#6 on our list is Asking the Right Questions

So what do you do? Why are you here?  What’s the name of your company?

These are all lousy opening lines that will surely lead to your networking demise. I have heard those same questions asked more times than I care to admit. The questions you ask when you meet someone will open the door to the communication that will follow after an introduction. Not knowing what to ask or how to open an interesting conversation might just create an uncomfortable silence or invite someone to walk away from you and move on to someone more interesting.

In a perfect world you should have someone personally introduce you. In the next tip I will discuss how that plays out in more detail, but for now let’s just say you are flying solo. Try something like “Hi my name is Jason Evers, nice to meet you.” Then stop and listen! This is so important because what comes out of their mouth next needs to be REMEMBERED – their name! I’m am so guilty of forgetting a name right after I hear it, so here are a few tips I use;  Ask them to repeat their name again and then repeat it back to them like; “Charly, so nice to meet you.” Another thing you can do is this – most people will introduce themselves along with their profession, PERFECT! Now you can say “Do you have a card?” Keep that handy because if you forget their name you just refer to the card. :-) It works like a charm every time!

I don’t care how good-looking you are, how well dressed you  are, how charismatic you are or how remarkable you think you are… You will be  forgotten! I know it’s a huge blow to the ego, right? I for one never thought  people would forget about me, but sadly enough they did.

That’s why I decided I wouldn’t let people forget about me!  I had to find a way to make myself a little more memorable than the average  Joe. If you truly want to create quality long-term  relationships that will produce long-term revenue you have to follow up!

I’m not talking about following up with the normal every day  “Hello I just wanted to follow up from the networking event the other night, it  was really great meeting you. And by the way, if you ever want to sell your  house or know someone looking to buy in this area please don’t hesitate to call.”
– Joe the Average Realtor.

WRONG! That guy is forgotten before the letter is even read, if  they even get to the end of the letter before hitting the delete button or  throwing it in the garbage!

How about this – “Hello Kimberly, It was great meeting you  the other night, WOW! I can’t believe how good that food was, and how about that entertainment, huh? Amazing!

I wanted to make sure I sent you this before I forgot, the  moment you mentioned to me you loved white water rafting I couldn’t wait to print out this article I read on the internet, listing the top ten places you can white water raft in the United States for less than a 100 bucks pretty sweet!

I hope to bump into you again soon, in the meantime keep an  eye out for my friend request on Facebook.

Have a wonderful day!”

Joe (the not so average networker!)

RIGHT! See how there is no selling or talking about yourself at all! This is a very important part – Remember we are building relationships not looking for sales!

To insure that you don’t miss out on any of these imporant tips, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already done so.

So this is part two of a series of blogs on Networking! I have built the bulk of my business on networking and over the years I have discovered what works and what doesn’t.  In this series of blog posts I would like to share some of the valuable tips I have learned and hopefully they will help you in your networking experience. To insure that you don’t miss out on any of these imporant tips, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already done so.

Tip # 2 – Pass Referrals and expect nothing in return!

“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig

This is one of the hardest things for most people to openly embrace. But without embracing it, they can

forget about creating a huge referral network. Let me explain… If I asked you, whom do you remember from the last networking event you attended? You would probably say “No one really.” But what if someone from that last event called you afterwards to say “Hey John, after we spoke at the chamber event last week about how you would like to do more business with contractors, I sent out an introduction e-mail to the five companies I have been working with for years along with your contact information and a link to your beautiful website – I hope this works out well for you.”

Hmm?? My guess is that you’re remembering that guy! Even if you don’t land a job from it, the gesture was sincere and he made a positive impression on you.

This is a terrific way to create a new business relationship! I recommend you take one person from your next networking event and find a way to extend a sincere referral to them and then see what happens! The key here is to remember that giving is a wonderful gift in life because everything you give comes back to you – multiplied!

Happy Networking!

We all need them and we all love them. And guess what, it’s no mistake that this person knows everyone in town. Because it’s most likely from years of networking and getting to know people on a personal level that they have this endless rolodex of useful contacts and connections.

They’ve spent years cultivating relationships and that’s where the real trust and loyalty come into play.

The reason why I’m sharing this fact with you is that I feel that our success as business people is directly related to the relationships we build in the community.  It really is through networking and passing referrals that people grow to appreciate us more and value our friendship. And hey, let’s face it, nothing builds friendships in business faster than someone saying “Hey, I just referred you to my neighbor who needs to remodel his kitchen” or “Mrs. Jones should be calling you soon, she wants her backyard landscaped”.

So, do you want to pass more referrals? The answer is become a resource to people! Here are five great tips on becoming a great resource.

1. Let your customers know that you know everyone in town and that you have created great relationships over the years with quality companies you can trust with good values.
2. On your business cards put the tagline “need a referral call me, I’m happy to help”
3. Become very active in social networking, this a great way not only to meet great companies but to pass many referrals.
4. When you are talking with your customers or friends ask them the following question “is there anyone servicing your home that you are not happy with?  This is a great way to give out a quick referral, and your neighbor, customer or friend will appreciate it!
5. Follow up on your referrals, show them you really care, they will appreciate it and spread the word to their friends that you are the first person they should call when looking for a new service company.

Follow these steps and I guarantee you will see some great results!!!

If you answered yes to any of the above then this blog’s for you!

Did you know that every business has a pain point? If you just answered NO then you might not be tapping into yours.

The key to great marketing is addressing a pain point that your clients and potential clients can relate and identify with. You’re business offers a solution to some problem or painful task that exists out there – when we tap into that pain and offer a viable solution; we’ve just addressed a pain point! Try this and you’re sure to see a jump in the future results of your marketing campaigns!

Let’s use a cleaning company for today’s example. When advertising home cleaning to a prospect we must first identify and address the pain points. The easiest way to go about it is to make a list. Once our list is complete then we review that list and choose a marketing plan based on those pain points.

1.  Cleaning behind toilets
2.  Vacuuming high plant shelves
3.  Cleaning windows that require a ladder
4.  Shower scum that just won’t come off
5.  Dirty grout on a tile floor – no matter how hard you scrub you just can’t clean it!
6.  Getting gum or a tuff stain out of the carpet
7.  Dusting all the photos and paintings on the walls
8.  Cleaning the mildewed outdoor furniture
9.  Dusting all the blinds in the house
10.  Physical back pain from hours of cleaning

As I’m writing this all I can think about is how nice it would be to have a cleaning company take care of my home. Keep in mind your target audience and cater to them; the working mom, or the retired couple who would rather be enjoying a round of golf more than cleaning that big home.

Now market based on those pain points, for example;

 #1 Pain Point may have a picture of your staff with cleaning gloves on nestled behind the toilet cleaning in the farthest back point.

#2 Pain Point you may want to show a picture of an elderly woman on a rickety ladder carrying a huge vacuum, then on the side show a uniformed employee wearing one of those cool backpack vacuums

#3 Pain Point, how about showing the outdoor furniture being cleaned and scrubbed while the homeowner is reading a book and sipping a cool drink by the pool in one of the other chairs… very powerful image.

Pain Points are the best way to market your product or service, now get out that pad and paper and start listing your pain points.

Remember to have fun with it; if you can get them to laugh or smile at your marketing you’ve got em!

Whether you’re a large company or a small “Mom and Pop Shop” start thinking locally because that’s where your customers are. If you’re not promoting your business on Google Maps (and Yahoo! Local), now is the time.

Google Maps will help you get high search engine visibility for competitive (and potentially lucrative) local city oriented keyword phrases like “Plumber Fort Myers“, “Kitchen Remodeling Naples“, or “Air Condition Company Cape Coral.”

When potential customers search Google Maps for local information, they’ll find your business: your address, hours of operation, contact information, even photos of your storefront and videos of your products or services. Google Maps will even give them a detailed map of your location and easy to follow directions to your office or storefront. They can also view satellite images with or without map data of your location and a “Street View” showing photos of your street and building. It’s free, easy to set up and you don’t even need a website to be listed. Google Maps is truly an amazing Internet tool.

Google Maps Provides High Visibility in the Search Results

Google Maps results usually show up just below the Google AdWords Pay Per Click Ads and above the organic search results in this order…

How to Get Listed in Google Maps?

Adding your listing to Google Maps is very easy. Just follow these step by step instructions and your listing can be online within 48 hours.

Step 1: Log in
To create your Google Maps listing follow these easy directions:

• Navigate to http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter
• Log into your Google account
• Click “Add New Listing”

It’s that easy!… do it now before your competitor does.

Here are some great tips you can be doing right now! to generate more traffic to your company and web -site.

Be sure and subscribe to my blog, you won’t want to miss the follow up blog post when I show you how to get your listing to the top of Google Maps

I know that you at times, much like me, feel overwhelmed and don’t need another thing added to your ever growing “To Do” list. However, I recently learned that I was overlooking a very important part of my business – The Follow Up Phone Call.

A few weeks ago, my wife had Captain Steamer Carpet Cleaning  over to our home in Fort Myers Florida cleaning the carpets and the upholstery for one of our couches. As usual, they did a terrific job erasing the signs of  my children and dog from the house! The gentleman they had representing their company was on time, kind, neat and courteous. He also had a real passion for what he was doing with a focus on making sure my wife was totally satisfied with the work he did (which is always a plus).

A few days had passed and as I walked in from work my wife said: “I had a really nice phone call today from that Kyle guy. You know the owner of Captain Steamer.” Apparently, Kyle had just called to follow up and make sure the job was done to her satisfaction. “What a thoughtful thing to do.” she said and then she proceeded to ask me: “Are we, by chance, doing that with our window cleaning business?” I paused for a second and softly replied “No”. “Well why not?” she asked with her hands on her hips and that all too familiar serious look. You know the one… with the tilted head and raised eyebrow? I was a bit embarrassed as I replied: “Because I’m afraid of what my customers might say…”.  As hard as that is for me to admit, it’s true. But if the main focus of this blog is to create small business success and it is, than I feel I need to share that in all honesty.

After taking some time to ponder my fear I realized that some things are just out of my control and mistakes will always happen but leaving them in the dark isn’t really the answer. When we find the courage to pick up the phone and follow up with our clients we are giving ourselves the opportunity to find out how we’re really doing out there in the field and beyond our reach. With knowledge comes power and this means we can then fix anything that didn’t go as planned. We actually take control of our business relationships when we take the necessary steps make each and every one of our clients happy. This reminds me… happy clients are very likely to refer us new business!

You know, I think it was the fact that I was afraid to follow up that made me realize I had to immediately start doing it. Face the fear and do it anyways I reminded myself. Deep down I know I have a good team of employees working with me, so why the fear? I changed my perspective on things and as I dialed I expected from my customers nothing but glowing remarks, just like Kyle had received about the carpet cleaning they did for us.

So think about it, are you afraid of the unknown? Are you nervous about making that phone call? Are you worried about what the customer on the other end of the line will say? Well remember that you can’t fix what you don’t know about and that the old saying really is true… 99% of what we fear never really happens.

I would like to say thank you to Kyle for following up with us. Kyle, it’s because of you that today I’m following up after jobs and I’m inspiring others to do the same.

Talk about paying it forward…

If you have ever done any form of mass mailing e-mail marketing then you most likely already know that the hardest thing to accomplish is to get the recipient to actually open the e-mail, right?

I mean you first have to go out and make the connection, then have them fill out a form with some sort of incentive like Get our monthly newsletter for great coupons! or how about You won’t want to miss out on these interesting facts that could save you thousands!  Or better yet, Don’t be a victim – you have to read this!

Ok, let’s say you are fortunate enough to get their e-mail address or as we say in the business “Opt-in”. Now the hard part really begins by finding a way to keep the reader not only interested but looking forward to your next e-mail. My advice would definitely be Get Creative and Keep Getting Creative.

However, let’s start with Email Marketing Rule #1 and the most important rule is: Don’t forget to put the person’s name in the introduction box! No Joke – This recently happened to me. I stopped in at a new pizzeria here in town. I filled out there comment card knowing good and well I would soon be receiving an e-mail thanking me for filling out the card. I assumed they would be thanking me for my patronage, and I had hoped it would at least score me a coupon or two as well

Oh to my surprise I got an email without my name on it! Well let me speak from experience when you get the e-mail addressed to: Dear insert name here, nothing makes you feel more important than that! I was disappointed to say the least. I opted out immediately as I thought to myself… after all I went to the trouble of filling out the card, giving my comments and suggestions and all they had to do was enter my first name. How can you forget my name?

So remember to keep your emails creative and PERSONAL by putting in the persons first name at least. I hope this post is helpful, remember think about your readers – I know I will be checking twice to make sure I have the name filled in properly.

If this post was helpful to you, please comment below or use the share this button to repost to Facebook or Twitter.

If you are nodding your head in agreement, then most likely you can identify with my frustration. “Join the club”, I say, because we are not alone!

It wasn’t until recently, after an enlightening conversation with my good friend Charly Caldwell and the creator of this great blog, that I realized I was spending most of my time going after the wrong customer. In my case I was going after anyone who had windows in their home. Bad idea taking into consideration the fact that everyone has windows, but unfortunately, not everyone has the money to get their windows cleaned.

That’s when I decided to go after the audience I wanted, my ideal customer. In my case, they can be described as owners of up-scale homes in Fort Myers and Naples Florida. These clients not only have the funds to get their windows cleaned but they also have the funds to get the windows cleaned on a regular basis. Changing my marketing target focus resulted in not only more business but also more residual income from each individual new account.

Here are Four marketing tips to use when targeting your ideal customers:

• Narrow it down! Don’t send out one mailer to a whole zip code. Instead use that money to send a campaign mailer over a few months to a certain target neighborhood. People are more likely to call after they have seen your ad more than once. Remember – Repetition Reaps Results!

• Do your research! Write down a list of qualities that make up your perfect customer and plan out a way to reach them in a more efficiently, effective and consistent basis.

• Think big! In my particular case, I target property managers. It’s a little tougher to get your foot in the door, but once you do, they have the ability to team you up with many home or business owners. Fish with a net instead of a fishing pole!

• Be creative! Think outside the box! I have a friend that actually sends property managers a diaper in the mail with a card that reads “We know our competition is full of it!” This is the kind of marketing strategy that get’s people talking. I’m sure that diaper made its way around the office a few times. What can you do to make your marketing ad the talk of the town?

Good luck with your search for the ideal customer. Please let me know if this blog post helped you.