My wife Sara's popularity is growing on the speaking circuit. She talks mainly about business networking and associated topics. I must say that this is a GREAT WAY to become perceived as an authority on your area of expertise. And, as an added bonus, it puts you in touch with many more people at one time than the traditional networking one-on-one meetings. Granted, they only get to know you a little better and you don't get to find out what their lives and businesses are all about, but it is a "foot in the door" so to speak. What we like to do is gather the business cards of the audience to draw from for door prizes. Door prizes are generally our products or things we've bought at the store (or sometimes gifts that we've received but don't want) that we give away as drawing prizes. So now we have business cards, hopefully with email addresses or phone numbers that we can respond to by way of a Thank You For Attending Our Event, blah, blah, blah. This begins the personal relationships with those people who chose to come to our speaking event. Can you think of a better way to start personal relationships with small or large numbers of people?

"But…" you complain. "This means I have to speak in front of crowds."

Yes, you do.

"But…" you cry piteously. "I am terrified of speaking! I'd rather die than give a speech in front of a crowd. I might even pee in my pants!"

O.K. I hear you. This isn't for everyone, I'll give you that. But for most of us, that's no excuse. Now, no one's going to just throw you up in front of a crowd. First of all, you probably won't get invited to speak until you make it known that you A) want to and B) are capable. You won't want to until you feel you ARE capable. So how do you become capable?

First, you deliberately decide that you want to do this. As with anything else, you take one step at a time. And the best first step is to buy yourself a microphone and speaker and then set up on the sidewalk in front of your house. (HEY, I'M KIDDING HERE!) The best first step is to join a local Toastmasters club. They will teach you how easy it is in a step-by-step fashion and before you know it, you'll be totally comfortable speaking in front of 5 or 10 people. They will become your friends and supporters. That makes it even easier. Speaking in front of a group is to be regarded as telling stories in front of a group of friends you just haven't met yet. They don't want to see you fail – after all, they may have spent good money to listen to you. They don't want to get ripped off and you REALLY don't want them to feel that way. (By the way, always make sure there is a rear exit from wherever you're speaking. If you can afford a body guard, you might consider that as well.) Seriously, they would feel embarrassed for you, so do not think that the audience is out to be hostile towards you. And, you don't have to be perfect! Do you occasionally stumble when you are telling jokes and stuff to your real friends? Of course you do. We all do. That makes you seem genuine.

Secondly, get up in front of people every chance you get. It's called "stage time." The more stage time you get, the better and more relaxed you become. This is no overnight thing, folks. As I mentioned before, like anything else, it takes time.

Third, have FUN with it! It makes you feel powerful to have the crowd laughing at your quips, sitting on the edge of their seats with your stories, taking furious notes from your valuable information which you are SHARING with them for THEIR benefit. You are actually doing this to help people! That is the key!

Sara and I were in Toastmasters for about 2 years and loved it! Sara continued to become a Distinguished Toastmaster, which is the highest achievement you can get in the organization. I chose not to go that far, but I know how to give a good speech and I'm fairly comfortable doing so. Now, I can tell you stories about the times I've screwed up in front of a crowd here, but frankly, I don't have the time.

So…if you want to turbo charge your business networking, and possibly get a little cash on the side, you should consider public speaking related to your industry. And let me know when you do – I'd love to come listen to you and I don't heckle!

To your business success!

Bookmark & Share

Share on Facebook

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt  should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Sound familiar? Who wrote this, do you suppose? It was Cicero in 55 B.C. Holy crap! 55 B.C.! See any parallels with our society and government? So if nothing changes after 2064 years, why are you worrying about the economy? About crime? About who's in office or who's going to be in office? Who cares about who's going to be voted off the island or lose the most weight? What difference does it make who is America's next top model or who wins the dance contest? Start paying attention to the choices you make in your own life. Begin to take action on the things you actually have control over instead of fussing about things that are out of your control.

Want to know what else hasn't changed? Business practices. With the global population increases, most companies still think that advertising is the key. It's not. Advertising may get them in the door, but what keeps them coming back is relationships. Statistics have shown that 60% or more of sales comes from REPEAT BUSINESS. And there is no repeat business if there is no relationship of some kind. Good relationships make the world go 'round. Bad relationships make the world go 'round. That's what life is all about. So how do you begin a relationship? How do you grow a relationship? There is a key word here. It's called "personal." You have to get personal with people and show you care about them. If you don't like people, then this isn't going to be easy for you. Who said, "No man is an island"? I thought it was Hemingway but it turns out it was a guy named John Donne in 1624. Wow, even way back then people knew it was about relationships! 

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated…As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness….No man is an island, entire of itself…any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." – John Donne

You may notice that there is no new thought here. All this stuff has historical precedence and all we have to do is learn/research it. But I'm saving you the trouble. Just pay attention to our blogs and you will learn all you need to know about relationship marketing and growing your business in a way that will keep it thriving.

To your business success!

Bookmark & Share

Share on Facebook

This past weekend, after being inspired by seeing all the wildflowers on our way to and from Austin, Texas, Sara and I went to Lowes and bought a butt load of plants and flowers and stuff to replace what we lost in the freeze this winter. I just finished my second day in a row of digging, planting and watering, and my back (among other things) is killing me! I probably should not have tried to do it all in one or two days — I could have done a little each day this whole week, but NOoooooo! Instant Gratification is my middle name.

Hey, you know what? This is just like networking! And luckily, I can make a blog out of this, so here goes.

Developing and strengthening your business depends, not on sales, but on relationships. After all, you can't have sales without relationships. People generally do business with people they know, trust and maybe even like. Low prices don't always make the sale. Sometimes is a matter of convenience to where the customer is and most times it's because the customer perceives some kind of relationship with your business. It could be good customer service. It could be that you've been locally established for 30 years and they feel you are trustworthy. It could be they heard of you by referral. It could be because they know you personally. It could be any number of relationship-related reasons. Just plain newspaper and T.V. ads don't convince people to do business with them because anyone can make an ad or commercial and when was the last time you saw or read someone HONESTLY saying, "Yeah, we aren't the best and our stuff is just like the guy down the street, but we have a really clean store and I smile a lot?" No one in their right mind is going to make themselves look like less than God's gift to whatever! So, knowing that, why would you believe anything they say?

Business is about relationships, and you have to plant the relationship seeds and water them and tend to them a lot in the beginning until the relationship roots take hold. Then you can back off a bit but continue to maintain contact in different ways. Well, just like the new plants I planted this week, it takes lots of work in the beginning, but the payoff is BIG! Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it, and if you don't put any effort into relationships with your customers or suppliers, you're most likely going to have a bumpy business ride. I don't think that doing relationship building is going to hurt in any way, but it may take a bit of getting used to if you've never done that kind of thing before. Check out our other blogs for the step by step on how to establish and maintain relationships. You may be surprised to find that you're doing some of those things already, especially since most of them are natural. We just do what we've seen others do instead because if they're all doing it, then it must be what to do, right? On the other hand, look at how much money is being spent chasing sales and research how little it's paying off. Don't follow the business masses! Set yourself apart and be more successful! Not only is that the name of the game, but it's ultimately more rewarding on so many levels.

To your business success!

Bookmark & Share

Share on Facebook

This past weekend we headed up to Austin from Houston. Along the way we encountered vistas of the famed Texas Bluebonnets. The views were indeed awesome! We also had to avoid a plethora of parked cars along the highway shoulder. It seems that many, many (did I mention "many") people who, seeing these fields, hillocks and pastures of bluebonnets felt compelled to stop and pose with each other and their families and their dogs/cats for pictures. They were standing or sitting or lying down in the flowers. They were pointing and waving and smiling. Some were sneezing and coughing and their eyes were watering and itching because of the allergies, but hey, who cares? These are BLUEBONNETS for crying out loud, and you don't get to see them but once a year! What an attraction these wildflowers have over us! If only we could monetize this somehow!

So that brings up the question, "What Do You Attract?" Or better yet, what is it about your business that attracts customers to you? Is your product or service what attracts people to do business with you? Is it your wonderful compelling marketing approach? Is it that you have pictures of bluebonnets on your web site?

Let's look at this for a minute. What makes the bluebonnets attractive? Well, they involve scarcity because they only bloom once a year. They are different from other flowers because they are …uh…blue. And look like bonnets. And they exist almost extensively only in the wild. And they are mostly unique to Texas. Does your business have characteristics similar to these? Are you providing a product or service that is unique and that people are looking for? Is your marketing different from the everyday corporate stuff you see other businesses use – for example, do you foster relationships with your customers instead of treating them as just faceless people? Do you promote once-a-year events or pricing? Do you give VALUE? What do you do to make your business stand out? What will make people pull over and park on the side of the road to check out what you've got?

How can you make your business ATTRACTIVE and not just the same old same old? Step back a bit and take a good look at your business and your business goals from an outside perspective. Start thinking outside the box. Brainstorm with other people for ideas. Take surveys. In short, if you were the guy or girl on the street, what would compel you to do business with you? What would make ME want to see what you're offering and make me want to buy it?

These are questions you should be constantly asking yourself. Everybody and their brother is trying to sell something. We're inundated with all the advertising every day in every way. If you don't want to get lost in the crowd, you need to come up with ideas to make potential customers see you and hear you and more importantly, WANT WHAT YOU'VE GOT!

As for me, I'm taking an antihistamine for my runny nose. Thank God the bluebonnets only come out once a year!

To your business success!

Bookmark & Share

Share on Facebook

Here's the little guy being eaten by the dinosaur. Will his friends and family remember him? Well, that depends on what he did in his short life. Did he only hunt and eat (and hide)? Did he try to collect trophies from all his kills? Maybe the furs to show off to his buddies? Did he have a REALLY NICE upper class cave decked out in the latest stone furnishings and with a water view? Did he have a leadership position in his community? (I'm guessing he didn't, otherwise he would have delegated someone else to get eaten.)

Or was he the kind of guy who helped others? Did he try to solve problems of others? Help build things for his friends? Did he carve thank-you tablets to people he knew going through tough times? Did he deliver wild flowers to people who needed cheering up? Did he share his food when the hunting was good? Was he a family man? Did he only club his wife and drag her into the cave once a month or did he do that more frequently? Did he ever help her with cleaning the cave?

What am I trying to say here? Well, even though this guy is a gonner, either he's just a footnote in the history of the tribe or he's going to be remembered in stories told around the campfire and maybe even have a monument erected in his honor. His kids (if they didn't get eaten, too) will learn from all that he took the time to teach them and pass on his legacy to others. His wife will remember him fondly while she's being clubbed by her next mate.

What has this all got to do with you? I'm glad you asked me! Times haven't really changed all that much, you see. We are not so much remembered for our accumulations as we are for what humanitarians we are, or should I say, "were." While the people in your legal will may appreciate the stuff, eventually the stuff will get used up, spent or maybe sold. But your LEGACY, that's a different story. This is what lasts through the ages. This is what people, perhaps even those who never knew you personally, will remember and tell others. And that's really what life is all about isn't it?

He who dies with the best legacy wins!

Bookmark & Share

Share on Facebook