Whos in YOUR wallet A Power Networking Strategy and Year End Inventory
Whos in YOUR wallet A Power Networking Strategy and Year End Inventory
Right now I want to talk about other folks in your life who impact your wallet.
Your network is made up of key people who make a direct impression on your business life either because they are clients, advocates, or collaboration partners, engaged in helping you to grow your business through the referral process.
While the Holiday Season is a great time to reflect on what and who we are grateful for, I would like to suggest that the following ideas can be put into play all year long as a strategy to recognize who the key people are in our lives (business or personal) AND will help us focus on making sure that we are taking care of them as well if not better than they are taking care of us.
Primary Network Relationship Inventory Guide
Take a moment to sit down and do a year-end inventory of your most important relationships. And for the sake of direction ... let's list out 10 of your current, primary, relative, and important relationships. You should know instinctively and without much prodding who these 10 important relationships/contacts are. This list might include your best clients, mentors, advocates, referral partners, accountability partners, friends, family, (you get the idea). Go ahead and write them down.
Next, take that list and think about why they have made an impact on you. What one thing stands out in your mind? Are they a joy to work with? Do they send you referrals on a regular basis? Do they listen to you when you need someone to bounce ideas off of? Do they smooth the path before you? Do they tell you the truth when no one else will? Do they cheer for you and encourage you to push beyond your reach? Whatever you come up with for each person and how they have made an impact on you, jot that info down next to each person's name.
Now, take that information and reflect on how YOU have given back to them. Have you spent time on their blog or website? Have you sent them referrals? Have you listened when they needed to talk? Have you sent them articles that you found as a way to let them know that you are thinking of them? Have you helped to spread the word either through your own postings or through comments that you've left for them on their sites? Do you know what is important to them? Do you know how you can help them achieve their goals? Have you asked?
Finally, in looking over your list, take an inventory of your "staying in contact strategies" with each one. When was the last time you talked to each person on your list? When was the last time you sent them a card, an article, a referral? When was the last time you visited their blog or website? When was the last time you commented on their blog or website? Do they have a social media presence? Have you left them a testimonial or a comment?
Primary Relationship Building ACTION Guide
Building relationships takes time and it takes planning. There are very few good or great relationships that happen accidentally. And just as it is easier to retain a good client than it is to find a new client, it is far easier to strengthen and build the relationships that you already have.
Having gathered the inventory information from above, let's take a look at strategies for strengthening your current relationships.
Take your list of 10 people and the info that you've come up with from above. Now, let's categorize those 10 people into 3 groups. For simplicity let's have an A, B, and C group. The A group would be your highest priority. People in your A group should receive more attention from you. This might be a weekly touch or a bi-weekly touch or even a combination of touches throughout the month. The B group is next on your priority list and the frequency of touch might be once a month. The C group is next and let's say that you need to contact them quarterly.
And, What is a Touch?
A touch can be any of these (and probably many more that you can think of):
Most folks enjoy 1 or more of these types of staying in contact. Think about each person on your list and decide, based on whether they are an A, B, or a C which ways you plan to strengthen and grow your relationship with them.
Now map it out. Take out your calendar and schedule in time to focus on the strengthening of these vital and important relationships. An online solution that I use and find very easy in helping me to maintain the connections that are important to me is called Highrise. You can learn more about it at www.highrisehq.com .
But I have no time! When am I going to do this?
I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. I have no time, hello, goodbye...
Who among us does NOT feel this way? And, yet, we must make time to say hello, goodbye and quite a lot in between, if we are to grow and maintain our relationships in our network. It can be said that the strength of your relationships have a direct impact on the money that ends up in your wallet.
Pretty basic stuff, right?
Much of what I've written here is pretty basic and common sense stuff. Truly, it is. And, as Will Rogers said, "Common sense aint so common."
Additionally, folks tend to want to make things complicated when sticking to the basics can easily move them forward. And we all want easy ... right?
Please make some time over the next month to figure out WHO the key players are who have influence over the growth of your business and, ultimately, when you take really good care of them you are, in fact, taking really good care of yourself as well.
Easy!
Whos in YOUR wallet A Power Networking Strategy and Year End Inventory - To learn more about this author, visit Zita Gustin's Website.
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Many of us carry photo's of our dear ones in our wallets as a way to remind us of what is important and so that we can share that information with folks in our day to day world. You'll know what I'm talking about if you or anyone you know has a recent newborn in their family!
Right now I want to talk about other folks in your life who impact your wallet.
Your network is made up of key people who make a direct impression on your business life either because they are clients, advocates, or collaboration partners, engaged in helping you to grow your business through the referral process.
While the Holiday Season is a great time to reflect on what and who we are grateful for, I would like to suggest that the following ideas can be put into play all year long as a strategy to recognize who the key people are in our lives (business or personal) AND will help us focus on making sure that we are taking care of them as well if not better than they are taking care of us.
Primary Network Relationship Inventory Guide
Take a moment to sit down and do a year-end inventory of your most important relationships. And for the sake of direction ... let's list out 10 of your current, primary, relative, and important relationships. You should know instinctively and without much prodding who these 10 important relationships/contacts are. This list might include your best clients, mentors, advocates, referral partners, accountability partners, friends, family, (you get the idea). Go ahead and write them down.
Next, take that list and think about why they have made an impact on you. What one thing stands out in your mind? Are they a joy to work with? Do they send you referrals on a regular basis? Do they listen to you when you need someone to bounce ideas off of? Do they smooth the path before you? Do they tell you the truth when no one else will? Do they cheer for you and encourage you to push beyond your reach? Whatever you come up with for each person and how they have made an impact on you, jot that info down next to each person's name.
Now, take that information and reflect on how YOU have given back to them. Have you spent time on their blog or website? Have you sent them referrals? Have you listened when they needed to talk? Have you sent them articles that you found as a way to let them know that you are thinking of them? Have you helped to spread the word either through your own postings or through comments that you've left for them on their sites? Do you know what is important to them? Do you know how you can help them achieve their goals? Have you asked?
Finally, in looking over your list, take an inventory of your "staying in contact strategies" with each one. When was the last time you talked to each person on your list? When was the last time you sent them a card, an article, a referral? When was the last time you visited their blog or website? When was the last time you commented on their blog or website? Do they have a social media presence? Have you left them a testimonial or a comment?
Primary Relationship Building ACTION Guide
Building relationships takes time and it takes planning. There are very few good or great relationships that happen accidentally. And just as it is easier to retain a good client than it is to find a new client, it is far easier to strengthen and build the relationships that you already have.
Having gathered the inventory information from above, let's take a look at strategies for strengthening your current relationships.
Take your list of 10 people and the info that you've come up with from above. Now, let's categorize those 10 people into 3 groups. For simplicity let's have an A, B, and C group. The A group would be your highest priority. People in your A group should receive more attention from you. This might be a weekly touch or a bi-weekly touch or even a combination of touches throughout the month. The B group is next on your priority list and the frequency of touch might be once a month. The C group is next and let's say that you need to contact them quarterly.
And, What is a Touch?
A touch can be any of these (and probably many more that you can think of):
- A face to face meeting (coffee, lunch, dinner, networking event)
- Hand written card of appreciation
- A phone call
- A visit to their blog, social media profile, or website followed up with an email
- Posting on their blog, social media profile, or website
- Providing a testimonial either written or verbal
- Connecting them via email with someone that you know
Most folks enjoy 1 or more of these types of staying in contact. Think about each person on your list and decide, based on whether they are an A, B, or a C which ways you plan to strengthen and grow your relationship with them.
Now map it out. Take out your calendar and schedule in time to focus on the strengthening of these vital and important relationships. An online solution that I use and find very easy in helping me to maintain the connections that are important to me is called Highrise. You can learn more about it at www.highrisehq.com .
But I have no time! When am I going to do this?
I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. I have no time, hello, goodbye...
Who among us does NOT feel this way? And, yet, we must make time to say hello, goodbye and quite a lot in between, if we are to grow and maintain our relationships in our network. It can be said that the strength of your relationships have a direct impact on the money that ends up in your wallet.
Pretty basic stuff, right?
Much of what I've written here is pretty basic and common sense stuff. Truly, it is. And, as Will Rogers said, "Common sense aint so common."
Additionally, folks tend to want to make things complicated when sticking to the basics can easily move them forward. And we all want easy ... right?
Please make some time over the next month to figure out WHO the key players are who have influence over the growth of your business and, ultimately, when you take really good care of them you are, in fact, taking really good care of yourself as well.
Easy!
Whos in YOUR wallet A Power Networking Strategy and Year End Inventory - To learn more about this author, visit Zita Gustin's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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