connecting, discovering, and relationship building.

 

 

 

I hate it when I end up in a group populated with sales people selling me their wares before they know if I am a prospect OR on the other end of the phone with someone so sure we can refer business to each other if only we could just meet for coffee. If that’s you…don’t take offense. There is hope for you.

 

If you are in my camp with the same love/hate relationship. There is hope for us too. My mantra “Networking is NOT selling. It is the power of connecting for mutual benefit.” keeps me sane and focused. I networked badly with others who networked badly for years before I got smart. If I can do it I am confident others can learn it too.

 

“Networking 101: What Do You Mean “It Only Lasted Ten Seconds!? by Samuel I. Diener

 

You can call me judgmental. I am.

 

Once you have given me that first handshake, I have already gathered mostly everything I need to know about you. Sorry, it’s nothing personal. Well, actually it might be, and we will get to that.

 

I don’t generally leave the house with a “network with me” sign on my back. But I do seem to get around. I must decide quickly who to keep in touch with and who to put in the circular file. Did you know that every recruiter, entrepreneur, executive, and hiring manager EVERYWHERE does the exact same thing? Are they judgmental too? Or are they simply pragmatic?

 

Most people give you ten seconds to make your first impression. That’s it. No one means to be cruel. It’s just that there are so many people to meet and so little time. Everyone wants to give their full attention to those that properly align with their goals. If you fail someone in the first ten seconds, how could they possibly want to get to know you more? So here’s the punch:

 

The conventional wisdom out there says that the first ten seconds after you introduce yourself are the most critical. I disagree. I say you have seven seconds before and as you walk up, and then three seconds before the person has formed the impression we are targeting. Let’s take a look at each. Read more…

 

What are your networking pet peeves? We’d love to hear!

 

Busy People Networking Strategies to Work a Room

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A recent teleclass on “Networking that Produces Results Every Time” produced questions that I rarely get a chance to address except in a workshop or coaching session. Here are some of the questions that came up. Here are my thoughts…feel free to add your own comments!

 

1. How many people do you talk to at an event. Say there are 40 attendees (like a WEO meeting), how many new people do you speak to? On average, how long do you speak to each person?

 

My philosophy is that networking is about quality not quantity. Time is still of the essence but collecting a handful of cards that have no meaningful connection is not the goal.
 

 

  • I set a goal to make 3 quality connections at every event. I go prepared to ask questions that will help me create one of six potential successful outcomes. (See blog post “Networking that Produces Results Every Time” )
     

  • I plan to speak to each person 3-5 minutes and ask intelligent directed questions that will determine the next course of actionI follow up with those 3 people.
     

  • I may meet more and hope to have significant conversation. Depending on your business goal, you will determine what is significant for you.
     

2. What are some nice ways to disengage and move on?

 

1. If you’ve ever been stuck with a person who is self-promoting, selling you something, or in general, new to networking, this is your opportunity to model how good networking is done. Some techniques that have been successful for me are…a.)

a) I will ask (I may have to tactfully interrupt) who they would like to meet at the event and see if I can make an introduction.b.)
 

b)If they are in heavy “sales” mode, I will interrupt and gracefully let them know I am probably not a prospect for them. Since I know they are at the event to network I will let them mingle with other folks.

 

We’ve all be stuck in uncomfortable situations networking. My fellow net-workers, what are some of your suggestions?

 

 

Step it Up! Maximize Your Marketing Dollars

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Extremes seem to be the norm these days. Doom and gloom or opportunities around every corner. I am in a unique position to hear the buzz in networking circles…both good and bad.

 

I’ve heard folks pulling out of organizations, cancelling advertising, and waiting until things clear up to make new choices in marketing their businesses. I hear others stepping up their marketing efforts to capture market share and take advantage in this new economy.

 

What is your take? What are you doing differently? I am curious.

 

This blog unpacks a few tactics and offers some tools to make smarter decisions with your dollars and time!

 

Let’s talk advertising!

 

Arleen McClean with WorkSmarter offers these tips to Three Costly Advertising Mistakes.

 

Mistake #1: Not Tracking for Return on Investment:

 

Advertising is used to build awareness (branding) or generate leads. To determine if advertising is a good investment for your business, consider the following:

  1. Are your competitors advertising?
     

  2. Do you want to increase your market share and improve sales?
     

  3. Are you forfeiting profit because you have unsold inventory that can’t be sold in the future. (Vacant airplane seats, apartments that are un-rented, time that isn’t filled with prospects…all translate into lost profits!)
     

  4. Is your average sale large enough to justify advertising and create a positive return on investment ratio? (For example, a car dealer making $3,000 on each vehicle sale can spend $9,000 a month on advertising and reasonably expect to sell 9 cars a month for a 3-1 R.O.I.)

Bottom Line: Have a clear sense of what you want the advertising to do. Ask your media representative to explain the kind of results you might expect and to show you any success stories they have from other businesses like yours. Good media reps can also provide you with statistical information that will help you find the people you want to reach.

 

Mistake #2: Ignoring the Emotional / Logical Message:

 

People buy based on emotion and logic. Whether advertising in print, radio, television, or online your selling messages need the following elements:

 

  1. An Emotional Hook
    Emotionally connecting with the audience in the first five seconds is critical. The headline or text should draw people in and make them curious enough to read further.
     

  2. Logical Reassurance
    Next, the emotional connection is complimented by the logical reasons why someone should seek out this particular advertiser to solve a specific problem.
     

  3. Call to Action
    Finally, the ad needs to evoke a response. This “call to action” can be as simple as listing a web site or the price of an item.
     

  4. Urgency
    One key item that is often overlooked in writing ads is creating urgency. Urgency can be created by limiting statements like “space is limited” or listing specific deadlines of the end of a sale.
     

  5. Focus
    It isn’t about you. The message is not about you – it’s about how you solve a problem for the prospect.
     

Bottom Line: Consistently track to see which selling messages get the most phone calls and translate into the highest number of sales. Ask callers to tell you what they identified most with in the commercial.

 

 

Writing compelling copy that induces sales is tricky and requires skills. If you’re doing it yourself, seek objective feedback. If the media you work with doesn’t have a dedicated commercial copywriter, consider hiring someone like Work Smarter to write the advertising for you. It’s a small price to pay for such a critical part to your advertising success.

 

Mistake #3: Too Little Too Late

 

If you’ve ‘tried advertising once and it didn’t work’ it’s often due to mistakes made in this area. Finding the right place to advertise and knowing how to purchase the advertising is critical.

 

Too Little: Research shows that people need to hear or see an ad a minimum of three times before they act. When I schedule ads for my clients, I put a concentration of ads in a narrow block of time (5 a.m. – 10 a.m.) instead of allowing ads to run as ‘broad rotators’ (5 a.m. – 8 p.m.). The equivalent in newspaper advertising is to place your ad in the same section of the newspaper each time.

 

Too Late: It takes time to fine tune the advertising process, so don’t wait until your business is in critical condition before you start advertising. In today’s economic climate people are also taking longer to make buying decisions. So while a percentage of the people are looking for your product or service today, most a not. That’s why it’s important to consistently advertise – to build awareness of your name so that when they are looking for your product or service, they call you!

 

Bottom Line: Advertising can provide a steady stream of leads to your business if done correctly. For more information or to discuss your specific needs, call Arleen McClean of Work Smarter at (503) 449-4830.

 

Let’s talk Networking!

 

Here is a little tidbit from me….

 

I believe networking is the most under-utilized tactic to grow business and open doors to new opportunities! Here are some common mistakes I observe that minimize any results networking efforts could produce.

 

  1. No clear value proposition.

  2. No expressed confidence, passion, or desire to serve.

  3. No follow up.

  4. Think networking is all about them.

  5. Lack of desire to connect.

  6. Don’t listen.

  7. Don’t ask questions.

  8. Talk too much.

  9. Inconsistent messages from business attire to collateral to verbal cues.

  10. No time for relationship building.
     

Sound like anyone you know? The secret to networking success is simply to flip the equation. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. Bring yourself to your networking activities. Don’t pull back!
 

Social Networking!
Speaking to those of you on the edge..dipping your toes. Can Social Networking work for you? Let’s see…
 

  • Do you build relationships and have conversations with your customers, prospects, and network?

  • Do you tap into others experience, resources, and ideas?

  • Do you make introductions to others?

  • Do you share your expertise one on one, in small groups, or in larger forums?

  • Do you have a website?
     

Then yes…it can work for you! Social networking is simply another set of tools to reach an extended group of people. The secret is in taking on the right tool, investing time to understand it’s impact and then maintaining it.
 

If you have not taken the plunge yet, start with completing your LinkedIn profile and inviting a few friends to join your network. This always stimulates some conversation.
 

  • Already on LinkedIn? Check out some of the questions and respond in the areas of your expertise.

  • A solopreneur or small business, check out Biznik.
     

Like you, I am tentatively reaching out into the arena of social networking to see where the best use of time can be found. What I am learning is that if you DON’T begin to build a presence online that extends beyond your website, you may be caught behind the curve.

 

In the end…it is all about time, money, and return on investment. Evaluate, maximize, and in the end…eliminate or add. Stop doing what doesn’t work and step up what does.

 

 

Networking Makes the World Small

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I had the unexpected pleasure this week of encountering several women who are part of my social network in a far away place, Dallas, Texas. Imagine the feeling of seeing someone you’ve been watching online, read their articles and regularly read their newsletter…but have never met in person. I found myself this past week, walking through the eWomen Network trade show when I caught a glimpse of a familiar profile. You should know I came to this event knowing only one person, my mother. (But that is another story.) Surprised to find someone I might know, I touched the woman’s arm to get a better look and discovered Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy from Seattle in her signature blue dress.,

 

Again, I had never met her in person, only seen her online. Based on the content of her website, articles on Biznik and e-newsletter, I refer clients to her fairly regularly so you can imagine my surprise to meeting her in person.Later that weekend, I found Nancy in a huddle with some women from Seattle and met Marcia Brixey, author of The Money Therapist and Lori Richardson of Score More Sales.

 

Again, both only online acquaintances, we had a chance throughout the weekend to connect and learn more about each others goals and specialty.After this experience, I am challenged to pick up the phone and call those I follow online. Better yet, if they are within proximity, I will travel to where they are. I am confident the alliances we began this weekend through the extended personal connection will pay off for all.

 

The small world phenomenon is rampant in the Portland Metro area leading me to state my belief that in this town there are only three degrees of separation rather than six but this is my first out of state scenario.

 

What about you? Have you experienced the small world outcome of great networking? Tell us more!

Reality Sucks When Networking Doesn't Work

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I overheard a conversation this past week at a networking event between two business professionals. The comment that drove this post was “None of my networking in business organizations paid off”. (I always cringe when I hear that.) The woman continued to share what did work for her; social networking, specifically “meetups. Her profession? Interior Design. His profession? Realtor.

 

This sounded like a brilliant conclusion. If you are trying to meet consumers who will buy interior design, they are not typically at business networking events AND unless you are networking at “partner rich” events (i.e. realtors, contractors, window coverings, etc.) you will not likely make as many quality connections. There is nothing more frustrating than attending networking with the hope of making good connections and walking away empty handed.

 

It made me wonder, are we simply swallowing the “how-to’s” hook, line and sinker without evaluating our own business model, personality, sales style, and target audience? I hope not! Here are a couple of things to think about as you personalize your networking efforts.

 

If you are networking for lead generation and getting less than desired results, ask yourself:

 

  1. Is it the group? Not rich enough in prospects, partners or opportunties? Are you fishing in the wrong pond?
     

  2. Is it you? Are you not asking the right questions, engaging the right people, and following up?

 

If you’ve invested dollars in membership and time in an organization, be sure to evaluate the above. Before jumping ship, make sure it isn’t you. If it is, you will take your troubles to the next organization.

 

Suggestions for face to face social networking

 

http://www.meetin.com/

 

http://www.meetup.com/

 

http://www.biznik.com/

 

Google “meet up” and your city. Happy Networking!

Define your Terms to Create More Sales

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Along my personal development journey I learned the value of defining terms. I use my personal story to illustrate the value of defining terms both personally and professionally.

 

I spent most of my life talking about how “hard” things were. And they were hard! I was a single mother at 22, survived a near fatal auto accident that left me with a handicap at 23, not to mention the other life stuff that goes on every day when you are working hard to make a living and raise a family.

 

 

An amazing thing happened when I redefined the word hard. It’s curious…when I asked myself if my life was truly hard I had to admit, others had it much rougher than I did. What I discovered in truth is that I had some “challenges”. There were some activities that were “difficult” for me. I did have to exert a little more effort to get things done…but I could do them.

 

In that discovery I had an “Aha” moment…I could work with challenges and difficulty but hard things were just plain hard…and my speaking it made things even harder. So, I changed my vocabulary. When I would have habitually described a situation as “hard”, I began replacing the word with a true statement. My attitude changed and, I swear, life got easier.

 

When it comes to doing business, I believe defining terms has been instrumental in building a profitable growing consulting practice, serving my clients, and creating business development curriculum’s.

 

For example, early on in my career I redefined selling.

 

Old definition: Selling is convincing someone to buy something they didn’t need.

 

New definition: Selling is serving customers by discovering and matching a true need with a valuable solution.

 

When I quit trying to “sell” my customers and instead focused on serving, exchanging valuable information and connecting them to resources my sales increased immediately. Of course, I had to complete the sales process by creating an opportunity to purchase but that wasn’t the end game…just part of serving.

 

Same thing with networking.

 

Old , old definition: Networking is schmoozing and positioning.

 

Old, new definition: Networking is relationship building, connecting people to people, and perfect elevator pitches.

 

New definition: Networking is a strategic marketing activity intended to increase exposure, build credibility, and create opportunities in addition to generating leads.

 

What I began to view my networking in light of the bigger picture, my sales increased exponentially. As a matter of fact I doubled my sales in one year using this new definition. Achieving this led me to clearly see and define another type of valuable networking activity; networking to build professional relationships or strategic partnerships.

 

Check this for yourself. How do you define these terms? Is it working for you?

 

Happy Networking!.

 

Fresh rules for networking! Need business? Connect up!

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Most of the people I know are networking to generate new business. Some are operating under the belief that networking is a new form of cold calling and start selling too early in the conversation. You know what I mean. I don’t know about you, but every time I network, I run into someone trying to sell me something. I am usually not their prospect but they don’t ask enough questions to know! They assume everyone is their prospect. Not so! 

 

There is so much available in the information sphere that addresses the ‘how to’ of networking that it is surprising that so many still are challenged using it to produce consistent results! Check yourself? How do you define the activity?

 

Let’s start with redefining the activity of networking. Instead of simply connecting or building relationships, look at networking as a strategic marketing tactic. As a part of your overall marketing strategy, you would likely be much more specific about where you network, who you connect with, and how you follow up!

 

Here are a few quick rules for networking strategically…and making contacts that lead to business!

 

  1. Target events that are rich with those with your target market or potential strategic partners.
     

  2. Don’t start with selling. Ask good questions!
     

  3. See the big picture. The person you meet may not be in need of your services but could connect you to opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise find.
     

  4. Follow up. Do your homework and identify your A prospects & partners (or cool people you meet). When you meet those who fit that criteria or close to it. Take the next step and follow up. This is where the money is made!

 

Next time you network, try these new rules! What about you? Do you have any tips for networking strategically?