Relevate Blog

Have You Heard about AddressTwo and This Year's Hullabaloo?

2010-02-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

I know in the past I have spoken about a really great strategic partner of mine, Nick Carter with AddressTwo. Well, I wanted to take a moment and write a bit more about him and an event he is putting together called AddressTwo Hullabaloo 2010. Now if you made it to his event last year, you know it was a huge success with great speakers, breakout sessions, and networking.
This year will be no difference, I am sure. Okay, this year I am speaking at the event, so maybe that is cocky of me to say that – I’m sticking to it as it will help me prepare better if I put it out there for all to see my cockiness.

Straight from Nick’s promo - The Hullabaloo 2010 is a high-energy sales and networking training program designed to bring professional skills development to small and medium businesses. It’s Thursday, April 22 from 1-6pm at Union Station in Downtown Indy. The cost for this great event is only $45 – but wait, if you act now… :)! Seriously, let me know if you are interested, and I can give you a code for a $10 discount. You can register online at www.hullabaloo.biz.

Join us! It will definitely be worth it!

Have You Heard this Statement Before - Excited about a new opportunity and sharing it with a couple of my closest friends."?

2010-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am probably going to upset a few people with this. I know there are all sorts of selling techniques out there, but this one just bothers me because it seems so unauthentic...and I guess I’ve been fooled in the past.

You know the deal – you get a call or an email from someone you have met before and possibly think of them more than just an acquaintance (maybe), and they are one of those people always looking for the next best business deal. Now I love their excitement and their ability to go after something and take that risk, but let’s be truthful – you are not just contacting a “few” of us because we hold a special place in your heart and you really want to offer only us this amazing opportunity to better our lives. You need people to sign up under you to make money – and you either think of us as good people who will get the concept and run with it or you think we are gullible and sign up just because we believe you hand-picked us especially because you just are set on helping us personally succeed in life.

Background Story –I have had someone tell me they were looking for 1-2 people to expand their business, and they just thought having someone like me as a business partner would be a perfect fit – what they were selling was Amway. Then I had another person call me and want me to view a video and listen to a phone call because he really thought it would better my life – when I asked it if I could institute this product or service as part of my virtual assistance business, he said he didn’t think so – so I told him I would pass – and he then stated “fine if you don’t want to become rich” and hung up on me. Then recently, I got the urgent email from a friend whom I have not heard from in quite some time saying “please give me a call – I have something to share with you,” and when I replied back, he said he was sharing this opportunity with a few of his special friends. Hmmm…call me jaded, but I think I’ll pass.

For me, it all boils down to trust. These ways of “selling” just seem dishonest. Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not against the MLM world, and some of the best people I have had the privilege to know are very successful at it – and I trust them. They never pulled some sneaky sales tactics with me. They got to know me, learn about me, and I got to know them and learn about their business. Of course, the opportunity to join was usually discussed, but not in a slimy way. You know what I mean?

From Seth Godin - Bullhorns are Overrated

2010-02-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

They cost too much and they don't work very well.

Most people ignore them, they don't last very long and they're undependable.

Anil Dash has discovered that having ten times as many Twitter followers generates approximately zero times as much value.

The goal shouldn't be to have a lot of people to yell at, the goal probably should be to have a lot of people who choose to listen. Don't need a bullhorn for that.

So, I'm Blogging Now - But No Comments

2010-02-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

You finally decided to start blogging, but no one is commenting – now what? Well, one of many great ideas my business coach, Tony Scelzo, has given me – if no one is commenting, then you are not being controversial enough. So, now my goal is to blog 2-3 times a week- really supposed to be 3 times, but yes, sometimes I find that hard – and one of these blogs needs to be a rant. Just go off on something and start the conversation.

You know what? He was right. Once I started ranting, I got more comments, and people started commenting on my other blogs as well. So, take a chance and rant a bit. Show your personality and let it be known what irritates you. Yes, you may upset some people, but at least you are getting a reaction and starting a conversation. You never know – those conversations may lead to more conversations and then business somewhere down the road.

Social Media - and How Do I Start?

2010-02-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

When I am discussing with either a client or potential client, one thing never fails – how do I begin with all this social media? Businesses come to Relevate to discuss how to build relationships without spending too much time on what would be considered revenue-producing tasks, and even though I believe being present on social media is revenue-producing, I get their point.

For those who understand they do want a presence and are not ready to hire me (I hate it when that happens), I tell them to just start commenting on others’ blogs – just start the conversation. When they are ready to start blogging, but not sure if they can do this consistently 2-3 times a week, then I tell them start at once a week. Consistency is key – it builds your credibility.

To Be a Child Again...and Open to the Positive Possibilities

2010-01-31T05:39:00.000-08:00

Just this morning, my daughter decided she was going to make her white animal balloon she got yesterday at a charity event into a zebra, so she asked for a black marker. Both my husband and I told her it would pop, and her reply was “no it won’t.” She grabbed the marker and marked away – making the albino animal balloon into a beautiful zebra – and it didn’t pop.

Her intention was to make that zebra, and it didn’t matter to her that her parents said it wouldn’t work. She jumped out there and did it….and it worked. Lesson learned – just do it, quit thinking so much about the negative possibilities. Take a chance. Yes, sometimes you will fail, but isn’t it better to be doing and failing now and then…then holding yourself back and watching the world pass you by?

This week, what are you going to do to take a chance – either professionally or personally or how about both?

When an Acquaintance Turns into a Prospect

2010-01-26T03:15:00.001-08:00

When an acquaintance turns into a prospect

The quandary is all too familiar. You’ve been networking for quite a while and have met some people who you see quite often. They are a perfect fit for your product or service – they ARE your target market. What do you do? How do you move them into the “prospect” category from that of “acquaintance”?

The easiest way is to ask for a one-on-one meeting with them to learn more about them and their business while you introduce yours to them. While discussing your business, be sure to state the benefits, features and the target market. You are, in a very subtle way, letting them know they are a perfect fit. This, though, is not the time to try to sell them.

Turning this meeting into a sales call most often will turn people off because they’ll realize you do not really want to learn about them. They leave that meeting with the impression (and rightly so) that you really don’t care about their business-you were just using that as an excuse to sell to them.

After the one-on-one meeting, make the connections you promised, send the white paper you offered or the links to websites that you discussed. Once you’ve shown interest and proved your sincere desire to build a relationship, and then continue to build the relationship. At some point, if the time is right, they will realize they definitely do you’re your services or product, and now you have already built trust. Then it’s an easy sell!

I'm Worth More than a Script!

2010-01-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

To those in the world of customer service, please remember this…I’m unique, and even though my problem may not be unique to you, it is unique to me. Don’t freakin’ read a script to me verbatim. Now I understand there needs to be quality assurance, and one such way that happens is having everyone doing the same thing – I know, it’s the McD’s factor – and if you follow my blogs, you realize McD’s isn’t one of my favorites when it comes to customer service.

Here’s the deal – a script is fine as long as it has some of your personality in it. And, if after you read the script, I tell you that you are not answering my question, please do not read the script again. If you don’t have the answer or if you don’t know what script you are supposed to be reading from, transfer me to someone who will listen to the question and not put me in the script category. Then you can move onto the next call to practice perfecting the script or possibly making it into your script.

Ask the Experts. Ask your Customers.

2009-11-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

Every business owner knows that the customer is the expert. If you have a storefront, ask people while they’re in the store if they’re finding what they need. Ask if there is something they’d like you to carry that you don’t have. Ask if they have been treated properly.

If you are a service provider, send a survey and ask for feedback on the service they received. Ask if there is more you could have done, something you should not have done, etc.

Ask. Ask. Ask. Then, ACT. If 9 out of every 10 customers say they’d like "X", it would make sense to comply. If you’re going to ask, then you must be prepared to make it happen. Once your change is initiated, a phone call or email (depending on the number of customers you have) is an opportunity to say thank you for their input. Letting them know they were instrumental in improving your business will give them a sense of pride, even ownership - and that creates great customer relationships.