Thanks to all of you who have read and participated in my weekly blog posts. I want to invite you to join me at http://www.MyBusinessLaunch.com for future postings. At that site you will be able to read blog posts from both me and my business partner, Rusty Lee. We promise to provide good value for your time. As always we invite you to participate in the dialogue.
As you are working on your business, you will have opportunities to do some important forecasting. Goal setting is a critical component of forecasting, but so are the tips shared in this article. Forecasting is an ongoing process, not necessarily limited to the current realities of your business. In fact, forecasting by its very nature is somewhat nebulous. In the process you are creating for yourself an idyllic future for your business and its success. Even if the reality never quite achieves the forecast, you will be closer to your dreams than if you had never forecast your success. What if the reality surpasses your dreams? It has happened and it can happen to you. If you realize that you are closing in on your dream, dream a little bigger and rewrite your forecast. It’s good to always have the forecast stretch beyond the current reality. The tips in this article will help you with the first forecasting exercise.
Create a vision statement. A vision statement is defined as a single sentence or several sentences that describe a picture of your company or your business in the future. It is more than that. Your personal vision statement is your inspiration, the framework for all your strategic planning. Another point to keep in mind is that this is usually a private statement that you may want to share only with your mastermind group. It is important when crafting a vision statement to let your imagination go and dare to dream. It is important that a vision statement captures your passion.
Create a mission statement. Your mission statement gives action to the dreams expressed in your vision statement. It is commonly shared with clients, in terms of policy, conditions and so forth. You may know of businesses that have their mission statement posted on the wall of their office. If yours is a home based business and the public doesn’t see your work space, you could print your mission statement on your marketing materials. The one caution I would share with you regarding your marketing materials, brochures, flyers, and the like is that if everything is in print, your clients don’t really need to talk to you. The best marketing materials leave the reader with questions and a need to speak directly with you. Your mission statement, however, is a good place to begin. Your potential client may want to ask you how you do what you say in that statement.
Know the features, advantages, and benefits your client will gain from working with you. The features are characteristics of your business and/or what your business has. The advantages are statements of what the features can do for your client. The benefits are what the features and advantages can mean to your client. For example, if you service most brands of computers and take calls after normal business hours, those are features. The advantage to your client would be that they could call you when other companies might not receive their call. The benefit might be that you could take care of the problem either remotely or in person before the start of the next business day. That could be a powerful niche for you.
Even if yours is an established, successful business model, consider these tips on forecasting. Keep your dream and passion alive by striving for something bigger and beyond your current reality.
There is a big difference in the two terms “working on your business” and “working in your business”. I characterize that difference in the following way. When you are working on your business, you are doing all the “behind the scenes” activities. Working in your business is the face of your business the public sees. Today’s article focuses on three tasks of working on your business that I believe are vital to both your short term and your long term success.
Decide the length of your business day. If you are working at another job while you are getting your business started, you will have less time to devote to your business. However, you will still be able to find some discretionary time to work on your business. Even fifteen minutes a day can add up very quickly if those minutes truly are dedicated to your business. Fifteen minutes a day works out to about eight hours a month. Just think what you could accomplish in eight hours, if you were totally focused for the entire time. If another job is not part of your time schedule, figure out how much time you will work. Not every day needs to be the same, but plan ahead. Understand the tasks that need to be done, estimate the time each one will take and establish a schedule that works for you. Keep good records so you know where your time goes.
Find and establish a time to write. Writing gives you access to the online world of discussions through the social media sites, web content and business materials of all kinds. Again, you may decide to write for only fifteen minutes a day. You can create a large volume of articles, content for your website, brochures, flyers and similar material, newsletters and so on by devoting just a few minutes a day to write. Consistency is key. Establish the habit.
Create and establish a system and time to follow up with new people you meet. Spend just a few minutes each week following up with new people. You can do this easily if you have properly prepared people to expect to hear from you. In fact, when you are talking to someone at an event, you might mention that you like to call or email on ______(name the day of the week), between _______and_______ (give a time frame). Ask if that would be convenient. If so, be sure to call or email when you said you would. It can be a simple message. One option would be to suggest a coffee/get acquainted time. During that visit, you could ask some questions about how they got started, how to refer to them and those kinds of topics. The important aspect of this process is to bring value to the conversation. You always want to be viewed as the generous one. If you don’t choose to meet in person, or the other person doesn’t, you can still ask the questions to determine if you want to build a relationship that would be mutually beneficial.
Maintain flexibility in your schedule. Flexibility is a huge benefit of working in your own business. There will be times that you need to devote extra resources, such as time, to projects that need to be completed before you can move on. Many projects will expand to fill your available time and then some. You’ve probably heard this before. It’s not Murphy’s law; in fact, I think it’s called the Peter Principle. If this is happening to you all the time, reassess your time schedule. Go back and review the tip about deciding the length of your business day. You may need to rethink or re-record how you are spending your time.
As always, I appreciate your participation in discussions regarding today’s topic, particularly in the differences I see between working on your business and working in your business. Let’s talk about what you think.
Much has been said over the years about what kind of behavior is most appropriate as you attend business events during which there is a time set aside for networking. One school of thought teaches that you should collect as many cards as you possibly can, moving quickly from group to group. The suggestion is made that you and a partner divide the room to insure that you get to everybody. Another school of thought teaches that meaningful conversations with only a few people make more sense. You are likely to attend a similar event and may see the same people. You would then, naturally, be able to reconnect with those from before and meet a few new people as well. I firmly subscribe to the second school of thought. As business owners we know that most people prefer to do business with others they know, that they like, and that they trust.
Determine your purpose for collecting business cards. Is your intention to include these new contacts in your newsletter distribution list? Do you want to send links, announcements, and other useful tips and suggestions? Everything you do as a business person should have an underlying purpose. If you know your purpose for the different activities in which you engage, you are more likely to find the activity useful. That is true of adding to your contacts via business cards as well. Don’t make collecting business cards your primary reason for attending events. It is better to establish the beginning of what could become a productive relationship by engaging in conversation and perhaps only receiving a few cards at any particular event. Over time, if you keep the conversational part of the event as a high priority, you will find that you have acquired a number of contacts. When you have the cards, remember to use them to follow up with a note, a call, or an email. When you see the other person again, you will be remembered in a positive light. When you first acquire the card, or during your follow up, be sure to mention how you anticipate using the contact information, whether it will be a referral source, whether you’d like to add them to your distribution list, or for some other reason. Get permission before you do any of those things.
Always ask for permission before adding anyone to your mailing list. No one appreciates unsolicited emails or unsolicited mail received via the postal system. In fact, if you encourage your readers to share your information with their contacts, strongly suggest they get permission first as well. I receive, as I’m sure you do, hundreds of forwarded emails that I didn’t ask for and don’t want. Permission to send something on or permission to send anything will set you apart as more professional than most businesses. That is the image you want to cultivate. If someone sends you valuable information that you think one of your contacts would enjoy, ask the person who sent it to you if you may forward it. That will set you apart as well.
As always, I appreciate your feedback to the opinions I’ve expressed here. I’m interested in a dialogue. You are also invited to forward this article to your contacts who might benefit from the material. If you are new to AskAlexisMason, please review previous posts. Your feedback is a valuable part of what I do.
There are so many important skills to keep in mind while you are attending business and networking events. Naturally, this time needs to be valuable. Don’t be intimidated, however, when you are coached as a networker or read articles like this one. The tendency may be to think to yourself, “Wow! I’ve never done that or even thought of doing it. Does that make me a bad networker?” The answer is “Of course not.” Each of us must develop our own style, with our own skill sets that are effective for us. The purpose here is to expose you to new thinking on this subject. It’s like a potluck or a buffet. Take what looks good, and try it out. You can go back for seconds or not even finish the first helping. It’s all up to you.
Ask “Did you know…” kinds of questions. This technique is more engaging than just stating a fact. You can use it to tell what’s new in your industy, and, more importantly, what is new in your business. Some networking coaches suggest that you always have an answer to the question, “How’s business?” This approach will meet that need as well. Depending upon the response, invite the person you’re speaking with to ask you the same “did you know?” question regarding their business. If you have done your research on their website and know other facts about their business, you may be able to answer theirs. If you know more about them than they know about you, the chances are good that they will research you for next time.
“Did you know…” questions can help you offer a solution or provide a service. During the course of the conversation, if someone mentions some difficulty or challenge they are experiencing, a “did you know” question that includes a possible referral or other solution to their dilemma will be well received. If you have a solution or you provide a service that might be of assistance, a “did you know” question about your solution or service will well received, too. Be careful about not being sales-y or pushy when you make your offer.
If asked, describe your ideal client and how you can help them. Be sure you are prepared to handle this type of question. Be ready to ask open ended questions to be sure that is what you are being asked. If you are just starting, talk in terms of your vision statement that includes a dream clientele. If you are established in your business, talk in terms of a very successful business transaction that you have experienced, without any identifying attributes, unless a happy client has agreed to serve as a testimonial for you. If you can create a scenario in which the person you are talking to can visualize themselves in your story, as I mentioned in a previous post, that is extremely helpful.
Ask who the other person’s ideal client is and offer to refer. It is very important to know how and who to refer. I have received some referrals that didn’t match my services well at all. While I appreciated the business acquaintance who made the referral, I didn’t enjoy disappointing the person who thought I would do something for them outside the scope of my business. If that happens to you, I think the best way to respond is to say that you don’t offer that service, but that you could make a good recommendation. Be sure you’re right.
What do you think? Are you ready for seconds? Let’s start a dialogue. I’m always interested in your response.
Two of the best images that you can hope to create of yourself in the business community are that you are generous and that you are always professional. Previous posts have talked about the value of active listening, open ended questions and related social skills. This post offers some sound advice about your preparation before you attend an event and a tip that will help your listener or listeners visualize themselves in a positive business relationship with you. These ideas can be implemented immediately and will make a difference not only in how you are perceived in the business community but also in how you perceive yourself.
Research the websites of the people you anticipate meeting. It is a good idea to be prepared to attend an event. The people you meet will remember you better if you mention that you were looking at their website and you noticed something. Be specific. This is also a great way to lead into a question that you want to ask them. It can be as simple as who designed their great header or as complicated as how they use their “contact us” feature or anything else you are sincerely wondering about. You don’t want to monopolize anyone, but it’s great if you can ask an open ended question that will get them started on sharing information about their business. If you want to move on, or you recognize “moving on” signals from someone else, you might want to leave the conversation with a suggestion for follow up to find out more. You could even suggest that you might have more questions the next time you are together. It’s wonderful if someone is eagerly anticipating another opportunity to share more of their story with you.
Be sure you know any meaning of acronyms you use in conversation. Explain them to the listener. Every profession has its own jargon whose meaning is not always obvious to listeners. Public events are not the time to use a lot of acronyms or other jargon, unless and until you are sure that everyone is familiar with the terms. Take the time to learn how to say what you mean in language and terms which are easily understood by someone not familiar at all with your profession or business. There are hundreds of acronyms that are commonly used in the business world. SEO is one such example. Almost everyone now knows that SEO usually stands for Search Engine Optimization. However, you can’t go wrong by saying something like, “SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is……….”. Of course you would finish that sentence to suit your needs. The point is, the first time you use an acronym in conversation or written material, you should identify it. After that if you use it again, you can usually just state the acronym. But, check back now and then with the listeners to be sure they remember. This is especially true if you use several different acronyms or industry specific terms. If someone is wondering what you meant, they are likely to miss the next important point.
Create a scenario that helps to define your niche. Be prepared to tell stories of various types to illustrate the points you want to make known about your area or areas of expertise. Scenarios are one way to do this. Help your listener feel as though they are part of the story. Ask questions as you speak, such as, “What do you think happened when I……….?” In a small setting you can encourage people to respond. When speaking to a larger group, ask and answer the question yourself. Begin by saying something like, “If I were to ask you……………., I imagine you would say……………….”
Try these ideas at your next event. Tell our readers about your experience. As always this blog site is AskAlexisMason. Don’t hesitate to pose your question for me and/or for our readership. Invite others to join you here.
At a business event, you are almost certain to have an opportunity to speak. Even in casual conversation, before or after the more formal presentation portion of the meeting, many people who are new to the business community feel anxious about the ways in which they can present themselves effectively. If this is true for you, the tips in this article will help. They can be implemented right away and they are relatively easy to achieve.
Focus on the needs of the people listening to you. Ask yourself what the people listening to you would want to gain from this conversation. Would they like to know what you do that might be of benefit to them? Would they want to know a little bit about your dream for the future of your business? Would they want to know a little something about your background that would lend itself to your credibility? Whatever that question is and whatever the answer is will help you shift the focus from yourself to the other person. That new focus helps to eliminate self-consciousness and builds other-consciousness. It doesn’t happen immediately, but it does happen.
Have a target audience in mind. Be a little careful here. You don’t want to be known as someone who trolls through an event looking for clients. Remember, too, that everyone you meet knows lots of people. If you dismiss someone you just met because they are clearly not a potential client for you, you are essentially eliminating all the people they know as well. It is appropriate to spend more time talking with people who fit the profile you have determined, but be generous with everyone. Events are not interviews. Give as much or more time for people to talk to you as you spoke. You can not tell at a first meeting how you will be perceived and spoken of by the people you just met. However, you can certainly leave a positive impression that will serve as an ambassador for you. It is said that most people know about 200 people. Imagine what could happen if a percentage of those also spoke highly of you.
Leave every conversation or contact with a call to action for yourself and the other person. This is a good habit to develop over time. Naturally, not every single person you meet would be desirable to meet with again, but you should at least follow up with them with an email or note. Remind them where you met and a bit about the conversation. Perhaps they and you attend the same event from week to week. It is enough to say you are looking forward to seeing them again the following week.
It is important to identify your purpose in attending business events of all types. These tips will help you in the most important aspect of building your business. That is, simply put, in developing relationships that are mutually beneficial. The essence of business, as I have mentioned before in previous articles, is that we all do business with people we know, people we like, and people we trust. Let that philosophy work for you. As always, I am open to your questions and comments. It would be wonderful if together we could generate a dialogue that would be helpful to other readers.
While it is vital to learn how to ask open ended questions that keep a conversation flowing, as I mentioned in last week’s post, it is also vital that you learn to speak with confidence about your business. As Americans, we are a very visual society. If someone who is speaking appears nervous and unsure of themselves, we tend to lose credibility in the content of their remarks. with that said, we tend also not to trust someone who appears to be too glib. There is a middle ground, where true confidence makes all the difference. The following tips will assist you in making the transition to business conversations of all types.
Get comfortable talking about your business. Many people have a deep-seated anxiety about standing up to talk about themselves and/or their business. There are several organizations that train the skills of public speaking in a safe environment that is encouraging, that provides positive affirmations of what you do well along with suggestions for the next time, and an element of accountability. For example, Toastmasters is a worldwide organization that will help you a great deal when you get involved. You will not only learn how to speak without feeling self conscious, you will learn great techniques for giving effective feedback. Your listening skills will improve as well. If Toastmasters is not available to you, find a group of like minded people who can listen to each other speak about their businesses and offer feedback to one another.
Describe what you do in one or two sentences. It is important to be able to introduce your business, both in person and online. Practice your statements with your accountability partner or your mastermind group until you can state your business very briefly. Then, if the opportunity allows, be ready to add stories or scenarios that range in length. You will find that cache of introductions to be a very useful tool. You will want to develop a series of introductions of varying lengths. This prevents you from saying exactly the same thing each time you introduce yourself and your business. You might consider offering a different tip of the day,the week, or the month, depending on how often a particular group meets.
Understand and be able to explain your business uniqueness. Create something special about your business. Perhaps you offer products unique to your location that people in other places would like and could order online. Maybe your business changes seasonally. Maybe your level of service surpasses anything else that is similar to your business. Maybe your incentive for referrals is bonus time with you on the phone, in a live chat, or in person. You can have several aspects that are unique to you and your business, some that would work well for clients in your location and others that are designed for online clients. Be creative here. Ask for feedback from your mastermind group, research what makes other businesses unique and continue to work through your ideas.
These tips can be implemented right away. Add your own personality and creativity to the suggestions posed here. As always, I am interested in your comments and feedback. Let’s start a dialogue.
You don’t always have to be prepared to do lot of speaking when you start attending business events. People need to know your name, of course, and it is wise to consider how you would answer questions about yourself and your business. Do you remember the old story of the business man on the airplane who engaged an older gentleman in conversation, asking him question after question about himself, his background, his company, and his aspirations, hardly saying a word himself, except in response to the older man? After the flight, the older man remarked to another acquaintance that he had just met the best conversationalist ever. This story has survived the test of time because it illustrates so clearly the value of being an interested listener. Quality conversations, even if they are brief, will set you apart from the “business card collectors” who frequently are all about themselves.
At the next business event you attend, try some of the following questions. Be prepared to answer the same questions yourself, just in case your conversation partner also understands the value of being a terrific listener. In other words, ask questions if you are prepared to answer the same one or one that is closely related. Don’t monopolize, however. Read some of the previous posts regarding moving on signals and related topics.
Ask if you may present your business card. This is the first step in permission marketing. It sets the tone for follow up, requests from you to add people to your distribution list, and all the activities that follow. Be sure your cards are readily accessible. If someone asks you first, acknowledge their professionalism and let them know you appreciate being asked.
Ask people you meet how they got started in their business. You have to play this by intuition. If the event doesn’t call for longer conversations, let the person you just met know that you are interested in finding out how they got started. In your follow up email, ask permission to call to discuss this. Most people love to tell their story. Hopefully, you will get to tell your story, too.
Ask if they would be interested in receiving information from you in the form of bulletins, white papers, or newsletters. I am frequently and unpleasantly surprised when I receive newsletters and other information from people who, just because they have my business card and contact information, assume I want to be included in a distribution list. If I am asked first, I always respond affirmatively. After all, what people send out is usually a good indication of the nature and quality of their professionalism. Occasionally, I have even acquired a new client based upon my offer to edit their material before it is sent to their general distribution list. You can do that, too. As business people, our best relationships are based upon mutual benefit. If you can help someone else appear more credible to their contacts, you can expect some kind of return, even if it is just more credibility in the eyes of the one you helped.
Try these easy tips at your next event. As always, I am interested in your responses to this information. Let’s start a dialog.
Successful networking will make a huge difference in the way you are perceived in the business community. The tips in this article will aid in the professional perception you leave with people you meet. Perception is truth, to the person or people who know you in the business community. You will want to guard that image and reputation as much as possible. Hopefully, your business persona is completely congruent with your personal “after work” persona. If it isn’t, there may be some work you need to do about that. In the meantime, these tips can be implemented immediately. They take little effort but make a huge difference.
Monitor your volume. Be sure the people you are addressing can hear you without straining, but don’t be too loud. This goes especially for laughter. It is annoying to hear someone clear across the room, either talking or laughing too loudly. If the room is very noisy and you want to have a longer conversation with someone, it is appropriate to suggest moving to a quieter corner. However, remember that most people attend networking events to meet several people. Don’t monopolize anyone for very long. Watch for “moving on” signals.
Offer to help when you arrive or before you leave. Chances are, everything is ready when you arrive, but the offer is important. When you are ready to leave, there may be some simple task you can perform for the host to make it easier for them. Another reason to stay and help a bit is that many of the deeper conversations take place at the end, when people are more relaxed and no longer are under any pressure they may have felt during the event.
Find and thank the host. Think about events you have hosted and remember how good it felt when people expressed their appreciation to you. Of course, the other reason is, again, to make yourself visible and memorable. This must be genuine, so be sure to include what benefit you have received by attending, someone you met that you appreciated, and so forth.
Follow up with a note or email if you exchanged contact information. The two main principles of networking and marketing your business in this way are to make yourself visible and make yourself memorable, in a professional sense. Following up will serve you well. You will be seen and known as a generous expert who cares about the business people you have met and are not just attending events to collect business cards and to send people information without permission and without finding out what kinds of information would be helpful to them.
As always, I’m very interested in your response to this article. Please don’t hesitate to share a scenario related to this topic, to ask a question, or to let our other readers know how you make yourself visible and memorable. Let’s start a dialogue. If you would like to read a business tip from me five days a week, follow me on Twitter at AlexisSpeaks or be my friend on Facebook or LinkedIn.
