Networking Is Not Selling

I always look forward to reading Abigail’s latest “words of wisdom.” Please scroll all the way down, if you find that taking vacations seems to be a ‘foreign concept’ in your world.  Abigail can help you create the kind of business that will allow you to take time off! She is fantastic!

A generation or two ago, most people worked hard for 40 hours each week and had time each evening for dinner, visiting with neighbors, supervising their children’s homework, and bath time. For the past two decades, not taking vacation time has become a desperate attempt to keep our jobs, despite no proof to support the practice. Today, Americans work more days per year and more hours per day than workers in any other industrialized nation. We have no national vacation policy, unlike other industrialized nations. Only 10% of employed Americans take two weeks off at a time for vacation.

What’s Preventing Time Off?

We all have 24 hours in a day. How we allocate them is completely individual. When clients tell me they cannot take time off, their reasons fall into very predictable buckets.

1. Money – If you are paid hourly, then time not working is less dollars in your pay package. The majority of my clients own their own business so that’s a lame argument. When they have a net income goal that they are not meeting, we need to look at their marketing, their conversion rate from lead to client, their follow up to retain existing/prior clients, and their expenses.

2. Fear – These days many salaried people are terrified of taking time off in case they lose their job. There are thousands of people who made this decision and lost their jobs anyway. If you believe your boss “won’t like it” when you take time off, think about who will be around to enjoy when you are 65. It probably won’t be your current boss.

 3. Poor Planning – For business owners, if their business is set up so it cannot function without them on hand, it’s definitely time to look at their systems, policies, and protocols so they are set up to allow a month-long cruise with no worries about the business continuing to prosper. Or, help them make their annual revenue in 11 months of the year so they have the twelfth month free. A clockmaker friend of mine spends the month of February in Hawaii, because he generates his desired annual revenue March through January.

4. Avoidance of Other Things – This is more common that most of us want to admit. If there are problems in the marriage, it’s easier to work longer hours. When you have a teenager with attitude, it’s less stressful to go to the office on the weekend. After you welcome the new puppy in the family, it’s definitely better to avoid being the first one home to clean up any accidents and take the puppy for a walk. We don’t like to admit that we are working longer hours to avoid other things, but it’s a very probable cause.

Just because we can – does not mean we should

Technology allows us to be connected 24/7 around the world. We’ve become so infatuated with our “toys” that they now dictate our lives. They come with OFF buttons! Learn to use them! I promise there is no law, rule, or commandment that says we must be connected every hour of every day. Even God, in the middle of creation, managed a day of rest. If it’s good enough for the Big Guy, it’s good enough for us mere mortals.

Protect What is Most Valuable

Your technology tools can be lost, stolen, or destroyed. If you’ve followed basic levels of security and back-up protocols, you can easily replace the tool, recover your information, and be functional in a matter of hours.

Human beings, you, your family, friends, and co-workers are not replaceable with downloaded memory. As I have pointed out frequently, if you do not take extremely good care of yourself, no one else can or will do it for you. Only you can control how your physical, mental, and emotional well-being is cared for. Many of us take better care of equipment than of ourselves.
Take The Long View
Are you nicer, calmer, more creative, and helpful to your clients when you are rested and refreshed, or when you are half sick and exhausted? Will your clients be happier finding a new supplier for your goods or products when you have burned out to the point you need to close down your business?

Make yourself and your own well-being a priority. Take time off to relax, refresh, and recharge. Your body, your business, and your relationships will all benefit.

I keep this question posted to my bulletin board as a reminder. 

     “How thin can you spread yourself before you are no longer “there?”

 © 2010 Straight Edge News           All Rights Reserved.

Abigail Dougherty, PCC, is the founder of Straight Edge Solutions, a Professional Certified Coach, Business Process Expert and Motivational Speaker. To read more articles by Abigail and learn more about her work, please visit her website, StraightEdgeSolutions.com or contact Abigail at Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com.

For those of you who prefer to vacation off-season, now is an excellent time to confirm that your business will run smoothly without your attention for a week or two.  Send Abigail an email so you can set up a time to talk about how to prepare for your gift of time off.

Abigail Dougherty
Straight Edge Solutions

Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

Are you likable ? You may have great knowledge and be fully capable in your industry, but if others do not like you, they will not refer to you.  Some simple tips on becoming more likable may help you put the pieces of the puzzle together:

• First impressions are lasting impressions. Always put your best foot forward. Yes, dressing appropriately, wearing deodorant, bathing, and using mouth wash are suggested acts for leaving a positive lasting impression.
• Be interested in others.
• Listen. Are you busy thinking about what you’re going to say next, or are you actually listening?
• Ronnie Noize, Google’s #1 Marketing Coach http://www.VeronikaNoize.com  says that Networking is about connecting and serving. Connecting others is a great way to be of service. Those can be some of the most powerful referrals.
• Never, ever, ever confuse networking with selling. No one likes to be sold.

If you are networking, chances are you own a business.  You will want to read the following article by Abigail Dougherty.  Becky

As I’ve admitted before, my definition of a “business” book is broader than most publishers’. Because I read over 200 nonfiction books a year, it means I’ve read several on leadership, sales, marketing, management, etc. The more I read, the clearer it becomes that there is no single precise formula for success in business. Most of the books agree on six key attributes needed to be successful. They might name them differently, but the fundamentals are the same.

Skill

This is usually the easiest one. Sane people do not start a business unless they have a certain level of qualification in that field, either by experience, education or certification. If you are a carpenter, travel agent, coach, lawyer or dog groomer, somewhere along the way you’ve picked up the necessary abilities to do that work.

Vision

Going into business for yourself requires a vision of what you want from life that is greater than the relative security of working for a paycheck. The vision could be about freedom, about creativity, about flexibility of where and when you work, and who you work with. It could be as simple as the change you want to bring to the world. Without vision we cannot run our business; it will always run us. 

Personality

Of all the attributes for business success, this, to me, is the most controversial. Sometimes charisma is mistaken for the ability to lead. Sadly, leadership isn’t always combined with integrity and competence. When it is, it’s a fabulous combination for success. Too often, key qualities are missing and we see the business fail in a headline-blazing fashion.

Creativity

This is the ability to find, engage, and listen to our customers so we can understand what they WANT to solve problems or save themselves pain. Creativity includes being able to keep that dialogue going as tastes or the problems they face change. Being a buggy whip maker in the age of automobiles could limit your business success, unless you are Jedediah’s Buggy Whip Maker, who has carved out a unique niche in what most believe is a dead industry. Creativity helps you get through any barrier to your success. That might mean going over, under, around or through the obstacles that pop up. This is where Master Mind groups are invaluable. Often we are too close to the problem to see the solution that is obvious to someone in a different industry.

Determination

I was listening to an interview of a well-known speaker who, early in his career, was asked to work with an inner-city youth group to help them develop self-esteem. He was wise enough to help them acknowledge that they faced challenges, that people have faced similar challenges in the past, and that similar challenges will continue in the future. This speaker’s message to these youths was, “Now you know the challenges, succeed anyway!” We can all produce a litany of excuses for not being successful. We’re human: as long as we are alive we will have challenges. We can use them as our excuse to not succeed or we can use determination and creativity to succeed anyway.

Action

It’s probably not surprising that action is often the hardest step for business owners. Purposeful action to attract clients, to book business, to earn revenue, and to ensure the clients become your fan club is significantly different from activities. Business owners too often believe that it’s their job to do everything in the business. Successful business owners figure out where they add the most value to the business and find ways to delegate the rest to a third party, an employee or a virtual assistant. Remember, delegation retains your control. Abdication means you’ve abandoned part of your business to someone else’s priorities.

What’s Your Formula?

Skill, vision, personality, creativity, determination, and action are all essential building blocks of business success. How much of each that is required for your success is completely individual to your business and your market. No matter how your formula reads, ACTION is the essential ingredient to ALL success.

 “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.  Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

Leonardo DaVinci

 © 2010  Straight Edge News

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? Check our website: Straight Edge Solutions.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Abigail Dougherty, PCC, is the founder of Straight Edge Solutions, a Professional Certified Coach, Business Process Expert and Motivational Speaker. To read more articles by Abigail and learn more about her work, please visit her website, StraightEdgeSolutions.com or contact Abigail at Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com.

My good friend, Ronnie Noize, Google’s #1 Marketing Coach http://www.veronikanoize.com wrote the following exceptional article for anyone who’s interested in finding new clients.

The first challenge of most business owners is to find prospects who turn into clients, but how and where to find them can be a puzzler.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet that instantly generates a slew of clients. What usually has to happen is that we surface a number of suspects (people we SUSPECT may be interested in products and/or services such as ours), and from that pool we find our PROSPECTS, or people who are prospective purchasers if all needs and conditions are satisfied. Finally, when the decision to purchase is made, we have clients (or customers or patients or members or whatever you wish to call them).

What may be different from one business to another is the process for attracting suspects, cultivating prospects, and acquiring clients. In some cases the process is relatively short and simple, in others, the process may require multiple steps to qualify the prospect and nurture the relationship to fruition.

The key to success is to meet your suspects halfway–showing up where they are looking for or thinking about the solution to the problem you solve or the experience you offer, so that even if they don’t know that YOU exist, you have the basis to begin a relationship.

Here is a short list of quick and easy ways to surface likely leads (suspects and prospects who turn into clients) for your business:

1. Offer a valuable piece of educational material on your website. This piece of information could be a free report, ebook, audio, newsletter, assessment, or other tool; all that really matters is that it is of sufficient perceived value to entice your visitor to exchange her name and email address in exchange for it. Caveat: Make sure that you require a double-opt in process, rather than an immediate redirect to the free stuff so that you capture valid contact information, or you won’t be able to follow up.
2. Speaking at a meeting, seminar, or other public event. As the guest expert (which speakers usually are), you are in a position of visibility and credibility that is a powerful combination for prospecting. Invite your audience to give you feedback, request a copy of your presentation, or redeem a free or reduced price consultation with a feedback card that you bring to the presentation. Or you may simply hold a drawing for a book or other prize at the end of your presentation, using the drawing entry forms or even business cards as leads.
3. Referrals from your current clients are usually much more likely to buy than cold leads, so consider putting referral programs in place. There are three ways to get referrals, and you should be using all of them. The first way is to earn referrals, meaning that your clients are so thrilled they can’t stop telling others about you. The second way to is ask your clients, colleagues, and Power Partners for referrals, and to take responsibility for following up so you don’t burden your referral partners with the work of referring. The third way to generate referrals is to reward those who refer in both a public and a generous manner. Perhaps you thank them in your newsletter, award points that they can redeem for cool prizes, or better yet, send them personal thanks by mail.
4. Post special offers and/or specific programs in your online communities. Examples include Craigslist in the small business ads or classes sections; or in listservs such as Yahoo or Google groups; online communities such as LinkedIn, Biznik, and Facebook; or even online forums and bulletin boards.
5. Live meetings and events provide the perfect opportunity for eyeball-to-eyeball connecting, and can be fun, too. This doesn’t have to be a networking meeting per se, although those can be terrific for meeting new folks. Also in this category are association and trade meetings, conventions, rallys, and other meetings that offer opportunities for interaction between participants.
6. Drawings or giveaways at trade shows, conventions, or other live events can generate loads of great leads, as well as plenty of folks who are not at all interested in what you offer, so be sure that your prize is something that is of specific interest to your target client, or that the pool is already pre-qualified in some way. One way to pre-qualify is to use entry forms that gather pertinent info rather than simply using business cards.
7. Direct mail to a qualified list of suspects can be very profitable, as long as the list is qualified and the offer is strong. Lists can be obtained in a variety of ways, but one way that I really like is the endorsed mailing to a Power Partner (a non-competing professional who shares your ideal client). This strategy combines direct mail with referral, and can be very persuasive. The endorsed mailing can be as simple as a letter from the Power Partner to her clientele introducing you (and your special offer) and explaining why she’s recommending that her clients work with you.
8. Advertising is often the first thing business owners consider, and for most folks traditional advertising is a total waste of money because it is not measurable. Advertising can be a good lead generator when it is what is called direct response advertising, so that you can see a return on your investment by the number of responses you receive. This would include a coupon, special offer, toll-free phone number or other response mechanism that can be measured and evaluated. Remember that pretty ads may win awards, but direct response ads win leads.
9. Recorded messages on toll-free information lines are a wonderful way for the shy suspect to investigate your product or service without the pressure of having to speak to a sales person, so do consider using this as a tool. The free message is not about how to buy from you, but usually a message educating the suspect on the pitfalls, dangers, or unexpected outcomes of choosing a vendor before knowing all the facts, or some other piece of information that is necessary to make a good decision, followed by a special offer and call to action.
10. Coupon mailers can entice new clients to try your services at a fraction of the cost of regular mass direct mail. This is an especially good option for retailers or recurring services businesses like dentists and garages. Caveat: If your offer is for a price reduction on a regular product or service and you run the offer consistently, you will teach your prospects to wait for the coupon to buy. However, if your coupon is for a discount on an additional item or free bonus or premium, you will not canibalize your regular sales, attract new customers and keep your margins high.
11. Directories such as the yellow pages are often best for emergency services, but a solid offer in a directory ad can bring in the new folks like clockwork. I like to test messages and offers with a Google adwords campaign before committing to a full year in a directory, so that I can be confident that my ad will actually work without just crossing my fingers and wishing.

Of course, there are lots of other ways to attract new clients, but there is a reason that these are on this list: They work. Now go out there and find new clients!

SoHo Marketing Guru 
Business Coaching & Development LLC
951 Officers Row · Vancouver, WA 98661 · USA
360-882-1298 voice · 866-560-1510 fax

I always look forward to Abigail Dougherty’s newsletters!  As you are networking, I encourage you to keep Abigail’s following article in mind.  (Abigail is the owner of Straigth Edge Solutions)

I also recommend that you check out her website: www. straightedgesolutions.com

One of the most crucial lessons an entrepreneur can learn is that in order to succeed, you need to have the support, ideas, and work of other people. The second most crucial lesson to learn is to be careful about who you invite along on your success journey.

Individuals Matter

Too often as business owners we focus on the WHAT of our business and consider the WHO involved in the business to be secondary. Frequently we fail to see the person behind the role. If you were asked about your vendor’s weekend hobby, would you have an answer? Did the business down the street ever need to find new clients? How did they go about it?  Does your CPA understand what your business is? Can your next-door neighbor explain to his brother-in-law what you do?

Wisdom and experience make working with people we know, like, and trust far more important than what someone puts on their resume. Trust your gut and do your research when you are inviting people on your success journey. It’s worth investing the time to really get to know the people you are interested in inviting along. A few months spent upfront can generate decades-long business relationships and lifetime friendships.

Pool Your Resources

Being a business owner does not mean we have all the answers. As a client of mine put it – “We don’t even have all the questions.” Get input from other people, from books, seminars, tapes, and magazines. Keep a notebook with you to capture ideas from every source. Having lunch with a few friends might give you insights on a new meeting location for your next seminar. An article on recycling might spark an idea for saving money with your own office recycling practices, which could also be worth sharing with your success partners and your past, present, and potential clients.

 Mastermind or Never Mind

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Vince Lombardi

The more minds focused on making a business successful, the higher the probability that will be the result. Masterminds can be a fabulous tool to help you move forward quickly. Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich, compared minds to batteries that alone could light a lamp, but collectively could light a city. The more successful the members of your Mastermind, the more successful you will become. I have clients who will only belong to a Mastermind with business owners who earn over $1M annually. 

A highly effective Mastermind usually requires an up-front investment to help weed out the “hobbyists” and will have a facilitator who keeps the agenda moving and everyone in the group moving forward. I’ve been involved with different Masterminds over the years. Some were more effective than others. Strong Mastermind groups are challenging to find and are difficult to gain acceptance. Again, it’s worth the investment in time and resources to locate the best ones you can find and petition for acceptance as a member.

Share the Joy

As you succeed, remember to share the joy with all the people who helped make it possible. Two movie passes with a note saying, “Thank you for helping us be successful,” probably isn’t going to break the bank and will generate a huge wave of continued support.

One business I’ve worked with for two decades takes their entire staff and their families someplace special for five days each spring break. They combine it with 20 hours of continuing education requirements for the employees, so it’s not a free-for-all. This getaway thanks the families for their sacrifices they make all year to accommodate the parent’s work schedule. For the last 25 years, this firm has less than 5% turnover annually, compared to 38% in their industry.

In a future article I’ll talk more about how family, clients, employees, vendors, and support staff all can be instrumental in making your business a success. Their ability to help or hinder is often directly in relation to how we, as business owners, work with them.

 © 2010 Straight Edge News   All Rights Reserved.

As you are busy networking – trying to build your business – keep the following article, by Abigail Dougherty, in mind.

The Bottom Line

Every business owner I know has a keen sense of their business bottom line. Is the business profitable, or not? If not, most owners have ideas to improve the business’s bottom line in the future. 

As you are busy networking - trying to build your business – keep the following article, by Abigail Dougherty in mind.

The Front Line

The front line is seldom as keenly managed. Most businesses define “front line” too narrowly as the first point of human contact. Front line actually includes every contact point a customer has with the business; from the moment the phones are answered, live or mechanically, all the way through the transaction, including service long after the original transaction is completed.

We recently dealt with two front line employees in a local store with markedly different results. One took the stance that our issue was outside the policy. He could not help us and we could take our business (and 13 years of customer loyalty) elsewhere. The second person explained why we were told “no,” then took the time to negotiate a win-win solution. The second person generated a huge sale and kept loyal customers happy. Sadly, the first person was the store manager. The helpful employee was a subordinate who took the initiative to seek a solution outside the policy to resolve the issue.

Tools for the Front Line

The best way to lose customers is to have rigid customer support policies that allow no initiative from your employees. Unless you have a truly unique product or service, it’s imperative that your customers believe they are being treated as individuals and someone is ready to listen and help them.

New hires do not belong in a front line role. They need to be shown, as well as trained, on the broad view and the details of who, what, why, how, and when of your products, services, your ideal clients, and your competition.

Experienced employees need to be armed with options and examples of prior customer solutions. It’s worth the time to send regular “win” messages to your entire team spotlighting challenging customer issues and the creative solutions to resolve them.

Make it a team effort. Use your collective resources, solicit, and then reward contributions for customer satisfaction from your entire team. You will probably be surprised how creative your staff is, when given the opportunity to contribute.

The Front Line Drives the Bottom Line

More than 70% of all buying decisions are driven by referral marketing, or word of mouth. Happy customers are your best sales staff. Happy employees who understand, believe, and can share success stories about your business are essential to creating happy customers.

Years ago I was the “right-hand assistant” for a funeral director/mortician. My job definition was one line: Help him do his work. One of my regular tasks was to write up, proof, and print the memorial cards for each visitation and funeral. It was better to have extras left over than to run out. I soon learned that most people have a circle of about 250 others who know and or care about them. We printed 250 memorial cards for most services and usually had only a few left over. This was pre-social media; today 6,000 appears to be the accepted reach for our circle of influence.

It’s human nature to share bad news more readily than good news. A happy customer will tell several friends, especially soon after they’ve done business with you. An unhappy customer tells everyone they speak to about their experience and will remember the story for years to come when your business name comes up, or even when the discussion turns to the same industry. Unhappy customers never forget and seldom forgive.

We are blessed with two eyes. As business people that means we keep one on the front line and the other on the bottom line.

Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

Everyone has personality quirks. How we behave when well rested and relaxed is often quite different from when we are tired or stressed. Beneath the variations, we have our fundamental personality. Some personalities are beneficial, even when they are annoying. Some personalities are better avoided. Here are four personalities I’ve labeled Nags, Neds, Nits, and Nuts.

NAGS
Contrary to popular fiction, this personality occurs in both genders. They repeat, repeat, and repeat the same information or direction. Since it’s impossible to find their “off” button, an effective strategy is to discover which communication style works best for them. Everyone uses sight, sound or touch to communicate. We each prefer one above the others. If your Nag prefers sight, a large erasable board to log their directions will often satisfy their need to know the message is received. If your Nag prefers sound, a return phone call to repeat back the directions could suffice. If your Nag prefers touch, ask them write to the message on your erasable board or on your priority list for the week. Once they know their message is heard, Nags are usually content to leave you in peace; at least until the next set of directions.

NEDS
Neds, also known as Negative Ned, never see the glass as half full. To them the glass is always broken and water is dripping on the floor. This personality kills all energy and enthusiasm out of their environment. They find fault with every suggestion, every innovation, and often with individuals as well. The only way to cope successfully with Neds is to keep them away. One Ned on the team drags everyone down. It is not your role, nor in your best interest to try and “cheer up” a Ned. Help them out the door!

“The only true disability in life is a bad attitude.” Scott Hamilton

NITS
Nits, also known as nitpickers, can be a gift. Nits’ role is to point out the details that separate the good from the best. Nits find the typo on page 372 of a 600-page manuscript and tell you about it. Nits remind us about due dates, in advance, so we can be successful. I appreciate the Nits in my life, even though I get frustrated when they find a detail I missed. If you are a Nit, be selective about which nits to pick. It’s more valuable to connect, rather than to correct, people.

NUTS
Humans are like a can of mixed nuts; some are enjoyable, some tolerable, and some need to be tossed. Unlike the can, human Nuts cannot be identified by appearance alone. It takes time to get to know the real person behind their persona.

There are Scary Nuts with little or no self-control of their behavior. There are Odd Nuts who have a zeal for a collection, an era, or an event. They love to share their passion with others. Best of all are Delightful Nuts who view life as a comedy and invite you to laugh with them.

Based on observation, Scary Nuts tend to have few friends. Odd Nuts tend to belong to groups involved in their fields of interest. Delightful Nuts will invite other Delightful Nuts to join their circle when they discover each other.

Odd Nuts and Delightful Nuts add tremendous joy to the workplace and to our personal lives. Scary Nuts are best avoided.

Be Aware
Personalities on the team have a huge impact on the success of any venture. It’s easier to be aware of the personalities prior to adding them to your team. There are tools and experts who can help you hire for personality as well as for competency. It’s worth the money to use their help. If you have Neds or Scary Nuts on your existing team, start the process now to help them find a new place to work. When those personalities get “hired away” it’s a happy parting.

© 2010 Straight Edge News All Rights Reserved.

Abigail Dougherty
Straight Edge Solutions
503-297-5798
Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com