I hope you are all well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it. I will be back tomorrow, assuming this migraine looses its hold on me.
Be well, everyone!
Archive for November, 2009
No Blog Today
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Thanksgiving Post: What I Am Thankful For
Thursday, November 26th, 2009I’ve been seeing a lot of posts in social media about what people are thankful for. Instead of clogging the stream with my own list, I thought I’d just put it all here.
1. I am thankful for my husband, Devan. He has been my biggest supporter in up times and down. I don’t know how I would have made it without him.
2. I am thankful for David, my 17 year old son. He’s fun, funny and blessed with a lot of common sense. Everyone told me the teen years would be hell. David proved them all wrong.
3. I am thankful for my friends. They have made the good times better and the bad times bearable.
4. I am thankful for my clients. They stretch me, and I learn from them. It’s the biggest high to watch them shift in great directions!
5. I am thankful for my cats, Shadow, Phantom and Leo. They make me laugh, and keep me warm when they curl up in my lap or near me.
6. I am grateful for my dog, Ember. There’s nothing quite like being greeted after a long day by a wagging tail. And he forces me to exercise when I don’t want to, which is good for me.
7. I am grateful for my iPhone. Silly, perhaps, but it keeps me organized and entertained. And allows me to be more productive, which is important as an entrepreneur.
That’s probably enough for now. I’ll be interested to see my list for next year. Probably be much the same.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Review: Evernote
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009Sometimes you don’t know you need something until you stumble across it.
I’m pretty well organized. When I come up with an idea, I write it down, usually in my iPhone. Until recently, I was using either the Notes program that came with the phone or Action Lists for iPhone. Notes works pretty well, but I admit, I forget to look there sometimes. I check Action Lists religiously throughout the day, but it’s really a task manager, not an idea manager. I found I had to keep things very short, and sometimes I’d go back later and have no idea what I had been intending.
Then Evernote crossed my path in a tweet. It’s a dedicated note-taking application that can be used and synchronized with a number of different platforms. Of course, there’s a version for the iPhone. And Windows, Mac, Blackberry, Palm Pre and others.
Now I can make a note on the iPhone and sync it to my computer. So I have it exactly where I need it. Mostly, I use it to make notes of future blog posts and ideas for my book. If I am writing on my computer, I pull up Evernote on the computer. If I am on the go, I pull it up on my phone.
But that’s not all! It also can be used as a web-clipper. If I see a website I want to review later, I can clip it, and the text will show up on my phone the next time I sync. That allows me to easily review content when I don’t have a good connection to the Internet, or if I’m just impatient and don’t want to wait for a web page to load.
If you need to keep track of ideas (speakers, authors, bloggers, etc), and you need access to your content in multiple places, I highly recommend checking out Evernote. Did I mention that it’s free? There’s a paid version, but I haven’t needed it yet.
Make Us Care: Develop a Referral Mindset
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Today I finish (for now) my series on making us care about you so we are more likely to refer you.
The last topic was certainly hinted at in previous posts, but I want to pull it together as a close to the series.
Referring is not a skill we are born with. We have to learn it. And then once we learn it, we have to work to maintain it. Some people can be standing (metaphorically speaking) next to a referral and never see it. Others can identify a referral from minimal clues when speaking with someone. What’s the difference? The person who sees referrals everywhere has developed a referral mindset. Referring is something that is always present for these people.
You can think of it sort of like being a multiple personality, but not in a bad way. The people in your network are always with you, sitting in the back of your mind. They have given you clues–things to look or listen for–and those clues are present. When someone triggers one of those clues, that person in the back of your mind “raises” a hand and says “that’s for me.”
Don’t tell your therapist that I described it that way, please.
How do you develop this skill? Like any other skill you want to learn, you’ll need training wheels at first. A solid contact management system is the key tool you’ll use. It doesn’t have to be fancy (or expensive). Notes in your paper or electronic Rolodex are a good start. Attached to each of your contacts is a note. When you meet with someone, ask the question “how can I identify a good referral for you?” or “who are good sources of referrals for you?” Add that information into your notes.
Periodically review your notes, looking for matches between your contacts and who they want to meet. Over time, you’ll have your contacts and their wants firmly enough in mind that it will seem like they are speaking to you and saying “Yep! That’s a referral for me.”
Does this take time? Of course. But it is time well spent because the more you help others, the more motivated they will be to help you.
Anyone have techniques you use to hone your referral mindset? Please share them in the comments.
Make Us Care: Help Others
Monday, November 23rd, 2009I’m continuing the theme I started last week on making us care. The more we care about you, the more willing we are to refer you.
One of the best ways to set you apart from the pack of roaming referral seekers is your willingness to help others. Simply put, those who give will receive in return. You may not know how giving will come back to you, but it will. Trust in giving. It does work. It does make people care in a very meaningful way.
A big part of helping others is finding out what they want in return for helping you. I’ve had clients who needed to build referral relationships with multiple people in a particular profession, like accountants. They often ask me, “But if I need referrals from multiple accountants, how can I give referrals back to all of them?”
It’s a good question. And the answer might be that you don’t. Sometimes what people want is a really good person to help their clients in areas they can’t. I know a very good provider of payroll services. She needs referrals from lots of accountants to fill her pipeline. She can’t possibly give referrals back to all of them at the rate she needs to receive them. But she doesn’t have to. Why? Because most accountants can process payroll. But many of them would rather not have to. Or they are willing to do it for their smallest clients, but it takes too much time for the larger ones. So what this payroll person gives them is time and confidence. She gives time by taking care of something they can do but don’t want to. She gives confidence that their clients are being taken care of by a qualified professional. And when she can toss an occasional referral their way, that’s gravy.
A good way to find others you can help is to look at what you do. You are probably qualified and able to do many things for your clients. But do you want to do all of them? Are you effective at all of them? Are all of them equally profitable for you? Probably not. There’s probably 70-80 percent of what you do that you like and are good at. And the rest you could gladly give up if you knew someone else who could do it as well as you. Find that other person where your 20-30 percent is in their 70-80 percent. A client of yours can be a client of theirs and vice versa. Then each of you are doing what you like and letting someone else take care of what you don’t.
There are lots of motivators out there for your referral sources. Some want a good person to take care of their clients. Some want referrals in return. Some want appreciation. Some want cash. Some want something I haven’t listed. If you take the time to learn what each of your referral sources wants and make an effort to give it to them, that will make you easy to refer and easy to care about.
Make Us Care: Passion!
Friday, November 20th, 2009Whatever you are doing and in whatever area you are networking, make certain you are doing something you are passionate about. Why? Because that passion (or lack thereof) will come through in your networking efforts.
Let me give you a personal example. A couple of years ago, I bought part ownership in a sign store. It seemed like a good idea to have a business that had an existence outside of me. And signs are a part of marketing. Networking coaching is an aspect of marketing. It all seemed to fit.
But I had a very difficult time with marketing the sign store. I did many of the things I have recommended. I identified our target market. I identified complementary businesses that could be good referral sources. And then I went to my network to make it all happen.
In the very beginning, it seemed to work. My efforts were bringing in some sales and a couple of good repeat clients. I had a lot of people who were interested in meeting with me to see how my offerings could complement theirs.
But it never really took off. Good meetings, even ones with action plans, just didn’t seem to lead to long term referral relationships. Finally, I went back to coaching full time.
By the way, I made a lot of mistakes and lost a lot of money on that deal. But within a couple of weeks of putting it behind me and doing one on one meetings for coaching, people were telling me that I seemed happier than I had been in a long time. Odd that I seemed happy after I had just spectacularly failed in business and had lost a ton of money. But they were right. Because I was back to doing something I was passionate about. I was back to doing what I loved.
And things started to click in my networking. Meetings (still with action plans) were turning into referrals. People I met with to discover how we could refer each other said they wanted to start working with me. In about two months (during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season no less), I had a more active pipeline than I had had the entire rest of the year.
And everyone I met with said the same things. “You are so passionate and knowledgeable about networking!” and “Wow! I can tell you are a great coach!”
If only they had said the same things about me as a sign store owner. And in that two month period, I learned first hand the difference between networking something I liked versus networking something I was passionate about.
So how do you find your passion? Work with a coach. It’s the best way I know how to get there in the shortest period of time with the least stopping and starting. If you don’t or can’t work with a coach, start with what you like and work from there.
As a job seeker, passion is important. It will help you define the types of jobs you want and which companies you might like to work for. Passion will distinguish you from the candidate who “just wants a job.” Organizations want people who will stay with them and bring value. The candidate who shows passion is a much safer hire than the one who appears to be going through the motions.
As a salesperson, it’s important because you will be more successful selling what you are passionate about. As a small business owner, it is absolutely vital. When you work for someone else, you can afford to experiment until you get it right. If you try something, and it doesn’t work out, you can always look for a new job. As a small business owner, it’s much harder to just sell a company and move on, especially if you have employees in your business.
Finally, budding small business owners and franchises, be very careful about what business you get involved with. Lots of people are going to tell you that you don’t need to get into a business where you know how to do the work. And I agree with them. That can be its own trap, as you can get so caught up in “doing” the business that you ignore working on the business. So there’s a lot to be said for not getting involved in something that is your hobby. But don’t let anyone advise you to take a business where you aren’t at least interested in the product(s) you will be selling. Because if you can’t at least develop a passion for your business, you will be much less likely to be successful at it.
Make Us Care: Give Something Away for Free
Thursday, November 19th, 2009How do we know you are good at something? Well, if we use your services or hire you in our organization, that’s a pretty good way to get to know your skills. But what if we don’t need you right now? Or have no room to hire?
This is where giving away a bit of what you do can reap huge benefits.
A lot of people are afraid if they give something away, they will devalue their offerings. Not true. The reality is that most people can’t do what you do nearly as well as you can. And giving them a piece of what you do will whet their appetite for more.
A very successful attorney I know, Dave Kaufman, has a huge section of his website devoted to resources. I was chatting with him at a networking event and mentioned I get questions frequently about what entity people should incorporate as. I was actually looking for an attorney to refer for that service, but the answer he gave surprised me. He said, “You know, the answers to most of those questions can be found in the resources section of my website.” We talked further, and I soon realized that he understands giving things away for free and why. He talked about a seminar he does on protecting trademarks. He said he gives away a three-page checklist. And in a class of about 20, ten people will try to fill out the checklist and three will call him later to ask for help. That’s not a bad conversion ratio for a seminar.
Giving things away doesn’t just let people see that you know what you are doing. It is also a call for action. By giving away the checklist, he makes potential clients take action (filling out the checklist). That encourages them to think about what they want to do and see that they can’t do it on their own. Which leads to more clients.
A caution. If you give stuff away, really give it away. Have you ever been to a seminar which was little more than a sales presentation for someone’s book or services? Throughout the seminar, the presenter says things like, “But this is only the beginning. To get the real information, buy my book.” How did you feel when you left? Cheated? Probably. That’s how I usually feel after those. If you are going to give something away, give enough to be used. Trust that most people need or want more guidance. Anyone who can run with your stuff on their own probably wasn’t a good client anyway. But if they received value from your offering, they will talk about you to people who can’t run on their own.
Job seekers can benefit greatly from giving away their services. How? By volunteering for an organization. Volunteering gives you several benefits. It allows you to meet people, some of whom might be a source of job leads. It allows people to see you at work, which gives them an idea of your abilities and ethics. So volunteering can give you exposure and credibility. Finally, it gives you something positive to do, which can keep up your energy and spirit during a difficult time.
Who should you volunteer for? Find an organization or cause that you can believe in. Doing something you believe in allows you to show your passion, which is the topic for tomorrow.
Make Us Care: Deliver the Goods
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009This week I am talking about what you can do to make people care about you and want to help you. Yesterday, I looked at some things that don’t work. The rest of the posts will be about things that do work.
Certainly offering a good product and service is a part of making them care. It’s hard to get people to care about you if your product is shoddy and you go away as soon as the sale is made. It is important to communicate clearly and effectively that you are selling something that is worthy buying. That’s different from saying your product is “the best.” Sometimes people don’t want the best. Sometimes they just want something that will work. Saying you have a good solution will often be more effective than claiming to be the best. And if you do claim that, make darn sure you can back it up!
Meeting commitments is another. You’ve heard under-promise and over-deliver? It works. If you say you are going to refer someone, do it. If you say you’re going to deliver the finished product, make sure you can deliver by that date and do so.
Does that mean life can’t happen, and you can’t make mistakes? Of course not. A part of meeting commitments is staying in touch with people. If something bad happens, let them know. But don’t make a habit of it or that will become part of your reputation.
This part is particularly important to job seekers. If someone is referring you to a decision-maker at a company, that person is taking a big risk. You’d better be who you said you are, and you’d better be able to do what you said you could. Everyone remembers a bad provider of a product or service, but service providers are fairly easy to get rid of. Or if the person referred turns out to be a hard-sell salesperson, well, there’s always the door.
But an employee can be very difficult to get rid of. And if someone refers you, and it doesn’t work out because you mis-represented yourself, your new employee is very likely to get back to the person who referred and give the entire story. And neither party will ever forget it, leaving you lacking both a job and the good will of two people who might have been able to help you again and again.
Make Us Care!
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009This is relevant in both on and off-line networking. If you are on any social media sites, you know what I mean. How many people are out there trying to get you to click on their link or buy their product or service without first giving you some reason to care? How many of you have experienced “assault by business card” at a networking event. (That’s where some clueless person shoves his or her card in your hand without any lead-in.)
I’m going to spend the rest of the week helping you make other people are about helping you.
We’ll start with some more of what doesn’t work.
Don’t tell me you offer great products with great service. Think about it. When is the last time you heard someone say that they offered a terrible product with horrible customer service? Right. Claiming great customer service won’t set you apart from the crowd.
And don’t tell me that your product is the best, greatest or has received a lot of awards. Your referral partners actually don’t care. They are referring you as much as your product or service. In addition, such claims are difficult to prove, and people often disregard them.
Let me give an example of a company that did the exact opposite and used it to their advantage. How many of you remember the Avis ad campaign “We Try Harder”? They were going up against Hertz, who at the time was the clear winner in the rental car battle. Avis couldn’t make a compelling case for being the “best.” So they made up a lot of ground by making the case that not being the leader in the industry was good for the consumer. And it worked. They dramatically increased their market share over a relatively short period of time with this campaign.
As I make the rounds of networking events, I hear a lot of people (especially those in direct sales) say that their product is “Number 1″ or “has the best science behind it” or “is the leading…” I’m sure you have too. When is the last time you referred someone based on that? Some of these people I would never refer because I don’t like them. I am referring the person, not just the product. Does the product have to work and do what the person says it does? Of course. But that’s all part of liking and trusting the person you are referring. I hope you would never refer someone who lies about what their product or service can do. And I hope you would never lie about yours.
So how can you make other people care about you and want to refer you? Tune in over the next few days, and I’ll talk about how. And please feel free to make your own contributions in the comments. I want to hear what you think!
Lost the Watch
Monday, November 16th, 2009It’s Monday morning, and I feel like blogging about something a bit different today.
Over the summer, I stopped wearing a watch while on vacation, and I never put it back on. It’s been an interesting experience as I develop a new relationship with time, and I thought I’d share some of what’s changed for me.
Do you realize how much time we waste looking at our watches and checking the time? I didn’t until I stopped wearing one. I can actually see an uptick in productivity since I made the decision. And my experience with the passing of time is different. Time doesn’t seem to drag as often. That alone has been worth the experience.
I’m still on time for all my appointments. In fact, I’m often earlier, and I seldom feel rushed to get somewhere. How can I do that without a watch? Simple. Every Monday, I sit down with my phone and calendar, and I set reminders for each appointment. I look at where I am going, plan for probable traffic and set a reminder that will get me there at least 15 minutes early. When my alarm goes off, I pack up and go. Before, I would have an idea of when I should leave, but I rarely stuck to it. I would get distracted by whatever I was doing and would suddenly look at my watch and think, “Darn! Barely enough time.” Not now. I plan it in advance and obey my alarm.
I’m sleeping better. I used to check the time in the middle of the night. Then of course, I had to calculate how much time until I had to get up. That would wake me up enough that getting back to sleep was a challenge. Now, I wake up and drift right back off. So far no problems with sleeping past when I need to take the dog outside on weekends.
Are there any downsides? Sure. My wrist still feels naked. A decent bracelet should fix that, and I’m trying one now.
The oddest downside is when I am speaking. If the room has a clock, I’m fine. But if it doesn’t, I have a hard time gauging time. My iPhone works as a clock most of the time, but it’s kind of awkward to pull it out in the middle of a presentation to check my timing. Setting it on a nearby surface and drifting over to make a quick check is mostly working. But I still need to find a better way of dealing with this situation.
Any ideas? Anyone else tried getting rid of the watch?