To be successful in sales, you need to cover all the bases when it comes to building networks.
Here are a few more sales, business, and life answers that can help you make more sales today, and help you build a personal brand and reputation forever.
1. What do you do every day to build attraction and brand?
What do you do to create consistency in your daily business habits? And I wonder how many of your daily habits take the long-term view. Or are you just trying to make sales to make quota? Big mistake.
I want to talk about one element of your personal business habits – your personal outreach. Your daily outreach that builds attraction, personal brand; authority, known expertise, recognition, position in your industry, Google rank, social media presence, top-of-mind awareness, and reputation.
Sounds like a lot of work. But actually it takes less time than your morning bathroom routine, once you're set up and rolling. And these are habits that create attraction. Real attraction. Value attraction.
The cool part is it costs (almost) nothing. All you have to do is allocate the time, and (most important) commit to daily outreach.
Here are two of my consistent actions.
• Blog or personal website. A starting place, a landing place and a jumping off place for stories, ideas, opinions, photos, videos, training, and anything else your customers or followers would find interesting and valuable. On a blog you can mix business and personal, as long as it's not offensive. Your posts can be subscribed to and delivered by email.
Outreach: Blog with a minimum of weekly, if not daily, posts. You have unlimited space for text, photos, and videos. Your blog is an opportunity for people to realise both your intellect and your passion.
• YouTube. Video is the new black. This is a chance to convey messages, training, subject matter expertise, testimonials and offers of value. Your viewers can subscribe, and your posts can be cross-pollinated on your blog, your Facebook page, and your LinkedIn profile.
2. There's a huge misused and misunderstood word in small and big business. The word is 'attraction'. How do small business owners attract leads in today's social world?
All business social media must be combined with your traditional business and internet outreach. To attract, the key ideas are 'personalised messages' and 'value-based' messages.
If you're looking for more attraction (who isn't?), here are some of the small business, internet, and business social media value-based messaging and marketing elements I use to transfer my messages. My messages and posts both attract and connect. Go to these links and follow me. Then study them, learn how I do what I do, and emulate it.
• LinkedIn – Jeffrey Gitomer – The number one business resource. I post my thought of the day or link of the day. Response: People like it and share it with their connections. That has lead to more than 23,000 connections.
• Twitter – @gitomer – I tweet three or four times a day. I usually send out one link a day.
Response: I am re-tweeted or favoured more than 100 times a day, and I gain between 50 and 100 new followers a day.
• Facebook business – /jeffreygitomer – Pike me, then read a bunch of my posts, then be inspired to comment or post.
Response: All of my followers (likers) read it, and when they like it or comment, all of their connections can see it too.
• YouTube channel – BuyGitomer – People watch a few of my 300+ videos.
Response: more than 25,000 subscribers.
You cannot control how people search. You must be findable by company, person, product, topic, and keywords that will get your name to pop up.
It's not one thing that creates attraction. It's a strategic combination of a social, online, and face-to-face outreach mix that attracts interested buyers. It's a confluence of value-based things that are available to customers and prospects.
Look at the diversity of my offerings, and the multiple opportunities that prospects have to find you, be attracted to you, connect with you, and buy from you.
3. How do I attract leads at a face-to-face networking event?
Note well: Most people take networking for granted, and think of it more as a place to meet friends and clients than capture an opportunity. They also fail to realise that people, whether you know them or not, are cultivating an impression of you – not just about what you look like, but also based on how you act, and how you dress.
Your physical presence, your physiology, and your communication prowess can determine whether the outcome is business or no business.
Here are three networking attraction tips for your learning and connecting pleasure.
1. I shake and look. When I shake someone's hand, it's a firm grasp and a direct look in the eye.
2. I smile. Even in New York City. I find that by giving a smile, I get a smile.
3. I ask before I tell. Whether I ask for their name, or a simple 'how are you?' I want to hear the other person before they hear me.
Face-to-face networking is still a great way to attract and connect in the world of social and online sales.
Jeffrey Gitomer is an American author, professional speaker and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally on sales, customer loyalty and personal development.
© 2015 All rights reserved. Don't reproduce this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
