Sometimes I hear words of wisdom that I can’t help but share with others. And this is one of those times. At a referral group meeting this week a member shared a blog post from the best-selling author and keynote speaker, Jon Gordon. The core message was the importance of relationships, particularly in business, but…
Value
It’s easy to get caught up in the financial realities of our jobs: revenue goals, profit margins, quotas, pipelines. But at the end of the day, we need to ask ourselves, “What is the common denominator of all these?” The answer? People. It’s essentially people that build your revenue goals, profit, quotas, and pipelines. The…
Brand Yourself
I feel like a broken record sometimes when I talk with my children. Constantly repeating myself, hoping that sooner or later the message will sink in. One of the common themes of these “talks” involves how they brand themselves in the circles that they travel, whether it’s at school, in sports, volunteering, or babysitting. It…
Pay It Forward
Sometimes we just know we may never have a referral for someone who travels in our business circles. Or maybe we are able to help someone with a particular business need with advice, a great referral, or personal reference, but we know that the likelihood of reciprocation is small. In both situations, we can still…
Beyond Networking
To really get the most out of your networking activities, it’s important to invest time in ways that allow you really get to know other people. Simply showing up at Business After Hours or Luncheons isn’t enough. These types of events don’t happen frequently enough to build relationships that turn into referrals. But, by getting…
“3,2,1…Action!”
Okay, so you have a website. While that may be a great starting point, that’s the standard in today’s market. It’s like watching your favorite movie on a regular television without the big screen and the surround sound. It might be the same movie, but you will experience it far differently. The same can be…
Are You Prepared?
Remember the days of interviewing for that first big job and all the extra research you did on the company you were meeting with? There were reasons you went to all that extra trouble, but do you remember why? I’m sure that we could all agree that there were several reasons, so let’s list a…
Wall Flower Marketing Doesn’t Work
Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. While attending an event last month I found myself talking with someone who, after several minutes into our conversation, said, “You know, I almost wasn’t going to come tonight. The last time I was here I just stood by myself and no one came up to talk…
Call Me Maybe
Carly Rae Jepsen said it perfectly with her hit song, “Call Me Maybe,” this year. Whether you like the song or frankly can’t stand to hear it on the radio one more time, it does have a very important marketing message we can all learn from. How many times have you been to a networking…