Friends Make My World Go 'round

I have been making a concentrated effort to meet with clients in the past couple months to connect with them and to find out what's going on with them. I also want share the great news about the launch of Connext Nation.

It has been a wonderful time.

My clients have exciting things happening for them. They are starting new businesses, leading seminars, changing their focus, meeting new people and generally evolving, just as I am.

I left one of those meeting yesterday with my friend, Lisa Bachmayer, saying to myself, "Why don't I make time to do this more often?" It is a great lesson for me. Lisa gave me some great advice on a business etiquette issue that I had been deliberating over. And once she gave me the advice, the answer seemed just so logical.

Sometimes (or maybe it is all the time) I get tunnel vision trying to meet with prospects to fill my classes. So this year I want to make sure I do make time to keep my wonderful friends in my life. It will make my life richer in so many ways.

Boring WOM

I have a Google alert set for "Word-of-Mouth" to make sure I am reading as much as I can about what others are saying about word-of-mouth marketing. (Nothing like word-of-mouth about word-of-mouth!)

Recently the president of the board a health insurance company in Pennsylvania used a comment from Andy Sernovitz, author of "The Word of Mouth Marketing Guy," to justify his braggadocio article about how wonderful he and his company are.

As I read through the lengthy article, I kept thinking, "this guy doesn't get it. This is not W-O-M, but just out and out PR on his own part."

Now that W-O-M has hit the mainstream, it is being so misunderstood. I guess there are some out there that think the term means for them to talk more about themselves.

So here's the deal folks. In my humble opinion, if you're talking about yourself it's not W-O-M and what it could be is BORING!

W-O-M is spreading the word about others and this is where Andy 'Sernovitz' quote comes to light.

"The one truth about word of mouth is that the truth always rises to the surface. The truth about your company, products, services and people is all that matters now."

So you out there, if you're talking about yourself, please make it true, interesting and short. And then turn back to me. Cause that's what it's all about!

Cuppa' Joe Became More

In December I provided training for BNI members in the Findlay, OH area. It's always a marathon for me as I do both the 3 hour Membership Success Program and an Advanced training segment that is 90 minutes in length in the same day. Between the two I have a 15 minute break.

The December session started at 3 PM, so by the time I was ready to begin Advanced Training it was 6:15. Now, just so you know, I had put a full day in already, leaving my house at shortly after 7 AM to get to my first appointment.

But I sailed through that last training. Let me tell you why!

One chapter member was registered for both sessions. Between the two, he drove to a nearby McDonald's restaurant and got enough coffee "to go" for everyone who was registered to attend and for me, too! Did the caffeine really help me? Maybe. But what I think really helped was the feeling that I got from someone being thoughtful. He explained that it was just good marketing as far as he was concerned!

I have kept this act of kindness in mind ever since that night and want to become as thoughtful as he was. Sometimes I get tunnel vision -- getting the job at hand done. Well, maybe more accurately I should say, all the time I get tunnel vision! One goal for this year is to widen that tunnel to allow me to think "outside the thoughtful box!"

Any advice?

Stick Your Hands Up and Give Me Everything You've Got

Weird phone call.

It was the last day of the year and to be real honest, I was in Big Lots trying to find a cheap glass cake cover. So there you have it!

My cell phone rang and I answered thinking it might be a friend. Instead it was a gentleman who had read my ad in the local business paper.

Here's what he said, "(No introduction) Hi, I saw your ad in the paper and wanted to buy you coffee so I can connect into your network." Now this is one reason that I don't do a lot of advertising. My course is difficult to explain in one little block of advertising real estate.

So I answered this man by asking him if he was intersted in a course about networking. "No, I just want to connect with people in your network."

Oh, so I was getting it. I thought he thought I was connected to BNI, as I am. "No, I'm a home re-modeler and I want to connect to your network. I have been a trusted re-modeler to the rich and famous and now the business isn't so good and I want to connect with your network."

Now, remember, I don't even know this guy's name yet.

So being the nice person I am, I offered to accept his offer of coffee and that I would be happy to see if there would be ways that I might help him.

He deferred.

He said that he'd think about it and call me back.

I'm thinking he wanted me to give him some name right over the cell phone. Ha!

Before I hung up, I said, "So that I will recognize you if you call back, could you give me your name?"

Talk about rushing the relationship!

That one took the cake on the last day of the year!

And no, I didn't find the cake cover.

Something interesting has happened.

Those of you who read this blog might remember that our beloved yellow Lab, Gable, died this year. Now we are left with just one dog, Owen, a liver and white, Springer Spaniel.

At one time Owen was a member of a four dog pack, and was definitely #4 in the pecking order. He was an obnoxious little pest, always wanting MORE attention. In Gable's last years, Owen tried to take over as top dog, barking and growling at Gable. Even in his weakest moments, Gable just brushed aside all this nonsense.

Well, guess what. Now that Owen is top dog and is an only dog, he is quite fun. I actually am beginning to like him. He still needs more than enough attention, but I guess he's making up for lost time. Now that I get to focus on him, he is a better dog.

Or is it more about my attitude?

It sort of parallels a business friend relationship that evolved over the last year. I had always kept this person at arm's length, but because of a couple situations, I spent more individual time with this person. And you guessed it, I now want to spend more time with this person.

A good lesson for me. Taking the relationship deeper in both instances meant that I gained more in the end.

Tell me about a situation where this happened for you.

Networking Conumdrum

This week I met with Julie Bankert, who established a bookkeeping business in 2010. Julie has lots of talent and experience, but what she has found challenging was having to get out and sell herself.

Isn't that a universal problem that many business owners face in the early days (and for some, every day) of our businesses?

Julie has pushed herself in the nine months she's been offering her services. Now, she asked me a very insightful question. She expressed, "I don't know how to focus all this networking and don't know what networking I should be doing." Additionally, she smiled her sparkly blue eyes and said, "I can't figure out how to get all my work done, too!"

I was impressed that Julie was asking these questions because sometimes people don't take a step back and become more organized with their networking. They just go and go and go.

In our conversation I explained to Julie that it's all about establishing a clearly defined target market, because once she knows who her best prospects are, then she can hang out and network where they network. Easy.

What would your advice be to Julie?

Word-of-Mouth Easy Button

Recently I was read an article that posed the question, "I have a new website. How do I create "word-of-mouth" business?"

I had to smile because so many think that they can push the "easy" button to create this viral marketing method. Now, I am not taking anything away from the advertising and marketing pros who have all kinds of good methods to gain more visibility. Those techniques are important for all of us to know.

But word-of-mouth is what someone else does for you. For the most part you can't control it.

I do have some thoughts on how to get it started and keep it going.

1. First and foremost have something that is worth talking about. Whether it is your product/service or something you've done that garners attention. And be aware, negative news is much more enticing to pass on.

2. It's easier to ask others to pass on the word about you if you lead the way first. I have to laugh each time I get a request via Linkedin that asks me to provide a recommendation. It's one of those things that I'll get to later. BUT, if someone has voluntarily recommended me in the past, you can bet, that I'll hop to writing a testimonial to repay the favor. That old guilt thing is remarkable!

3. Become the center of the universe. Be the person who posts events, comments or other "stuff" about your friends and business acquaintances. My friend, David Trisel does this really, really well. If your site is the go to site for finding out all the information about people in your network, then guess what? You have established your presence in the word-of-mouth marketing arena, too.

So to answer the question above, "it's not about you, but about how you act in the whole networking genre."

What's your take on this?