Archive for Networking
Don’t Assume People Know What You Do
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve heard time and again that you can’t assume people remember what you do. It’s one of the cornerstones of BNI and any other networking group you belong to. You
Don't Assume!
need to show up to give people a chance to know, like and trust you. And you need to keep showing up so they remember you.
I had this point driven home to me last week. On Tuesday I posted an update on LinkedIn, including a link to free ebook on internet marketing I created with some JV partners. About an hour later I received an email from a colleague asking if I do training on internet marketing and social media.
My first thought was Read More→
How to Have Off-Line Conversations with Your Online Connections
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for Social Media Marketing Means Talking To More People
- How to Have Off-Line Conversations with Your Online Connections
Yesterday I wrote about why you need to take your online connections off-line. Today I’ll tell you how.
When you met somebody online and you’ve had some sort of an ongoing conversation, someone you think you might have a connection with, approach them about having an off-line conversation.
You can send them a private message on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, or send them an e-mail asking for a phone conversation.
Don’t make this a sales call! Really – I’m serious! Stress that this will be a “getting to know you” conversation. And mean it. Suggest a couple of dates and times and give them a time limit for the call – I suggest 30 minutes.
When the appointed time comes, ask a series of open ended questions that will allow you to get to know this person and their business. Of course you’ll want to give them the same information about yourself.
Types of questions to ask: Read More→
Social Media Marketing Means Talking To More People Not Less
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the biggest mistakes people make with social media marketing – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – is they think it means they don’t have to talk to people. They think if they’re posting to Twitter, updating their status on Facebook or posting videos to YouTube that’s it for social media marketing.
But making posts without any real connection to real people isn’t really marketing. The truth is everyone is doing that. There are 500 million people on Facebook, and while a significantly smaller number are businesses, everyone is doing the same thing. They’re all busy posting away and hoping that it will get them business.
But the real secret of social media marketing is that these online networking tools only allow you to get on people’s radar. It’s very rare that somebody who follows you on Twitter comes along and buys something. There has to be a step in the middle.
And that step is a real conversation.
You have to either get face-to-face with prospects or at the very least get them on the phone. The big difference with social media marketing is these are not cold calls. These are people you had conversations with, they’ve gotten to know you, and now the two of you are ready to take your business relationship to the next level.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t think you should start Read More→
Boomers are not one-size-fits-all
Posted by: | CommentsThe Blogging Boomers Carnival
One of my biggest pet peeves is how when talking about baby boomers most people (particularly the media) focus on retirement. And yet the baby boomer generation covers a much larger demographic. At a conference last week, one of the speakers pointed out that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are baby boomers!
The younger segment of boomers are in their 40s and 50s. Many will be working for another 15 years or longer. And yes, we are all wondering about paying for retirement.
But some of us are also paying for children’s university. Some of us are paying our own tuition as we return to school ourselves. Others are running businesses, striving for promotions and enjoying the success we’ve achieved so far while striving for yet more.
That is why I love being part of the Blogging Boomers Carnival. We represent a wide swath of the baby boomer generation. The diversity of our blogs and the topics we cover shows you can’t pigeon-hole boomers. There is no “typical” boomer. And we like it that way.
Here’s a sampling of the diversity of what the Blogging Boomers Carnival has to offer. Please visit these sites, read the articles and if you are so moved, join the conversation by leaving a comment.
Going to a networking event? What do you wear to look business-like but still fashionable? Get some suggestions from The Glam Gals at Fabulous after 40!
SoBabyBoomer tells us that procedural mistakes in the handling of mortgage documents have clouded titles establishing ownership of the homes, a problem that could plague both buyers and sellers for years. The key question is: Do you know who holds the title to your house?
How do you work with your own intuition? It can be an essential tool, especially when you’re going through some tough life changes!
DIY bacon? Why not? It’s easy and it’s just one of the many easy to make food items the Accidental Locavore will show you how to make “out of the box”.
Over at Contemporary Retirement, Ann has a 2 minute video that could heal your heart.
LifeTwo.com discusses the Psychology Today article that declares ”Many middle-aged men go through midlife crisis, but it’s not because they are middle-aged but because their wives are.”
The Boomer Chronicles asks, “What’s waiting for you at home tonight?”
And finally, Twitter is an amazing tool for connecting with people and sharing information. And it’s one of the easier social networking tools to automate but should you? I take another look at the automated direct message in Twitter and discuss whether or not you should do it.
Enjoy!
Andrea J. Stenberg
Using LinkedIn: Who should you connect with?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen networking on the site LinkedIn, you want to make sure you target the right people to connect with. While I believe you should be some sort of open networker, you 
don’t need to have an enormous list of connections if you target the right people. A network of 500 highly targeted connections is far more valuable than a network of 5,000 random people.
So how do you target people to connect with? First, of course you want to connect with people who are your ideal client. For example, if you’re ideal client is a Bed & Breakfast owner, then of course you want to connect with B&B owners.
However, you don’t want to stop there. You need to create a profile of your average B&B owner: their age marital status, children, hobbies. Then you need to create a list of people who would also work with them. These B&B owners probably have insurance agents, a handyman, connections with tourism bureaus and other professional connections. You want to be looking to connect with the people who also serve these B&B owners.
Then you’ll want to look at the B&B owners’ personal lives. What clubs do they belong to? What hobbies do they have? Do they visit a chiropractor or a spa? Do they belong to a gym? Then you want to connect with people who will associate with them in their personal lives.
To harness the power of LinkedIn, you don’t have to always be directly connected to your ideal client. By connecting with people who also serve your ideal client, you broaden your reach and may have a more powerful network. After all, if you develop a relationship with the owner of the spa the B&B owner frequents, the spa owner may decide to recommend you to their client. And a recommendation is always more powerful than a direct sales pitch.
So take a moment and figure out who also does business with your ideal client, then work to connect with those people as well, to create a powerful LinkedIn network.
Andrea J. Stenberg
