I wanted to share this article by my friend and colleague, Howard Shore.

Have you noticed that the higher up people move in their organizations or the longer someone has been in a sales role, whether it be in professional services or a traditional sales role, the farther away they move from the daily regimen of outbound prospecting calls to schedule appointments to increase their sales pipeline? Furthermore, they are typically not in the top 25% of sales volume producers for their industry group, which means they could be producing a lot more but have allowed themselves to get complacent. The only people that do not need to set aside time for daily prospecting calls and potential networking are the people who generate enough of a consistent sales pipeline to put them in the top 25% of all producers in their industry segment. Everyone else has to find a way to develop their pipeline either through networking and making phone calls.

For everyone else, aside from company leads and people calling you unsolicited, there are only two ways to build your pipeline: getting out to network and using your phone. After studying this for some time, I am convinced that people do what is comfortable for them, but not what is best for them. What is comfortable for most people is getting out of the office and meeting people.

It is very common to find people who go to every networking meeting available, hoping to run into a few decision-makers. If they attend an event with 100 people, there may be 10 that would be good client candidates; however, they may or may not meet any of those 10 people. By the end of this event, they are likely to walk away with zero meetings and, best case, perhaps some people who would take a phone call about future meetings. Of these, maybe 1 is a real prospect. Including travel time, attending the event was a 3-hour decision and time commitment. So all you accomplished was marketing your organization, introducing yourself to some new people who now know you exist, and possibly setting one future meeting, if the person you met ever takes your call.

Now let’s take that same 3 hours and use the phone. The average person starting out may not have a very large contact list and may need to do a lot of cold calling. But a seasoned salesperson and partners in a professional services firm should have amassed more than 2,000 contacts willing to take their call. The people being called also know people, and may be willing to give referrals. So, imagine how many people could be called and connected within 3 hours. Whether cold calling or warm calling, it is reasonable to expect a large number of outbound calls. Even if a large percentage of the calls result in leaving messages, all calls can be directed to a decision-maker in a company with which you want to do business. Conservatively, depending on the nature of your business and the level of the person you are calling in the organization, you should achieve 12 phone meetings and 2 to 3 prospect meetings scheduled for new business opportunities. If you are good at pre-qualifying your meetings, at least one of those meetings is likely to result in new business within your sales cycle. This is a much better result than attending the networking meeting above. In essence, you networked, but you did it over the phone. These results can be achieved whether you are calling people you know or cold calling a list of good prospects from a purchased list.

I am not suggesting that people do no networking. I believe that your networks make you powerful. However, I am suggesting that most people are making 2 mistakes with networking.

1. Too much time is allocated to networking. No more than 10% of a salesperson’s time should be spent on networking. If you are in professional services and have to deliver, it should be no more than 5%, in order to allow enough time to get on the phone to properly fill the pipeline and to attend meetings with prospects.
2. Too much networking in the wrong places. Do not go to a networking event unless the majority of the people there are the people that you would normally sell your product or service to. Do not go to events consisting of a bunch of salespeople from other companies. An exception is a networking group like Business Networking International (“BNI”), providing that you regularly get referrals from the other people you are meeting with. These relationship-based groups can be valuable if you are surrounded by the right people.

Another distraction of networking is board involvement. While this is can be a rewarding and important activity, it should not be confused with a productive sales activity. When you compare the amount of time it takes to sit and play the role on a board with the number of people on the board, amount of interaction with those people, and the amount of business received, a person would be better served taking the phone call route. So when someone decides to sit on a board, it should be a community involvement decision rather than one to help them make their sales production numbers. Many times I have seen people’s board involvement significantly detract from their production. They will develop business from their involvement, but it is far less than these people would produce had they chosen more productive networking venues and/or called on their rolodex to find business.

The key take-away is use of time. We must be careful not to confuse what makes us feel good with what is best for generating business. Most people do not put the time into making phone calls because they do not view this as an exciting part of their day. Because it does not fit their self-image, they avoid the most effective use of sales time. If everyone put as little as an hour per day, or five hours per week into filling their pipeline with meetings, they would always have a full and productive pipeline and find themselves in the top 25% of their peer group.  Many people have found that they complete the whole sales process without ever leaving their desk.

Howard Shore is a business growth expert that works with companies that want to maximize their growth potential by improving strategy, enhancing their knowledge, and improving motivation.

How much do we really show our gratitude?  I mean, I’m sure most of us say “Thank you” when we need to, but how often do we really tell (and show!) people how much we appreciate them.  This goes for spouses or significant others, family members, co-workers, employees, bosses, and customers, as well as service providers in our lives.  It’s often so easy to get aggravated with people when they don’t live up to our expectations.  When we stop and step back for a minute, though, we can probably find something to appreciate in them.

Showing gratitude goes a long way in building relationships.  It also helps in maintaining a positive attitude.  No matter how bad a day you’re having, you can usually feel better when you stop and think about 10 things for which you’re grateful.  Then, when you’re feeling more positive, you can convey that to those around you, and you become much more appealing to others.

Can you think of anyone that you could express gratitude to?  My guess is that you’ll both feel better when you do!

Here's some great tips from Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of Business Networking International (BNI) on being a better networker in the social media arena: 

From a business perspective, social media is ideal to build your brand and your credibility; it’s about providing value for your connections and followers.  It is important to offer them useful information balanced with a dash of personal insight. Whether you’re talking about face-to-face networking or online networking, credibility and relationship building are critical to the process.

With social media, the key to success is outlining a strategy. You should consider the amount of time you can realistically dedicate each day to online marketing efforts so as to be consistent.  People have a tendency to get online at random times and start clicking away.  Then something mysterious happens to the space-time continuum. Suddenly, two hours go by and you have nothing to show for it!

Avoid falling victim to that trap: Write up a plan for how often and how long you will work your social media.

Map out a weekly schedule that outlines specific days and times you’ll spend developing your social media strategy.  Figure out what’s realistic and what makes sense for your company.  For example, you might schedule yourself to post daily updates at 9a.m., 1p.m, and 5p.m., and then dedicate ten minutes to responding to comments and direct messages at 10 a.m. and 3p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you might dedicate ten minutes at 10a.m. and 3p.m. to retweeting people’s comments which you find valuable. You can also use this time to thank people for mentioning you or retweeting your posts.

Leverage Your Time

As you design your plan, make sure you integrate tools to leverage your time in your social media efforts.  Sites like http://ping.fm, www.seesmic.com, and www.tweetdeck.com are designed to send your social media updates to multiple social networking sites, including Twitter and Facebook, with one click.

Some sites even allow you to link multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts (if you have more than one) to one desktop application where you can post updates to all sites as well as view and respond to your friends’ posts on those sites and keep a log of all your past posts.  This means no more logging into multiple social networking sites . . .  you can manage all your social networking accounts from one place!

Also, there are sites such as www.cotweet.com where you can schedule updates in advance so your updates will post even while you’re not online.  With all the traveling I do, this is a tool that is very useful.

ROI of Social Media Networking

Once you have your strategy in place, you will no doubt be anxious to start seeing a return on your online networking investment, but it’s very important to remember one thing:  Networking, whether online or face-to-face, is more about farming than it is about hunting.  It’s about cultivating relationships with people.  The bottom line is – it takes time.  It is about building the credibility of your brand, and we know that doesn’t happen overnight.

Return on Investment (ROI) is directly correlated to either – 1. Dollars spent (online paid marketing), or 2. Time and/or effort spent – in saturating and building strong profiles on whatever social media channels are deemed effective for the brand (including blogging).  Don’t forget that some businesses will benefit much more from spending more effort on “niche” networks that may have less traffic, but are more targeted to the brand’s ultimate consumer.

If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep it will not be successful.   It is important to create a network that is both wide and deep.  You do this by being visible and engaging in the conversation.  Over time, this gives you credibility which leads to building your brand and your sales. This, ultimately, will give you the biggest ROI for your online marketing efforts.

Top 5 Common Mistakes of Social Media Networking

Most of what I’ve discussed so far has focused on what you should do in order to carry out an effective and profitable social media campaign for your business. But there are also some things you should be sure to avoid.

Below are the top five social media networking mistakes:

1. Spending too much time on sites you enjoy and not fully evaluating whether or not that particular site is the most effective one for your efforts.
2. Going onto a site for “work” and then running down rabbit holes getting distracted by friends who may have posted something interesting or something that requires a response.
3. Not being able to properly define when it is more cost-effective to delegate certain social media responsibilities to someone else to handle.
4. Setting up a blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter page and then not keeping it populated –consistency and fresh content are key.
5. Forgetting that social media is about engaging in the conversation and not just about selling.

I love this article by Deborah Keep:

Falling into those bad traps that you know full well how to avoid is frustrating, but there are some benefits to slipping off the practice-what-you-preach wagon. Experiencing these issues first hand provides us with valuable learnings and teaches us to have greater empathy and understanding towards our clients.

In neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) though, it’s more valuable to consider how we let this situation arise and how we can overcome it.

The answers relate to our internal values and motivation, and more specifically, they relate to whether we’re motivated towards doing something that focuses on what we want, or away from something that focuses on an outcome we’re trying to avoid.

These examples illustrate the difference: 

Towards: I’m going to the gym four times this week to maintain the level of fitness, energy and muscle tone I love to have.
Away from: I’m going to the gym four times this week so I don’t feel sluggish or have a wobbly tummy.

Towards: I’m going to stick to my time management schedule today because I want to achieve two projects that will have a big impact on the profitability of my business.
Away from: I’m going to stick to my time management schedule today because otherwise I’ll feel frazzled for the rest of the week.

Towards: I’m looking forward to making those cold calls today because I love getting to know prospective clients and starting new business relationships.
Away from: I’m not looking forward to making those cold calls today, but if I don’t there’s no way I’ll achieve my sales targets this week.·

The difference between ‘towards’ and ‘away from’ motivation can be very subtle, but will have great impact on what you do and the results you achieve. This is a classic case of the way you behave being a consequence of what’s going on in both your conscious and unconscious minds. If the two parts of your mind aren’t in alignment, it will be difficult to consistently achieve your goals. 

Think about the goals you’ve reached in the past. Do you tend to respond better when your motivation is towards an outcome or away from it? 

Although some people respond well to ‘away from’ motivation, framing your goals towards a particular outcome is generally more motivational and inspiring. 

Next time you’re having difficulty motivating yourself to do something, list the reasons for doing it and the reasons for not doing it. Clues that you have ‘away froms’ lurking around in your mindset can be found firstly in the inconsistent results you’re getting, and secondly in the language you use to describe the issue. 

Here are a few linguistic patterns to be aware of: 

Negations: I don’t want to miss my deadline.
Compulsions: I should try to win that new project, because I have to pay my credit card bill. 
Comparisons: I need to sell more so I have less debt. 
Fears: If I don’t finish that project I’m scared I’ll lose the client. 

Switch to using different language to talk to yourself about your goals, and you’ll be one step closer to reaching them. 

It’s always a treat for me when I experience outstanding customer service from a company.  I had such an experience last week at my dry cleaners.

I started using Capital Cleaners in Sherwood a few years ago when I found out that they always clean the used school uniforms (at no cost) that our Sherwood Rotary Club collects for those local children who can’t afford new ones.  I knew I wanted to do business with a company that practices giving back to the community.  I didn’t know, however, that an extra benefit of being one of their customers was to enjoy great service.

I probably only drop off clothes there a maximum of once or twice a month.  Yet, last week when I pulled through the drive-through, and the employee, Lila, saw me, she immediately turned and retrieved my dry-cleaning off the rack and came out and hung it up on the hanger over my left rear door.  I was stunned because she didn’t even ASK my name – Lila KNEW who I was!  I LOVE that!!!

Of course, I praised her like crazy and asked how she knew my name.  Lila (at the time I didn’t even know her name, but I sure know it now!) said that she really makes an effort to learn the customers’ names.  I told her that it was very impressive and that most people really appreciate being recognized.

I’ll continue to use Capital Cleaners because they do a good job, and now they just ensured that I’ll tell everyone I can about their great customer service.  I just became an even more Loyal Customer! 

In most aspects of our lives, we're confronted with sticky face-to-face situations; we're constantly interacting with people with different opinions and value systems. How we navigate these interactions is important to creating lasting relationships. Here are some possible solutions for dealing with these challenging encounters.
 
Not everyone we work with, play golf with, or watch our children's soccer games with is going to hold the same opinions as we do. It can be uncomfortable if we're in a face-to-face conversation and have polar opposite views about war, health care or even a favorite actor, football team, or model of car.

When it's apparent that no one is changing his or her mind, simply agree to disagree and find another shared topic of interest. You might say something like, "It looks like we have different and strong views and neither of us is going to change, so … How 'bout dem Hogs?"  When said with humor, that comment pokes fun and can help segue to another conversation.

There often seems to be a person who is the putdown artist or the critic who manages to make barbed comments—in front of others.

One effective way to respond to hurtful or pointed comments is to simply look at the person and quietly say, "Ouch!" It's a word that unmistakably implies a transgression and it sends an unmistakable message.

Too often we let people get away with demeaning comments, rather than deal with them immediately. To the one-upper, you might respond, "Wow, that's fascinating," and then politely move on.   Another suggestion is to be very direct and say something like, “That sounded like a nasty comment; maybe I didn't understand what you meant.'"
 
The dilemma is: Do we stay silent or do we address the offending remarks? If we're silent, we actually give tacit approval to the offender.  We must call people on their actions and set boundaries.  When you have standards of acceptable behavior, people learn the parameters. 

Then there are the teasers.  There's a point at which teasing or kidding around becomes tormenting or bullying.  When you recognize that moment, mention your reaction to the comments and how the remarks make you feel.  Such as, “I’m getting uncomfortable here.”  Or “What was that about?”  We shouldn’t smile when we make these statements because the smile sends a mixed message to the person who already has demonstrated a lack of awareness or indifference. Not smiling makes your message crystal clear.

Have a few stock comments in place so you aren't caught off guard and you're prepared with something to say. Remember: Today's sticky situation and annoyance is tomorrow's great story to share.

I totally agree with my friend and colleague, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, in her article.  So many business "professionals" seem to forget common courtesy! 

People in business are crazy busy today probably more than ever before. Technology now has these individuals connected to what seems like 24/7 work week and many may believe they are in roles of doctors responding to a continual stream of emergencies. Then factor in less people being asked to do more work because of the slowing economy to poor performance reviews and you end up with some serious self-management issues.

When I think about crazy busy people, the image of the frantic white rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland" comes to mind running around screaming "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date." Sometimes in business we all may feel like that rabbit. However, this feeling does not excuse unprofessional behavior.

Maybe you are like me and have arrived at an appointment and the other person was a no-show. I have had this happen not only with colleagues, potential clients (a.k.a. prospects) and actual clients. Now, from my perspective this is much worse than not returning a phone call or responding to an e-mail because professionalism and specifically values are in the cross hairs. Recently I actually had one coaching client tell his boss that "things happen" when he missed a confirmed coaching call. Needless to say, the boss removed him from the executive coaching because of his demonstrated lack of commitment, professionalism and ethics.

No shows truly lack positive core values. When two people agree to come together be it face to face or over the telephone, then an implied contract has been made. Honoring that contract demonstrates both your professionalism and positive core values.

In some cases, there are foul-ups where dates were confused or even where technology had a burp. Then it even becomes more essential to respond quickly to any phone calls or emails associated with missed meetings so that your professionalism and values are not tainted.

Additionally this type of behavior is communicating a subtle non-verbal message. That communication is my time (the person who failed to make the appointment) is more valuable than your time (the person who made the appointment and is waiting for the other person). Again, I do not know about you, but I believe my time is just an important as everyone else's and missed meetings as a small business owner cost me productivity and potential sales.

With all of my clients, one of the key issues that we discuss is professionalism and the demonstrated behaviors. This discussion is usually connected to having a formal written positive core values statement that is proactively communicated to all stakeholders.

Some say that business ethics is an oxymoron and I truly do not believe that to be true. However, after being in business for over 10 years, I believe what is true is that there appear to be more individuals in business who lack personal core values because their egos have them believing they are more important than those with whom they interact. For it is the ego that keeps the hand from picking up the phone and saying "It was my fault for missing the meeting."

I wanted to share this article written by my friend and colleague, Chip Scholz.

Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to become angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy.” Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, 330 BC

Aristotle was a student of Plato, and his primary disagreement with him was his respect for emotions. Unlike Plato, he realized that rationality wasn’t always in conflict with emotion. Instead, Aristotle argued that one of the critical functions of the rational soul was to make sure that emotions were intelligently applied to the real world.

Yet, we continually discount emotions when we weigh data, correlate statistics and use results from customer surveys and focus groups. Many companies rely on surveys and focus groups to make product and marketing decisions. Without careful consideration of context, they may miss making the best decisions.

The problems of focus groups are well documented. Jonah Lehrer writes about them in his book How We Decide. It’s why some televisions shows don’t make it to the networks. Seinfeld tested poorly, as did The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hill Street Blues.

Focus groups are a crude instrument to measure audience responses because people express their feelings, but they don’t explain them. Data is recorded based on impulsive feelings with all the usual flaws of the emotional brain.

Executives have to sort through the data and make qualitative decisions using contextual information. You can’t rely on emotional data and obey it blindly.

Sorting data and making sense of it is what the prefrontal cortex does well. The audience in a focus group is like our emotional brain, constantly sending out visceral signals about it’s likes and dislikes. The prefrontal cortex, also called the executive brain, is like a smart TV network executive, patiently monitoring emotional reactions and deciding which to take seriously.

Rationality can work to save us from impulse decisions based on negative feelings that aren’t justified. But relying exclusively on rational thought can easily backfire. When the rational brain takes over, people tend to make all sorts of decision-making mistakes.

They ignore the wisdom of their emotions, and start basing their arguments on things they can explain rationally, like survey data (without considering that customers respond to them emotionally.)

One of the problems is that even when our feelings are accurate, they can be hard to articulate. So instead of going with an argument that feels best, we go with one that sounds reasonable.