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Archive for the ‘Networking’ Category

Becoming “Stalkable” – Pictures and Blogs

This is my third and final post on becoming “Stalkable”. 

The first post Are you “Stalkable” How’s your online Presence? talked about why you want to be professionally “Stalkable”. 

The second one Becoming “Stalkable”, How are your online profiles? looked at how Facebook ‘Like’ pages, Biznik, LinkedIn and others are a great way to allow prospects to get to Know you.

So let’s continue by looking in to the ways we build up the areas of Like and Trust

becoming-Stalkable–pictures-and-blogs-1Like – Recognition

Whenever you create a profile on a website do you include a picture? People find it hard to like someone they cannot visualize. Be sure your picture is current. Significant weight gain or loss can drastically alter facial features. Changes in hair color and length can also affect someone’s ability to recognize you.

Have you ever looked at someone’s picture on line and then when you meet them you do not recognize them because the picture is 10 or 20 years old? I have. In my case, I was looking for a group and the host did not look anything like her picture, so I was not able to join the group right away. I wandered around the restaurant for about 10 minutes before I found the group. How do you think this experience impacted my first impression of this person?

Be sure your picture enables someone to recognize you when you meet in person. A professional head shot is best, but at least make it a current picture.

becoming-Stalkable–pictures-and-blogs-2Trust – the key to a satisfied customer

Articles and blog posts are a great tool for helping prospects get comfortable doing business with you. You can convey your personality, business philosophy and your passion for what you do in a manner that builds trust by sharing your insights.

Many business owners are afraid they aren’t “good enough” at writing to attempt this, but being genuine and writing just how you would talk to a person face to face is really very effective in developing trust. Sharing your experiences, business knowledge or even explaining how you got into business or why you are passionate about what you do can help build trust.

Remember, people buy from those they know, like and trust. Using your web presence strategically can help prospects “Stalk” you online paving the way for easier sales.

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Becoming “Stalkable”, How Are Your Online Profiles?

becoming-stalkable-how-are-your-online-profiles-1In my last article, I asked the question, are you “Stalkable”? (If you have not read that article you can find it here.) In a nutshell, your online presence helps prospects learn to “Know, Like and Trust” you enough to consider using your product or service.

In this article, we will look at what you can do to make sure prospects can find out enough information about you so they are comfortable contacting you.

Remember, as a professional, you want to allow prospects to get to know you via your online activities and public profiles. Let’s take a look at on line activities that will allow your prospects to get to know you better.

First off, we are going to limit this discussion to information a prospect can find out about you without you having to give them permission. Examples would include:

  • What you are posting on a Facebook Like Page
  • Any articles you are writing and posting on line
  • Public profiles
    • Biznik
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Meetup
    • Twitter
    • Google Profiles

There are many other places you can have a public profile, I have just listed a few here. The information you include should be chosen with the intent to develop the prospects sense of who you are – to allow them to Know Like and Trust you. Let’s break this down further into some concrete strategies you can employ.

How people get to Know you – your profile information becoming-stalkable-how-are-your-online-profiles-2

Take your time and complete all of the profile. Remember, if someone is taking the time to look at your profile they could be thinking about purchasing one of your products or services.

As you complete your profile you want to write it like you are talking to a prospect. Provide the information prospects would want to know about you before they purchase your products or services.

I would recommend that you revisit your profiles once a quarter and update them. Include answers to questions to you are currently hearing from prospects.

Remember the purpose of the profile is to introduce yourself to someone without you being present. The better written your profile is, the more likely someone is to contact you.

That is it for now, next time we will look at establishing like and trust with your online presence.

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Are you “Stalkable”? How’s Your Online Presence?

are-you-stalkable-man-in-windowWhile teaching a Guerrilla Marketing Jumpstart class this week, we were talking about the power of online tools like blogs and Facebook. I told the class that having a good online presence allows prospects to “stalk” you. At this point the class, of mostly women, was shocked that I was suggesting they set themselves up to be stalked. Now that I had their attention, I went on to explain what I meant.

If you are providing a professional service such as a Financial Planner, Professional Writer, Accountant, Bookkeeper, Consultant, Business Coach, etc. you need to develop a relationship with your prospects before they will do business with you.

People buy from those they ‘know, like and trust’.

Traditionally creditability is built by meeting prospects at networking events and setting up meetings with them so you have the opportunity to get to know them and develop a relationship. Once the relationship has been developed, you will be able to determine if your service is a good fit.

This process works, but you are always involved in the process. If you want to attract more clients you will need to improve the process. You will need to find ways to meet with multiple people at once or ways to develop the ‘know, like and trust’ without being present.

are-you-stalkable-classOne way to develop ‘know, like and trust’ with more than one person at a time is to give free or paid seminars. This allows you to build your ‘know, like and trust’ with a group of prospects. This works great if you are able to get a group of prospects together and you have good material to present. Giving presentations is a great way to build a relationship with a group of prospects.

What if you could start the process of developing the relationship without being present?

Your social media presence, website and blog posts can be used to introduce you to prospects. You want to create an online presence that allows the prospect to “stalk” you and start to build the relationship before you ever meet them. If you allow prospects to learn about you from your online presence they will be a warm lead when you meet them. It is a lot easier to close a sale with a warm lead than a cold call.

One of the reasons a Blog site can be so effective is that prospects can “stalk” your website and learn about you, your business philosophy, your product/service offerings, how easy you are to do business with, your commitment to causes and what your satisfied customers say about you.are-you-stalkable-reading

Often prospective buyers return to a website several times before they make any personal contact with your company. An effective Blog site, written in a conversational style using personal stories with a picture of the owner or staff can be as valuable as a personal referral from a satisfied customer. People buy from those they ‘know, like and trust’. If you give them the opportunity to get to know you via your online presence, you are likely to find them ready to buy the moment you meet them.

Become professionally “stalkable”. With a plan you can maintain your online presence in fifteen to twenty minutes a day. The best part is that this is a very inexpensive way to build relationships and attract more clients.

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Making Your Marketing Message Meaningful

Making Your Marketing Message Meaningful Are you having trouble connecting with prospects? Do they seem to be uninterested in listening to you talk about your product or service? Let’s look at how to change this.

Your message needs to be stated in a way that resonates with the prospect. You can talk about all of the features in your product, but will this resonate with your prospects? for example: The first iPod

  • 5gb disk
  • 1.8″ hard drive
  • mechanical scroll wheel, a center select button, and 4 auxiliary buttons around the wheel.
  • Firewire connections to your computer
  • 10 hour battery life

This is a nice list of features and Apple worked hard to build the device with all of these features, but are you impressed or interested in learning more about the device? You listen to this or read it and you are probably thinking “why would I buy one of these?” Plus, in about 5 minutes you would have forgotten all of the information about the useless product.

For your message to resonate and stick it must simply illustrate the benefit the prospect will receive. By simple I mean in as few words as possible. Your prospects do not have attention spans that will enable them to work hard at understanding what you have to offer. If you are asking your prospect to work hard at understanding the benefits of your product, you are losing most of them before they understand what you are selling.

All of this means you must develop a simple message that resonates with your prospects and makes it easy for them to understand the benefits they will receive from your product or service.

For the message to resonate it must:

  • Be simple
  • Be easy to understand
  • Be short (7 words or less)
  • Contain a benefit the prospect will receive

Do you remember the message Apple use to promote the iPod?Making Your Marketing Message Meaningful

It was simply :

“1000 songs in your pocket”.

If you like music this will resonate with you.

· Be Simple – nothing cleaver or fancy just a very simple example of what can be done with the product.

· Be Easy to Understand – all of your music is on CD’s or tapes and you know you cannot put a 1000 songs in your pocket. As a result you are intrigued and want to learn more about the product.

· Be Short – this one is only 5 words.

· Contain a Benefit the Prospect will receive – if you love music, the thought of having 1000 songs in your pocket is a huge benefit. Especially if you are using a portable CD or tape player.

I challenge you to review your message and ask the question: will it resonate with my prospects? If the answer is no, go to work on your message and create one that will resonate.

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Why Network?

Why_Network Networking is a cost effective way of putting your business on the map and expanding it. More people in your network means more exposure for your products/services.  You will also expand your sphere of influence as you connect large numbers of people to your network and have the opportunity to connect to their network. The more you network effectively the more you will become the “Go-To” person.

Becoming a Master Networker

To become a Master Networker, you must be passionate about helping people achieve their dreams.

There are two ways to approach networking:

Interesting

I am going to be SO INTERESTING by what I say, how I look, how well I talk about my product or service, and exude so much charisma that people will be so impressed that they will want my product or service NOW and will tell everyone they know about it! I will just get better and better and better at this and inevitably become rich and successful. Result? You might as well try to win the lottery.

Interested

I will be SO INTERESTED in everyone I talk to, in what they do, in what they need now, in their dream, that I will inevitably create abundance for everyone I meet by connecting them to the people and groups that will contribute to their success. I will get better and better and better at this and inevitably help others become rich and successful. I will not expect anything directly back from anyone I help. But as I am wise enough to see that this path will surely guarantee my business, financial and personal success, I will become fulfilled in all areas of life. Result: A wide open door of willingness to buy your product or service, or connect you with someone who will.

If you focus on being INTERESTING you will actually be mostly unseen and unheard. If you focus on being INTERESTED and deliver valuable help, the door will swing wide open to being seen and heard.

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