Category: Building Relationships

Harnessing the Power of Conversational Marketing — Part One

Consider this scenario: You arrive at an after-work cocktail party. You see Joan from the office heading in your direction. Mark, another co-worker, walks in behind you. Who do you speak to first? From past experience, you know Joan will talk about her winning golf game, her genius son, and the long hours she’s been putting in for the company. You also know her eyes will be scanning the room throughout the conversation.

Are You an Influencer?

In this day and age, positioning yourself as an expert in your field is an important step in increasing your influence. When you are an “influencer,” you have advantages in business. I believe in constantly meeting people and being open to learning from them and influencing them so that you are memorable, and you remember them.

Who’s Holding the Monkey?

Recently, I attended a conference and met a vendor whose services interested me. The vendor’s sales representative said to me, "Here, I’ll give you my card, and you can send me your email address, then I’ll send you some information.” Hmm, I thought. I wonder how much money this company is investing to have this sales person at this show. I was totally flabbergasted that he didn’t just offer to take my card and send me a follow-up message.

To Do Lists for Extreme Extroverts: Make it About Who to Talk to Rather than Things to Do

I admit it. I am an extreme extrovert. I love talking to people, meeting new people, connecting with people and having fun with people. For me, life is about the people I know, the people I admire, and ultimately the people I love. So, when I organize my ‘to do’ list as a 'people to talk to' list, it’s a lot more palatable.

How Are You Broadening Your Professional Network?

I spent some time this week with my friend Sue Boardman, who is vice president of sales at MassPay, a payroll management company. She is a sales powerhouse and is always working on moving clients from prospects to leads to actual customers.

Nine LinkedIn Tips for Personal Branding Success

Every professional needs to have a LinkedIn profile since, as a career networking platform, it is growing more and more important every day for making career connections.

Tips for Promoting an Event

Connecting one on one with readers at live events is one of the best ways to build relationships and reader loyalty. Decide how much time you want to spend on the road for your book tour. Be sure to contact local media to generate publicity for each of your stops!

Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness

In business as in life, it pays to be memorable. Of course, you want to be remembered for the right things. Have you thought about what you’d like to be remembered for?

All Business is By and Between People

There is nothing more compelling in business or in life than a bright smiling face with an open attitude of warmth and acceptance. If we have the opportunity to do business with a happy, smiling professional we know, like and trust, or another professional we don’t know anything about, we are most likely going to go with what we know.

Use Social Media as Headphones, Not a Microphone

Social media is a great way to broaden your network and attract new customers and clients. But most people think of social media as a way to broadcast their news, not as a listening tool to hear what people are thinking.