It's Time to Get Over Yourself and Get More Business!

Do you have a stack of business cards sitting on your desk you have been intending to follow up on? Have they been sitting there SO long you are now too embarrassed to call or email them?

I spent the week between Christmas and New Years getting myself organized for 2009. As I entered some of my contacts into my database, I was disappointed in myself at all the LOST OPPORTUNITY that was represented in that stack of business cards. Those contacts never visited a TEAM chapter, never got to meet YOU, never had the chance to receive referrals from you or the chance to GIVE YOU referrals…

When you look at your stack of business cards, what opportunities have you lost?

I want to give you permission to “get over yourself”! It is okay to contact the people you have met – even if its months and months down the road. I learned this lesson from Valerie McCartan of McCartan Accounting. Valerie is the Founding Member of the West Covina TEAM. Some time ago, West Covina TEAM was having an Invitation Day, and a week before the event, I awoke one morning to a Blackberry full of emails. It was obvious Valerie had taken her stack of business cards and invited a number of them to visit her TEAM. She didn’t care when or where she met them. She just reached out to them via email with a ”you never know” attitude: “You never know” who will visit TEAM ~ “You never know” who needs your services at this time.

Below are some great examples:

Hi XXX,

I believe I met you at a Chamber of Commerce event. I would like to invite you to a special luncheon with my networking group, please see the attached flyer. I hope you can make it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi _________,

I met you at the XXX Event with the XXX Chamber. I would like to invite you to a special event with my networking group. Please see the attached invitation. I hope to see you there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi _____________,

This is an invitation to a special event with TEAM. I know you have been trying to make it to one of our meetings, and I think this would be a great one for you to attend. Please see the attachment and try to make it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi (Someone Who Visited TEAM Before),

I hope this finds you and the family well. I wanted to let you know that we are having a special event with TEAM and we would love to have you join us. I have attached an invitation and I really hope to see you there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi Client,

I will be talking to you later today about ___________, but I wanted to let you know that we are having a special event with TEAM and we would love to have you join us. I have attached an invitation, and I really hope to see you there.

by Terilee Harrison

Director of TEAM SGV/IE

Here is What a Team Can Do for You...

• It can make you better than you are
• It multiples your value to others
• It enables you to do what you do best
• It allows you to help others do their best
• It gives you more time
• It provides you with companionship
• It helps you fulfill the desires of your heart
• It makes everyone on the team a winner

Teams are incredible things. No task is too great, no accomplishment too grand, no dream too far-fetched for a team. It takes teamwork to make the dream work.

- John C. Maxwell (Teamwork Makes the Dream Work)

Networking as a Way to Build Your Business

Start paying attention to the way you develop the network of people that you’re working with. It isn’t so much the number of people you come into contact with, although that is important, but what’s really, truly “Relationship Marketing’ or networking that will GET referrals for your business really is about making a connection to a person. Developing a deeper, mutually beneficial business relationship. That takes time and effort.

So, my advice would be take the existing business relationships you have, leverage them into more mutually beneficial relationships, but really work on how to make them more meaningful. I would also strongly recommend you really work on your “Elevator Speech” or your “One Minute Business Commercial”, it’s important to be able to summarize who you are, what you do and the type of business that you are looking for in a very short period of time.

Lastly, connect with your “Power Partners”. These are professionals who share the same clientele as you, but are not competitors. Having 5 or 6 of those types of relationships will reap great rewards!

Kelli Holmes

Liberate Yourself from Fear

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." This quote states the problem and the solution. We must stop running away from things that frighten us, face our fears head on, and then do the thing we fear the most.

Most of the time we'll find out that the "thing" was not that scary after all. Our imaginations had behaved like a super fertilizer and grown a monstrosity in our minds.

Remember, our imaginations are incredibly powerful. They can work against us, creating images that leave us paralyzed with fear. But they can also work for us, building a world where everything we do is an adventure, a miracle. And the most amazing thing is that we hold the power to control our minds -- we allow fear to dominate our lives or we choose to dominate fear. Those are our only two choices.

Problems are good, not bad. Welcome them and become the solution.

- Mark Victor Hansen

Perfect Your One Minute Business Commercial

The most important element of your one-minute commercial is to prepare. Preparation helps you become memorable! Remember that there are a number of others who are giving their one-minute presentations as well. You want to be THE MOST MEMORABLE One-minute around!

If you attempt to "wing" your one-minute commercial people will see through it. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE! MAKE AN IMPRESSION!!

It is important to spend five minutes updating your commercial regularly. If you take the time to break down your business commercial, highlight one important aspect and give instructions as to how your networking contacts can provide you with referrals, you will see an increase in business! But remember, it takes time to educate your networking partners on your business and will also take time to build the trust needed to get referrals.

Don't underestimate the power of a good One-Minute Commercial! Good one-minute commercials are one of the best ways to get referrals!

Take Advantage of Every Opportunity to Speak

Some people cringe when it is their turn to be the featured speaker at their networking meeting, others eagerly look forward to it! Whichever category you fall into, as an effective networker, we know the importance of getting the word out about our business. Seize the opportunity to speak whenever possible!

• If you are looking for speaking opportunities, let the colleagues and networking associates in your center of influence know that you accept speaking engagements as a referral.

• Ask your networking partners to refer you to the program chair of other organizations, (who seek outside speakers), that they belong to.

• If you are asked to speak at the last minute, or to "pinch hit" for a speaker who did not show up, be prepared! Always have an outline or prepared presentation with you.

• When you are prepared to speak at the last minute, know that you will be looked upon as a business person who can present their business in a professional manner at the drop of a hat!

Remember to have your presentation be a topic of interest for your audience, to be memorable, and to deliver an effective message about who you are and what you do!

"Relationship Marketing" is a better, smarter way to do business

Relationship Marketing is the process by which you develop key business relationships that will help your business grow. How? By personal referrals from those you've invested the time and teamwork into! The better, smarter part comes in to play by how you manage those relationships.

One way to get the best from your referral sources is to communicate to your networking partners. What happens after you've received a referral? It is critical that you report back to them what happened. Did the referral result in a sale? Is it pending? What if it did not end in a sale? You need to let your referral source know! That is an important opportunity to "better train your sales team", so they can be giving you the best, most appropriate referrals possible.

Communicate effectively with all of your referral sources and you will find you are doing better, smarter business!