Carol Bentley

Sometimes we forget that we can’t be ‘all things to all men’. And sometimes it is better to concentrate on our strengths and limit our apparent weaknesses by asking for help when we need it.

And it doesn’t matter if the help we ask for is expert knowledge to achieve what we’re aiming at or encouragement and belief from our family and friends to reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves.

Many businesses fail because the owner cannot be the expert in everything that is needed to make a business successful. Their passion is usually the service or product they are supplying; that’s where their inherent knowledge lies. But sometimes a business fails because the owner does not know:

• how to create and implement a business strategy
• how to market their business
• how to get sales
• how to control their finances properly
• how to handle customer support effectively
• how to build a website and get it seen by their prospective customers

And a host of other related issues that crop up in business.

And the person that tries to handle all these on their own is creating a huge millstone for themselves.

Getting The Help Needed

The person who asks for help in the area they do not have experience in is showing wisdom. In the early days of a business the funding probably isn’t there to opt for outsourcing.

That’s where networking - talking to like-minded people, offering help and asking for help comes in. And networking can be online and offline.

Offline frequently takes the form of business clubs or groups, chambers of commerce, business support groups - different ones in different countries - and master groups.

Online help is available through forums, discussion boards and blogs, like this one. And sharing those resources can be your gesture of help.

Will you help others?

So - I’d like to ask your help for those people who read this blog.

Which are the most useful online websites you’ve found? And why?

Share your experiences of where you’ve found helpful people who’ve answered your questions and given freely of their expertise - or maybe forums where you already contribute your expertise to help others. In fact if you have a business related blog that I haven’t already discovered, now is the time to let me and everyone else know.

Click the comments link below and tell us all about the support you’ve found, or given, on the net. And, if I believe it is a valuable resource for my other readers, your comment will be approved and will show on this blog.

Thank you in advance for participating and sharing.

~ Carol Bentley

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A few years ago I joined the online networking website LinkedIn. Did you? Have you gained anything by being a member?

I can’t say I’ve noticed any particular benefit but I think I’ve been missing an important point here.

You see, over the last few months I’ve been checking how social bookmarking and online networking helps business growth - specifically by encouraging traffic to web sites.

A great many of the bookmarking and networking websites are geared towards the social aspects of interaction. But LinkedIn is, supposedly, geared more towards business networking, which makes more sense to me.

But how to use it? I’m still exploring that, but I wanted to share what I’d discovered so far with you. And this is something that is particularly interesting to anyone selling to the larger companies.

Jill Konrath (I’m sure you remember Jill from my earlier posts) decided to ask the LinkedIn community how being a member had helped them in their business because, like me she hadn’t seen any advantage to being a member. She created a report based on the answers she got. In her report she cites 8 case studies from people who have used LinkedIn to enhance their business activities, as well as passing on some useful tips she received on how to use LinkedIn.

Her report has certainly opened my eyes; and at just 14 pages it’s definitely a worthwhile read.

You can download it for free (she doesn’t even ask you to subscribe to anything, but I’d strongly recommend visiting her blog page at Selling To Big Companies).

Get Jill’s report at http://tinyurl.com/4e293g

Share Your LinkedIn Experiences

Do you have a story to tell about being a member of LinkedIn? Have you made a useful connection? Or got some valuable research from it?

Use the comment link below to tell us what you experienced.

~ Carol Bentley

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Have you come across Twitter? There’s a lot of interest in Twittering; lots of people are getting involved. I can understand how it helps people communicate on a regular basis - especially socially. It certainly seems popular with younger people, almost as an adjunct to their mobile texting.

But how can that help in a business environment?

Well - it depends upon your business, how close a relationship you have with your customers or clients and how interested they are in what you are doing and vice versa. And, of course, it depends upon how open you like to be. I don’t think twittering suits anyone who prefers to be really private.

But I see it as a natural extension to blogging. It is in effect a micro-blogging facility.

The idea is to post short comments on what you are doing. Or where you are, or something you’ve found that was interesting that you want to talk about. It is an effective way of keeping in touch with people you care about and sharing your discoveries.

Mind you - it is also a good test of writing concisely - you only have 140 characters for each post! Now that will be an interesting challenge

So I’ve just opened a twitter account at http://twitter.com/Carol_Bentley and popped a few people on my ‘following’ list.

I’ll let you know how it goes… unless you want to experience it for yourself. If you do, go to http://twitter.com/Carol_Bentley and click the Follow button under my photo.

~ Carol Bentley

Right - so you know all you need to know about your target market. You’ve got a fine-tuned understanding of your ideal prospect; you know their age; their gender; income range; whether they’re employed or retired (for consumer marketing); where they’re likely to live and what type of accommodation they have.

You know what interest’s them; hobbies; reading habits;beliefs and opinions, ethical stance and purchasing habits - maybe.

Pardon? Did you say you’re selling to business and you don’t need all this personal detail?

Ok-ay, tell me who makes the decision to buy from you? The ‘business’ or a person at the business; owner, Director, Buying Manager or other decision maker?

Whoever makes that decision in your favour does so for a variety of reasons and one of the points that can heavily influence the outcome is do they think “I like [your name]; I feel I can trust his (or her) advice and I’m confident he / she has my best interests at heart.”

I’m sure you’ve heard it dozens of times but it’s true… you have to build a relationship in order to get the sale.

But let’s say you can’t get up close & personal with your prospect. How do you create a relationship then - how do you appeal to your target audience?

By reaching out in other ways. By freely giving good advice; advice that your prospect can use. Advice such as:

• Crucial facts he needs to be aware of before making a decision; whether that decision is in your favour or not. (Free reports or case studies are good for this)
• Clearly explaining what your product or service is suitable for - describing the features and how they work
• And just as clearly stating when it is not appropriate; be honest about limitations or situations where your offer is inappropriate
• Recommending an alternative supplier you know and trust when your product or service does not quite fit the bill, rather than trying to compromise

Now don’t get upset about that last suggestion… at first glance it may look as if you’re driving business away, but that is not always the case.

Think about it; When you recommend an apparent competitor you are demonstrating you’re confident enough about what you supply to be absolutely straight and up-front about it. You’re displaying a strong ethic of ‘the customer’s interest comes first’- that gives you kudos in your prospect’s eyes. Do you think there’s a good chance your prospect will tell people they know about your honesty and trustworthiness? And recommend you to people who are looking for what you offer? I’m certain it will happen because it has for me.

Plus - if you have a canny business mind I’m sure you can see the possibilities here…

You see, there is always a certain proportion of the enquiries you get that you are not able to satisfy; you don’t match what the customer is looking for. Your ‘competitor’ does.

And your competitor will have enquirers they can’t convert into business that you could make very happy.

Agreeing to direct those unconverted enquiries to each other can create a win-win situation for you both. And, if you agree an introductory commission beforehand for any business realised, it won’t matter if there seems to be more traffic going one way.

Who in your industry or profession could you set up an arrangement like this with? Or perhaps you already have a similar understanding? Share your thoughts with other visitors to this blog.

~ Carol Bentley

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In a previous post ( 4 easy steps to authorship) I explained how a tips booklet can be used as a highly effective marketing tool. A comment on that post asked about PDF (e-books) and how they fared. It is a valid question, especially with so many businesses expanding their web presence.

Creating and gifting a PDF tips booklet, report, ‘how to’ manual or book containing any valuable information is a proven method of attracting subscribers and enquiries via a web site. I have done that myself with free e-business reports and e-articles in the past.

I also know, as I’m sure you do too, many people who have successfully promoted their business purely through e-books.

The only caveat to a PDF is that it is relatively easy to create and is very inexpensive to produce and put out into the market place. Nothing wrong with that… except that in some circumstances the quality of content and presentation may not be as good as in a published document.

And for some reason people’s perception of someone who has actually written and published a book - is an author - is quite different to any other sort of writer (at least that seems to be the case here in the UK).

So although the PDF allows you to get good and useful information out to your prospects, I personally don’t think it gives you quite the same kudos as being a published author.

What I do recommend is that when you print-publish a booklet or book, consider creating a PDF version too and think about how it can be used creatively to improve your market strength.

And of course, once you have got a book (or books) published you can certainly just use PDF e-books to distribute further material or new books, as Steven King has done.

Now - this is my personal view of the reasons for publishing a book. What do you think? Do you have a very different experience you would like to share?

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: copywriting business tips marketing

May I ask a favour?

Following the adage ‘Actions speak louder than words’ I’ve taken up Rich Shefren’s challenge to produce a 66 seconds video, whilst saying something worthwhile about his powerfully informative report The Attention Age Doctrine 2.

And it was a real challenge - especially as my normal mode of communication is long, explanatory and valuable information-packed letters, adverts or articles!!

But it was done - and within the designated time-scale. So here’s the favour I’m asking…

I need your support

Will you gift me 10 minutes of your valuable time to visit this video site, play the clip and then vote?

The clip is only 66 seconds long and voting is done through Digg and Sphinn (there are instructions on how to vote).  So, I think it may take you about 10 minutes. You have to play the clip for your vote to count.

Then - and this is where the power of what the report talks about comes into action - please ask your friends and business colleagues if they would do the same.

Now why should you or they bother, except as a favour to me and you? Because they too can download the free report I’m describing in the clip and gain valuable marketing insights. Plus - there are some brilliant prizes for voters to gain too.

Why do I want to get a good result? Because it will show the power of peer recommendation, which is something we all need to embrace more in business, and I can share the experience with you and explore how it fits with copywriting. And I’d quite like to walk away with the accolade of getting a hit!

Thank you for your support and for ’spreading the word’. I’ll let you know how it progresses in future postings on this blog.

~ Carol Bentley

The next time you go to a business meeting, where people are handing out their business cards, take a closer look.

Let’s assume you don’t know any of these people or their businesses in any great depth.

Does their card tell you what they do? And if it is clear, such as for an accountant or solicitor/lawyer (attorney for our US cousins), what makes them stand out from all the other cards you have for people in the same profession? Do you know instantly exactly why they are different and what benefits you could enjoy by doing business with them?

Now look at your business card? What does it say about you? About your company?

Is there a clear message that describes what you offer and the results you deliver? If your answer is “No” you are missing a vital marketing opportunity…

Having said that, the content of your business card depends very much upon how you use it. If you only ever present it to clients or prospects you’ve spent some time with then the minimum amount of information is all you need. That’s because these people already know you and the purpose of your card is purely to serve as a reminder of your contact details.

But if you attend business meetings, networking with other business people (as we’ve been discussing over the past few weeks of posts) then your card has to fulfil a completely different purpose. It has to work harder for you.

The challenge you, and your business card, is facing is making sure the people you meet briefly do remember you and are able to distinguish you from other businesses who apparently offer the same type of product or service. What makes you stand out?

You want to know that when someone else returns to their office or place of business and glances through the, possibly hundreds, of business cards they’ve collected, yours gives a complete picture.

Now I don’t mean it has to be a vivid colour, or a garish design or have wacky graphics on it (although if this is appropriate for your business that’s fine).

What it does need is information that clearly explains why you are the ‘go-to’ company for whatever business you are in.

What Does Your Business Card Say About You?

• Does it clearly show what you do or offer? (Your Company name / logo may not be explicit enough).
• Does it give a testimonial from a happy client/customer?
• Is your photo on there?
• What’s on the back of your card - it isn’t blank - is it?

When I explained to a client the business card is a marketing tool and should include a photo, his response was “I don’t want my ugly mug on there” (actually he’s quite good looking, but modest). I told him being a ’shrinking violet’ was not going to help his business to grow. The intention of the photo is to make your card stand out and make it easier for people to remember you afterwards.

Plus, if you send your card with your literature (and a letter) in the post it gives the person receiving it a sense of confidence they are dealing with a ‘real person’ – not an anonymous company. Remember ‘people buy from people’ no matter what size company they own or work for.

The Alternative to Your Photo

If, like my client, you really feel embarrassed about having your photo on your card – try this idea:

Get a photo of you with a happy, smiling client/customer. Ask their permission to use the photo and a testimonial from them in your marketing. Make sure the testimonial is specific, not “Great company, would use again” but something like

“I had problem with the manufacturing costs of our main product line, but the productivity solutions you provided reduced our costs by 31.6% and turned it into one of our more profitable lines”.

Put the photo, with the testimonial underneath, on your card. (N.B. if you are a guy get a female customer to pose with you and vice versa).

Designing Your Card

You may decide to get a graphic designer to create the layout for your card. Regardless of who comes up with the design this is what your card should include:

Front:

• Company name
• Your name / position
• Your contact details
• Your photo*
• A descriptive strapline

Your descriptive strapline is a single ‘headline’ style sentence that encapsulates what your business does. (It could be your 1-liner from your elevator speech that we talked about in the post Your wow! introduction). And of course, this is where your copywriting skills come to the fore

Back:

• Your marketing message: a description of what you offer.
• Testimonial(s) from happy clients/customers (with photo if you don’t like your photo on the front)
• Key benefits you deliver

If you are planning to use your cards extensively at business and networking meetings include some space for people to make a note:

We met at……………. On (date)…………….

We spoke about………………………………………..

* If you decide to use a photo with testimonial on the back of your card then you don’t need the photo on the front.

Make Your Card More Memorable

Another way to make your card stand out from the crowd is to have a tri-fold card, just slightly bigger than the normal business card size, and include some useful tips or expert advice. People are more inclined to keep a card that has some valuable information on it and it demonstrates your expertise.

In the next post I’m going to describe things you shouldn’t do with your business cards - especially if yours is a start-up company.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business networking business tips copywriting

In my post Do people remember you? I promised another example of an elevator speech and powerful insights to making your elevator speech ‘hit the hot spot’- so here goes…

Have you ever been introduced to someone and when you ask what they do they’ve replied “Oh, I’m an accountant” or “I’m a solicitor/lawyer (attorney in the US)” or “I’m a financial adviser”. Ya-awn! Bo-oring!

Did you know there are different aspects to accountancy, finance and the law that can be quite fascinating? No, really! But only if they hit your hot-spot. Because when someone says ‘accountant’ or ‘financial adviser’ it is so-oo easy to assume we already know all there is to know, isn’t it?

But how about…

“Well, you know how some business owners are just too busy to keep an eye on the financial aspects of their business, which means they are often paying too much tax or worse, missing the danger signs of the business heading for insolvency, don’t you?”

“What I do is keep an eye on the business finance, save on taxes and provide timely management reports, which means the business owner can still keep their finger ‘on the profit pulse’ whilst driving their business growth.”

Don’t you think that sounds more interesting than “I’m an accountant”?

And once you’ve got your main ‘Elevator Speech’ sorted you can distil it down into a 1-liner like this!

“I stop companies over-paying on taxes!”

Developing Your Own Elevator Speech

Find the answers to these questions and you have the start of your elevator speech.

Step 1: What is the real problem you solve for people? If not a problem, how do you enhance their life or experience – home, personal, health, wealth or business?

If you’re not sure, ask your existing customers or clients what problem they were specifically looking to resolve when they purchased from you.

Step 2: What is the consequence of this problem or lack of something? Are they losing sales? Friends? Income? Home comforts? Experiencing embarrassment? Financial loss? Or loss of status? Again, ask your existing customers if you are not clear about the ‘which means…’

Step3: What do you supply (product or service) that addresses this need? How can you resolve their problem?

Step 4: What benefits do your customers enjoy? What are the consequences of taking advantage of what you offer? Are they happier, richer, healthier, more profitable or more productive?

Now hone the answers you’ve got into short, succinct statements and precede each with the template words:

Step 1 “You know how…
Step 2 “Which means …
Step 3 “Well, what I do is…
Step 4 “Which means …

Use the template I’ve created to help you formulate your introduction speech - if you provide solutions for different problems or situations, craft a different speech for each one. You can get your PDF template here.

Nuances to Consider

A few things to keep in mind;

1) Always say “You know how some people/companies/businesses…” Nobody likes to be told they’ve got it wrong.

You have to be subtle; saying some people or some companies implies it’s a problem other people or companies have – not you or the person you are speaking to. If he identifies with the situation you describe he can ask questions and if he doesn’t, you haven’t insulted him by implying he has that lack.

2) Being an observant sort of person, you probably noticed in the examples I included the words “don’t you?” at the end of the first ‘which means’, didn’t you? Including these words gets the other person nodding his head (or thinking “Yes”) in agreement with you. It involves him in what you are saying, starts to create rapport and opens him up for the ’solution’ you are about to describe.

3) Be specific wherever possible. If you can quote figures that catch people’s attention it makes your speech more memorable and people seek you out to learn more.

The figures you quote, which must be truthful because you may be asked to substantiate them, makes your speech far more credible and intriguing.

Develop and Practice

Work on the real solutions you offer, especially if you can identify something that is unique to you or your company. And use the speech whenever you can. At first you will feel awkward giving this little ’speech’. But after practising and saying it a few times it becomes more natural.

At this stage you might be tempted to change the wording. Apart from trimming it down to an impressive 1-liner, do be careful – the structure is important. You don’t want to lose the opportunity to intrigue new people you are introduced to, and gaining the possibility of expanding your business contacts and your profitability. Creating a very ‘woolly’ version of this powerful technique could decimate your opportunities.

In my next post I reveal Your Hidden Marketing Tool… until then keep working on your Elevator Speech and, if you would like to share yours, feel free using the comments link below… you never know someone who reads this blog might be looking for exactly what you offer!

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: marketing business tips copywriting networking

Are you memorable? When someone asks “What do you / your company do?” is your answer instantly forgettable? Or do you find their eyes start to glaze over as they switch off because they think they’ve heard it all before.

If so, then it may be an opportunity lost for you.

Imagine - what if you say something that makes them ask “Really? Tell me more…” now you have a great chance to shine and maybe forge new, profitable business relationships.

This is where having a powerful, succinct – perhaps even intriguing – elevator speech works magic for you.

The idea is very simple, but extremely effective. Use your copywriting skills to give yourself a powerful or intriguing introduction. Get people to ask for more information – rather than ‘switching off’.

The name; ‘Elevator Speech’ originates from the US and refers to the time it would take to ‘ride the elevator’ to the top of a high-rise building – about 30 seconds.

And that’s about the maximum amount of time you have to keep someone’s attention after they ask “What do you do?” (sometimes even less, but I’ll explain how to handle that in another post). If your answer is boring or long-winded he starts looking for a way to ‘escape’ from you.

There are many ‘elevator speech’ structures and theories around. I first came across this particular one at a Jay Abraham’s seminar in London in 1994. It was introduced by one of his co-presenters and the structure made it so easy for a beginner to use.

The ‘speech’ has 4 specific elements:

• “You know how…”
• “Which means …”
• “Well, what I do is…”
• “Which means …”

I thought this was such a brilliant way of introducing yourself I enthusiastically ‘spread the word’ amongst my own business colleagues.

And something suddenly struck me… an awful lot of them just ‘didn’t get it’.

Oh, they got the idea OK, and they seemed to understand the principle. But when they tried to put it into practice for themselves they either went on for too long (in some cases the lift could have gone up and down a dozen times before they finished!) or they missed the point of highlighting a serious problem and demonstrating a solution with a real benefit or an intriguing notion.

Let me tell you about one example…

I’d agreed to give a presentation on business networking with a good friend and business colleague of mine, who organises corporate events and exhibitions and offers training on how to get the most out of attending an exhibition.

Our presentation was at an important business meeting. Now, Chris is absolutely brilliant at networking, but he hadn’t come across the ‘Elevator Speech’ before. We decided it would be a good tool to share with the delegates and Chris agreed to write his own Elevator Speech as a demonstration.

This is what he came up with…

“You know how some business people attend exhibitions but don’t know how to work their stands”
“Which means they don’t get the business contacts they need”
“Well, what I do is train them how to work the stand properly”
“Which means they get new business from the exhibition”

Although this was OK; it does actually describe what Chris does for the exhibiting company, it is unlikely to hit any ‘hot buttons’ for anyone listening.

You see, the first statement “You know how…” must reveal a hot problem – whether real or perceived. Chris’ first attempt just didn’t state a problem people could identify with.

So what is the real problem businesses see in exhibiting?

Well, for smaller businesses there is a barrier to taking part in exhibitions (at least there is here in the UK, maybe elsewhere as well). Entrepreneurs and business owners find it difficult to justify spending the money and time on an exhibition.

And it is purely because they don’t have a clue of how to get the most out of it. Chris does – he and his associates have over 50 years of experience between them. So the ‘real’ problem here is not ‘how to work the stand‘ it’s ‘how to justify spending the money on an exhibition stand‘.

After talking it through, this is what we came up with:

“You know how some businesses regard exhibitions as a complete waste of time and effort because they never seem to get any extra business, which means they don’t exhibit and lose out on the opportunity to make a high number of business contacts in a comparatively short time, don’t you?”

“Well, what I do is train business people on how to prepare for the exhibition beforehand, how to work their stand on the day and follow-up afterwards, which means they maximise their opportunity to make good contacts in a focussed environment, know how to follow-up and get good sales results by exhibiting, making the exhibition a cost effective way of increasing business and profit.”

It needed more refining – but the perceived problem for prospective exhibitors had been established.

I’ll show you how to create your own elevator speech and give you some important insights on how to make yours even more powerful… plus you can download the template to help you create your money-making introduction. That’s all in tomorrow’s post.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business tips copywriting networking

The lifeblood of many businesses is their satisfied customer base. These are the people who can act as ambassadors by recommending you to others.

Other people who can also refer you are the contacts in your business network circle. Which is why you attend business events; to meet new people.

So now, your network is growing. You know lots of different business people and you are getting to know what they can deliver. And, of course, they are getting to know you and what you offer.

But does everyone know everything about you and what your business provides? And do you know all there is to know about your contacts?

You need to know all this if you are going to seize every opportunity to build even stronger business relationships, which results in more sales…

Create Your Referral Matrix

The simplest way to keep an eye on what is developing is to create a Referral Matrix. The concept is very simple. The Referral Matrix gives you an ‘At-a-Glance’ picture of the progress of your business relationships.

Do this for your own contacts and services/products and another for your contact’s products.

Let’s start with your services and products:

1) Take a piece of paper.

2) Draw a grid shape. You need enough columns going across to list all your products and services in the top row; show one product/service at the top of each column, starting from the second column.

3) In the first column of the rows going down list your contacts or customers.

4) Choose 3 different, strong, colours. One represents ‘Told’, another for ‘Sold’ and the third for ‘Referred’

5) When you tell a contact about one of your products; you have supplied information so you know he is fully aware of it, mark the colour for ‘Told’ against that company in the column for the specific product/service you’ve explained. (I suggest filling in a third of the box).

6) When a contact has bought that product/service from you add the ‘Sold’ color – you now have two thirds of the box completed.

7) When a contact recommends your product / service to someone else; ‘refers you’, fill in the ‘Referred’ colour.

Some of the boxes may have the Told and Referred, but not the Sold colour.

Now you can see, at a glance, which of your contacts do not know about some of your products (in which case you can inform them) and, just as importantly, if they have been informed whether they have bought from you or referred you to someone else.

Create a similar chart for each of your ‘Hot’ business contacts – those you have a close working relationship with.

By doing this you take a pro-active stance to recommending their services to other people you know and you’ll know if they offer something you may need in the future.

Taking such a close interest in your business contacts helps you build strong relationships.

What’s more you gain a good reputation for being the ‘person who knows who to contact’ and your business networking circle grows.

A Free Gift For You…

This works really well on a spreadsheet, such as Excel, using the conditional formatting feature. I have created a spreadsheet with the chart set up ready to use.

In fact the file, which I call the Opportunity Matrices, contains 3 spreadsheets: 1 to use purely for referrals within your business contacts circle, another to use for checking what your current customers know about everything you offer and the third is a Price Research spreadsheet. Use the latter to compare your prices against your competitors - it is a useful tool when you are launching a new product or service or revising your pricing structure.

I’ve also written a PDF file that explains how I created the spreadsheets - so you can do the same if you wish - and describes how to use them.

Get your copy using the request below (free and with no obligation):

You will be asked to confirm your request - I have to do this to avoid spamming problems.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: selling techniques marketing business resources

You’ve had a successful business networking meeting. You’ve gathered dozens, maybe more, business cards. You remembered to make notes on the cards to remind you about the person you met. Now what?

In my early years in business I’d attend business meetings or events and happily gather up the business cards being handed out. When I got back to the office I’d follow up with a few people, who I’d spoken to specifically, but the rest of the cards were put to one side.

Because I went to so many gatherings I soon built up a huge pile of business cards - do you do that?

The problem was for the majority of them I hadn’t got a clue who had given it to me (the names didn’t really mean anything) or what the company did (I wasn’t very good at making notes on the cards then either ).

Sound familiar?

Follow-up is important and before you do that… it helps to get organised… and that’s what this technique helps with - I can’t remember who told me about it - but it works really well.

1) Sort through your cards and split into 3 distinct piles; Hot, Warm and Cold…

HOT: These are the people who you have arranged to contact, either because they want information from you or you have thought of someone you can put them in touch with or you need something from them. They are the people you are probably more keen to create a business relationship with.

WARM: These are the people who you believe you could do business with, either selling or purchasing, in the future. But you have no strong reason to contact them immediately.

COLD: These are the people who have no direct connection with what you offer; cannot provide a service or product you need and do not easily bring to mind anyone you could connect them with.

2) Take action with the cards you’ve sorted:

HOT: Contact each person and arrange to meet for coffee or a more formal meeting. Or drop in with the information he/she has requested from you. Or ask for the information you need from them. Remember, if you are supplying information personal delivery makes a good impression.

WARM: Write a letter or email to each person, reminding him/her where you met and what you talked about (actually what THEY talked about is better). Make sure your message talks about him/her and, if you do mention what you offer, make sure you write from their point of view and highlight the benefits your service or product provides.

Have a look at the example letter I give out when I’m speaking on this subject at a business event. Feel free to download it and adopt it for your business.

By the way - because everyone uses email these days, you really stand out if you send a personally written letter. Plus you don’t have to be concerned about whether or not your email will get through their spam filtering system.

COLD: There is no reason to keep these business cards – so discard them.

3) Keep a close eye on the progress you make with the contacts whose details you’ve decided to keep… create a chart that shows how you are developing the relationship. (See my next post: Refer, Refer and Be Referred)

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: networking business tips copywriting

Before I get into this morning’s post, I’d like to say ‘Happy Thanksgiving‘ to my visitors from the US. I hope it’s a good one for you and your family.

Moving on. . .

Do you attend business networking meetings? Yes? Why?

Most people, when asked that question, reply “To meet people I could possibly do business with.” And yet very often these business people don’t prepare before the meeting or make the most of the meeting itself.

Here are 8 rules for making connections at your business networking meetings…

Before the Meeting

1) Prepare before you attend. Is this the right meeting for you? Will the people attending be either your target prospects or target suppliers?

2) What’s your purpose in attending? Do you want to find 3 new business contacts you can nurture for sales? Or do you need a new supplier for a particular product or service?

3) If possible get an attendee list before the event.

4) Go through the list and mark the people or companies you are interested in, either as a prospect or supplier.

At The Meeting

5) Learn as much as you can about the people you meet (see the article “Creating Rapport with People You Meet”). Find out how you can help them to find prospects (you create a feeling of gratitude and they make more effort to find contacts for you). Ask “Who/what is your ideal customer?”

6) When meeting other business people ask yourself “Do I know anyone who would be a useful contact for this person, as a prospect or supplier?”

7) Introduce people you have met to others you know at the meeting. Make it easier for them to meet people they don’t know… again they appreciate you and warm towards you. And, of course, the other person also respects you for your consideration.

Collect the business cards of people who you want to create a relationship with; prospect or supplier. Make notes on the cards: the meeting or event name, date & venue, any comments the other person made that could be useful and, if it is not obvious on their card, what their business is.

Remember it is more important to collect cards rather than give yours out. When you collect cards you stay in control because you can make the next contact. If you give your card out, you have to wait for the other person to get in touch with you – and that may never happen.

(Some of these actions will be familiar to you if you read my earlier post - it’s the same advice I give to people who are new to business networking).

The next most important activity is what you do after the meeting. Ah, but that’s the subject of a future post.

I mentioned in Monday’s post that tomorrow this blog is exactly 1-month old. I also said there would be a gift for my regular readers.

Actually there are two!

Make sure you see tomorrow’s gifts post - the post notice will be sent out at about 10.00 a.m.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business networking business tips marketing

Active business networking gets results for most types of businesses.

But when you are new to networking, either as a start-up business or as a responsibility in your new job, it can be very scary going to a meeting of business people. Here are 9 tips for networking newbies…

Make the meeting as easy as possible for yourself:

1) Contact the host or organiser, explain you are new to this and would like some help. Ask if you can have a copy of the attendee list BEFORE the meeting.

2) When you get the list, check if there is anyone on the list you know; or a business that your company deals with.

3) Then check who you would like to make contact with; who you would like to meet.

4) Arrange to be introduced: If you find someone (or a company) you know on the list, give him/her a call and ask if he knows the people you want to meet. If he does, ask if he would mind introducing you at the meeting. You now have someone you can talk to immediately you arrive (the person you’ve just called) and you have a goal to meet someone new, in a safe environment when you are introduced.

If you do not recognise any names on the list, call your host/organiser and ask if he/she would introduce you to the people you want to meet.

5) Arrive early. It is a lot easier to greet people as they arrive and have them join YOU, than it is to arrive later and then try to ‘break into’ conversations that have already started.

6) When you are introduced to someone make a point to remember his/her name.

7) Ask questions about him (or her); his interests; how long he’s been in that business; what’s his biggest challenge; what advice would he give to someone like you, who is new to networking (he’ll feel flattered you’ve asked). And actively listen to his answer (look out for the post: Networking Meetings - Creating Rapport with People You Meet in a couple of days).

When you are asked a question, such as “What do you do?” have a succinct, but preferably intriguing, answer. Don’t launch into a full presentation. (Look out for the post: Profitable Business Networking: Part 1 ‘The Power of The Elevator Speech’ and Profitable Business Networking: Part 2 ‘Creating Your Elevator Speech’).

9) Remember – networking is about creating relationships, so consider how you can help the people you meet – and that does not always mean by selling something to him (or her). Think about who you can introduce him to; people who need his services or products, or can supply something he has expressed an interest in that you are not able to supply.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business networking business tips marketing

In business you are personally at one of two levels:

1. You are well known within your industry, profession or generally. And your company is a household name. You need no introduction because people already know you by reputation. People such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson fall into this category.
2. You and your company are known by the people you deal with (suppliers and customers) and the people you target in your marketing (maybe). If you attend a business seminar or business networking meeting there is every chance you will meet people who don’t already know you and don’t know you by reputation.

If you fall into category 2 (as most business people do) then you owe it to yourself to know how to market yourself and your company as effectively as possible at meetings and events.

Meeting New Business Contacts

Business networking is a very popular way of spreading the word about what your business offers, finding new suppliers or even companies you can join forces with in your marketing campaigns. And, like any marketing activity, it needs to be properly planned if it is going to be effective.

Over the next few weeks, interspersed with other posts, I’m going to explore how to get the best results from these meetings and, if you are at all nervous, uncomfortable or just new to business networking, I’ll give you some tips on how to make it less daunting as well.

Here’s some of the posts you can look forward to:

• 9 tips to take the sting out of business networking meetings (specifically for newbies and people who are nervous).
• 8 rules for making business connections.
• Creating rapport with people you meet.
• You met new business people - now what? Getting organised.
• Refer, refer and be referred - the referral matrix - who warrants your valuable time?

These posts will include some useful tools to download, which I will be gifting to you, my blog reader. Make sure you don’t miss these posts because even if you are experienced at business networking there are some copywriting gems and other valuable insights you can apply.

Make sure you get the email announcements about these posts; pop your details in the boxes top right to subscribe.

And pass the word about this blog to your business contacts - they’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

This blog is one month old on Friday 23rd and I’m planning a special ‘Thank you for your support’ gift for you, as my regular blog reader - more details later in the week.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business networking business tips copywriting

I’m off to London for an Internet Seminar this weekend. Now why would I do that and how will it help you?

3 reasons:

1) The people: everyone attending is an entrepreneur - or an embryonic entrepreneur. They all want to know how to create a successful business on the web. There’ll be a fascinating breadth of business ideas and people from all walks of life.

Imagine the rich source of stories, experiences and insights to what motivates people that gives me as a copywriter! Remember, people like to know what others have done and how they’ve succeeded - especially when it reveals an idea they can adopt for themselves. You never know what tales I’ll hear to give you and me a marketing gem or insight.

2) Additional expert knowledge: Although I’ve written copy for the web, which has been successful, and I have some working knowledge of internet marketing I am not an ‘out-and-out’ expert on search engine optimising (SEO) (Ed is though - check his blog).

• I know a little html code;
• I understand the concept of SEO to get websites to appear in the first few pages of search results;
• I understand the principles of how PPC (pay per click) advertising works (but not ALL the in-depth secrets to get the best out of it);
• I appreciate the thinking behind landing pages and how to use keywords and
• I already use article marketing to some degree of success (try typing Carol Bentley into the search box on Google).

So, as far as the Internet is concerned, I’m a bit of a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ - expert in none.

And that’s OK, because in an ever-changing arena like the Internet keeping on top of everything is a full time job in itself and it’s not my expert area - copywriting is my passion.

Of course it’s useful to keep a ‘finger on the pulse’ and that’s what I’ll be doing at the seminar. Listening to the proven experts and picking their brains for the juicy tidbits I can come back and use - and share with you!

3) Connections: meeting and networking with all those self-motivating people (they must be self-motivated to give up a weekend AND pay to attend) is rewarding in itself.

Who knows I might connect with an ideal joint venture partner; or find a great supplier for me and my clients (I found 2 champions at the last event I went to!) or even find people who want my copywriting products or services.

That’s what networking is all about (I’ll be writing more about business networking skills in a later blog; having done it for over 20 years I’ve got some useful tips for you ).

So I’m taking a short break - travelling up to London tomorrow.

Check back after the weekend - when I’ll share any gems I’ve discovered.

And have a good weekend yourself.

~ Carol