Tweet

Make Your Professional Relationships More Personal

Guest post by: Jeanna Gabellini

Article Overview: Everyone and their mother is competing for your attention online. Everyone promises amazing and miraculous solutions to whatever ails you and your business. Who gets the business is the one who connects best with their target audience.

Make Your Professional Relationships More Personal

I began my coaching career in my late twenties and I was very aware that I seemed to be one of the youngest guns in the bunch. When I went to professional networking meetings, I acted like my normal outgoing and fun self. When I was teaching a live seminar or communicating in my ezine I did my best to be professional.

I thought acting professional meant being serious, profound and very ‘corporate’ (whatever that means!). Fifteen years later, I’ve ditched the façade of being professional. It was very hard to connect with people when I was focused on how I was communicating and trying to build credibility the old- fashioned way.

Everyone and their mother is competing for your attention online. Everyone promises amazing and miraculous solutions to whatever ails you and your business. Who gets the business is the one who connects best with their target audience.

How you create a love affair with your peeps is best done by utilizing your God-given talents.

I happen to be a little goofy and very curious. I also really care that the people who read my article, jump on a class or buy my products get value and make changes in their life and business. I make sure that I bring my enthusiasm, curiosity and caring nature to every interaction I have with my peeps.

I’m very informal, so it was incongruent to my natural style when there was no warmth coming through in an email to a potential client. I still have to periodically remind myself when I’m busy, that I’m talking to a human being (not completing a task), when responding to an email or answering the phone.

Even when you’re following up with someone who has purchased your goods or services, don’t just pitch the next item. Make the connection to the human who just bought from you.

• Did they like their purchase?
• Did it live up to their expectations?
• How else can you support them?
• If they have questions, is there an easy way for them to get answers?
• Do they feel appreciated for doing business with you?

When you market, keep it personal. Sure, you want to make the benefits and features clear to your market but you want them to know that there are people behind the pitch. Your brand and humanness need to shine through every communication. Little details speak volumes.

Last week I did a lot of shopping in the little towns near my family’s cabin. The stores and restaurants are usually owner operated. Many of them thank you for your business even if they just saw you the day before. It makes me want to buy more. The people standing behind the counter who don’t acknowledge me create an urge inside me to hurry up and stop bothering them.

I also love it when my purchases are wrapped in tissue before sticking them in a nice bag. When you throw an expensive item in a plastic bag, somehow I just don’t feel like it’s as important of a purchase.

Sure, you can discount all of these examples, but the bottom line is that making your professional contacts personal will increase your number of raving fans. I consider my clients my friends. I DO socialize with them (even though I was told in coaches training that you can’t coach friends). I send them cards, notes and gifts. I adore them! Why wouldn’t I be loud and proud about our relationship?!

If you want them to rave about you, rave to them!

Related Articles
  Some are naturals, but everyone can get better
  Building Your Client Relationships
  The risk of business relationships being personal
  C-Level Selling Tip 4 -- Relationships with C’s Produces Business, but You Don’t Have a Relationship
  Business Mentoring Programs
  Guidelines to Help Busineses Manage Friendships at Work
  Women and Relationships
  Who Tells You the Things You Don’t Want to Hear?
  Strengthen The Things That Remain
  “Twelve Strategic Ways To Improve And Maintain Strong Healthy Client Relationships, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Become the Star You Are Meant to Be
  Pruning Relationships that Don’t Serve You
  How To Dramatically Boost Your Chances Of Having A Successful Career
  Realizing the Impact of Your Behavior on Others
  Making Business Personal
  A good father
  What Creates Confidence?
  You can’t automate customer service
  How Being Stuck Can Cost You Time, Money and Quality of Life!
  Building Workplace Relationships - Being the Model

Article Tags: connect, Jeanna Gabellini, personal, personalize, Professional, target audience



Related Forum Posts
Re: Quote of the Day - "The only people witho - Thanks for sharing this Evan, there are some very powerful quotes in there, I particularly like this one:- You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully. regards, Mal.
The 7 Greatest Truths about Successful Women - Picked up a few books on my weekly trip to the library, thought I'd share their tables of contents. The 7 Greatest Truths about Successful Women: How You Can Achieve Financial Independence, Professional Freedom, and Personal Joy, by Marion Luna Brem. From the inside cover: In 1984, battling both cervical and breast cancer, and facing $500,000 in medical bills and a disintegrating marriage, Marion Luna Brem was desperate to find a way to support herself and her two young sons. With more than a few strikes against her, she started knocking on doors, looking for a job. Seventeen doors later, the blunt speaking manager of a car dealership in central TExas declared, "I've been thinking of hiring a broad." And with that invitation, Marion took her own first step on the road to financial independence, yada yada yada Today, this "broad" owns two automobile dealerships, an advertising agency, and a stake in a local bank. She sits on the boards of several businesses, etc. etc. 1. Who Wants to be her own boss? 2. Ladies, Start your engines 3. Resiliency 4. Nurturing 5. Intuition 6. Creativity 7. Passion 8. Self-Value 9. Sensitivity 10. Leadership 11. Balance
List of a few legitimate online business - Well My main methods to make money so far are adsense,affiliate marketing and freelancing and I think these are some more sites that can help me to make some more money.Your reviews are welcome: ::linkworth dot com>This site is awesome and offer lots of ways to make money. ::mturk dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::microworkers dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::shorttask dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::istockphoto dot com>sell stock photos ::eHow dot com>Make money writing ::Bukisa>Make money writing ::Associate Content>Make money writing ::Triond>Make money writing ::fiverr dot com>$5 freelancing job ::cpalead dot com>make money by completing offer ::peerfly>make money by completing offer
Re: Twitter vs Facebook - I know this is a naive question but i'm really not sure: What do you tweet ? Business? promote your business? Personal? Are there things you can't do? ALSO :Is there a rule book? Is there a success formula using twitter?
Re: Best Internet Marketing Strategies - Personal development and knowledge are important but as Mat says without action nothing will happen. So don't spend so long learning that you fail to follow through, rather learn as you go along but do something everyday towards achieving your goal. MichelleJ


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Living on The Edge of Chaos...

What Type of Business Should I Start?

How To Be A Management Legend

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.