Six years ago today I stopped working. I should explain how I define “work”. In my world, work is getting up at a time you don’t want to get up, to go someplace you don’t want to go, to see people you don’t want to see, to do something you don’t want to do, for too little money. I was definitely working. Don’t get me wrong, I did well. I was in corporate sales and I was blessed to have a sales career which included highlights such as being the top salesperson in the world for an international consulting company and the top salesperson in the USA for three other companies. By all outward appearances I was living the dream. But I was working. Over time I started doing some speaking on the side. And it grew as things do when you nourish them. And eventually I left my job. …
Lighten Up, Francis….
A long time ago, I was very “professional”, “corporate” and somewhat formal in my emails, proposals, etc like most people are and I had success. And then I eventually brought more of my personality into my biz dealings, and I still delivered valuable info and content in my communications, but I changed my greetings and endings and had even more success. I noticed that when I start my emails, proposals, etc with things like “Hi Bob, I hope you had a great holiday season and didn’t gain 15 pounds like I did” or “Hi Bob, Did you see that Broncos game? I haven’t seen choking like that since the Heimlich video in high school health class” and ended my emails, proposals, etc with things like “And don’t forget that Valentine’s Day is coming up so get your wife something nice. Think about what you’re planning to spend on her gift …
Paying It Forward As Part Of Your Biz Model
Just had a company call me and tell me that they were referred to me by someone whom I haven’t seen in at least six years and even then I only met her once or twice in a group setting. About a year ago she called me and asked for some tips on getting a particular sales job and I helped her over the phone, made a few intros and she got the job and I quickly forgot about it. I can’t remember my own name half the time. For a long time, I’ve built an hour or so into my daily schedule to pay-it-forward and give people coaching and training for free, with no expectation of any kind. I’m a big believer that if God’s blessed you, you should bless others (BTW – God has blessed you). We reap what we sow. There’s no escaping this. It’s a principle …
WAS HEMINGWAY A TYPEWRITER EXPERT?
I’ve been fortunate to have been speaking, training and coaching on how best to use LinkedIn and other Social Media platforms since 2003. Yes, 2003. That makes me Jurassic in the Social Media world. From time to time, I like to reiterate a very important point. Was Hemingway a typewriter expert? Was Picasso a canvas expert? No. These were just some of the tools these artists used to convey their messages. They were artists. And that’s what Social Media is for you. You’re an artist in terms of whatever value and message you’re delivering to the business world whether you realize it or not. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever, are just some of the tools you use to deliver your value and message. Have a basic understanding of these platforms but don’t think you need to become an expert at them. You don’t need to know how to fix a …
Your Newsletter And Ezine Isn’t A “Touch”
We all get various newsletters, ezines, etc. Many people and organizations who send these out think that they’re “touches”. That’s marketing speak for impersonal mass communication. They’re not bad things, but let’s not pretend that they are in any way personal. When I work with my clients and I teach them and help them develop their own simple “High-Tech/High-Touch Relationship Marketing System”(TM) we don’t consider those newsletters, ezines, etc as touches. They’re normally accepted and expected forms of communication, but they’re not touches. When someone says “that touched me” they’re probably not saying this in reference to a newsletter they just received. Ever. But when you take a sincere interest in someone and add value to them in a personal way, you better believe you’re touching them. When I care enough to learn what’s important to you, where you went to school, your spouse’s name, your favorite sports team, your …
Your Personal Brand
Hi there! I hope you’re having a great end to your February. End of February – wasn’t it just Y2K?! If you didn’t get that last reference, I probably have cowboy boots older than you. As we covered in our last newsletter, Social Selling is made up of four things: 1) Your Personal Brand 2) Your Deep Network of Relationships 3) Your Sales Intelligence 4) Your Social Listening Today, we’ll dig into Your Personal Brand a bit. I often tell my audiences that people who refer to themselves as “gurus” usually do so because they can’t spell “charlatan”. And self-proclaimed gurus typically like to make their supposed area of expertise sound complicated, deep and mysterious. I choose to take the opposite approach. Let’s remember the KISS Principle….Keep It Simple Sweetie. In the old days, your Personal Brand was called your reputation. And it took time to develop, and it usually …
Make Them Smile
The top 20% of your clients probably wouldn’t mind it if you picked up the phone, called them and told them that you care about them and asked them if there’s anything you could do for them today to make them smile. The bottom 20% probably wouldn’t mind it either. Perhaps just start with one client.
End Of January High Touch Recap
We’re almost at the end of January, and I’ll bet none of your competitors have picked up the phone, send a postcard, or dropped by with a Frappa-Macha-Lacha-Whatever to any of their prospects, clients, Networking Partners or Strategic Alliances so far in 2014. It really is so easy to differentiate yourself from everyone else in your industry. High touch always makes an impact. Only every time.
Make Time For The Things You Enjoy
I’m taking my 14-year old daughter to see Rush tonight in Denver. Row 20, seats 9 and 10 on the floor. Directly in front of Geddy (stage left). I’m so excited I can barely see straight. I took her last Fall to see Yes in Denver. If Genesis ever regroups, I’ll take her to see them. And then I’ll be ready to die. Yes, Rush and Genesis have been my favorite bands for over 30 years. Having a teenage daughter who knows and likes their music is fantastic. What does this have to do with anything? What do you enjoy so much that you get giddy like a school kid just thinking about it? If it takes you a little while to get an answer to this question, that might be an indication that you’re probably working too hard. Yeah, yeah, I know, the economy. Economy schmonomy. There’s always gonna …
Who Do Your Prospects Think You Are?
On a phone call yesterday morning with the CEO of a large company considering hiring me for some speaking and training engagements…. ME: “It’s nice to speak with you after exchanging some emails. What have you heard about me and the results I deliver so that I can respect your time and not tell you things you already know.” CLIENT: “I know you help your clients significantly grow their revenues and based on the things I’ve heard you sound to me like a cross between Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man In The World” and Keyser Söze from The Usual Suspects.” ME: “pfhs*hj&eap@psbn#egh” (the sound of me laughing so hard that I spit up my coffee) I may have to steal his line for branding purposes. ?
Choose To Be Grateful In Biz And You’ll Have More To Be Grateful In Biz For
An often overlooked component of a successful business is gratitude. Anyone who has had some success in biz understands that you better make the customer or client happy through the sales process. And for most businesses, that’s where they end. Once the deal is consummated, product purchased, etc., they probably couldn’t pick their client out of a line-up. How do you show your gratitude to your clients on an ongoing basis? Do they feel the love? If so, for how long? What if you expressed your gratitude in some way and continued to do so over time? I’m not talking about in a weird, stalker-like way. I’m talking about in a way that’s sincere and keeps you top of mind. What if after they became your client, you remembered something unique from the sales or on boarding process and politely reminded them of that and thanked them for it. What …
You’re Too Blessed To Be Stressed
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way trying to persuade you to pretend that there aren’t bad things which happen to good people or that everyone is a nice, kind, compassionate person. This post isn’t intended to gloss over the fact that life can be difficult. This isn’t a kum-bah-yah, group hug moment. If you’re cool with that, read on. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit for a minute. Now realize that you just sat on something. And you’re probably someplace with heat. And you’re drinking a cup of coffee or tea. And you have hands to hold the cup. And you’re alive. Alright, you get the point. We can be so busy that we miss just about everything. And I do mean everything. Compared to the majority of the world, we’re pretty fat, dumb, and happy. Did that offend you? Analyze that offense. Things which are close …
Spoil Your Parents. And Your Clients. While You Can.
My brothers and I recently sent our parents on an all-expense paid trip to Oahu and Maui where they stayed at two Four-Star waterfront resorts for their 50th wedding anniversary. Although my folks had the time of their life and they were very grateful for the present, I think I was the one who really got the gift. I’ve been able to have the greatest parents on earth for my 48 years of life here on this awesome blue ball. I didn’t always think my parents were that great, but that’s normal when you’re younger. Now I know better. Ever think about your clients kinda the same way you think about your parents? Your parents gave you life. Your clients gave you business. Your parents could have given you away and found or had some other kids. Your clients can give you away any time they like. We have limited …
Are You Having Business One Night Stands?
There are many things we can learn about how to build, enhance and maintain client relationships from marriage. If you’ve had any long-term success in business you realize it’s all about relationships. If you want your spouse to treat you better, treat her or him the way you treated them when you were dating. This isn’t difficult math. After money is transacted in your business and you deliver your value. What do you do then? How do you show your client that it wasn’t a one night stand? If it takes you more than a few seconds to answer this, you may be leaving skid marks in a lot of motel parking lots….
New Day’s Resolutions Instead of New Year’s Resolutions
According to many studies, the third week of January is the time when most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. So, if this is accurate, perhaps some of the things you had hoped to create as new success habits in 2013, may seem unattainable to you now. While I’m all for taking massive, deliberate action and having short, medium, and long-range goals, for some folks, that’s just too much. Perhaps a good approach to sustained change may be setting New Day’s resolutions versus New Year’s resolutions. When you get up in the morning, set a resolution for the day. And if during the course of the day you drop the ball, don’t beat yourself up. Get up tomorrow and resolve it again. Over time, you’ll start to notice where you’re dropping the ball and course correct. Just don’t beat yourself up. Perhaps put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror …
Give Away More
While I was in Seattle this past weekend, I had dinner with my good friends and fellow International Speakers and Authors, Patrick Snow and Mark Matteson. The conversation was fantastic and it went into the night. One of the things Mark said has been bouncing around in my head the last few days. He said that he’s learning to “Give away more.” Mark, Patrick and I have always been generous with the time, materials and consulting that we give away vs. what we get paid for by our clients and Mark challenged Patrick and I to raise the bar. I’m up for the challenge. How do you give away value? I’m not proposing that you start giving away all your secret sauce that you earn money for. But what can you do on a daily and weekly basis to give more away because you’re a generous person? Yes, it will …
Make ‘Em Smile
In our busyness we sometimes forget what we need to do in terms of our clients and prospective clients. Yes, we need to under-promise and over-deliver. Yes, we need to keep an eye on emerging trends and threats. Yes, we need to do all that Harvard Business Review, high fallutin, MBA type stuff. But here’s your real job: make ’em smile. And keep ’em smilin’. Be real. Be a person like them. Have a heart. Never pass up opportunities to personalize things to make your clients feel more special. I’m dealing with some technology and product fulfillment issues right now that are bugging the crap out of me. Majorly bugging me. Serious buggage. And it’s having an effect on my clients. This is a good example of it’s not what happens, but how we handle it. I’m thinking creatively and coming up with ways to make ’em smile as I …
Small Biz Can Be Big Biz
Society programs us to think that we have to always be bigger, faster, stronger, etc. This is especially the case in business. But this isn’t true. It may have been in the past, but it’s not now. It would serve people well to revisit from to time why they are doing the things they’re doing as business owners. Did they get into business to build the biggest, most profitable, etc, whatever? Most of the time they didn’t. They got into business to earn a good living providing a product or service they have a passion for at a fair value to people who are desiring it. When you get seduced into thinking that your company has to be the biggest, most profitable, etc, many mistakes will follow because your decisions will be built on the wrong foundation. As the world becomes more and more interconnected and niched, you can do …
You’re A Mosquito In A Nudist Colony Of Opportunity
We have almost unlimited ways to connect with each other. When you meet someone either personally or professionally do you look to connect with them on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter? I do. It’s a good habit to start. Then after you connect online, offer to help them in some way. Without an agenda. And not so they can owe you. There are a lot of people who are out of work for long periods of time, tolerating jobs that they hate, dealing with clients they’d love to fire, and a hundred others types of soul-sucking torture. The reason they’re living in this situation has nothing to do with the economy, the Democrats, the Republicans, global warming, the Mayan calendar, or any other excuse. It has to do with the fact that most people don’t understand that all things being equal people do business with and refer business to people they …
Gain Client Engagement By Being Engaging
We hear a lot in the business world about gaining client/customer engagement. I’m a simple country boy, and although I did grow up in New Jersey, I think there were more cows and horses in my home town than people. Client engagement is a fancy word for happy, repeat clients. KISS : Keep It Simple Sweetie Folks can keep their metrics, analytics, NASA computations and so on. I’ll stick with what Dale Carnegie taught years ago: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Engagement is not about advertising, spamming, stalking or any other intrusive ways of dealing with people. The easiest and fastest way to gain engagement is by being engaging. Let me repeat that, the easiest and fastest way to gain engagement is by being engaging. …