Get More Clients Online

7 Strategies for Building Online Relationships with Industry VIPs

One of the most difficult aspects of being an independent service professional is being seen as credible and as a viable expert in your industry. Until recently, that process often took years and required an investment of much blood, sweat and tears.  Ultimately, it wasn't until you paid your dues that anyone of influence in your industry would pay any attention to you or be interested in speaking with you.  Thus, any hope you had of creating a strategic alliance or joint venture would fall on deaf ears because your potential VIP had no idea of your existence.

However, with the advent of Internet marketing, that time process has been greatly accelerated.  You can now become a person of influence in your industry and become known to other industry VIPs in a matter of months, rather than years.  Here are 7 strategies that will help you build successful relationships with your industry VIPs:

1.  Become the instant guru. One quick way to do this is by recording an audio.  You determine your target market and the top 3 problems that plague your target market.  Then, create an outline detailing solutions to those top 3 problems, and record an audio of yourself speaking about those problems and your proffered solutions.  Create an audio CD and CD cover and have the CD duplicated.  Offer your CD as a client attraction device on your web site and blog.

2.  Create your strategic alliance list.  Write down your ideal list of strategic alliances or product launch joint venture (JV) partners.  If you're just starting out, you might want to begin with a second- or third-tier list (i.e. those who are not as well-known as the industry gurus but have some standing in their own right).

3.  Use Web 2.0.  Use social networking on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter and follow/friend the members of your list.  Interact with them often, commenting on their status updates, videos, etc. Retweet useful information to your followers that they send out to their followers and friends.  Go to their blog posts and comment on those, as well.

4.  Become a customer.  Buy a product from your person of influence. Review the product on your blog or in an article and submit the review through your social networks.  If you purchase a physical product, take a photo of yourself holding the product and send the photo to your VIP or send the VIP a card containing your photo and some word of praise about the product.

5.  Attend live events. Many industry VIPs attend a number of live events each year. Because you're now following these industry VIPs  via social networking, they will tell you what events they plan to attend. Attending these same events and meeting these people in person helps them remember you, especially if you take a photo of yourself with that person and send it to them or post it to your social networking profiles.  Many times you can buy your VIP a drink or take them to dinner and have a 1:1 conversation with them.  Remember, if you don't ask, you'll never know!

6.  Become an affiliate.  If you love your VIPs products, become an affiliate and promote those products to your list.  If you can genuinely talk about how this product has helped you, you'll be of service to your list members and attract the attention of your VIP, as well.

7.  Stay in touch regularly.  Set up a direct mail "stay in touch" campaign.  Rather than using email or social networking exclusively, I think the most effective strategy at this stage is to send a direct mail card or postcard, as those get more attention as they are used far less often these days.

Begin your campaign today to increase your visibility in your industry by connecting with industry VIPs.  You'll soon discover how quickly your business will grow when you're in touch with those in the know!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Internet Marketing Automation Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.  Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

Finding the most effective business networking group

Q:  I have a home based business but I also do some affiliate marketing. I would like to know if there are any friendly networking groups that actually help each other out, and not just jam you email with ridiculous offers?

Valerie Green
The Body Shop at Home

A:  Hi Valerie--

You don't mention if you are seeking in-person networking or virtual networking.  In either case, you need to shop around carefully before picking a networking group.  The group either needs to contain members of your target market and/or other small business owners with whom you can collaborate and from whom you can learn.

For in-person networking groups, ask for recommendations for groups from friends/colleagues and give each one several test visits before making a commitment to join.  Sometimes your local chamber of commerce will sponsor a business networking group, or you could seek out a local chapter of BNI (Business Networking International), which trains its members on how to be a better member and give great referrals. When I lived in another state, I belonged to a local BNI group and was quite impressed with the quality of the membership and the level of training they offered.

For virtual networking groups, I'd stay away from the free ones, as those tend to be the ones where there is no moderation of any discussion group/email list and members regularly spam each other.  Or, if you can find a group that exists both virtually and has in-person meetings as well, that would be the best of both worlds. I currently belong to Biznik, and while there are no meetings locally to me, I've gotten to know many of the members virtually.

Here's an article I've written that you might find helpful:

10 Strategies for Getting Results from Joining Professional Associations  (I realize this isn't about networking groups, but similar principles apply)

And, if you'd like help growing your business online, think about a membership to OnlineBizU.com.

Got an Internet Marketing question?  Ask it here: AskDonnaGunter.com.

3 Secrets to Avoiding Isolation an an Online Entrepreneur

In my first foray into the self-employed world, I created stenciled floorcloths and wallhangings and sold them in juried craft shows around New England. I did what all of the authors of self-employment books said to do -- turned my hobby into a business. What I discovered rather quickly that this hobby was no longer fun when it became my business -- it was damn hard work. I also discovered incredible, overwhelming isolation in my home-based business. Author Barbara Sher put it best when she said, "Isolation is a dream killer."

I had formerly been employed at a small, public, liberal arts college in the student activities/student housing department and was around people all day, and all night, too, depending on how many fire alarms we had or had many drunken brawls there were on any given night. To go from back-to-back meetings to working all alone with no support team was a shocking change of pace for me.

I had just jumped head-first into that business, and really didn't personally know anyone else in the area who was also a professional crafter. Big mistake number one--I should have gone through some kind of apprenticeship and should have gotten to know the local craft industry better. I had no contacts outside my workplace and when I left that job, all of my contacts went by the wayside. Big mistake number two. I eventually created a support group called the Berkshire Handcrafters' Guild, and served as founder and president for two years, but by that time, the thrill in that business was gone.

With my newly-found knowledge acquired in the School of Hard Knocks, I knew that if I was going to be successful in business, I had to create some kind of support network in any future business venture. When I started my first online business as a virtual assistant, I had returned to my hometown (after a 20-year absence) where all of my high school buddies had moved on without me, so it was tough trying to strike up friendships again because none of us were the same people we'd been in high school, least of all me. I didn't have much luck in the local business community, either, as most of the Chamber of Commerce members I had gotten to know never understand what the heck I did for a living.

I found my support online through people I had met through an online VA training program. What a difference with business number two! The Internet and email made all the difference in the world for me!  Now I "knew" people in the same business as me, all over the country, and with a simple phone call, email, or instant message, I had a super support system literally at my fingertips.

Secret #1: Virtual Communities. Find/create a virtual online community for yourself filled with people who understand what you do, the challenges that you face, and who will help you celebrate your successes. You may join a community that is well-established, or you might create your own community with any number of social networking tools. Or, perhaps a Mastermind group will give you the support you need. I meet twice a month virtually with other membership site owners in a mastermind group, where we regularly share what's worked for us and ask for input on challenges we're facing.

Being a member of a virtual community worked well for the first two years or so in my online business, and then I caught a bad case of "housebound-fever" and starting seeking face-to-face contact and support. I eventually found what I was seeking, but these in-person events occurred in cities that were minimally a 150 mile round-trip for me to participate. Distance is all relative in Texas, and these actually weren't considered long trips in "Texas road trip mentality", but the fact that I had racked up 20,000 miles a year on my then-new Honda CR-V (and I didn't commute to work!) was just a little over the top.

So, I knew that I wanted to relocate someplace where I could have face-to-face opportunities that were only 10 minutes from where I lived instead of 1-3 hours as I prepared to launch my second online business. After searching for almost 3 years, I moved to Little Rock, AR, and became involved in a number of in-person networking groups. While these in-person events got me out of my house frequently, I went overboard in the other direction and spent much too much time at face-to-face events.

Secret #2: Selective networking. If you decide to venture out into the world, choose your face-to-face networking events with care. Make sure the group(s) you join are either filled with colleagues with whom you can collaborate or filled with members of your target market and offer regular education programs from which you will benefit. In Arkansas, I had joined several women's business groups and a BNI (Business Networking International) chapter as well as created a women's networking group, but discovered I just wasn't getting the results I desired from any of these.

Now that I've returned to a small city in Texas that offers few in-person networking opportunities, I've discovered that I'm content with what little networking I do online. Granted, much has changed in the 10 years since I started my business, and if I desired, I could log-in and speak regularly to colleagues who have online webinar broadcasts where they take questions from and interact with participants each week in their broadcasts. Or, I could register for any number of virtual networking groups.

Secret #3: Focus on the 1:1 relationships. I failed to cultivate 1:1 relationships in my foray into in-person networking, which probably led to my burnout in that area. However, now because social networking has become the "in" trend, I frequently interact with colleagues, friends, and new acquaintances thanks to Twitter and Facebook. I regularly posts updates about what I'm doing, read and comment on their updates, and ask questions or feedback when I need it. Best of all, I don't have to get dressed and drive anywhere to do this.

I've discovered that Barbara Sher is correct -- isolation is a dream-killer. The Lone Ranger mentality will not work for you in your business--you can't do it all alone without the help and support of others. What I'm referring to goes beyond the team you're paying to work directly with--your attorney, your CPA, your assistant, your employees, etc. I'm talking about that support system who's there to cheer you on when you have a banner day, who's there to pick you up when you fall, and who's there to help hold you accountable for those things you said you would do. Maybe you'll find this in a group to which you already belong, or perhaps you'll need to create this for yourself.

If you don't yet have a support system/success team in place, make that your #1 priority. It'll be one of the best investments you'll ever make in your business.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it:  Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.OnlineBizU.com

Make a Referral Week-- Jumpstart the Economy

I’m pledging to make a referral to a business I want to help as part of a national campaign to make 1000 referrals March 9-13. What a great small business stimulus plan - won’t you join me?  More info here: http://www.makeareferralweek.com

Make a Referral Week is an entrepreneurial approach to stimulating the small business economy one referred business at a time. The goal for the week is to generate 1000 referred leads to 1000 deserving small businesses in an effort to highlight the impact of a simple action that could blossom into millions of dollars in new business. Small business is the lifeblood and job-creating engine of the economy and merits the positive attention so often saved for corporate bailout stories.

The week long event also features a killer list of referral experts providing valuable marketing advice.

Do your part to stimulate the economy by telling your world about making referrals and Make a Referral Week - you’ll be in good company.

List Building: 7 Steps to Grow Your Email List with Twitter

by Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen (TM)

Twitter is a microblogging platform that has taken the business world by storm, 140 characters per post.  The purpose of Twitter is to post short updates (not to exceed 140 characters) about what you're doing at the moment, read the updates of others whom you're following (in a non-stalker way), and comment and reply on what they're doing.

All kinds of applications have been developed for Twitter, and I've discovered that people either love to tweet (i.e. submit a Twitter post) or the whole concept drives them crazy.  I admit that seeing all the tweets exchanged among those I follow can be overwhelming (like being in a big instant message universe where everyone can see everyone else's messages), but I am having success in getting to know my fellow Twitter peeps and in getting the word out about my business and in growing my list.

As I became accustomed to tweeting daily, I began to wonder if I was missing a key business marketing strategy in the process, and then a colleague told me about her strategy of sending a direct message, or DM (this is a private message goes directly to your Twitter pal via email and can't be seen by others) thanking them for following her, as well as a short introduction to her business.  I thought that was a wonderful idea, began to implement that strategy, and saw results immediately.

Then I read a great post by Denise Wakeman of The Blog Squad on building your list with Twitter, and knew I had to incorporate this idea into my marketing strategy.  Here are the steps I took to maximize my use of Twitter to grow my email list:

1.  Create a Twitter account.  Your Twitter ID can be your given name, or you may want to use your Twitter ID to brand yourself, i.e. OrganizingQueen.  Just get the basics set up at this point. In the setup, check both options of "Email when someone starts following me" as well as "Email when I receive a new direct message."

2.  Have a freebie to give away.  You may want to create a unique electronic giveaway just for your Twitter followers, or you can use the same giveaway that you already use on your site. Once you've decided what to give away, create a squeeze page and insert sales copy and an opt-in form so that you can direct your Twitter followers to this page for them to join your list and receive your free giveaway.  For tracking purposes, you may want to set up a unique page to see just how many subscribers join your list from this invitation.

3.  Twitter bio:  You have 160 characters to describe your business as a part of your Twitter bio.  Describe yourself and your call to action.  Here's a sample: "Houston Professional Organizer. Follow me for free ebook to learn how to clear your clutter in 30 days."

4.  Set up TweetLater.com account and welcome message:  The aspect of this service that you'll be using is the ability to welcome and send an automatic message to new followers, which you should turn on as a part of setting up your account. You can choose a public or direct (private) message.  Choose to send the private message.  This message is limited to 140 characters, as it's a tweet, so here's a sample along the same lines as the sample mentioned earlier: "Thx 4 following. Get free ebook to help clear clutter in 30 days @ <your website squeezepage URL here>." 

5.  Automatically follow new followers.  It's part of the Twitter culture to follow your new followers, so I have also turned on the ability to automatically follow new followers in TweetLater.com.

6.  @Replies Digest.  If you find that you sometimes get too busy to check your replies in Twitter, this option will email you a digest of the replies other folks sent you. Turn this option on in TweetLater, and they collect and send you the new replies (100 max) you received on your Twitter account since the last digest email you received.

7.  Test your setup.  To ensure that this setup was working for me, I set up a "fake" Twitter account just for testing, using one of my free account email addresses.  In my "fake" account, I found my "real" Twitter profile and clicked "Follow".  Within minutes I got an email message that my "fake" account is following my "real" account, and then at my "fake" account email address, I received my TweetLater direct mail message about getting my free ebook, and a second email that my "real" account is following my "fake" account.

Twitter is a wonderful tool to help you add your Twitter followers to your list, which is one way you can create deeper relationships with your target market to help them get to know, like, and trust you.  Start Twittering today and begin to experience amazing list growth!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com.

If You Hate Networking, Read This Story

This morning I opened a post from one of my favorite blogs, Pam Slim's Escape from Cubicle Nation, and read the best story about how to be a great networker, based on her son's chance meeting with a 9 year-old neighbor's boy.  You can read it here on her blog.

How to Make Raving Fans of Your Clients (and Create Your Best Referral Partners)

Word-of-mouth referral is one of the best strategies to employ to keep your service business full.  The best way to manifest these referrals is by creating "cheerleader clients", or those clients who think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread and eagerly and enthusiastically tell everyone they meet about you and your services.

The one trait that all of my clients seem to have in common is a sincere desire to help others. They're all fairly well connected, and when someone in their networking circle talks about their frustrations with their Internet marketing efforts, my client recommends me right away. Not all of the referrals are ones that I take, as many times I don't have the time to take on another client or I don't think it's a good fit for some reason, and I refer them on. The part I do play in this referral piece, however, is in how I treat my clients, which makes them enthusiastic about working with me and willing to tell everyone they know about me.

The traits I possess that turn my clients into "raving fans" are:

1. Being in a true long-term collaborative partnership with my clients. I've gotten to know them and their businesses well and serve as another set of eyes and ears for them.  Anytime that I am reading something that I think one of them might use, I forward it to that client, with a "I thought you might be interested" note attached. I occasionally even do this for clients with whom I'm no longer working.

2. Practicing the "Golden Rule". I treat my clients the way I would want to be treated as a business owner, which means if I know of a better/cheaper/faster way of doing something, I tell them about it. The final decision still belongs to my client, but I know I have saved my clients lots of time and money over the years and earned their undying gratitude in the process.

3.Taking initiative in my relationship with clients. I'm an INFP in Myers-Briggs terms, which means I'm a big picture person. Seeing what comes next as a natural progression of things comes very easily to me, and this gift enables me to help my clients clearly map out the road ahead. Keeping my clients organized and accountable is of great benefit to them, and having discussions about what comes next helps them in their planning processes.

4. Never telling my clients "no". If my client asks me to do something and I either don't have time to do it or don't how to do it, I try not to counter with a "no" but instead with an option of a later time to do something, another resource they can use to get it down, or an offer to use my contacts to find out how to get it done. To the point that you're able, try to never tell a client "no".

5. Being an expert problem-solver and idea generator. One of the things I love to do is brainstorm with my clients, and I tell them that I'm not offended if they don't take my ideas if they're not offended that I keep offering them. Over the years, I've probably had as many ideas rejected as accepted, but it continues to be a fun experience for me, and my clients benefit as well.

6. Playing to my gifts and talents. I've come to realize that there are things I absolutely love to do as a coach and an online business manager -- anything to do with Internet marketing and writing, along with the opportunity to solve problems and generate ideas. I stick with what I do well and what I enjoy, and that's where I shine with the client, so the payoff for me comes when the clients refer me to friends like themselves who need very results for their businesses. It's like a never-ending circle of referrals for me, and who can argue with that?

To create your own cheerleader clients, ask your clients who absolutely adore you to send out a letter to their contact database. Offer to draft this letter, outlining the benefits that the client has experienced as a result of working with you and how his/her business or life has changed as a result. You ask the client to sign off on the letter and to provide his/her contact database, and you pay for the printing, sending, and mailing of the letter. This has worked extraordinarily well with colleagues of mine, and I think you'll begin to see the magic happen if you request this of your clients.

Does Posting to Online Discussion Lists Really Work?

Q:  Hi Donna--

I've read that to attract more subscribers I should visit and post to message boards that my relate to my business daily.  Does that really work?  And what if I don't have that much to say?

Kathy McHenry
www.MyOnlineMeals.com


A:  Hi Kathy--

Yes, that does work, but it doesn't happen overnight.  However, it's what you post that matters.  Once you've found an active online discussion forum or list, do a little research and read a few weeks worth of posts to get a feeling for the tone of the list, and review the list posting rules as well. 

Then check in daily (or get a daily digest) of postings.  Respond to the ones in which you can offer some great info, and be sure to append your signature file (or a shortened version of your signature file) to your post.  By doing this, I've had list members link to my blog, request my free report, subscribe to my ezine, and call me on the phone to hire me.

Your words of wisdom don't necessarily have to relate directly to your business, but that does help.  Don't bother to add "I agree" or "Thank you" to the posts -- those kinds of posts are annoying and simply a waster of time to the list members.

Members of the OnlineBizU.com community can access the article I've written about the topic, How to Get More Clients from Online Discussion Lists and Forums.

Happy discussing!

Donna

Calling all Introverted Virtual Assistants!

If you're a virtual assistant and are an introvert, here's an article just for you in the latest issue of the International Virtual Assistant's Association newsletter:  5 Secrets to Building a Relationship When You're an Introvert:  Download IVAACast_April_2007.pdf

A New Twist on Networking

Tired of the same ole' meet and greet networking event?  David Frey of Marketing Best Practices talks about creating a business book review group as a new take on the traditional business networking event.  Formed by 4 natural referral partners (businesses offering separate services to the same target market), the group meets monthly and discusses a new biz book each month.

Read more about the group here and download an event flyer.

And, btw, if you don't subscribe to David's newsletter, do so!  He's always got a unique take or unique marketing idea example to share.  The coolest thing that he's doing at the moment is creating a video newsletter.  How might you incorporate this idea into your business?