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Guest Post by Julie Robbins-Founder IdeaWorks and IdeaActive

If you’re like me and run your own company (no matter what the size or stage of growth), you know exactly what it’s like to burn the wick at both ends to build even the tiniest bit of business momentum.

At the top of every entrepreneurs “lessons learned” list should be qualifying prospects.  This is the key to enjoying your work, building client successes and growing your business faster and more efficiently.  Qualifying relationships saves precious energy, money and our most important commodity, time!

Here’s an 8 question prospect qualification checklist that has worked well for me and can help you attract, qualify and retain the best customers and determine if a client is a good fit for you and your company model.

1)  Does this company or individual have a favorable reputation as a highly regarded company?
2)  Do they understand the value of a strategic business plan?
3)  What is their growth potential in the next 2 years?
4)   Do they have a realistic sales strategy and marketing plan and objectives?
5)  Are they principled and realistic?
6)  Do they have a budget that will allow for the proper attention and resources needed to dedicate to achieving growth and revenue goals?
7)  Do their company values mesh well with your own?
8)  Do you sense you can we work well together in long-term, close professional relationship?

Always lead with your heart, head and gut. If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is.  If you sense red flags of any kind, don’t ignore them. Finally, if a prospect stands for a shred of something you and your company cannot get behind; move on, as they probably are not a good fit.

Here are 26 additional questions you can use for qualifying, building rapport and handling objections.

What are some of the techniques and tactics you use to qualify new business and customers?

Julie Robbins is the founding partner of IdeaWorks and IdeaActive, a new type of Performance Management Company that designs and implements marketing roadmaps fully integrated with clients' business plans while focusing on measurable growth.  For more information connect with Julie on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/julierobbins.

What’s your R-O-N or Return on Networking?

We spend a considerable amount of time networking in person because we know it’s still the most important way to meet the right people and build relationships with our colleagues, peers and potential new customers.

When you return from a networking event or conference, sorting it all out in an organized, systematic and timely way is the key to beginning the conversion from connection to relationship.

The National Association of Sales Professionals reports 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect and 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact. So, getting your follow up in motion as soon as possible and being in the 52% who follow up is smart.


Set aside some time immediately to prioritize the contacts you made, think about your follow up strategy and make sure you follow up in a timely manner. You will want to get back to people while you are both fresh in each other’s minds.

Here are 9 things to do that can increase your R-O-N and accelerate converting connections into actionable relationships.
1) Sort through all the cards and contacts you made and prioritize them. Review all the cards and contacts from the people you owned a moment with, or had a meaningful exchange with. Tip: write notes on the back of the cards to remind you of what you talked about.

2) Prioritize who you need to follow up with first and why. Although we gather cards at these events, prioritizing the warmest connections and ones that make the most sense to follow up on should be followed up on first.

3) Review all the sessions you attended and notes you took. If you attended a conference, take the program and review all the sessions you attended and what was presented to remind yourself of the flow of how the content was presented. This will help you with your follow up strategy. Set aside time to go through all your notes and highlight the key ideas from the speakers and presenters and list the key take away you got from them. Think about and plan how can you implement the information or tactic immediately.

4) Review the handouts and information you took home. Review all the handouts, worksheets, post cards you took home and educate yourself for the follow up process. Visit blogs, websites and social media pages. Take advantage of any incentives offered to you by the speakers and conference presenters.

5) Draft a customized follow up letter or email to each person on your follow up list. Personalize and compose a thoughtful note to each person that shows them you paid attention to what they said and the commonality of your conversation.

6) Invite people to connect with you on social media. This is the bridge that can help you get into people’s communities, streams and conversations and get you noticed. Use the social media that they are most active on, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as engagement points. Get into their conversations and invite them to get into yours.

7)    Create a follow up phone call list to prospects you want to contact immediately. Don’t wait, pounce and be proactive with people you feel a strong intuition about. Qualify specifically, what you see as the synergy and prepare to lay out and discuss some collaborative ideas.

8) Plan on connecting and introducing people in your network immediately that can benefit from knowing each other. When you demonstrate your “give” first, you set the tone for your brand in the relationship.

9) Create a 30 day follow up plan. Relationships take time so plan on a 30 day custom follow up plan. Be specific, thoughtful, and consistent and interact with them as regularly as possible.

These 9 actions can demonstrate your professionalism, mutuality and genuine interest in developing relationships with people that you meet in person.
MarketingCharts.com, reports when planning your follow up strategy:
•    Facebook is the top driver of leads 54%, followed by Twitter 32% and LinkedIn 14%.
•    Twitter was best for generating leads that had the highest conversion rates.

A thoughtful, dedicated follow up strategy is essential for networking success. Get organized, make the plan and work the plan and watch your relationships grow!

What follow up strategy has worked best for you after a networking event or conference?

Blog By: Deborah Shane

LinkedIn Takes Top Spot as Social Tool and Perfect Eco-System for Professional Advancement

Working Women of Tampa Bay has been a BIG fan of LinkedIn since launching our business in 2008. As a weekly in person networking group for women in business to connect, educate and support each other, LinkedIn is the perfect online platform that compliments in person networking with the online connectivity in between events.

According to a study by the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Center for Marketing Research, under the direction of researcher Nora Ganim Barnes, PhD: LinkedIn replaces Facebook as the top social tool!

This is pretty impressive but not surprising given the importance of online professional networking for branding and credibility. LinkedIn offers a turnkey, intuitive and resourceful eco-system for building professional connections and relationships, job search, business information and endorsing connections.

Three key social media trends and statistics worth noting according to the 2013 study report are:
    •    8 in 10 companies, 81% use LinkedIn, up from 73% a year earlier.
    •    Blogging was up 44% from 37% a year earlier.
    •    YouTube is down from to 30% in 2012 from 45% in 2011

This is the year to get more active on LinkedIn and take advantage of all of its resources to find key people, connect with them, stay up to date on the latest industry articles, sharpen the skills needed to compete and brand yourself in your professional space.

Make a stand on LinkedIn and develop your profile so you are considered an “all star” and be dedicated to using it consistently.

Read the entire Inc 500 article here, and see more studies from The Center for Marketing Research.

Blog By: Patricia Rossi

Social media is the new frontier...for business and personal communications. It has taken communication and marketing to a global scale at the speed of light. If you are using social media, then you have already experienced the magic, wonder, and value of it. If you haven't harnessed social media be careful as you don't want to appear as if you are sitting on a donkey while holding the keys to a Ferrari.
 
Here are 20 keys to help you shine, be successful and strengthen personal and business relationships via social media.

    1.    Always make an appointment to video chat.
    2.    Make sure your surroundings are presentable when video chatting.
    3.    Resist the temptation to multitask.

Click here to read the complete article.      
 
Many of our relationships that began in business turn into valued friendships. Barry Moltz helped me with the launch of my book by writing an article and also interviewing me on his radio show. Barry, along with coauthor Becky McCray, just released Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy.
 
The secret to self confidence is to know and understand the rules of social engagement before you are in the middle of an uncomfortable situation. Check out Everyday Etiquette for tips.
 
My Business Success Series will show you how to navigate common and uncommon social situations that present themselves in professional as well as personal settings. We are all walking biographies – what story are you communicating to others through your unspoken soft social skills?
 
Check out the 15 videos that are available in my Business Success Series.

Blog by: Brenda Tillmann, The Sales and Client Relations Mentor, founder of Brenda Tillmann International

When you are in business, you are in sales and at some point in our business; we all have experienced dry spells - just like in the dating world. So when that happens, what do you do?  Do you become desperate? Does every potential client start looking like "Mr. Right" to you, no matter if he fits your ideal client profile or not?

Settling for the wrong customer can be a huge waste of time and money. You'll find yourself running around in circles trying to please this high-maintenance customer and miss viable opportunities to truly make a difference in your best customers life or business. 

Develop a profile for your ideal client so that you are not tempted to close any old Joe Smoe that comes along.  To assist you getting really clear who this may be, take a look at your existing clients. This is the ONE individual in your business that you simply can't believe you get paid to work with. The one who happily pays your fees and appreciates the value you bring to their lives.  What does this person look like?   

Take a few minutes to reflect on all of your clients and write down demographics of each person, make a list of...

    •    What problems your ideal clients have?

    •    What issues they need a solution for to get to the next level in their business or personal life?

    •    What roadblocks do they face when trying to achieve their desired goals?

A pattern should emerge so look for it. What do they have in common? When you know who your ideal clients are, you will stop wasting time by chasing the wrong kind of prospects.  

As you enter the "dating" stage, you may have a list with thousands of prospects on it.  But just as in love, so is it in business:  Timing is everything.  Not everyone will want to work with you or as I like to refer to it, have a relationship with you.  It’s important to realize, these prospects will move forward according to their time frame, not yours.  Now that doesn’t mean you have to wait around for them to take notice of you. 

You will need a plan, a strategy, to move them through your sales funnel allowing them to essentially raise their hand to let you know they are interested in you.  You will become more efficient when following up if you have a system in place to find out who’s really into you, who kind of likes you, and who is still deciding what they think of you.  What are the deal breakers?

Don’t be a serial dater and don’t wait too long to call after a date!  Failing to follow up is a common problem for many entrepreneurs because they are busy chasing other opportunities. Too many business owners give up on their prospects way too early by thinking that if the sale doesn’t happen on the first meeting, it never will. Statically it’s been proven most consumers (81%) do not buy until at least the fifth contact.  

What system do you have in place to make sure you are not the guy or gal who didn’t call?  To ensure that your leads don’t get lost, automate your email with auto-responders that deliver quality content from free reports, video tutorials, email series that they can learn from so that when they are ready to buy, they buy from you.  This is called nurturing your prospects.  

But be careful not to move too fast!  Give the relationship time to grow before you ask for the sale.  Would you ask someone to marry you after only knowing him or her for five minutes?  Put yourself in his or her shoes, would you say, “yes” to a marriage proposal to someone you just met?  There are still discoveries to make about your prospects and they most certainly want to know more about you, too.  It’s crucial to their success as well as yours to make sure you are a right match before asking them to commit to a purchase. 

So before you get down on one knee to propose, make sure:

    •    Your prospect knows the benefit you provide by educating them.

    •    Use social proof to demonstrate how you’ve served others and the successful outcomes of working with you.

    •    Give them a free trial so they can experience the benefits you provide. This will make them realize they can’t go another day without you!  

    •    Implement an automatic “warm fuzzy touch” plan with email or direct mail that will gradually take them by the hand and lead them through your sales funnel.  

When you take your prospects through this simple and easy process, your ideal clients will naturally progress forward while the others opt-out…this is a beautiful thing!

Marketing is like dating and can be fun. Especially when you provide a valuable product or service that people really need and can benefit from.  You’ve got something worthwhile to offer the world so get out there and get in the game!  Attract your ideal clients by playing up your positives, differentiate yourself from the competition, build meaningful relationships, and apply the rules of dating to your marketing and you’ll see your nurturing efforts consistently turn interested prospects into sales.  

Brenda Tillmann, The Sales and Client Relations Mentor, is founder of Brenda Tillmann International and the creator of the Romance of Selling System™, the proven step-by-step program that shows women business owners exactly how to utilize their natural relationship skill set to sell with ease which literally transforms their sales results...guaranteed! You can get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD and receive her weekly sales & client relationship building articles on establishing more high-value relationships while consistently closing more sales at: www.brendatillmann.com

Blog By: Patricia Rossi

Your business card matters. It’s like a resume. It lets people know how you feel about yourself, your business and most importantly them. Your business card gives you an opportunity to make a stellar first and lasting impression.

Here are a few ways to make sure you are making a memorable impact with your business card.

1. It represents you. Your business card is a visual reminder of your company and most importantly you. Make it visually appealing. Use high quality graphics that are appealing to the eye. Invest in a nice heavy card stock not printing paper thickness.
2. You can get 4,997 cards for 49 cents. Just kidding! But you can buy cards for a minimal amount of money. So, no marked out phone numbers or emails… if your information changes invest in new cards. You are worth it and so is the recipient.
3. Never present your cards like you are in the middle of NYC’s Times Square handing them out in a wonton manner. If you respect your business card, hand it with grace and respect. Then, other people will treat it in the same manner and hopefully keep it as a reminder to build a business relationship with you in the near future.
4. Before heading out to a networking event,know where your cards are. Put them in a place that you can easily locate in a smooth, relaxed manner. You don’t want to appear to be break-dancing or putting out a fire by patting yourself down like your clothes are on fire in search of a card.
5. Always have some cards with you. If you say you have forgotten your card while at a networking event, it might appear as if you aren’t credible and competent.
6. If you want to quickly and easily convert business cards into contacts. Check out cardmunch.com and download the app. You will be able to snap a picture with the app, a business card is automatically converted into a contact. It will also show your LinkedIn profile.

My Business Success Series will show you how to navigate common and uncommon social situations that present themselves in professional as well as personal settings. We are all walking biographies – what story are you communicating to others through your unspoken soft social skills? 

Take a peek at the 15 videos that are available in my Business Success Series.

Blog by: Debbie Lundberg Life & Business Coaching

While there are a lot of suggestions for networking and attending various functions, there are few that we believe serve you best.  You will find each of our suggestions are easy to remember, require action on your part and focus more upon the other person than upon yourself.
 
Just know, networking is not synonymous with communicating.  It is your responsibility to make the other person feel connected and interested!
Network by focusing your attention on results, and not just the action of being at an event.  Before you use any of the ideas for networking, commit to the following:

1)  If you go to a networking event with someone, agree to drive to and from the location together and have minimal (or even no) contact at the event.  Having a conversation with your friend while at a networking event just means you wasted time and energy driving to the function when you could have just met where you usually do.  If you want time with your buddy, go get a coffee or drink after the networking function; just do not spend your time together since that is not productive!

2)  Have enough cards for two per person you can potentially meet.  Make sure those cards are up-to-date with no changes in name, email or phone scratched out and written in pen.  Is the focus a change in your career?  If so, then get professional cards printed with minimally your name, email and phone with your 2-4 areas of professional prowess listed.  Make sure your cards are only UV coated on the front so that people can make notes on the back.

3)  Have easy access to your cards and place those you receive from others in an equally convenient location.  Ladies…no purses at networking events, or at least carry small ones and ensure you do not need to fumble with zippers, etc. when getting your cards.  Go for functionality at the events and use your pockets for your card and cardholders.

4)  Check your attitude and outside interests at the door.  Keep in mind the situation, opportunity and focus, and know that your truly do not get a second chance to make a first impression!

A quick way to remember how to communicate is with the acrostic NETWORK:

• N  -  Names
• E  -  Event
• T  -  Target
• W  -  Work
• O  -  Offer
• R  -  Reach
• K  -  Keep
  

Now that you have a way to remember the sometimes seemingly daunting experience of networking, here are a few ideas for being successful in a NETWORK:

• N  -  Names - Get names, in advance, of who will be there.
• E  -  Event - Attend for at least one hour or more.
• T  -  Target - Plan to make 3-4 solid contacts per hour.
• W  -  Work - Act as if the event is one that you created – work it.
• O  -  Offer - Decide what ideas or benefits you can provide for others.
• R  -  Reach - Reach out to people afterward.
• K  -  Keep - Keep in touch and keep networking.

NAME:  Locate the person in charge of the event a few days prior to the date.  Ask for a list of attendees.  Sometimes these lists will not be disclosed, but it’s worth a shot. If you do not get the names, arrive early and review the name tags to come up with a plan for who you would like to meet. For your name, wear a name tag. Go ahead and have one made so that you are comfortable with it.

EVENT:  No matter how long the networking event lasts, commit to attending minimally for an hour.  When people “blow in” and “blow out”, others notice.  Additionally, staying at least one hour gives you the opportunity to catch latecomers. You already arrived early to see the names and prepare for whom you wish to meet.  Now you are poised as the person whom others wish to meet.

TARGET:  Target people or companies when you arrive early and plan for whom you want to interact.  Target 3-4 solid connections for each hour you are at the engagement.  This does not mean you can only speak with 3-4 people, but focus on quality over quantity. Collecting business cards is one thing…getting the perhaps few cards of people who can be a collaborator, is another. This is communicating versus networking.

WORK:  Work the room. Yes, work it! This is where you take on the role of a host or co-host. This is not to say you take credit for the event or the party, rather you make it a point to welcome others and introduce them with a firm, quick handshake of 2-4 pumps of the hand, and interested, interactive conversation. When you appear as the person to meet, you become the person to meet.

OFFER:  Even though you are looking to advance in your area(s) of life focus and move forward with your approach or business at each networking event you attend, make sure you devote equal time and attention to listening to and learning about the other people you meet. They may also have areas of life focus and business plans, and good communication is a two-way street. If your experience can assist someone else is attaining his/her goal, they will be much more likely to assist you with your focus/goals.  Make an offer to follow through with information, a contact or something else, and you will endear yourself to that person. When you follow up with him or her in the future, you are now a welcomed call, e-mail or letter coming across his or her desk, rather than another person just looking for a favor. This is a value position that must be sincere in the offer and quick in the execution.

REACH:  You have made the new contact and figured out a value-added connection you can provide. Now be sure to reach back out to him or her after the event. Typically, a follow through outreach within 24 hours is optimal. Keep in mind, a phone call can appear pushy, and an e-mail can be impersonal. Contrarily, a handwritten note is quite personal, and a note with a relevant article or bit of information is a real connection (if you have agreed to follow up via phone or email do that, but if there is no commitment, go for the personal note). Think about it…how many people display, or even save, phone messages or emails? Not many. However, many of us keep handwritten notes as keepsakes because they create a personal connection.

KEEP:  It has been stated that you must network regularly…not just when you need something. Networking is a function that you must constantly keep on your weekly to-do lists, not just something to do if you need a new job or referral.  Keep also stands for keeping in touch and keeping your word. When a person says he or she will be somewhere or do something on a particular date and then lets it slide, this becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons. Keeping up with your commitments keeps progress on your personal and professional goals heading in the right direction!

Make the most of your full-time, full contact “sport” of NETWORKing. Have fun, make connections, and look for the value in your efforts. I’ll see you at an event…engaged in conversation, and engaging others to do the same!

Search Engine Optimization, SEO, is critical to the success or failure of your business. As the Internet, social media marketing and mobile marketing continue to change the landscape of business, SEO has become more important than ever. Building a website without a plan for SEO, is the single most expensive lesson any business will learn.  A quality design is essential but that is only 50% of the job. Your efforts must continue long after the initial launch of the site and it is an ongoing process.

A great website that’s user-friendly and filled with constant, fresh content is important – in fact it’s crucial to the success of your business. But what if nobody can find your site? Sadly there are tons of great websites all over the Internet that nobody can find – thanks to not using SEO techniques properly.

If you’ve done any website work, even if it’s only for your own, you’ve no doubt heard the phrase “SEO game” when it comes to promoting your site. The fact is, SEO is no game at all, it’s actually very serious business when it comes to driving traffic to your website. What should you do?

First, you have to have an SEO plan or strategy. When you are promoting your website to the search engines, make sure you are using keywords and phrases that are completely relevant to your website and niche. For example, if you have a website on natural treatments for diabetes but you’re using keywords that have to do with aviation, you might get people to visit your site, but they sure aren’t going to stay. If you are trying to solve a problem for your readers and visitors (and that’s exactly what you should be doing) then you need to provide them with the keywords they need to find you.

Another big tip – don’t rely entirely on an SEO “expert” for all of the work. It’s important that you understand the process of SEO and have some say in it – after all this is YOUR business and nobody knows it and understands it like you do.

Limelight Marketing Consultants is a full-service marketing company assisting businesses with online and offline marketing efforts through creative design and strategic marketing approaches. Limelight has the tools and expertise to get you to the top of the search engines. Call (813) 388-9384 or email Liane Caruso at liane@limelightconsultants.com if you want to learn more!

Your Significant…Self? How to be the best YOU for any relationship
By: Michelle Phillips, Author of The Beauty Blueprint

That famous country song said we were looking for love in “all the wrong places” but maybe we were actually looking in all the wrong ways.  You might have a “list” of what you are looking for in your ideal mate or you might be looking for that special someone who “completes you”.  In the process you might be bringing in that same person who we may think is our type yet the reality to finding love successfully may be asking the question, “What type are we?”

Before you put on your Friday night best or log back on to your favorite hook-up website again let’s take a minute to look and feel your best about the most important person in the next relationship, YOU!  It is absolutely true that we attract what and who we are in to our lives.  When it comes to bringing in our friendships and romantic relations what we radiate is something I call, “The Law of Attractive”.  It is the true beauty that can’t be painted on or pumped up in the gym, instead it is the kind of amazing that, when you have the confidence to let it shine, will bring in the perfect person who compliments you not completes you.

I recently had a client I was coaching and after we conquered her work fears she said that her next goal was to get back into a relationship. Of course, no one who wants a relationship truly wants just anyone, they want Mr. or Ms. Right! And most of us know in our hearts exactly what that means, when someone asks we unfurl that dreaded “List”!  It is the magic, 10-foot long scroll with every physical, emotional, and spiritual quality that we think we need in a mate to be happy.  I asked her what was on her list and she rattled off things like; patient, extroverted, and easy-going.  I have to back up by saying I had already been working with her for a few months, and, while she was working on herself currently, she was none of those things.  So when I asked how her manhunt was going she said sadly that the people she was dating were none of those things.  Shocker!

So where do you start? Think about the phrase, “He” or “She” is a good match for me.  You don’t match socks by finding some that go nicely with each other, you match them by finding two that are as close to each other as possible.

-         Make your list.  Make a note of all the attributes you would find important in a long-term or forever type relationship.  Be sure to list more than just physical qualities like dark hair and full lips, the values that you find important such as; honesty, integrity, loyalty, and compassion, will play a much bigger role in the long-term success of your partnership.

-         Check it twice.  Before you start on your scavenger hunt for love, check the list once for yourself first.  If there are areas that you find important in someone else think about if you have them.  If you don’t, there is nothing wrong with taking some time to work on you.

-         Pay close attention to who is naughty and who is nice.  All too often when don’t stick to our list out of fear of rejection, (something), or maybe just a physical connection that we mistake for love but the whole time the alarms are going off inside us to run.  Trust your gut here and know that when the time is right for you and that special someone it will work out.

While there may not be a club, church, or online dating site to find true love there is one place that holds the magic of cupid’s arrow, your heart. Find that and honor it and you will be fully capable of loving someone else.  Love and be loved, it starts with you!

Michelle Phillips is the author of the bestselling beauty and self-esteem book, “The Beauty Blueprint- 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of your Dreams” (Hay House) is now available on major book sites. You can listen to her live on Mondays at 12pm est on www.HayHouseRadio.com .  She is also a regular guest on the national TV shows, The Daily Buzz, GalTime, and Daytime. www.michellephillips.com