SoloSavvy Blog for Solo Entrepreneurs » Interpersonal Skills

Keeping Business Cards Organized at Conferences

Stacy Karacostas — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:00:43 +0000

Over my many years of attending conferences, I’ve learned two simple tricks that make it much easier to keep both your own business cards organized, and all those ones you collect while you’re there.

1) Always have cards on hand. At a conference you never know where you might strike up a conversation with someone great…The bathroom, the hallway, the coffee stand, the elevator are all possibilities and you might not have your bag with you. So keep a few of your own cards tucked in that little plastic name badge pouch they always give you. That way you always have one handy.

2) Make notes. If you’ve been to a conference you’ve surely had the experience of getting back to your office, sorting through everyone’s business cards, and realizing you can’t remember exactly who half the people are. This does not help you do great follow-up! So anytime you get someone’s business card, as soon as possible make a few notes on the back to remind yourself of exactly who they were.

Stories You Must Be Able to Tell

Kerri Salls — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:00:31 +0000

In early 2005, Daniel Pink introduced his book “A Whole New Mind – Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age“. One of the points he made and exemplified is the power of using stories. It demonstrates how most minds work. That is to make a point, use a story. Stories are easier to remember because stories is how we remember. Mark Turner in his book Literary Mind says “Most of our experience, our knowledge and or thinking is organized as stories.” Stories can divert and amuse the listener. Facts illuminate and reveal.

In business, we need to build a reservoir of stories to share with clients, prospects, vendors and team members to illustrate the points we want to make to them.

Expanding on this idea in his 2006 book What’s Your Story? Using Stories to Ignite Performance and Be More Successful, Craig Wortmann advises us to have personal stories in four areas:

Success Stories

Failure Stories

Funny Stories

Legends

Success Stories

Success stories are great for showing you and your company off in the best light. We all have success stories from our resume to demonstrate strengths. We all crave success stories we can relate to – because we can envision ourselves walking that same path.

Failure Stories

Indeed, we all need a few of these stories we can pull out of the closet for certain situations. They demonstrate we are human too and make us very relatable. They also help us build strong bonds with people. And by being
authentic instead of pollyanna-like, failure stories increase the trust factor in every relationship.

Funny Stories

People need to see that we have a sense of humor. Why should a team show up to work with you if you are always cracking the whip, always aloof and perfect? When we can laugh at ourselves or tell a funny short story – it can break tension, provide perspective and make work fun again.

Legends

Legends are stories many people know already, but they can be used as examples of a point you want to make. Many legends and their stories – Michael Dell/DELL, Henry Ford/Model T, Bill Gates/Microsoft, Thomas Leonard/Coachville, Zig Ziglar/Sales motivation – offer shortcuts to an idea or principle you are addressing – without out lecturing.

Do you have stories in all four areas? Your stories don’t have to be larger than life. Everyday examples are more real and tangible for people to grasp and apply. I’ve got the success stories and the failure stories to share. I have to build a repertoire of funny stories and more legends.

Resist the Temptation to Explain

Kendall Summerhawk — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:34:58 +0000

When it’s finally time to share with your prospective client the fee for your service, resist the temptation to explain, justify or in any way diminish your belief that it’s a fair amount.

Instead, I recommend you smile, take a breathe, let it out and say the amount. Then stop talking. Be comfortable if there’s silence. The client has to have a moment to absorb and process what you’ve share with them. If the amount is more than they budgeted don’t panic. Simply restate what the end results are that they wanted and let them know that investing at a higher level than they might have planned on means they’ll take the work seriously and get the results they really want.

If you’re relaxed and committed to them getting what they want, they’ll quickly relax into investing with you to get what they want.

Presenting Your Business Offer

Bria Simpson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

I want to offer a quick business tip today for all you entrepreneurs, coaches and experts out there. When you are meeting with someone who wants to know what you charge, don’t divulge that information in the first meeting. Instead, find out everything you can about their business, their dreams, their goals and what is missing for them. Then, set up another time to discuss your special offer for them.

I made the mistake recently of responding to a friend’s request about what I charge for my platinum coaching services and answering right away- while we were jogging no less! Although I still believe she will will invest in my services, it was a wake-up call that I need to get better at waiting to present my fees. Even when asked on the spot.

Do You Think Like An Entrepreneur?

Sue Painter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:21:57 +0000

There have been many studies that try to answer the question “what makes an entrepreneur?” Sometimes, a client will ask me “do you think I will be a successful entrepreneur?” Here are some of the ways we are “different.” Take a peek and see how well you match up!

We have a different view about risk, luck, convention, and decision-making. We take risks quickly and easily, because we “get it” that one doesn’t move forward by always playing it safe. We tend not to believe in luck as much as we make our luck by following up consistently. We don’t think conventionally, we think “out of the box” and see new opportunities with those fresh eyes. And more than anything else, we are quick decision-makers. We realize that money likes speed and decisiveness!

At least one researcher finds that entrepreneurs keep themselves psychologically healthy, being willing to push against limiting beliefs. Additionally, we pay attention to the physical and spiritual side of our lives. (I need to remember that next time I don’t want to go swim, ha!)
We are the heroes of our own life. We meet challenges and overcome fear and inability, not being afraid to use our instincts and spontaneity.
We are optimistic, willing to take risks, have great ideas (and usually need others to help us implement them), are willing to work long hours to achieve our goals, and are very resilient. When things go wrong we learn from the failure and set right back with another tack.

Wow! I like the upbeat, savvy, positive feel of all these traits. If they describe you, you’re either already an entrepreneur or have dreams of going out on your own.

How To Do Tranformational Selling, Part Two

Sue Painter — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:08:29 +0000

Read Part One of How to Do Transformational Selling

Remember our couple who wanted the new $15,000 patio and outdoor entertainment area? (See How To Do Transformational Selling, Part One). I promised I would walk you through the steps of successful transformational selling and how it ties in to good customer relationships and collaborative marketing. Here’s what can happen when you are set up to sell this way.

Have an active customer and community relationship management system in place. If you’re good, you will work this in two ways. If the young couple is already in a business relationship with you, you will have achieved top of mind awareness that is so entrenched that they won’t even think of looking elsewhere, and you will also know that the couple has wanted this new patio area for a while. If the couple isn’t an existing customer, your community outreach program will be strong enough to encourage their looking at you even though you are not their current financial institution. And again, if you really know the people in your community, you will have heard that the couple wants a new patio for their home. Either way, your relationship building strategies have worked in that they’ve given you a shot at doing this deal.
Craft your offer based on transformational selling. This means that your advertising copy and sales conversation focuses heavily on what a new patio area will do for the couple. You use emotional triggers rather than logic, and you focus first and foremost on what the patio means to the couple. The delivery mechanism is secondary. Focus on how the patio area transforms the couple’s home, what the outcome of adding to their home will give them, the feelings that will come into play. Perhaps the couple wants the area to entertain. Perhaps they want it because they envision children playing out there in the near future. Your job is to know the emotional triggers and address them in copy and conversation. Help the couple to voice the vision that is in their mind, the unspoken emotions. What will it cost them if they decide not to build the patio area? Show the couple that you get and care about what this will do for them, how it will transform them.
Make sure that your transformational sales conversations are genuine – meaning that you are genuinely interested in this couple and want an ongoing relationship with them, whether they do business with you this time or not. Transformational selling requires true and ongoing customer relationship. Otherwise, it will sound insincere and manipulative and will most certainly drive the couple away.
Only after having the transformational conversation do you turn your attention to the delivery mechanism. Your delivery mechanism (amount of loan, interest rate, length of term) has to be competitive, but it does not have to be the very cheapest deal around. Remember that transformational selling is based on relationship. Customers who feel understood will decide based on relationship as well as the bottom line. If you have done your job well, your customer will do the deal and tell their friends, “We paid just a little more but we felt understood and know we will be taken care of if any problems come up.” That word of mouth will help you in subtle but powerful ways with other potential customers, too.

You can use transformational selling to build collaboration and great word-of-mouth as well as media. A great customer relationship system will continue to strengthen the bond with this couple long after the deal is done. What if, for instance, you followed the patio’s progress and when it neared completion you showed up with a new plant, a cooler on wheels, or a bottle of wine? Want even more play? Get a relationship going with the hardscape installer, and the two of you go in together to sponsor the first patio party for the couple. Got a photographer as a bank customer? Call him into the mix, too. Not only will the couple never forget their first party (giving you great word-of-mouth for years to come) but you have given the photographer a little business, built stronger relationship with the installer who might recommend you to others needing money for similar projects, and you can easily get local press – a picture in the paper with a mention of the three businesses who made this couple so happy.

Tranformational selling is a win all the way around. It is heartfelt as well as good business strategy, and it helps build and keep customer relationships strong. Add it into your sales strategies and watch what it does for your bottom line.

How To Do Transformational Selling, Part One

Sue Painter — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:08:56 +0000

Read Part Two of How to Do Transformational Selling

If you still believe that customers do deals with you because you are logically their best option, you are stuck in an old and inaccurate marketing model. The idea that rational thought is the prime motivator of consumer behavior was proven wrong in the mid 1990’s. People buy on emotion, not logic. This is actually a great advantage to small businesses. Why? For the most part, smaller businesses can easily do a much better job of knowing their customers and the emotional triggers their customers have at any given time. And once those emotions are known, smaller businesses can usually be more nimble and flexible in designing offerings to meet their customer needs.

There are two parts to an offer you make to a potential customer. One part is what the offer will do for that customer, how it will transform the customer. The second part is the delivery mechanism, or how the offer works. Transformational selling means that a business focuses their advertising copy on what the transaction does for the customer. This may sound like nothing new, but in fact I often see advertising copy, especially in financial institutions, that focus on numbers and logic. Focusing on the deal itself (how the numbers will work) means that you are focusing on the delivery mechanism. You are stuck with an outdated, ineffective sales model that won’t work for you as well as transformational selling.

Here’s an example – let’s say that a young couple wants to add a large outdoor patio and fire pit to their home. A hardscape expert has designed a perfect outdoor area for their yard, and the budget is $15,000. The couple is willing to take on debt to get what they want, so they are shopping for money. You, a small bank, would like to do the deal. What can you do to make that happen? There are 3 parts to successful transformational selling.

1) An ongoing and very active customer relationship program (often called a CRM system) which is genuine and truly caring.

2) A transformational selling offer based on the emotions (not logic) of what your customer wants.

3) A delivery mechanism (how you will do what you are proposing to sell) that is planned in advanced but not discussed until the transformational conversation has taken place.

Look for How To Do Transformational Selling, Part Two day after tomorrow. I’ll show you exactly how the imaginary banker I talked about above can nail shut the deal with her potential customer!

Tip: Make ’Em Laugh

Marty Marsh — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:45:09 +0000

Last night I joined a few hundred people at a rally in Palm Springs, CA to protest the California Supreme Court ruling upholding Prop 8. Out of about a half dozen or so speakers — all who had great things to say — there were two that really stood out and captured the full attention of the audience.

One was a high school girl who gave a fiery and heartfelt speech (that girl has a real future in politics) and the other was a fellow who was just plain funny. I was reminded that we seem to learn more and retain more of what someone is saying when they make us laugh.

Twenty years ago when I still had a “real” job I hired a guy to come in and teach my entire department how to use the page layout software program, QuarkXpress. The guy was hilarious and kept us in stitches the whole time he was teaching. But we all got it and we all became proficient in QuarkXpress really fast. I’ve never forgotten that guy either and as I — still to this day — use the many tips and tricks he taught us, I can remember the situation in which he taught us those things. Amazing. And all because he made us laugh.

So just remember that anytime you engage your audience with laughter you’ll have a leg up in the remembrance department.

Too bad this post is not funny in the least.

Strong Boundaries: The Cornerstone of Every Profitable Business

Sandra Martini — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:21:49 +0000

When was the last time a client called your cell phone after hours or sent you an email at 8pm and expected an answer by 9pm or didn’t pay you per your agreement? Or a vendor or coach took a week to answer an email?
If this is happening, it’s time to either set, or reaffirm, your boundaries.

What are boundaries?

Personally, I like to think of “boundaries” as “the standards around which I manage my business”. For example:

What are the hours you’re *at* work and take phone calls?

What are the terms under which you accept payment, and won’t work otherwise?

What happens when clients make an appointment and then don’t show? Do you let them reschedule?

What is an acceptable way for others to speak/write to you? If they’re frustrated, are you willing to be their punching bag? (Your answer better be NO! here.)

You get the idea.

Boundaries aren’t negative. They are an extension of you and communicate to your clients how you’re willing to do business with them.

That said, on the flip side, as a client, you should have boundaries or standards as well. For example:

What is an acceptable timeframe for your questions to be answered?

Do you prefer email, telephone or both as the situation dictates?

What is an acceptable way for others to speak/write to you? If they’re frustrated, are you willing to be their punching bag? (Your answer better be NO! here – and “yes”, this is a repeat of the above.)

If you’re a client hiring someone, you’ll want to know both your and their boundaries before you start doing business together.

After all, if, as the client, your standard is such that all questions must be answered within 48 hours and your coach/vendor doesn’t answer emails on Fridays or Mondays, the relationship may not be a good fit for you.

As the coach/vendor, it’s your responsibility to tell your clients what they can expect, before they become clients, so they can make a decision which will save you both time and frustration down the line.

It’s important that you have a set of boundaries or standards which you adhere to in working with others – doing so makes it easy to decide if you want to work with someone (either as client or coach/vendor). After all, they either meet your standards and *get* your boundaries, or they don’t.

Setting boundaries and standards which are true to you make you authentic. And holding true to those boundaries and standards makes you a person, a business, of integrity.

My Request to You

As a coach/vendor: Ensure your client agreements accurately describe your turnaround times, any days you don’t work, payment terms, etc. so your clients can make informed decisions on working with you.

As a client: Ensure that the boundaries of your coaches and vendors are in sync with your wants and needs in order to get the most of each relationship.

In the end, it’s about respect for one another and the way we do business.

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

Elevator Speech Made Easy

Alicia Smith — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Write a 7 – 10 word elevator speech and say it out loud 30 times today. Many people talk about a 30 second elevator speech but most people find that too hard to do. It also makes people uncomfortable since it can seem so canned and sales-like.

So today, in a very concise yet provocative way, let people know what you do for others in only 7 – 10 words. With your elevator speech, you will want to speak it not from the perspective of who you are but what you can do for your clients/customers. Examples are provided below.

Since the spoken word is different than the words we read it’s vital that you practice this out loud. As you do, you’ll notice subtle changes will get made to your elevator speech. Make note of them and continue to practice until it rolls off your tongue with no effort.

You may even want to record your elevator speech and see how you sound. Does it sound right? Do you need to change your tone? The key is to have it be so natural when you speak it out load that people will respond well.

Today you also need to look in the local newspaper and local business journals for upcoming networking events and prepare to attend. You can find your local business journal by doing a search on Google. This is an upcoming post so we want you to be prepared with a place to go. When you attend it will be the perfect place for you to debut your elevator speech!

Examples: (a few of these will be 11-12 words…the goal is to say it quickly and easily.)

Hair Stylist: “I help men and women look and feel fantastic.”

Mortgage Broker: “I help people buy their dream home at an affordable price.”

Massage Therapist: “I help reduce stress and soothe aching muscles.”

Certified Financial Planners: “I help my customers increase their net worth exponentially. ”

Accountant: “I help people save thousands of dollars annually on their taxes.”

Business Consultant: “I help people start a business or grow an existing business.”

Marketing Consultant: “I help people get more clients and keep the ones they have.”

Banker: “I help people grow their money quickly and safely.”

Travel Agent: “I help people take the vacation of their dreams.”

What’s yours?

Alicia
Alicia Smith, DiSC Ninja™

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