Four Reasons why Every Life Coach, Speaker & Author Should be Blogging!

I’m trying something new with a video post. Watch the post and leave me a comment - Join the conversation!

How do you engage your marketplace, your prospects and customers in conversation with YOU? Is your social networking, blogging, audio, video about delivering information or about engaging in a two way conversation?

photo of pen tip on front page by Star Dust

Networking Tips 101

“So, do ya wanna play?” (photo by ItzaFineDay)

If you were to ask most people if they know how to network, they would say, “Of course I do”. However, if you network incorrectly, you can end up frustrated and without results for your efforts.

1. You do need to take action and put forth some effort in your networking. Networking doesn’t work just because you attend a meeting or you create an account online to Twitter or Facebook.

Now, I am not trying to be pretentious here at all. I am just trying to make sure that the point is known that networking does take work and…it does take time.

2. There is my second point. Time. Networking is not about how many people you can get on your list (by receiving business cards in record speed) or how many followers you can get on twitter or friends on Facebook. It takes time to build a solid connection and meaningful relationship with another person. Take the time to find out about that person and allow yourself time to enjoy getting to know another person.
3. The third point which is another crucial but often missed point to networking. Networking is NOT about YOU! It is not about your products or your services. It is about the other person, what you can bring to the table, how you can help them, what knowledge you can share with them. Always come into networking with value for others. Offer your tips, comments, suggestions, and resources.
4. And the final 101 tip I would like to share is do not be afraid of networking. I meet other people who as about how I do approach other people. And I say, it is about just saying “Hi!” first. You will not know what will happen if you don’t even give it a try. And by not doing anything, you are getting nothing.
5. One more thing…when you do decide to connect, it is best to do it one person at a time. I know that there are probably many people you would like to meet. However, if you are not outgoing with networking. Choose one person each month you would like to connect with and approach them, either with email, a phone call and just let them know you are interested in connecting with them. You will be surprised how many people are wanting to connect with you.

Networking is about connecting in the right way and being true in how you do it. Remember networking is not about numbers. If you have a thousand people “connected” with you but you don’t even know them, are you really connected? And, networking does take time because it is about building those relationships and creating solid foundations with people. Also, if you don’t make the effort to network, you won’t know who may be wanting to connect with you.

Do you have a networking tip you would like to share?

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Teresa Morrow is on the Florida Board of Advisors with The WECAI Network ™ (http://www.wecai.org) and one of the Editors at Large at WE Magazine for Women ™ (http://www.wemagazineforwomen). Teresa has combined her passions; writing, reading and connecting with others. She began Key Business Partners, an online promotional company for authors, coaches, and speakers. She cares about her clients and is available for 20 minute free consultation. You can contact her via email at keybusinesspartners@verizon.net or visit her website at http://www.keybusinesspartners.com

Mantras and Mission Statements

I have to admit that that when I think of the word “mantra” visions of a cross legged individual- like what my kids call “criss cross apple sauce” - with hands resting on the knees, thumb and ring finger touching, eyes closed and “ohmmm” being repeated over and over. You know what I mean?

Today on Twitter I saw a tweet by Guy Kawasaki - you know they guy who brought the concept of “user evangelism” to the world of Apple users and eventually to business in General. Guy’s tweet had a link to his post over at Open Forum Blog. He opens the post with this definition:

“A mantra is three or four words that explain why your product, service, or company should exist.

A mission statement is a fifty-word tome that no one can remember or believe that’s supposed to impress readers of your business plan.”

Bam! Those words resonated with me and my message as a business coach. In my last post “CRM definition: Discovering Your Brand “Super Power” my message was how to hear & understand your marketplace. If you don’t hear and understand what you marketplace wants, needs, craves your mission statement and mantra’s suck!

In the post Guy quoted the mission statement of Wendy’s:

“The mission of Wendy’s is to deliver superior quality products and services for our customers and communities through leadership, innovation, and partnerships.”

Like Guy, I don’t really think too much about “leadership, innovation and partnerships” when I purchase a Triple Stacker from my teenager - I’m thinking “feed the teen before there is a meltdown in my car!” Honestly I think many mission statements are never written with the customer or prospect in mind. Who cares?! Do employees wake up in the morning and say “I am so excited about the leadership, innovation and partnerships that I will be a part of at work today!”

May I make a recommendation? When you write your mission statement or mantra, use words that resonate with your people. Use words they can use in regular conversation. Real World Words are the words that stay on the lips of your customers, employees, and eventually the world when they think about your product or service. This is where “evangelism” starts.

What’s my mantra?

“Spread the Word!” yeah, that’s what I do, I spread the word and make connections.

What’s your mantra? Share your mantra in a comment below (mwah! get a link back to your blog or website, cuz I love comments!) and go read and comment over at Guy’s post, “Mantras for Dummies“.

CRM definition: Discovering Your Brand “Super Power”

Latina Magazine has a stunning image to illustrate the psychographics of their reader. Notice I said “reader” not “marketplace”. This beautifully illustrates the position of marketing to an audience of one.

I coach my clients to create an illustration just like this for their product or service. I want you create a similar “Super Power Activator” graphic.

Imagine sitting across the table from a single individual that embodies the characteristics of your marketplace. When you post in your blog, or write an article, imagine holding a conversation with this audience of one.

The better you understand the people in your marketplace the more intense your “super power” becomes. The stronger your “super power”, the closer you will be to dominating your niche.

It is terminally important (understand or die) that you listen to and understand what your prospects and customers are asking for.

Many companies look to their CRM tools or process to define the attributes that make up client psychographics.

SearchCRM.com has an easy to understand definition of CRM or Customer Relationship Management.

an information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way.

With the tools of Social Networking even the small business owner just getting started can begin to provide customer solutions, and develop customer relationships like a “Super Hero”. Social networking becomes a powerful CRM tool easily developed and accessed by anyone in business. In fact, because of social networking tools and websites, CRM comes from a living thriving organism rather that a dead structure of a database. One could literally “peer into” a social networking group just to observe the “living” going on withing the network and make valuable business decisions based on these observations of relevant social networks.

When I first begin to work with a new client, one of my first goals is to help them fully understand the power of CRM through social networking tools to develop what I call their “Super Hero Laboratory”.

Define and Develop your Super Power

First I have my clients discover their “Super Power”. The most important element in developing and proclaiming your “Super Power” is in defining and developing the message of your marketplace.

The better you understand your ideal customer, the better are able to define your marketing message. Your marketing message should be so well defined that your customers stop in their tracks and say to themselves, “Whoa! It’s like he/she is reading my mind! How’d she do that?” This is what I call your marketing “Super Power”.

Step into my “Super Hero Laboratory”

There are numerous tools on the Internet that have become the mechanism of my Super Hero Laboratory that fuels the Super Hero Powers for myself and my clients.

When your customers shop, where do they spend money and on what?
Competition Research

The myth that many small business owners embrace is that if the could discover or create a product or service that no one else has discovered or offers they could become the next Small Business Super Star Celebrity. While I do believe it is possible to be innovative and lead the market with a spectacular whatcha-ma-jig, let me tell you how you will most likely keep your bank account full of the precious units of service (money) that we’re all so fond of exchanging.

Pioneering the way with a new product or service can be lonely and may drive you to poverty if no one is spending money there yet.

Here are a few of the sites that I use to find out where people are shopping, who are they spending money with (my potential competitors), and what are they spending money on:

Amazon.com - Best Selling instructional DVD’s

Amazon.com - Best Selling Books

eBay Pulse: Trends, Hot Picks, Cool Stuff and Popular Searches on eBay

PayPal Stores and discover Hot Trends on Paypal

By observing what clients are buying, what is hot and trending it gives you insight into their needs and desires. I will spend time in another blog post about how to create rising demand for your product or service by understanding and using real-time information about buying trends and public opinion.

What I want to establish in this post is that it is terminally important (understand or die) to learn what tools to use and how to use them to understand what you need to bring to the table as you have a conversation with your audience of one.

In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, your Super Power in this context is the ability to know your market so well that your side of the conversation is specifically targeted to a marketplace you understand so well it’s as if you are communicating with one, or at the very least a few who represent the commonalities of your clients and prospects. It is in the understanding of your audience of one so well it’s as if you are reading their mind that you demonstrate your super power. Your super power draws clients to you giving your the advantage among competitors who don’t know or understand the customer.

Once you discover the essense of your Super Power you must engage in conversation often and in many different ways. It is these conversations that will help you to lead your field.

Join me in this conversation.

• Is there something you’d like to tell me or ask me about understanding your prospect or customer?
• What research do you do to understand your marketplace?
• What other tools would you recommend?

Technorati Tags: market research, crm, customer relationship management, brand, amazon, ebay, paypal. thefind,

How to Write more Articles in Less Time, Get Your Information in Front of More Eyes

Today on the Get More Business Show.

Jeff Herring is a recovering marriage and family therapist, having spent 21 years building a thriving practice in Florida. He has written a weekly nationally syndicated relationship column since 1994 that reaches over 20 million readers a week.

When Jeff turned his article marketing expertise on the internet, he created a flood of traffic to his web sites that he could not stop if he wanted to.

Jeff has broken article writing down to what he calls The Four Pillars:

• Article Writing
• Article Submission
• Article Marketing
• Article Income & Product Creation

He tells me that he has first hand experience that proves that the more articles your write and publish, the more all your other numbers will be.

• More Prospects
• More Web Trafic
• More Product
• More Profitability

Since Jeff has been writing at least weekly (and more since he also does article writing for other Internet Marketers) since 1994, he has developed quite a strategic approach to business building with article marketing.

My goal will be to get Jeff to talk more about the marketing that happens once the articles are written and how articles are developed into full blown products. Jeff assures me that article writing will get anyone that can write a seven item grocery list can write articles as a business development tool.

More Referrals?

 

 

Get More Business Podcast - Becoming or Hiring a Virtual Buzz Assistant

Tune in to our live podcast at Get More Business Podcast to learn more about becoming certified as a Virtual Buzz Assistant or hiring a Certified Buzz Assistant.

Would Your Life Be Better
If Someone Was Promoting You
EVERY Day?

VirtualBuzzAssistant.com

Get More Business - Social Media Marketing

Download the Get More Business Podcast - Social Media Marketing:

Today we’re going to discuss Michelle MacPhearson free e-book at http://www.socialmediadaily.com. Michelle says, “social media can bring you an absolute torrent of traffic. The key is familiarizing yourself with the websites you’re working with and then catering your message to them.” Let’s see what we can discover from her tool. Live weekly show, Friday, 9 am PST - www.GetMoreBusinessPodcast.com brought to you by host Melody Campbell of www.TheSmallBusinessGuru.com

1. Download and listen to the audio
2. Download Michelle MacPhearson’s ebook
3. Do the checklist
4. Get traffic

It’s that simple!

Join in the conversation live or post comments here at the blog.

Melody Campbell
Quantum Goal Achievement Specialist

Get More Business Podcast for Friday, May 9th - CorePage

Join me this Friday, May 9th as I interview David Peltz, creator of CorePage.

Listen in for a SHOW SPECIAL - by listening in Live or Archived you will hear a “secret code” that will entitle you as my listner to a special free offer - no purchase necessary.

CorePage is designed to help people, especially those in sales, to quickly and easily present their content to prospects and customers in a professional manner, and track whether or not it has been viewed.

CorePage allows you to instantly create branded, custom web pages specifically for individuals, that are filled with links to… anything online. This is a whole new way to professionally present yourself to prospects and customers.

Finally, you’ll know whether or not they’re clicking to see your matierials. With CorePage, you’ll know who, what and when.

Though initially conceived as tool for the presentation of portfolio materials for those in advertising and other creative fields, the reality today is that people in many industries have sales literature, animated demos, videos, photos, documents and more that are either currently stored on line, or can be.

This is a pretty amazing tool. There is a free account with up to 5 pages. Listen to the show to discover how it would be useful for your business. (the “secret code” will get you double the free pages).

SEO Book & Tool - Search Engine Optimization Book

Today on Get More Business we will be reviewing Aaron Wall’s SEO Training Program and Tools.
Listen to the review of Aaron Wall’s SEO Training / Book / Tool site.

If you’re following along at Aaron’s site while listening to the call you will want to click on this link to see what I’m describing. While you’re there get the free account and get the basics of SEO for your website.

This tool / training is MUST HAVE if you’re serious about generating an income/meaningful traffic from your website, your blog, or any Internet presence. If you’ve got a charitable cause you’re promoting on the Internet - you need this training!

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