Posts Tagged ‘reputation’

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Little Things Do Count

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

I’ve noticed something interesting in the last couple of months. I have several inexpensive polo shirts with my logo stitched on them. They didn’t cost much. I went to Target to buy the shirts and then took them to an embroidery place to get the stitching.

But they get a reaction! (A good one.) I’ve had people compliment me on my branding (shirts, business cards, website). Someone even said she wanted to meet with me because over my overall brand image. At networking events, people assume I’m part of a larger organization. And so on.

In business, a lot is based on first impression. If a shirt or a more professional business card can help that first impression, then by all means invest in them.

As I’m proving, that investment doesn’t have to be a lot of money! Think I’ll be getting some long-sleeved shirts for fall and winter? You bet!

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Building “Know, Like and Trust” Through Social Media

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

The key to being referred is having people know, like and trust you. There are lots of ways to achieve that. Being an authentic person is key, as is doing what you say you will. But social media can accelerate the process, if you do it right.

Knowing

First people have to know you. This goes beyond meeting you for the first time, although social media can certainly facilitate that.

I met my web designer through social media. One of my contacts followed him and tweeted a lot about him. He sounded interesting, so I started following him. I think it was a few weeks before I figured out what he did. We finally met in person and stayed in touch both in person and through Twitter.

I met him through social media, and because of his tweets, he stayed top of mind with me. Knowing was covered.

Liking

Social media can make or break this one. What you communicate will directly affect this. I started following Bob Burg, again because someone I knew mentioned him. I liked his tweets, and when his new book came out, I didn’t think twice about getting it, reviewing it and promoting it. I liked him and the book. He had that part covered very well.

Trusting

Knowing and liking are the easy ones, relatively speaking. Trust is harder. I know and like people whom I do not trust enough to refer. Why? Because I’ve seen them and their business in action, and I didn’t like what I saw.

Your actions in social media can both enhance and damage trust. If a problem about your business is reported through social media, you can ignore it, reducing trust, or you can address it promptly, enhancing trust. I actually like it when someone goofs. Then I get to see how the person or business handles adversity.

But trust isn’t just how we handle problems. It’s also demonstrating that we walk our talk. It’s why I’m skeptical of people calling themselves “social media experts.” It’s easy to check what they do vs. what they say.

I’ve gotten clients and referrals based on my blog. Because I’m consistent and write well, people tend to trust me, even if they don’t yet know me very well.

Know, like and trust are powerful. They will make or break your business. Use social media well to help you succeed.

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Posted in social media | 3 Comments »

Don’t Treat Your Customers Like Idiots

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

I both love and hate it when my competitors act stupidly. I love it for the obvious reason. Them acting foolishly makes me look better. Sort of.

But when our niche is networking, and a competitor violates a basic principle, that just brings us all down.

What the heck am I talking about? A competitor of mine is currently offering a “sale” on Twitter. There are two problems with the sale.

1. The product is an ebook, but the product page doesn’t mention that, and the picture makes it look like a paper book. Don’t play games with me. If something is an ebook, tell me. If it’s paper, tell me that. I’m assuming she’s being deceptive because she doesn’t perceive value in ebooks. I could be totally wrong in my assumption, but considering the price she’s selling it for (extremely high), that’s the message I’m receiving. And in communication, the message heard is far more important than the message intended.

2. But the bigger problem is the “sale” part. The sale is a bundle including the afore-mentioned ebook and a couple of audio downloads for a package price. Sounds cool, eh? Not really. I calculated the price if I bought the three items separately. They actually cost less to buy separately than if I buy at the “sale” bundled price.

Some sale, huh?

Either she is math-deficient or she thinks her customers are. Either way, she’s not representing herself or our niche very well.

The moral of this story? Consider your message carefully. Assume your customers are bright and treat them with respect. Networking is about relationships. Do you maintain relationships with people who act like you’re an idiot?

I didn’t think so.

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Blog Posts are Useful

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Bloggers tend to be insecure people. We worry about who is reading our posts or if anyone is reading them. We obsess on how many comments a post gets. Does a post get retweeted?

Guy Kawasaki in his book, Reality Check, says that a blog is valuable even if only your dog reads it. He’s right, and I’ve had some recent experiences to prove it.

One of the most obvious uses for a blog is material for books. I’m working on compiling some of my themed posts into a series of e-books. That’s in addition to the fiction ebooks I wrote about last week. I’m soon going to have a ton of ebooks for sale.

Back to my post on writing and selling short fiction. I considered that almost a throw-way post. I was tired and needed something to write quickly. Well, recently I was meeting with someone who has a friend who wants to get a book published. She asked if I could coach her friend through the process. I said I thought I could and suggested she send her friend a link to my post. Not bad for a throw-away, desperation post!

I used a post as a way to get a referral for a contact. Remember my post on the guy who was such an awesome networker? I used a link to that post in an email to a contact he wants an introduction to. If I liked someone enough to write a post about him, that should be a compelling reason to agree to an introduction.

Finally, last week, I was at a networking event, and a financial planner was talking to me about bringing me in for a lunch and learn in her office. I sent her a link to my post on Social Media and Regulated Industries. That post establishes my credibility as someone who can speak on the topic and gives a nice teaser.

So your blog posts have value beyond who read them (or didn’t) or who commented on them (or didn’t). Be creative and find other ways to make them work for you.

Anyone other bloggers have a good story to share in the comments?

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Posted in social media | 3 Comments »

Sometimes You Can Do-Over a First Impression

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Mea culpa time for me. I misjudged someone, and there’s a moral to the story.

Remember my post on the Top 10 Networking Mistakes and the guy who made three of them at one event? Well, I’ve subsequently met with him several times, and I think he’s all right.

So what did he do to change my mind?

First, he did email me like he said he would. It took almost a week, but he did finally follow up.

Our first meeting was very positive. We clicked on a particular project, and he set up a good three-way meeting with a potential client for me.

We met at another event, and he was far more low-key in the conversations I overheard. Maybe he was having a bad day when I first met him.

He gets sales and marketing. We’ve had a couple of conversations on the topic, and he understands how it works.

He’s demonstrated that he genuinely wants to help people, me included. How can I not like that?

So it is possible to change a first impression. But it’s hard. I was very wary going into our first meeting. And I was still wary walking out of it. Setting up the three-way meeting and letting me see him in action with a struggling business owner increased my confidence in him.

It’s been a slow process, but I’m starting to think he’s okay. I’m still not ready to refer him (partially because I’m still a bit unclear on who is a good client for him), but I think this relationship has potential.

The moral of this story? A bad first impression doesn’t have to be a death sentence. But you’ve got to work very hard to overcome it. And sometimes, you shouldn’t rush to judgment on someone you just meet. You might be wrong and miss a potentially good contact.

Anyone else have a story to share of a changed first impression?

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Twitter Followers Ratio

Monday, April 12th, 2010

New users of Twitter have been confused by the rise of celebrities on Twitter. I say confused because the new users think the secret to success is being followed by more people than they follow.

That is true if you are Ashton Kutcher. It’s not true if you are a mom and pop retail business.

Why? Because Ashton Kutcher has name recognition. People follow him because they know his name and because the media told everyone to follow him.

I suspect that if you are reading this blog, you don’t have that kind of name recognition. If I’m wrong, please let me know in the comments, so I too can gain recognition by one degree of separation from a celebrity!

Ahem. I digress. Anyway, if you aren’t famous (yet), you need to attract a following the other direction, by following a lot of people. Rule of thumb is that 30-50% of the people you follow will follow you back. That’s why all the “get more followers fast” services do work.

The problem is that those services don’t get you followers who want to build a relationship with you. You can do something similar and get a good following by targeting people to follow.

Who should you target?

1. Everyone you know. These people are almost guaranteed to follow you back. And they will be likely to interact and promote you.

2. Followers of your competitors. They are already interested in what you do or they wouldn’t be following someone in your industry. Follow them and provide good content so they follow you back and keep following you. Who knows? Do it better than your competition, and they may keep following you and unfollow them. Not a bad deal, eh?

3. Your competition. They may not follow you back, but that’s okay. Knowing what they are up to can give you ideas and let you know what you need to do to beat them at the social media game.

4. People you meet while networking. You may not know them very well now, but you can build a relationship with them on Twitter and then you will know them well.

A good starting ratio is 3:1 where you are following 3 times the number of people you want following you. Make your initial goal reasonable. Aim for 100 followers, so you need to follow 300 quickly. Over time, your numbers will grow as you meet new people and produce quality content that your followers promote. And your ratio will drop closer to the 1:1 ratio which is manageable for most small business owners.

I know what you’re going to ask next. How do I keep up with all those followers so I can promote and engage with them?

That’s the topic for tomorrow’s post: Twitter Lists are your friends.

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Networking in Multiple Businesses

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

On Tuesday I did a post on the Top 10 Networking Mistakes and #10 was being inconsistent in your image and having people ask “Who are you today?” But some business owners have multiple businesses. How can they effectively network for them all?

Synergy

Obviously, the more similar your businesses are to each other, the easier it is to network for both. When they don’t seem to have any natural connection, you’re going to have to get more creative. Let me give you some examples.

Let’s say you sell health and nutrition products and also own a day spa. These are easy to network for. A client for one is very likely to be a client for the other. So when you are training your network to look for referrals, it’s easy. They are looking for exactly the same thing for both.

How about owning a networking coaching business and a sign store (like I used to)? They both have something to do with marketing, but it’s not quite as obvious what message to send out. This is where you have to look at your ideal clients and find connections. In this example, non-profits need signs and they need to network for members and donors. So the marketing director of a non-profit could be a good referral for either business, and you can send that message out to your network.

But what if they really don’t seem to have a connection? I have a friend who sells nutrition products and offers voice-over services. Two completely different industries. On the surface, it seems like his clients have nothing in common with each other. It’s up to the business owner to find (or create) some connection. For example, consumers are increasingly doing their research on-line. Doctors have web sites, and potential patients often check them out before calling to schedule an appointment. My friend has a very soothing, confidence-inspiring voice. He could market his voice to doctors to provide a reassuring on-line “voice” for the practice. And, oh by the way, medical professionals just happen to be ideal referrals for his nutrition products. But every nutritional supplement seller wants to get face time with doctors. And they often turn them away. Voice-over could be a way to build confidence and a relationship that could lead to a solid client for the other business.

Creativity is the name of the game.

Time

We all have a limited time to network. (No, even I can’t network 24/7.) So how do you allocate time to network for each business? Even if you have drawn good parallels between them, there are still some events that are better for one or the other. I have a couple of suggestions for time allocation and how to avoid some common mistakes.

Look at your networking budget, both time and money. Decide how much to allocate to each business and stick to it. It’s very easy to concentrate on one to the expense of the other. Don’t do it. Spend at least some time a month networking for each. It’s okay if one gets 1/4 time and the other gets 3/4. You don’t have to spend equal time on each. But watch yourself. If one seems to be taking over, consciously schedule some time for the other.

What about the message you send? Should you talk about one or both at any particular event? I suggest you represent one at each event. Look at the events you frequent. Probably some venues are better for one and others are better for the other. Choose which to represent accordingly. If an event allows you to give your elevator pitch, definitely stick to one at a time. I’ve seen people try to squeeze multiple businesses into the same 30 second pitch. It isn’t effective. Trust me.

What about one on one meetings? Use common sense. If the person you are meeting with is obviously better for one than the other, present yourself accordingly. Use the connections you have built between your businesses to try to ask for referrals that will help both. But until you build a solid relationship with a new contact, don’t ask them to keep their ears open for too many things. The result will be that you look difficult to refer, and you won’t be referred at all.

Networking for multiple businesses is certainly possible. It takes more creativity and focus than just doing it for one. But the benefits of having multiple income streams can certainly offset the increased work.

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Top 10 Networking Mistakes

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

I saw a couple of really good ones last week, and I decided it was time to do a Top 10 post on them. I’m sure there are ones I’ve missed, so please add yours in the comments.

10. Being inconsistent in image

This is a tricky one because it covers a couple of areas. One is being one person in one place or with certain people and presenting a drastically different image somewhere else.

The other way this manifests itself is in representing multiple businesses and not doing it well. In fact, doing it in a way that people think “Who are you today?”

There are effective ways to network multiple businesses, and I’ll cover them in an upcoming post.

9. Hanging with your friends

In large part, networking is about meeting new people. Yes, you need to deepen existing relationships, and reconnecting with people at networking events is a good way to do that. But spending an entire event talking to people you already know isn’t going to get you in front of new people.

8. Not describing yourself well

I did a post on this a while back. Not much more to say here except that if you can’t tell us who you are and what you’re looking for, we can’t be much help to you.

7. Too absorbed with food

Kind of like hanging with your friends. If your hands are full of food, it’s hard to be inviting. Greasy hands do not make fun shaking. And fumbling with food and business cards does not impress anyone. I suggest eating before the event and having only one hand full, preferably with a drink, not food.

6. Not evaluating your venue

Some events are good for you. Some aren’t. You need to evaluate your venues on a regular basis to be certain you are networking in the right places to meet your goals. Don’t just keep going to an event because you feel you “should.” Go because it works for you in some meaningful way. I think I can write a good post on that one too. Look for it soon.

5. Not having business cards

Last week at an event, I was introduced to someone who was supposed to be a fabulous networker. Naturally, I wanted to follow up with him so I asked for his business card. He “ran out at an event that morning.” I met him at 7:00 in the evening. No cards in his car? Really, no time to run back to the office to restock? I wasn’t impressed.

4. Being a networking horror

The networking horror is the person who makes you want to run away when he or she sees you across the room. I did a complete post on this syndrome last year. Read it for more details.

This is my favorite, and so I thought about making it number 1. But it isn’t, quite.

3. Not listening

Another big one and a good contender for number 1. If you don’t listen, you can’t learn about the other person, and you may seriously put your foot in your mouth. Remember the guy with no business cards? Well, he lectured me for several minutes on ways to grow my business. Most of them involved strategies I coach my clients in. He might not have lectured if he’d asked first what I did. Or asked if I wanted a lecture. Because I realized I could use him in a blog post, I was amused instead of offended. But what part of being a “great networker” involved not listening first?

2. Not giving

This one can be tough. It’s a fine line between good giving and giving away the farm. But we remember most the people who helped us. So develop a giving mentality. Bob Burg says it better than me in Go-Givers Sell More. Read the book if you haven’t yet.

So what’s number 1? Glad you asked.

1. No follow up

You can do all the other ones right and still shoot yourself in the foot by not following up. Meeting new people, listening and being willing to give do you no good if you don’t follow up on your commitments or stay in touch with the new people you’ve met. Persistence and good follow up strategies are the key to success for all salespeople, business owners and job seekers.

Remember the guy with no business cards? He took mine and promised to follow up with me for coffee. Guess what? I’m still waiting.

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To Thine Own Self Be True

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Another apology to the Immortal Bard, but I am an English major.

I did a post several months ago on being consistent in your on and off-line image. This post builds on that and the one on finding your networking presence.

You need to be yourself when networking. No two people network the same way. No two Twitter accounts can or should use exactly the same techniques. Are there basic principles that apply? Certainly. But within those, there’s a lot of variability.

An example. I have a client who is a very giving person. He was talking to an associate about giving away information for free. The other person talked him out of doing it, saying that it’s never worked for him. Well, considering how much I loved Go-Givers Sell More, I disagreed with the advice. It won’t work for my client. He’s in a different industry and is a different personality than the person who gave him the advice. Following the advice would have made it harder for my client to look himself in the mirror every morning.

Obviously, we need to live with ourselves and what we do. I’m not talking about not breaking the law. That’s a given. But always remember to evaluate business and networking advice by what will work for you.

It also applies to who you refer. One person may have had a great experience with a service provider and wants you to refer him. Maybe you know the person and have doubts. Follow your gut. If you’re not comfortable referring him, don’t worry about what your friend might think. It’s your reputation and peace of mind at stake.

Most people have good instincts. Follow them while networking and most of the time you’ll end up doing the right thing.

And always remember. If advice doesn’t sound like you and makes you uncomfortable, there’s probably a good reason for it. Listen to your gut.

Anyone else have anything to add? Advice that went bad. A referral you made because someone else wanted you to? Share them in the comments.

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When Good Networking Contacts Go Bad

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

I just got off the phone with a client. He had a trusted networking contact fail him with a referral, and he was understandably upset.

Of course he wanted to “have it out” with the person. I helped him to step back a bit from the situation so he could have a constructive conversation with his contact.

I’m sure you’ve been there. You refer someone you trust. And you hear back that something went wrong. When you hear it from your contact, that’s obviously the best way. That happened to me with my accountant. I referred him to someone who turned out to be unstable. The meeting blew up. John, my accountant, was on the phone with me immediately to let me know what happened and why.

That was the best way for him to handle it. I still have complete confidence in referring him.

My client’s contact didn’t handle it so well. He notified my client via email. Pretty impersonal. My client made it clear to me the relationship was well on the way to being blown.

I don’t know the details, and I don’t really care. But I advised him to have a frank conversation with his contact. Not a confrontational conversation, but a constructive one.

My client wanted to insist on a face to face conversation. Totally understandable, but I suggested phone might be better.

Why? Isn’t face to face the best way to handle a difficult situation? Not always. When a referral has gone bad, the normal response is to be angry and to want to get to the bottom of it. Getting to the bottom of something usually means having a chance to rant, rave and be angry. Which is far more satisfying in person.

But when this situation occurs, and it will, the best way to handle it is to first seek to understand the situation. The other person is (hopefully) embarrassed. Having a conversation by phone takes away some of the pressure of having to face the other person. It can reduce the defensive reaction, which can make it easier to get to the truth and resolve the problem.

And ultimately, that’s what you want. You need to hear both sides of the story. And then you make the best assessment what really happened. Neither side will be able to give you that. We always tell a story with a bias. It’s your job to sort it out as best you can.

In the end, you may decide not to refer the person again.That’s okay. Let him or her know that and why. You may decide to give the person another chance. Also okay. Again, communicate why.

If you seek to understand before being understood, you’ll make a better decision. And you’ll preserve the relationship. Burning a relationship through anger is never productive. I don’t care where you live. Your community is small enough that you’ll see the person again. And being able to meet that person without guilt, anger or other negative feelings will be best. For both of you. And for your reputation.

And in the end, the most important thing we have is our reputation. Having your reputation as “He’s always fair” is pretty good.

Anyone else have a story to tell about a referral gone bad? Feel free to share (or vent) in the comments.

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