Posts Tagged ‘connections’

Business is as much about who you know as it is about what you know. The more people who know you, the more people who respect what you do, the more people there are to refer you clients and help your business succeed! Think about the last 5 clients you met with – how did they find you? If any of it was through word of mouth, referrals or social media, you have experienced the power of really connecting.

And you would think, with all the social tools and number of people online, that connecting would be easy, right?

Wrong.

It is easy to talk, listen and converse. Connecting takes time, energy and more effort than just a tweet or two. In order to honestly connect with someone you need to take things beyond just the basics. You need to step out of the twittersphere, away from the facebook and actually have a conversation – preferably in person, but at a minimum, over the phone and via emails.

Stepping out from behind the status update box allows us to deepen our relationships and actually get answers to what a person does. Knowing someone better means you can better connect them to the right people – and help them with their business. Of course, as a firm believer in what goes around comes around, this method works very well.

So, the next step is learning more about how we can all connect and help each other – so in the comments, I want you to share who you are, what you do and what you are looking for. Give us a way to help and promote you…and let’s spread the connecting!

Ready, go!

This giraffe is watching you. He is judging you. And he is keeping that judgment for a very long time.

Every time someone comes into contact with you in anyway, you are making an impression. In business, this can make or break you as one impression may be all you get before they decide whether or not to work with you! While not every question below will apply to you, each question reflects something about your brand and who you are as a business. The answers you choose may vary from time to time, and that is perfectly fine. What is important to think about is how you react, what you say or do, and how others will feel about your behavior.

What happens when someone emails you?

• Where does the email go?
• How quickly do you respond?
• What type of responses do you send?
• Are their emails you ignore (other than spam)?
• What is your email signature like?

What happens when someone calls?

• Is your phone number available?
• Do they reach a real person or a recording?
• What about after hours?
• What does your voice-mail say?
• How long do you give someone on the phone?

What happens when someone sends you a tweet?

• How quickly do you respond?
• What tone of voice do you use?
• Do you respond via reply or DM?
• Do you follow people who tweet you?
• How do you monitor your twitter stream?

What happens when someone visits your office?

• Who greets them first?
• What are they wearing?
• What does your office look like?
• How long do they have to wait to talk to you if they have an appointment?
• What if they don’t have an appointment?
• What is the temperature like?
• What music is playing?

What happens when you meet someone randomly?

• Do you great everyone in a welcoming tone?
• Do you have your business cards on hand?
• Do you stay and talk with people or brush them off?
• How long will you give a stranger to talk?

What happens with you meet someone at a networking event?

• Do you immediately hand then your card or wait to be asked?
• Do you have a nametag?
• What do you ask them first?
• How do you end a conversation?
• Are you drinking or eating?

Are you making the right impression?

*image courtesy of recursion_see_recursion on flickr

Steve Woodruff talked last week about is social media circles: audience, acquaintances, friends and intimates (inner circle) and what they mean for business. He explained that each of the levels serve a certain purpose, and that we need all four to really get the most out of our social channels. Of course, as you go down in levels, the people do become more important. For example, it would be better to have high quality intimates than just a bunch of audience. His final thought in the article (which is a great one) is that we need a way to filter these people more effectively…being able to separate them out and monitor them all differently would make connections and conversations much easier.

I know that I have all of these levels, but I have never really thought a lot about who exactly is in them. If I were forced to answer right now, I could probably name 30-40 people in my inner circle. Would it be all of them? No. Would some that I mentioned not actually be in my inner circle if I really thought about it? Yes.

And I think this needs to be remedied. I need to know my lists, I need to understand who I can trust, and I need to know that they can trust me too. I need them to know that I think they are part of my inner circle. We need to be on the same page because not knowing where you stand with someone can be dangerous. What if I think someone is on my inner circle, and I share with them a business idea that I have. They love it, we chat about it, share lots of details and brainstorming. Then a month later, I see them using my idea without asking me. Why would something like that happen? It happens when you don’t actually know your relationships – when you think someone is inner circle and they don’t.

Today, I want you to take some time and think about your inner circle. Who do you trust with your business ideas? Who would you turn to if you needed help promoting something or a new client recommendation? Once you have determined your list, I want you to send each person that you believe is part of your inner circle an email. Let them know why you have chosen them, and what they mean to you. It doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t have to be over the top. Make it simple and straight to the point.

After you have sent the emails…come back here. Don’t share your list (as that is a little personal) but please share your thoughts and experiences in building that list. Was it easy? Did you find people you thought would be inner circle that really weren’t? Did someone you expected to respond not respond? Were you greeted with any especially surprising results?

Discuss.