Will Hardison

2 Minute Networking

While out networking, do you get tired of Chatty Cathy who throws up all over you about their business for 15 minutes? Have you ever stopped to think about how much that person could be costing you in positive connections that could very well lead to sales?

Something to think about, limit your time while networking to 3 minutes per person. That allows you to meet 20 new people an hour. 3 times a week, you just met 60 new people. How long would it take you to get the attention of 60 people a week by cold calling?

*A side note, take into consideration the amount of people at the event. If there are 10 people at the event, obviously you’ll want to spend more time with each person than if there was 100 people in the room. Don’t get caught up in conversations with people that you already know. Spend 75% of your networking time with people who you don’t already know.

Ok, back to the topic. Here is how to handle the situation of only spending 2-3 minutes per person.

1. Approach your prospect, more than likely they’ll have a nametag on, and say their name followed by the question “Tell me about your business/job and who you are looking to meet?”
2. They’ll rattle off their 30 – 60 second commercial and then ask you in return “What is it that you do?”
3. You give them your polished 30 – 60 second commercial and now you are two minutes deep into the conversation. (This is where it can get out of hand)
4. Now you have to make a decision. Is this someone worth getting to know? Are they a good strategic partner? Are they going to start selling their services to you? This is where you either say, “Hey Mr. Networker is was a pleasure meeting you this morning. I hope you make some good connections this morning. I’ve got a few more people to meet.” OR you say “Hey Mr. Networker is was nice meeting you this morning, sounds like we could possibly be good strategic partners. If it makes sense to you too, why don’t we set up a time to get together for a one-to-one meeting.”

There is no need to get into a 15-minute conversation during the event about that person’s business, how they started, where they worked before, where they grew up, and where they went to high school. During the networking event, that is all irrelevant. You’re there to make the most of your time and meet as many connections as possible.

Tags: 2 minute networking, cold calling, elevator pitch, Networking

Networking: How It’s Done

If you haven’t heard yet, networking is the new wave in developing referrals and clients. It’s also a fun and effective way of keeping a pipeline full of new business.  If you’ve never ventured out to the networking world, it can be a fairly intimidating environment if you’re not prepared.

Before starting to network it’s important to have a few things in place. One, figure out exactly the type of contacts you’re looking to meet. Two, how you can help introduce others to people they need to meet? And three, your elevator speech or what you want others to know about your company.

Whether you have an extroverted or introverted personality, there is a place for you at networking events. Those with outgoing personalities don’t have much of a problem with approaching individuals and striking up conversation.  On the other hand, introverted people might find that challenging. In that case, offer to be a volunteer at the event or a visitor host.  This will make it easier for you to approach people and for them you approach you.

Another option that some people are starting to use is online networking. With online networking there’s no need to leave the comfort of your office. For an example of this you can check out www.introduceme360.com .  The downside to this type of networking is that it diminishes the chances of building deeper relationships with people and earning their trust. This is why face-to-face networking is still the best option.

Tags: business networking, indianapolis networking, marketing, online networking

Salespeople Should Use Social Media

Lately all the talk has been, how to use social media to market your business. While it’s a great tool for the marketing department, what about the sales people? Shouldn’t they be taking advantage of it also? I definitely think so.

The most unique thing you have to sell is yourself. Here’s what a sales rep needs to know: Before people talk to each other in this day and age, they look them up on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social-networking sites. This means you have to consider your presence on the Internet.

Twitter: Twitter is daunting for the uninformed, but it is a GREAT way to gain credibility with clients.  Have the salespeople sign up not with stupid names likes “youngjeezy213894,” but with their real names.

No one answers their phone anymore. People appreciate retweets. That’s why I like Twitter in the sales process; if a salesperson is following his or her prospects, retweeting their posts is a sincere form of flattery and a way to stay in their hearts and minds.

Nurture, because buyers won’t buy tomorrow. Everyone’s talking about nurturing, and here’s what you have take from this: The key to the nurturing revolution is the fact that clients are NOT going for the “Hi so-and-so, I wanted to touch base and see what your … needs are” or “I’d love to talk to you about our 75 percent clearance rate.” They’ll buy when they’re good and ready, so you have to keep them warm with relevant, meaningful, non-salesy content.

These are just some basic thoughts. I’d recommend digging deeper into this because social media is where a lot of business is being done and will continue to be done in the future.

Source: http://www.funnelholic.com/

Tags: marketing, Social Media, twitter

10 Reasons to Deliver Amazing Customer Service

1. Amazing customer service builds credibility, trust and confidence, which can lead to customer loyalty.
2. It can help the marketing and sales budget. It costs less to keep existing customers than it does to create new ones.
3. Delivering amazing service creates a buzz, word-of-mouth marketing and referrals, again helping the marketing budget.
4. Delivering amazing customer service can lead to existing customers buying more.
5. Customer service saves money. When you do it right the first time, you don’t have to fix it the next time.
6. Customer service can give your company an advantage over competitors.
7. Amazing customer service can make price less relevant.
8. Customer service focused companies are usually employee-focused companies, thereby creating a better place to work.
   That means lower turnover, which could mean savings in hiring, training and more.
9. Customer service superstar companies are usually more profitable than the ones that aren’t.
10. Customer service helps get and keep customers… because without customers, you don’t have a business.

*This list was published by expert and author Shep Hyken.

Tags: Blog, Business, customer service, tips, will hardison

What’s your “Online Reputation”

First of all, your online reputation is what comes up when you type your name into Google.  If making a good name for yourself online is important to you, it’s time to take a proactive approach to getting your name out there with the reputation that you want.

For me, the first things that come up are my Smaller Indiana, LinkedIN, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.  It’s important for me to constantly manage my online reputation because you never know what’s being said or put online about you.

I’ve been using GoogleAlerts for a while now. If you subscribe to GoogleAlerts, you’ll receive an email as soon as your name enters Google’s index. Google Alerts cover news stories, video comments, blogs, and pages found on the web.

GoogleAlerts is just one of the tools I’ve found useful. If anyone has other tools they use, I’d be interested in learning about them

Tags: Blog, google, online

So you have a blog, now what?

About six months ago I started a blog for myself. I focused on health, nutrition and eating right. www.nicoleonthego.com It was a lot of fun for the first few months, then the “burn out” came.  After reading an article posted by Scott Hepburn on mediaemerging.com, I came to realize that I was going about it all wrong. I had thrown myself into blogging a couple times a day, adding followers on Twitter, subscribing to any blog that was even semi-related to mine and tried to comment on any blog I could. Not a good idea. I had no strategy going into it and therefore, I struggled.

I plan on continuing my blog again fairly soon but I’ve learned my lesson and I’m going to follow some of these tips next time.

1. Review Your Blog Subscribing Habits. Notice I didn’t say subscribe to more blogs. Some people need to follow fewer blogs so they can be more focused and attentive. If you’re not subscribed to any blogs, you might want to find a few to follow. The goal is to be a thoughtful and meaningful contributor as a reader and commenter.
2. Link to Other Blogs in Your Blog. This is one I screw up all the time. Your blog posts may be brilliant, but if you don’t link out to others, you’re walling yourself off. As the characters of LOST always say, “Live together, die alone.” [One tip: Outbound links should be threads of a conversation, not linking for linking's sake. Relevance is king.]
3. Share Posts That Inspire You to Comment. Your Twitter followers probably appreciate when you share links to good content. If a post is so compelling you’re inspired to comment, your followers will savor a chance to read and weigh in, too. If it’s worthy of a comment, it’s worthy of a tweet. You don’t have to say “I just commented here” — you can, but sometimes a simple link’ll do.
4. Invite Others to the Conversation — One at a Time. Here’s another one I struggle with. Tweeting a link and asking followers to weigh in is good…sometimes. But I love it when somebody shares a fascinating post and tags me, specifically, to ask me to join the convo. It says “I know you, I pay attention to you, and I know what issues you care about.”
5. Email Your Favorite Bloggers. Email is a powerful way to say thank you. Why? It’s intimate — one-on-one. And it’s private, too. Sometimes a “thank you” in the public comments feels a little…I dunno…theatrical. Send your favorite bloggers an email to say “I appreciate you, even when I don’t have your audience’s attention.”
6. Give Your Commenters the Publicity They Deserve. Did one of your readers leave an AWESOME comment? Tweet about it! Tell your followers to check out that person’s comments, and mention them by name in the Tweet. They’ll love the pimpin’, and your followers may make a new connection.

(Source: www.mediaemerging.com, Scott Hepburn)

Tags: blogging, comments, followers, subscribers, twitters

Facebook: The good. The bad. The ugly.

I remember getting the initial Facebook invite my Junior year in College, which would have been 2004. It came 2 weeks after a mass e-mail from my University for all students to logon to Faceboook and click “suggest a school”. Many people today don’t realize Facebook, at first, was very exclusive. They only allowed students from certain Universities to join and they were very selective about the next allowed student body. Today, every Tom, Dick, and Harry has an account, which to some is great, but to others its bad.

The Good:

It’s a great tool to keep in touch with classmates, old high school friends you haven’t seen in 20 years, and family members. Pictures, status updates, direst messages, wall posts, and birthday reminders all help you stay in contact and updated with friends.

The Bad:

Now that it’s open to the public every Tom, Dick, and Harry have an account. I get random requests from people who’ve never met me, have met me once at a networking event, and are 40 years older than me. I try to be polite and accept everyone, but my Facebook account has gone from college friends to a mix of business and pleasure. I don’t want to offend anyone, so I accept 97.8% of friend requests, unless it is a really far out request from a random creeper.

The Ugly:

Invite overload! No, I do not want to join your fan page for the 100^th time. No offense, but I like to actually support the companies, groups, bands, and/or products that show up on my fan page listing. There is no need to ask me 10 times in a period of 4 weeks to join your group or business fan page.

Tags: facebook, facebook fan pages, Social Media

Social Media Shouldn’t Stress You Out

There’s so much going on online these days that it’s virtually impossible to keep up with everything. Your coworker might write 5 blogs a week and get into conversations on Twitter and Smaller Indiana all day. Just because you can’t or don’t have time for that doesn’t mean you’re behind or missing out on anything.

Too many people worry that they aren’t “up-to-date” and completely fluent in all the social media tools and therefore their personal brand and company will suffer. That’s where I think a lot of people and businesses are mistaken.  I’m not saying that social media isn’t important, because it is, and I enjoy it. However, for those of you who don’t have a Twitter account or don’t know how to set up your own blog, don’t worry.

It was best said by David Griner “Social media isn’t about adapting who you are to better suit the newest technology. It’s about adapting the newest technology to better suit who you are.”

Have fun with social media and use it to best suit YOU!

Tags: linkedIN, smaller indiana, Social Media, stress, twitter

5 Magical Touches To Increase Business

We’ve all heard the expression “People have to be touched 3,4, and even 5 times before they are willing to buy from your company”. How on Earth are you going to do this without one, going insane and two, breaking the bank? I’ve comprised a system of 6 easy, non-expensive touches to help compress the sales cycle after you meet someone.

Touch 1: Meeting Someone

The first step is meeting someone. At a networking event, through a friend, at a social gathering, however you meet them is fine.

Touch 2: Follow-up E-mail

The second step is to send that person, preferably the same day, but no later than 48 hours after the initial meeting, a “nice to meet you” message. This message should include ways that they can connect with you, maybe through a twitter page, linkedIN profile, or blog. For my follow-up message I invite people to my monthly marketing seminar. Also ask them if they would like to be included in the e-mail newsletter. Assure them that you will not spam them, tell them (which I hope you do) that your newsletter provides value and isn’t all about what your company can sell them.

Touch 3: Newsletter

Hopefully they have agreed to allow you to send them your newsletter. Make sure they are added to the list by the time the next newsletter kicks out.

Touch 4: Find Them On A Social Network

An easy “Let’s Keep In Touch” is to find your new connection on a social media site such as LinkedIN or Twitter. Be careful about adding someone immediately on Facebook. I like to keep my Facebook profile geared more towards my personal life, not professional.

Touch 5: Free Seminar

Find something you can present on to offer your new contacts a reason to come listen to you give value to them. For me, it’s marketing. I put on a monthly marketing seminar which allows people to listen to me explain new marketing tools like social media and field questions they’ve been looking for answers to. It shows them I do in fact know what I am talking about, provides another touch, and gives value to them.

A Bonus Touch: Referring them to someone

If you know of someone your new contact is looking to meet, go ahead and make the e-introduction. Yeah, you’re helping them out, but you’re also providing another reason for them to remember your name the next time someone they know needs your services.

So for the cost of going to a networking event and running an e-mail campaign I have now touched a new contact 5 times in the matter of 4 weeks. They know who I am, we’re conversing on a social media platform now, they’re receiving my newsletter, and they have now allowed me to share my expertise and answer questions without hiring a marketing consultant.

Tags: marketing touches, Networking, sales, will hardison

Foursquare: Not Just For Fun

The people behind Foursquare, I believe, have a hint of marketing genius. For those of you who are not familiar with Foursquare, it’s a location service-based social network-come-game. Basically, what it does is tell your friends where you are any given moment; such as your office, a restaurant, movie theatre etc. Right now, it’s just a game and a point of silly fun but it has potential to be a huge marketing tool.

According to Scott Hepburn of Mediaemerging.com these are just few of the possibilities.

Location-Based Offers: Imagine checking in at Starbucks and receiving an offer for a free coffee with purchase of a scone, or a coupon for 10% off at the neighboring bookstore. As a marketer, Foursquare could let you hyper-target your message to consumers at the precise moment they’re in your proximity.

Behavior-Based Offers: If you check in five times a week at McHooligan’s Neighborhood Pub, you provide valuable behavioral data to marketers. Expect a message (Promotion? Thank you note?) from Mr. McHooligan, and maybe an ad from Alcoholics Anonymous.

Shareable Promotions: This isn’t just mobile media — it’s social media, too. Foursquare could offer advertisers the option of letting you share a promotion with your friends. Think of it as a reward you can pass along, making your friends love you even more.

Loyalty Rewards: It’s nice to imagine all customers are equal. They’re not. Not to marketers, anyway. The customer who checks in from my place of business (and presumably spends money) most will be rewarded with better offers. Being Mayor has its perks.

I’m not a Foursquare user, but I do find the marketing aspect of it very intriguing. To all you users out there, have fun and hopefully one day all your visits to your favorite restaurant of coffee shop will pay off.

Tags: foursquare, incentives, marketing, Nicole Stultz