Marketing for Solopreneurs

Sugar, caffeine and post-conference high's: 5 ways I'm following up after bizjam (and one thing I won't do)

I'm still wound up. The ideas were zinging. The air was crackling. We were caffeine- and Wi-Fi -hyped, bouncing off the walls with creative energy, like six-year-olds who had too much Halloween candy.

Now I'm back in the office and I'm supposed to shut up, pay attention and get back to my grown-up work.

Ah. The BizJam post-conference high. I have often wondered if someone couldn't just package all that excitement and deliver it in nice little doses over the next six months.

When I first get home, I'm giddy with all the possibilities. The what-ifs. The isn't-this-a-cool-idea and never-thought-about-that-one.

What do I do? Well, first I pick up Nuz, my 15-pound, odd-eyed Turkish Van cat, who jumps out of my arms and marches off, nose in the air. He's all offended because I dared to leave him alone for two days.

Then there's the mail. I sort through, tossing all the grocery ads and "You've been selected!" invitations from VISA.

Life gets in the way. There's a suitcase to unpack, a litter box to clean, laundry to do, e-mails to answer.

I made a promise to myself that this time I would do it right. Well, it's a week now and I still haven't done everything, but I'm working my list. Here it is:

1. Re-connect with attendees and presenters. I send e-mails to attendees I want to stay in touch with, briefly saying who I am again, something specific about our conversation and one thought on how we might work together (that's called a call to action); to thank people for stopping by our booth; and to connect with presenters whose sessions were particularly helpful. I mail hand-written notes to people who I connected with on a deeper level, who are potential new partners for cross-promotions. Nothing, I mean nothing, gets noticed more than a hand-written note. My friend, marketing mentor and networking guru Ilise Benun, in her BizJam session "How Not To Network," talked about the incredible impact a hand-written note can have.

2. Work my business cards. I put the names and contact info of people I met into my networking database with a brief note to remind myself of the nature of the connection.

3. Connect friends and colleagues with each other. I look at my new connections, as well as the reconnects, to see who might benefit from getting to know each other better. Then it's just simple e-mail to one, telling them I'd like to introduce them to the other, and why.

4. Blog and comment on other blogs. I'm getting pretty good at this, but it's a must-do after a conference. There are golden opportunities to give "love links" (connections to another attendee's blog in your blog posts), which helps both you and them. Biznik, the producers of BizJam, make this easy because they include links to other bizniks' blogs on their profile pages.

5. Keep my promises. All of them. And I'm not just talking biz-related promises, either. I'm sending links to marketing resources, but also a list of my favorite books to someone who is looking for books to relax with on a cruise and loves memoirs as much as I do.

6. What I won't do? I will not add someone to our weekly marketing e-tip list just because I collected their business card and e-mail address. I am amazed at the number of people who break this cardinal rule of e-mail marketing. Your e-mail will be spam unless it is permission-based. That means someone needs to have asked for it. I send a "glad I met you" e-mail and put a link to our e-tip at the bottom, but unless they go there and sign up, they won't receive an issue, not even one.

That's my list: 5 do's and one don't. I'm curious. What ways do you have of following up after a conference?

Seattle BizJam 08 - The Second Day

BizJam rocks on. It's day number two and I am tuning into the blog, as Judy is attending some of the presentations.

Yesterday I spent my day immersed in Social Media! What an experience. The speakers opened the eyes of indie business owners throughout the day of how Social Media can help the small business. It's a great marketing avenue that is often untouched.

A few thoughts...

Dive into the Social Media sites out there. Biznik, Flickr, YouTube and so many others. Find out how other businesses are utilizing these sites to expand their brand awareness and reaching even more customers.

Take the time to check out all the great tools that Google has to offer -- free! There's Google Docs, Google Analytics, and Webmaster Tools. Go through the tutorials and take full advantage of them.

Blog. Build a blog. Comment on other blogs in your industry. Create link love. The more inbound links you get to you, that much better for the search engines.

Okay, I could go on and on. I'm sure that after BizJam I will be sharing much more info with you.

And if I can grab a few other presenters and attendees, we'll get them to share their experience as well

40 Hours and Counting to BizJam '08

I'm psyched up in a big way. Solos from here to Hoboken are chattering about BizJam '08, July 9 and 10 in Seattle. It's the premier event of the year for Biznik, the mega-popular business networking site. And it's less than two days away.

BizJam is the ultimate business conference for solopreneurs—two days to learn, be inspired, and make networking connections for a serious mid-summer biz shakeup. And it all wraps up with the much-anticipated BizJam Soirée Thursday night at The Little Red Studio.

We'll be blogging from BizJam this year. Stay tuned for more on the happenings: our up-close observations and our take on speakers and topics, from Wednesday, Social Media Madness day, through Thursday, brimful of sessions on business management, networking and marketing.
Imagine learning: Why Your Website Sucks or Shameless Bragging for the Professional Networker or How to Get Clients Without Shouting.

I'll be talking with you next from the WiFied BizJam-Office Nomads Networking Lounge.

Invite Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and B.B. King to Your Next Networking Event

The other day I hosted a lunch for a few people in my networking group. These events are fun and provide good opportunities to learn more about each other. The agenda is usually quite predictable. Each biz owner gives their two-minute commercial. After that, it's food and causal conversation.

Typically, when the time for introductions comes, the host will ask people to answer one of these questions:

Who's your ideal client?
What do you need right now?
What makes you, your product or your service unique?

You get the picture. (Yawn.)

But because I enjoy mixing things up, sometimes I like to ask different kinds of questions, ones that give everyone a peek at the real person. When this happens, the "elevator speech" goes right out the window. (You know, that comfortable sentence or two that you could say in your sleep?)

What often comes out is the part of someone that truly makes them unique—memorable. And because the new way of doing business, especially for the solopreneur, is being transparent and letting your colleagues and customers see the real you, these new questions are great tools.

At lunch that day, I asked: "You are looking for a new business partner. I take you into a room where three people sit: Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and B.B. King. Which would you choose as your new partner and why?"

I could sense a little uneasiness as my friends realized they had to let go of their canned commercials. But their answers were unique, funny, and good clues to their personalities. One picked Bruce because he understands the concerns of common folk and comes across as honest and open. Another chose B.B. King because he identified problems and showed that he understood peoples' challenges when he sang the blues.

Interestingly enough, no one chose Mick, although someone did say, "Now that guy knows how to market himself!"

How much better we would get to know each other if we took the time to ask the right questions. So, I'm already thinking, what will I ask next time?

Online and In-Person Networking: The Best of Both Worlds

Over the years, I have been a strong believer in networking. But whether it was a Chamber of Commerce event or coffee with a prospective client or colleague, it was always a face-to-face thing. I had to start up the car and drive somewhere. It was time-consuming. And staying in touch was difficult.

Recently we joined an online networking community called Biznik. It is based in the Seattle area, so the largest part of its membership is local. Biznik is unique because they offer opportunities to network both online and in person. The members themselves plan and host the events: networking breakfasts, lunches, even happy hours. And members can share their business expertise and build their credibility through “real time” workshops and articles posted online.

Why does it work better than traditional networking? Because the online and offline parts complement each other so well. Say you meet someone online and post a comment on their article in the Learn section, or welcome someone in the new members thread, or discuss a topic with another member in the forum. You can invite that person to join your online network. Or you can watch to see when they’ll be attending an upcoming event, so you can meet them in person and start the relationship building.

Or maybe you meet someone at a live event. Where follow-up was a difficult thing in the past, you can send a message through Biznik, or respond to a post of theirs on the forum, and the connection can be strengthened, without having to wait until another event that may be weeks down the road.

Business is all about growing relationships, not exchanging business cards. And Biznik does just that. Their tagline says it all: Business networking that doesn't suck.

You can tour the site and see for yourself at biznik.com.

Networking: The Wandering Eye Syndrome

From time to time, at a networking event, I have been talking to a colleague or client and their eyes are wandering elsewhere, sweeping the room. I suspect that they are looking for someone in particular. But it always makes me feel insignificant, like I’m just a “place holder” until someone more important comes along.

In fact, a couple of weeks ago I met with someone after a lunch networking event. The entire time we were talking, he was glancing over my shoulder to see who else was coming in the door. It was difficult to even keep my train of thought because I wasn’t sure I had his attention.

So what happens? Yesterday, at a business luncheon, I was visiting with a good friend before the event. I was also periodically checking the entrance door for our guests so I could direct them to our table when they arrived. I suddenly realized I was doing the exact thing I resent when other people do it to me. In fact, my business partner scolded me afterwards. I felt horrible!

Two lessons here. First, when you are talking with a business colleague, or client, or prospect, stay focused on the moment. Whatever your reason is for not giving them your full attention, your wandering eyes will send a message that they are not important to you. Secondly, always practice what you preach!

Networking: Do Early Birds Do It Better?

In my experience, there are two major kinds of networking events: the crack-of-dawn breakfast and the 5pm cocktail mixer. And I have noticed that generally, the two types of networkers who show up for each of these events can be quite different.

An interesting question occurred to me. From your perspective—if you have attended both kinds of events)—have the members of one group proven to be more valuable networking contacts than those in the other? Do you see differences in the types of people who show up at each of these events? For instance, do you think that the “morning people” are more organized, more committed, more serious business networkers? Or have you found better networking opportunities and more useful contacts at the informal evening events?

Business Networking: Get Personal

In the last few days, I have attended two networking functions. One was a local Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast and another was an informal chat-over-coffee with some friends, who are business colleagues—and clients. Both offered incredible opportunities for sharing and networking. But the Chamber breakfast had over 50 people, while our coffee shop group totaled just six. So where am I going with this?

We often make it a point to attend large, more formal professional networking events. But it can be just as beneficial to meet in smaller, more intimate groups. Whether it's a scheduled monthly event, or a spontaneous, "let's get together for coffee, " the small groups can be as powerful as any large networking event—sometimes more so.

It is in these settings that new, creative ideas are exchanged, people are connected to helpful resources and, yes, even partnerships are formed. As a result of last Saturday’s “coffee talk,” every person there left with at least one concrete way we can all support each other’s business goals. We have even decided to restart the monthly networking group we had launched (and let lapse), with plans to explore more ways we can work together.

So don't forget those one-on-one meetings. Take the time to share lunch or a cup of coffee with new people you meet and cultivate deeper relationships with existing colleagues. Of course it takes time, which is so valuable to us small businesses, but the more personal relationships you build, the stronger your network of partners and the greater benefit to your business in the long run.

It is interesting to me that the large corporations are beginning to recognize the value of personal networking. Heck, we small businesses knew that all the time!