We've all heard that when you get a business lead, or a referral, or a phone query, or…something along those lines, we should follow up. Of course we should. And we should do it in a timely manner. "Well," you ask, "what is a timely manner?" In my opinion, it is within 24 hours. Now this doesn't apply to a phone call from your mother, but I covered that in another post titled, Why Doesn't Anyone Return My Phone Calls? published back in February '09.

Most of us are following up with phone calls and emails. Now phone calls are an excellent way to follow up but it has some definite drawbacks: phone calls are VERY time consuming, and a large percentage of the time you get voice mail and have to play phone tag. In order to do that, you have to keep track of who called whom and when. You have enough to do without adding that stress to your business life. Emails. Ahhhhh, emails. Everyone does emails. They're quick, they're easy. But again, EVERYONE does emails. In fact emails are used for more than just follow up, and therein lies the rub. Most people don't open all their emails because they get so many of them and most of them are bullsh….t. I mean, spam. Emails have lost their meaning and impact. Oh woe is us! What to do?

I have a solution. Send a greeting card.

"Are you kidding," you ask? No, I'm dead serious.

What is your first thought when you get a greeting card? What are you feeling when you have it in your hand and you haven't opened it yet? Your first thought is, "Is it my birthday?" The answer is no. Your second thought is, "Gee, I wonder who this is from and why they're sending me a card?" You're checking the return address. You can't wait to open it and see what it says. Let me ask you something – do you feel and think this way about emails? Do you know someone who DOES feel that way about emails?

Now you are thinking of objections to using greeting cards aren't you?  "They're so expensive!" "They're so inconvenient to buy." "I have to write in each and every one, stuff and stamp and take them to the post office." "I can never find on that says exactly what I want to say." "What if I get a paper cut?"

Check this out - and remember, these are REAL PAPER GREETING CARDS that go through the U.S. Post Office. What if you could write one standard card and send it multiple times to people, or send it to many, many people at one time with just a click of a mouse? What if you could set it up so that it sent out cards to many people AUTOMATICALLY as many times as you want whenever you want? What if each card costs less than $1.00? What if you could upload pictures into them, or even make the card out of your photos? You may notice that in the above picture there are cards with our photos on them and some that we got from friends with their photos on them. What if you could insert your ACTUAL signature? What if you could use your actual personal handwriting? What if you could do all this on your computer from anywhere in the world and SOMEONE ELSE would print, stuff, stamp and mail the cards for you?

What if you could try this service out FOR FREE?

Would you take a few minutes to try it? Would you really, or are you just going to read this and then forget about it? Can you see how it could help your business and/or personal life? Do you see how this could be more effective than email, and actually save you money from whatever marketing you're already doing? If you're putting ads in phone books and on billboards, you are wasting your dollars! If you're creating enormously expensive magazine ads, how's that working out for you? If you're not creating relationships with your existing customers or prospects, they will likely never keep doing business with you because they perceive that you don't personally care about them.

Do this NOW! Go to SendOutNow and click on the banner. The founder and CEO will personally walk you through sending a card to someone you love and we'll pay for it. What have you got to lose? 15 minutes of your life? Give me a break! If you want to help your business bottom line, then this is the tool for you. And if you just want to send Christmas or birthday cards to friends and family cheaper and having more fun than you've ever done in the past, then you gotta try this out.

To your business success!

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There is a book called “Blue Ocean Strategy” that talks about uncontested market space and making the competition irrelevant. Here is the main concept: if you market in a specific niche or market like the others do in that same market or niche, then you’re doing what’s called Red Ocean marketing. This means that you are all getting bloody trying to compete with each other for a finite market share. Each of you is trying to out-do each other in a market that has a limited number of customers, a limited price point, a limited profit margin, a limited everything! Let me give you an example. Let’s take pizza.

All the pizza places (Domino’s, CiCi’s, Pizza Hut, etc.) are using T.V. commercials, mailed flyers, magazine and newspaper ads, radio ads and more. Everyone is doing the same thing. How low can their prices go before they’re losing money? How many customers can they reasonably get? What can they possibly do that the other companies haven’t already done, but the bottom line is this – it’s still PIZZA!

Pepsi competes with Coke and all the other soft drink companies out there. All they can do is package differently or change the taste. That’s about it. And what can the other soft drink companies do? What can an insurance company offer a potential customer that the other insurance companies are not offering? What can a car manufacturer offer a potential customer that the other manufacturers are not offering? What can a retail store offer potential customers that other retail stores do not offer? You see what I’m getting at here?

Whatever your product or service is, chances are you’re just killing yourself by trying to out-do the other companies in your market. You’re all beating yourselves bloody in the name of competition.

But you ask, “What else can I do?”

Well, let’s look at Cirque du Soleil. There were two major circus giants who were known as the best in the industry. Other smaller circuses tried to compete in the same market and got nowhere. They all tried to use animals, tents, performers doing the same tricks and what happened? The small ones stayed “small potatoes” or went out of business entirely, and the two circus giants, due to the declining economy, had to raise prices, cut back performances and/or quality, down-size, etc. And the more they did this, the fewer customers they had. That becomes a vicious cycle to nowhere.

So, did Cirque du Soleil follow this formula? No! They created a completely different market and a totally different business model, and even did this with their prices doubled and tripled what the normal circus prices used to be. And they dominate that market! They don’t use animals. They use use artists/performers and use story themes in their shows. Wow!

What about Apple? As the electronics market evolves, companies who create new technologies are the ones who prosper. What about green energy? Same thing there.

Blue Ocean Strategy is about creating NEW markets by creating new products, technologies or new services, not competing in the same old, same old.

Even the MLM industry falls victim to the red ocean strategy. It never fails to amaze me that people who want to quit the corporate world and go into business for themselves choose an MLM business that IS COMPETING WITH EVERYONE ELSE in the same industry. Health products. Electricity. Insurance, for crying out loud. Kitchen ware. Why would you do that? How in the world do you think you will become successful?

Now this is interesting – a totally new product/service comes along that NO ONE ELSE is doing, that the entry fee is ridiculously low, that is cutting edge, like Cirque du Soleil, and do people want to get involved? No! They instead join a company that is one of 20 others just like it. And yet they have high expectations of success. They work hard for a short or long period of time, they invest lots of money and effort and time, and then they quit. Or they just marginally get by. Then they go tell everyone they know that MLMs don’t work. Or they jump to a different MLM company that is, again, one of many doing the same product/service. And these are NOT stupid people!

So tell me, if you had an urge to begin your own business and you are drawn to the MLM business model, which, seriously, is the only way to set your own work schedule and salary limit, wouldn’t you want to put the odds in your favor? Wouldn’t you consider a company that had a low entry fee, that was super easy to do, that was growing like crazy and that had NO COMPETITION?

If this makes sense to you, go to www.sendoutnow.com and click on the banner to try it out yourself FOR FREE!!!!!! Or simply email me at steveblu1@gmail.com and ask me to show you how to get started. What have you got to lose? You’re probably just trading your time for money anyway. Why not do it smarter? And if you want to read more stuff about business networking, go to http://wwwnetworkingfun.com.

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What is the most important thing, in my opinion, you can do in sales and marketing?

Follow up!!

I’ll say it again, Follow Up!

Somewhere, somehow, sometime, you will get a lead for your business. It may be through the many different advertisements you put out or through your networking. It may be through a referral from an existing customer. It may be through your email campaigns or your Facebook ads or Google ads. It may be through Twitter or some other social network. It may be through your direct mail campaigns. No matter how you get them, leads have to be followed up on. Or with. So I don’t use perfect English here, so sue me.

Statistics show that most businesses follow up only once or twice. Maybe 3 times. And of course, people being as lazy or busy or distracted as they are, they don’t respond to those follow ups. It has been found that the company willing to follow up 6 or more times usually gets the response and the sale. And that’s the truth! Some may call it legalized stalking. Well, don’t forget you want to follow up, not bird dog, harass, harangue or smother. Nor do you want to lurk, ambush, slink, or skulk. Trench coats are not the uniform of the day. Business is hard work and follow up is one of the methods used to get sales. Follow up can be done in many different ways, just as advertising and marketing can be. One of the best methods besides phone calls is to send a greeting card or two. They can be set up to be sent automatically and someone else will do the printing, stuffing and mailing. You can send one for less than $1.00. If you would like to find out more, go to http://www.sendoutnow.com to try it out for FREE. Follow up is the most boring and frustrating part of the sales process and it’s very difficult not to take the non-responses as personal rejection and become discouraged and of course, give up. But once again, the one who perseveres gets the rewards.

You’ve got to be willing to do what most others won’t, and that’s follow up. Do it wisely. Do it consistently. And do it legally. But you gotta do it!

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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!

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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!

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1. Completely ignore them
2. Stay in touch, but only to try to sell them more stuff
3. Constantly ask them for referrals, but don’t tell them specifically what a good referral would be
4. Contact them only on Christmas and of course, prominently display your business info which implies that you’re looking for more business from them
5. When they call you, wait for at least 5 days or more before returning their call
6. Keep sending them promotional material
7. Keep sending them questionaires about their satisfaction
8. Make sure you continually send them junk mail
9. Be rude or act put upon when they need customer service
10. Always try to upsell them, even to the point of becoming pushy

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Garry Smalley is a well respected person in the field of marriage relationship development. As one of his demonstrations, he crumpled up a $50 bill and threw it on the floor. He then asked if anyone wanted the crumpled up bill. Of course people still wanted it. Why? Because even though the $50 bill was dirty, wadded up and thrown on the floor, it still held value. If I handed you a Stradivarius violin and told you it was worth $1.2 million, would you respect it and handle it gently? Of course you would! Heck, you might not even want to touch it because you thought that you might somehow accidentally break it or something. Bottom line? It’s only a fancy fiddle. It’s replaceable.

So what about people? Do we see their value in spite of the fact that they’re ugly, or dirty, or down on their luck, or even if they’ve made mistakes in life? Do we still see value in people who don’t hold our same political views or agree with our ideas? Are people replaceable or are each of us one-of-a-kind? Have you ever felt that you were being judged by someone who didn’t really know your thoughts and feelings, dreams and talents? Sure, we all have. Of course, those people were low-lifes, but that’s an article I’ll write in the future. Just kidding! Those people have value, too. We just weren’t so inclined to think about it at that moment.

So how do we show that we value others, especially in business? Well, we ask questions. We get to know others that we meet and find out what THEIR dreams and aspirations are. We find out what their challenges are. And what do we do with this information? We try to help them somehow. We show that we value them as people. We treat them with respect and treat them as we want to be valued ourselves. Have you seen the movie, Pay It Forward? What did you think of that concept? Revolutionize the world, right? If only!

But it all starts with each one of us. With me. With you.

Let’s do this! Who knows? What goes around comes around and business is just like anything else – it starts with relationships. You can take that to the bank!

To your business networking success!

If you’ve enjoyed this article, please visit http://businessnetworkingmistakes.com to get a FREE report on mistakes that can cripple your business.

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Let me explain. A study was done with 1,000 Harvard Business School graduates who have been in business for at least 5 years. They were asked where the majority of their sales came from. Of the 85% who responded to the survey, it was found that over 60% of sales came from repeat business. Then these same graduates were asked how much of their marketing budget was dedicated towards those existing and repeat customers. Get this – NONE! Not one marketing penny was spent towards those customers!

So what does this mean for you? I’m glad you asked! (you WERE going to ask, weren’t you?)

Since most businesses are doing the same old same old, and since you want to make yourself stand out from the crowd and more importantly, make big bucks and become a household name, should you do what most businesses do? Or should you take advantage of a market that they are either unaware of or just ignoring altogether?

The correct answer her is that you want to do what the others are NOT doing.

Well, what are some good ways to do exactly that? Here are 7 things that you can do to make yourself stand out from the business “crowd.”

1. Network: Get out and press the flesh. Meet and greet. Get to know people personally and face to face. Ask questions. Share common interests.

2. Help Others: Be the “go to” person. Who was it that said, “You’ll get what you want by helping others get what they want?”

3. Follow-up: You have to honor your commitments! If you told someone you’d call or meet them, or get them information, or connect them with someone, DO IT! And do it quickly. If you just met someone, reconnect with them while you are still fresh in their mind.

4. Planning: Decide what you want BEFORE you take an action. Otherwise, you’ll possibly be wasting time and energy in the wrong direction and with the wrong people.

5. Goal setting: Can’t have a plan until you decide where it is you want to go. After setting your goals, break them down into smaller time restricted increments. This makes them attainable in your mind and also gives you a ruler to see where you are and how far you have yet to go.

6. Stay In Touch: O.K. you’ve followed up and you’ve begun to form relationships. Do you think you should deepen them or maintain them? Do this regularly and it will pay off big time.

7. Referrals: Is is possible that your customers and friends may know others who would want your products or services? Why not ask? This is a great untapped market!

Some of these actions may seem obvious and no-brainers, but you would be surprised how many businesses don’t put them into practice. As you’ve seen from the Harvard survey, even many of the big boys don’t do the basics. Don’t let that be you!

To your business success!

If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please visit http://www.businessnetworkingmistakes.com to get a FREE report and other valuable business networking tips.

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OMG, it’s nothing but “I can show you how to get 10 bazillion followers. Click here.” Or “Go here to see my crap.” Lots of these clowns and clownettes have heard that they need to put out good content. So what do they do? They quote poem verses and platitudes from Zig Ziglar or Oprah or Kiyosaki or Mark Victor Hansen or ANYONE! This is good content? PLEASE! And how in the world does anyone put out good content using only 140 characters? What a joke. And yet it is said by many people that social medial is a great way to grow your business. I’m not sure I believe that at all. However, I DO personally know one lady who went from over $100,000 in debt to becoming financially free in two years and began by using Twitter. She has thousands and thousands of followers, and she began without even having a product to sell.

How did she do it?

She had relationships with her followers. She spent hours answering and responding to the people who followed her and the number of her followers grew and grew. She still does that to this day. Whatever she does on the computer, at the same time she has a Twitter window open and she’s constantly posting to people throughout the day, even when she’s at seminars and meetings. Now when she has products to promote, people flock to see what she’s recommending or commenting on or who she’s talking about. And most importantly, her customers are her friends.

Do you want to look like those idiots who, as soon as they see you, begin to SELL, SELL, SELL? Do you aspire to be the person who makes people, when they see you coming, try to hide or avoid you at all costs? Think about this. No matter WHAT your business is, if people really wanted it they would already have gone out and bought it. I don’t care if it’s financial products, health products, information products, trains, planes or automobiles, people would go look for it. If they haven’t, perhaps it’s because you haven’t taken the time to get to know them, find out what their needs or wants are, and then educate them. You haven’t asked them questions. All you’ve done is try to SELL, SELL, SELL!
Do the world a favor. Stop selling! I am NOT a market for you! I am a person and I am already inundated with sales BS from the T.V., radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, even the movies I rent or go to see. The sales sluts are everywhere! I’m looking for a friend, a person I can talk to, relate to. Someone who cares about me and my family.
It’s all about relationships and it’s time we began forming them and nurturing them with each other. Is it any wonder that the world is in the shape it’s in today? “The economy is down” is all we hear these days. All we hear about is doom and gloom. Think it’s time we uplift one another? I know I need it!! How about you?

Have I sold you on this concept?

To your business networking success!

Please visit www.businessnetworkingmistakes.com to get a FREE report on valuable business networking tips.

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