Connectivity!

Today, I started my day with my weekly BNI meeting. During the portion of the meeting where members are giving their commercials, Bob French, from Affolder & Associates, specifically mentioned that he wanted to meet property and casualty insurance agents from Liberty Mutual.

Within an hour after the meeting, I went to an MSP training for BNI members. In the class was a P & C insurance agent from Liberty Mutual. What are the odds?? Bob's message stuck with me as I left my early morning meeting and was triggered when I saw someone's business card. My job at that point as a referral source for Bob was to strike up a conversation with Ben. In doing so, Ben became very interested in meeting Bob. So, I'm in the process of making that happen.

Connectivity! There are several keys that made it happen in this story. The first is referability ... mine and Bob's. My referability increased because I paid attention to what Bob was asking for ... I even wrote it down as I do every week. Bob's referability increased because he was more specific than just saying "insurance agents". Second, I knew how to open the conversation with Ben. Why? Third ... because over time Bob taught me how to do that on his behalf. Fourth, follow-up. I was sure to follow-up with Bob immediately while Ben was still thinking of Bob. It makes no sense to wait until next week when I see Bob at my BNI meeting ... so I acted TODAY.

A Lesson from Sonoma

Last night, Alyssa and I went out to dinner with a new friend, Kiesha. We had a great meal at Sonoma Grille in downtown Pittsburgh. Our experience of the restaurant began with the parking attendent next door ... the most polite parking attendant I have ever experienced! Then we had the pleasure of meeting our bartner/waiter (we'll call him "D") who took great care of us ... could have been that there were 3 women at the table, but I had the feeling he was genuinely a really nice guy. The food was great and I had an exceptional glass of wine ... Echelon Cabernet 2003.

Then came a slight screw up with the food ... one plate was delayed in the kitchen. "D" very apologetically took responsibility for the delay. It was something technical that truly was his fault ... and he made no excuses. The interesting thing was ... he had developed such great rapport with us that it didn't even matter. And ... we appreciated his honesty, sincerity, and integrity for admitting his mistake.

I took away a referral marketing lesson from Sonoma ... when you develop rapport with people, they are forgiving. There may come a time when you make a mistake with a referral partner ... if you've developed a solid relationship built on trust and credibility, it will withstand minor bumps along the way.

One Way Windows

One way windows ... just like the ones on the police shows where the guilty party can't see the other people watching them while their being interigated. One way windows are also used in marketing tests so that a business owner can see the reactions and impacts of their proposed products on their target market.

One way windows are a bit scary for a business owner! Imagine being able to be a fly on the wall to listen and observe what your customers are actually saying about you ... and they never know you're there! Think about what you might hear or see. Think about what perceptions you are creating. Think about the image and brand you are creating ... whether you intend to or not!

One ways windows are scary because they reveal the truth ... and it you're not open to it, it could hurt!

One of my Certified Networker graduates, Brian Panachelle, owner of BP Insurance, told me this week that he sent out an email to many people and asked them one question: "When you think of me, what one word comes to mind?" He got an assortment of responses that differed based on how well the person knew him personally. He liked what he heard, but then came the hard part ... what image is this creating for his business? How can he take this information and use it to benefit his word of mouth marketing campaign?

What kinds of responses would you get if you put out the same question to your family, friends, clients, and associates?

It's Four Weeks Away!!

Exactly four weeks from today (one month) will be the first day of SPRING!

Are you as ready as I am? Now don't get me wrong ... I love the winter and everything that comes with it. However, the part I don't like is keeping the windows closed all the time. Today it's feeling like spring here in Pittsburgh. It's even sounding like spring here. And ... I even saw a flock of robins in the yard! Spring is not far away.

What does spring mean for your referral system? Spring is typically a time of renewal ... a time of rejuvenation ... a time when things sprout all over the place ... and a time for spring cleaning. Once in a while, your referral system needs some spring cleaning too.

Consider these questions as spring draws nearer:

1. What referral strategies are working very well for you that you can duplicate somewhere else?
2. What referral generating efforts aren't working so well and why?
3. Who are your best referral sources and what have you done for them lately?
4. What relationships do you have that are draining your resources and producing nothing in return?
5. Are you networking in the right places or are you scattered and un-focused?
6. What new relationships can you begin to develop this spring?
7. How will you renew your commitment to the referral process?

Spring is the perfect time to evaluate, plan, and strategize for a bountiful summer. It's the perfect time to do the same for your referral system.

White Ice

This weekend was a blast! We took some much needed time away from our usual routine to play in the snow ... cross country skiing and sled riding ... dashing through the snow. Oh and did I say ... ICE ... a half inch of ice layered between nice fluffy snow?! I learned a few lessons this weekend about playing on "white ice":

The Five Don'ts of Playing on "White Ice"

1. Don't fall off your sled going really fast -- crashing through the ice will make big bruises on your legs!
2. Don't try to ski across an icy hillside -- the ice ensures that you WILL fall and getting up is pretty humorous!

3. Don't hold onto to the sides of your sled -- the edges of the ice really hurt your hands, too!

4. Don't expect to follow someone else's tracks on skis -- it becomes even icier!

5. Don't forget to have fun -- even though mother nature is beating you up!

I also learned five things this weekend about working with referral partners too. It's kinda like playing on white ice if you're not careful!

The Five Don'ts of Working with Referral Partners

1. Don't give up too soon -- if you do, you'll miss the fun part!

2. Don't try any short-cuts -- relationships take time, but the view at the top is spectacular!

3. Don't choose the wrong partners -- or you'll be going nowhere fast!

4. Don't expect one strategy to work for everyone -- we are all individuals and require our own motivations.

5. Don't forget to have fun -- even though it's called NetWORK!

HTML Success!

SUCCESS! Finally!

Today I finally honed my skill as an HTML writer! Yeah right! NOT!!

Actually, I finally figured out how to add links to the side bar of this blog. Okay, maybe to you it's not a big deal. For me, a techno nimbo-brain, it's quite an accomplishment.

So, today, my spotlight is on some trusted colleagues of mine. Take a moment and visit their sites to learn more about the products, services, and insights that they offer. I will be adding more in the future, so let your eyes wonder to the right once in a while.

Oh, and by the way, the first one is MY website (Pinnacle Training Services) ... browse at your leisure.

Ciao.

Customer Service

When I go out into the public arena of service providers, I expect great customer service. When I get it, I praise the individual or the manager. When I don't get it, I not only say something to the manager, I also tell a friend or two or three!

Most people that I know react the same way. Good customer service is expected. It shouldn't be anything special ... because it has become the norm in terms of customer expectations.

Then WHY do so many business owners when asked, "What sets you apart from your competition?" STILL say "our exceptional customer service"?? I'm sorry, but if your competitor around the corner is able to say the same thing, then it's not special ... it's not what sets you apart ... it's not unique to YOUR business.

What DOES set you apart from your competitor is that which your competitor cannot also say. It's the one or two things that only you can say! Maybe it's that you stay open late three nights a week, or that you offer a guarantee, or that you were the first widget store to open in your region, or that you offer a product that no one else does! In marketing, and referral marketing, this is your "unique selling position". Knowing what this is for your business and sharing it with your referral network will, without any doubt, enhance your referability!

What's your unique selling position? And, please don't say, customer service!

Cupid's Arrow

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. The day to honor and cherish the person or people most dear to you. The day to celebrate how much these people mean to you. The day marked by a little angelic boy carrying a bow and arrow ready to strike love in the hearts of his target.

Valentine's Day doesn't really do much for me. I'm not a huge fan. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a cold-hearted hermit. Quite the opposite, actually. I too have someone very dear to me who has shared my life for the past 12 years. In my opinion, why do I need ONE day of the year to express the love and gratitude that I feel? Why not incorporate the essence of Valentine's Day into every day?

It's no different with your referral partners! Would you actually select only ONE day of the year to honor and celebrate the relationship you have with your referral partners? Or would you instead recognize their good deeds and generousity along the way? I hope that you said "along the way"! MY sense is that it makes MORE sense to celebrate your relationship throughout the year. By doing so, you will inject a will to nurture and further develop the relationship. By doing so, you also inject motivation that carries the relationship past any bumps and hurdles.

Cupid had the right idea. I only wish that more effort would be put towards shooting the arrows every day as a way to recognize and honor our referral partners dedication, time, energy and confidence. Relationships need to be stroked and nurtured. Referral partners, being humans too, need to know that they are valued and appreciated.

It's Not Sales!

Referral marketing is NOT sales.

Just the other day, I noticed that someone listed me on a committee as "Sales". No ... wrong.

Let me try to clarify this in a way taught to me by my friend, Tom Fleming, in Florida.

Referral marketing is everything that happens BEFORE sales kicks in. It's everything that has to happen to bring a prospect in front of you. Once you have a prospect in front of you, the sales training takes over to close the deal. When youe selling, you are spending alot of time in front of people who need to be sold to. When you're practicing referral marketing, you are spending your time in front of people who are ready to buy! Which would you prefer?? How much time would you save?? How much more money would you make?? Exactly.

The ultimate example of referral marketing is when a referral source brings you a prospect that is already SOLD. You literally have no selling to do at all. This just happened to me the other day. I received a call from someone I had never met who was looking to hire me to do a presentation for her group on effective networking. This woman was already sold ... based on what she had heard about me from someone she trusted.

Referral marketing ... in my humble opinion, there's no better way to do business.

Ten Networking Faux Pas

Networking Ettiquette? You bet!

I'll bet that you have experienced some of these networking faux pas ...
Hopefully, you've not committed any yourself ... if so, it's time you think about your impact.

Some of these just may surprise you!

1. Talking to people while looking over their shoulder to see who is more exciting to talk to!
2. The weak, limp hand shake!
3. Selling your products and services to people you've just met!
4. Pushing your card into someone's hand who never asked for it!
5. Standing around eating food during the whole event!
6. Hanging out with all your friends and co-workers!
7. Drinking too much alcohol at the after work happy hour networking event!
8. Collecting business cards and putting the people directly into your distribution list without their permission!
9. Verbally throwing up on someone ... talking all about YOU!
10. Being un-approachable with body language or image!

Networking is about building relationships. It's not about selling or closing a deal. It's not about how many cards you can collect. And, most of all, it's not meant to be a reaction to no or slow business. When you consider networking as a referral marketing tool, it becomes a part of how you do business on a regular basis. It becomes the most cost-effective way to grow your business by developing strong business relationships.

What networking faux pas have you experienced that drives you crazy?

International Networking Day - The Review

Last night's inaugral International Networking Day event in Pittsburgh was outstanding! Of all the networking events that I have ever been to ... and trust me ... with my profession centered around networking ... I've been to a few ... this one event blew all others clean out of the water.

Why? Let's count the ways.

1. It was a purposeful event that met its purpose. It provided structure for people to make connections for each other ... the GIVE in giver's gain!
2. The networking activity was easy and genuinely created to help others first! That's what true networking was all about! Thanks Becky and Stefanie!
3. The engaged audience was so engaged during the activity that virtually no one was sitting! First time for me to ever see THAT! But then again, there were no chairs for some time until the wall opened up ... brilliant idea!
4. The speaker, Scott Ginsberg, was entertaining, enlightening, and relevant to the day's theme!
5. The participants, from what I could tell, all accomplished at least one of their goals ... if not many due to the support of the other participants. I personally, met 3 of my 5 goals and loved every minute of it.
6. I learned cool phrases from Scott that will help me enhance my material as well ... his information has great synergy with Certified Networker.
7. It was evident to see how the concept of Givers Gain was reinforced throughout the evening.
8. I got to see my dear friend from Toledo, Ohio - Deb Peters - who came in town for the event.
9. I left the event with four referrals for people in my BNI chapter! And, I'm actually working on two more.
10. It was the first of what I hope to be many, many future IND events ... of which I hope to help sponsor.

My hats off to Deanna Tucci Schmitt and her entire gang of support! It takes a small village to pull off something that has that much impact! Thank you for the opportunity!

International Networking Day!

It's here! It's finally here!

International Networking Day is here! For those of you who don't know, today is International Networking Day and this week is International Networking Week.

What does this mean? People all over the world will be celebrating the art of face to face networking. Events will occur across the globe. In Pittsburgh, our event begins this afternoon and features a key note speaker, Scott Ginsberg. It also features a creative networking activity that promotes people making connections with each other to help them meet their goals. This great idea came from a Certified Networker graduate, Becky Hooman!

What are my goals for the event?
1. To shake hands with Scott Ginsberg
2. To find three writing opportunities
3. To drive traffic to my graduate's booths
4. To pass out 100 postcards for my upcoming Certified Networker preview sessions
5. To talk to a woman who rides a motorcycle

As a Certified Networker, I know that having a goal for a networking event will help me to have success at this event. It will give me focus and make it all worth while. The best approach is to share my goals with several people who will help me meet my goals and I help them meet theirs in return. That's what networking truly is all about ... helping each other.

What are some of the goals that you have had for networking events?

Call to Seriousness!

I'm sitting in a friends writing studio surrounded by hundreds of books on American Literature and history. One title strikes me as an interesting topic ... "The Call to Seriousness" by Ian Bradley. Now, I have no idea what this book is about , but the title is intriguing. This is what it brings to mind ...

Organizing a word of mouth marketing campaign that actually works well enough for you to completely eliminate cold calling takes "a call to seriousness". It takes a commitment to implementing a new system into how you do business. It takes a seriousness towards networking with your referral network to produce results. It takes a seriousness towards building solid relationships that are mutually beneficial and profitable. It takes a seriousness towards dedicating the time it takes to make it all work and work efficiently.

If you are prepared to accept the "call to seriousness" that is required for word of mouth marketing, you will not be disappointed. You will be rewarded with increased business referrals, shorter sales cycles, and more free time in your schedule. I know plenty of people who have accepted the "call to seriousness" and see measurable results.

If you care to share some of your results ... please do so.

Features vs Benefits

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a physician who is currently on a benefits committee for a large physician's association. It was interesting to me to listen to the "benefits" described in their literature. The benefits were actually "features' and not benefits at all. I tried to explain that consumers make their purchasing decisions based on the benefit (or perceived value) to them ... not the features of the association. If the goal of this association is to attract new members based on the benefits, then their message and language to those prospective members needs to be in the lanuage of benefits, not features.

The same goes for a small business. Your consumers make their purchases based on the benefits that you provide to them. For example, if you stay open late one night a week until 8pm (feature) the benefit is this ... convenience. The value that you give the customer is less stress because they can visit your store at a time convenient to them. Every feature you have also has an identifiable benefit.

Most people I know (sometimes myself included) get caught in the trap of speaking about their business in the language of features. Marketing experts know that consumers buy based on benefits ... so why not reconsider your verbage and appeal to more consumers?