6 Secrets to Successful Schmoozing- Yahoo! HotJobs.

This article is by my friend, Susan RoAne, author of “How to Work a Room.” Before I met Susan, I was painfully shy. 15 years ago, I saw her demonstrate how to make connections with a room full of people, one person at a time. We reconnected this past year through another mutual friend. I was delighted to share her mingling expertise with the Bay Area Consutlants Network as one of our presenters last year.

Because of what I learned from Susan, I find it easier to connect with people everywhere.

Thanks for making a big difference in my life.

 

I attended the kickoff meeting of the North Bay Webify Your Business Meetup, www.northbaywebify.com. The group follows a format and tips published by Patrick Schwerdtfeger in his book, Webify Your Business, Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed (available at www.Amazon.com). You can also get these tips as individual e-course by signing up for them at www.WebifyBook.com (if you are patient).

Meetups are great for connecting with people who share your interests. There are thousands of meetups and you can find one or more that matches your passion and geographical location. Visit www.meetup.com to find a meetup that fits you.

My friend, Karen Clark took on the leadership role for this meetup. It is a complement to her new business, My Business Presence,

Karen has been using social medial to build her business. She recognized that her knowledge was something of value and wanted to share this with others. I leader my own meetup focusing on marketing conversations and brainstorming.

The Webify meetup is a form of mastermind group. Time to network, share, and declare your goals for the coming week. The beauty of this format is that we are coming together with a focus. The structure is to have a face to face discussion on one aspect of the web each week. We work on small steps to build a big web presence.

The act of setting a goal is only half of the equation for success. Follow through is the place where most people fail, they make plans but don’t take action. Engaging in conversations with accountability partners can make the difference. Making a commitment in front of others strengthens our resolve to get it done.

Small steps lead to big wins.

 

I’m reading Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
They came up with the traits that make an idea stick.
Sticky ideas are:

S = simple
U = unexpected
C = concrete
C = credentialed
E = emotional
S = stories

Can you improve your marketing using this model?

Did you know that it usually takes 7-9 exposures to a product before a prospect becomes a client? Every year, over 30,000 new products are introduced. How can you stand out amid all this information?

A sticky message helps potential clients remember you. It gives them a clear understanding of what you do and who you do it for, as well as the outcomes they can expect when they work with you.

Real Life Test

I used the “SUCCESs“  framework as a starting point to teach a roomful of 60% consultants how to revise their audio logos.

I asked them to include:

• Who do you serve
• What challenge (or pain) do your clients/prospects face
• What solution/result do you provide

And do it all in 8 words or less

Once I laid the groundwork, they each had about a minute to come up with a new audio logo.

They got to test their message by sharing it with their table mates.

If they did it well, their audience would ask them for their business card and:

“How do you do that? “

The goal of your audio logo is to start a conversation, not to close a sale!

And when you get people to ask you questions, they are more likely to pay attention to what you say. They are invested in hearing how you can help them.

In summary:

Most people were able to pare down their essential message to 8 words or less.

Several participants thanked me for helping them see that less can be more!

What can you do?

• Focus on who you are speaking to (What’s in it for them)

• Choose your words for
  • clarity
  • simplicity
  • emotional impact

• Make it easy for your potential clients to identify themselves as someone you can help.

• • Get the attention of potential clients
  • Make them curious
  • Stimulate them to ask for more information

I reduced my audio logo to:

“I help overwhelmed entrepreneurs attract more clients.”

If you want to know how, come to my workshop on July 21st.
For details, just click this link.