networking

collaboration

Why Collaboration is EVERYTHING

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I learned very early in my career that finding a mentor is key to success – learn from others who have been down the path you want to go.  I also learned that being a mentor to others is not only gratifying it’s important to the success life cycle. So what does that have to do with collaboration?

 The Cycle

You don’t need to reinvent wheels – you simply need to take the design of the wheel, the research already done on the effectiveness of the wheel – and put your own spin on it.  The magic happens when that original wheel inventor actually learns a thing or two from you and your new spins on his/her design.

This is called Collaboration.  In the process of gathering intel and learning you are SHARING your wisdom in return.  The cycle of success keeps moving and growing the more you collaborate, learn and share. 

Starting

  • The secret to mastering the success life cycle is knowing who to collaborate with. It begins with YOU.  You must clearly define what you want, where you want to go and what you want to be.  Write them down.
  • Next you need to find others who have successfully achieved what you want. Social media is a perfect example of how this happens ALL THE TIME.  Want to run a marathon?  Head over to twitter, Facebook and Instagram and Google and search out expert marathoners. Become obsessed with learning everything they do from what they eat, how they train, how much they sleep and what they wear.  Adapt it to your lifestyle and go.  Ask questions, give feedback to others – soon you will be the expert and sharing your stories to help others!
  • Consider IRL collaborations. Meeting people face to face or IN REAL LIFE trumps online connections 90% of the time – if you are very intentional who you are connecting with.  It’s all about having a solid support system – the inner circle of folks who you deeply trust and feel comfortable sharing with.
  • Let go of your ego. Being a newbie or a learner is not a sign of weakness, nor is being a mentor to others a sign of superiority.  This is about collaboration and serving.  Egos should be checked at the door.

If you want to win the long game – don’t do it solo.  Know success is a journey – there will be ups and downs, having a support system will get you to the finish line a hell of a lot quicker than going solo.

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Stop asking “what do you do?” – ask this instead…

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It seems like every time you meet someone new at a networking event, social gathering, or via an acquaintance the first question people ask, besides the standard “how are you”, is “what do you do?” For some reason I’ve always hated this question. I think it started back when I worked for a manufacturing company because it was always so hard to give a 30 second summary of what I actually did. Sure, my official title was Customer Service Rep., but it really didn’t tell people what I did. Of course, I dealt with customer orders, complaints, and questions, but I also worked on inventory, handled the shipping paperwork, sent invoices, and even helped in various other departments when needed.

It wasn’t just about trying to explain my job, I also had to explain what the company did, which could get technical, but we won’t get into that. But all that aside, what does my job really have to do with me. My job doesn’t define me, I didn’t grow up saying I wanted to be a CSR. Even now with a job title of President, it still doesn’t help you get to know me any better does it?

So, after years of answering and even asking the question “So, what do you do?”, I’ve decided that the phrase is now dead to me. I’ve deleted it from my vocabulary. If you really want to get to know people, start asking them “Who are you, what are you passionate about?”. Here’s why. What you do is such a small part of who you are. Let’s pretend you just asked me “So Jenn, what do you do?” my standard response is “Well Joe, I’m the President of Red Barn Consulting, a sales, marketing, operations, and biz coaching and consulting company. I pretty much handle all the day to day operations and make sure everything gets done.” That’s pretty boring right. You really didn’t learn anything about me – other it’s my responsibility to make sure shit gets done.

Now, let’s pretend you asked me my new go to question about who I am and what I’m passionate about. Here’s how I would respond. “ Hi Joe, thanks for asking! I’m a wife, pet mom to 3 cats and 2 crazy German Shepard puppies, and an avid animal lover. I work for Red Barn Consulting, a sales, marketing, operations, and biz coaching consulting company, and I love what I do because I get to learn new things, work from home so I can spend time with my zoo, and I handle all the operations of the company – I make sure nothing falls through the cracks. I’m also very interested in Real Estate, own a 3 family investment property, plan to get my license eventually, and I LOVE to travel – especially to anywhere in the Caribbean. I have a passion for baking, I’m a neat freak, but I also love spending time outside getting dirty, at the gym, or relaxing in my pool. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies and I’m a Harry Potter dork.”

Which question gave you more insight in to who I really am and what I love to do? Where you able to find anything that we have in common? Asking better questions leads to better conversation and truly tells you about who the person is. I don’t care if you are a CEO, janitor, or mid-level manager. I want to know why we should be connecting. What do we have in common. When it comes to networking, it’s not all business – it is personal and that’s how you make those connections. I want to learn about people, what makes them tick, what do they love to do.

Next time you attend a party, networking event, etc. give my new method a try. And make sure you let me know how it goes. Let’s try to start a new trend!

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No sales team – no problem. How to increase your sales without a sales team

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When you own a small business, you may not have resources available to hire a dedicated sales person, but you still need to make sales, right? When sales are your goal but not necessarily your specialty, you need to make sure every lead, every prospect counts. That one missed sale could really affect your bottom line when you are just starting out. So how do you kick your sales effort into overdrive without a robust sales process and team? Check out these great tips to give your sales effort the boost it needs.

Email, email, email. If you didn’t read my previous blog on the importance and value of email marketing – go back and read it here. Email marketing is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to reach your prospects and clients. And yes, you should be emailing your current clients too – they still need nurturing to get them to continue to buy your services/products and buy additional services/product. Just because they bought once or twice, doesn’t mean they will continue to buy. Make sure you list is targeted as well. Don’t blindly email everyone whose email you have – unless they sign up for a specific newsletter. Make sure the people on your list are people who could actually buy your offering.

Be mobile-friendly. From your website to your emails to your social media profiles – everything should look great and be easy to navigate on mobile devices. Why? Because pretty much everyone nowadays owns a smartphone or tablet and they are using them to open emails, check social media, and visit websites. If they can’t quickly and easily access you on a mobile device, you may be losing a lot of sales.

Make the pathway to a sale easy. Can your customers easily place an order with you? Even if they can’t order direct from your website if it’s a service-based business, do you make your process easy? Are they able to get ahold of you or someone who can take the sale? Is there a lot of mundane paperwork they need to complete? Streamline your sales process to make it as easy as possible for your client to work with you.

Networking and referrals. What’s better than free marketing? Your network of peers sending prospects your way via referrals. When you network and build up a tribe of people who know you, know what you do, and genuinely like you – they are happy to refer business your way, especially when you reciprocate. The saying it’s not what you know but who you know still holds value.

Amazing customer service. Customers really learn a lot about your business from the customer service you provide. Providing timely responses to calls and emails, answering questions they may have about the product, and giving them value during the decision-making process could be the deciding factor in whether they purchase from you or not. Don’t go AWOL after the sale either – customer service is just as important as making the sale – you don’t want people spreading negative feedback that you could have easily controlled.

Still have questions on how you can take your sales to the next level – give us a call. We can help with everything from how to approach your prospects to defining your sale’s pitch and message.

No sales team – no problem. How to increase your sales without a sales team Read More »

Is Face to Face Networking a thing of the Past?

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I’m a huge fan of social networking and platforms such as LinkedIn to make new business connections and garner new clients. The internet has shortened my sales cycles, opened me up to opportunities I once would never had – but what about old school connecting?  Has face to face  – “Hey, let’s meet for a coffee” – strategy gone by the way side?

In my world, that’s an absolute no. The real magic happens for me when I can get in a physical room with someone.  Sure, I’ve closed deals with people I’ve never met face to face. I’ve used Zoom and Skype and the good ole phone, but there’s nothing like sitting across the table from someone and having a conversation.  When you can be in the physical presence of another, you learn more, you absorb more.

I also believe that mass networking events such as Chambers of Commerce and other peer group association events warrant attention.  To be honest, I’ve scaled back on these over the years but I launched my business based on a lot of those relationships from my local Chamber of Commerce.  In fact, I kind of miss being in the “know” of what’s happening, so I just signed up for a few after-hours events.

The answer isn’t either or, but a combination thereof.  Yes, make sure you have an online brand that tells your story, but don’t discount the local face to face opportunities.  People that already know of you and perhaps even know what you do and what you offer.  Being in the right place at the right time is always priceless.  I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve gotten over the years just because I was at an event sipping a glass of wine with someone talking about “life” when they said – “You know, you and I really should talk – give me a call tomorrow and let’s set something up.”

The best clients are often the ones you aren’t searching for, but the ones that serendipitously appear before you at that “right time”.

If you are in startup mode, especially in a service based industry, I strongly advise you to join some type of local networking group.  Get your name out there, get comfortable with your story, meet some master networkers who will spread your proverbial love around.  Don’t forget – it’s all about who you know.  Why not give the good ‘ole networking thing a try again – add it to your online repertoire!

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Never have I EVER…. Automation!

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It seems like lately technology has gone into hyper drive when it comes to marketing and sales – even life itself. 

Chatbots, Artificial intelligence, Alexa, Drones…and even in the world of marketing: Automation. 

I’m old school and tend to not be an early adopter of automation.  I had a paper calendar up until 3 years ago when I finally started using my iPhone calendar.  (I know – right?)  I still read the Sunday paper – as a paper and not on my phone, I still get magazines…the list goes on. 

One thing I have adopted though is automation for our marketing and sales processes. Why?   

Self-serving mostly.  I guess the same reason I still read real magazines – I like to. 

I’ve never liked cold calling – EVER.  I would find any way around it. 

Email Marketing – WIN 

LinkedIn – WIN 

Networking – WIN 

Lately – I’m all about Facebook ads, webinars, lead magnets, landing pages, funnels, CRM tagging, automated workflows – can you say flow charts on steroids? 

The point is – it makes my life easier and I close more deals.  More importantly I get to be super and I mean SUPER targeted where my message goes and who sees it.  I’m not wasting time on someone who doesn’t fit my target client profile. 

Automation using tools such as Active Campaign or Infusionsoft. Creating courses in Thinkific and using tools such as Zoom, Click Funnel, and Zapier.  (ps – not getting paid for those plugs).  It’s all about tapping into the genius of automation – stuff other people have already thought out and I don’t have to! 

Do I still do email marketing – of course!  But I’m far smarter about it now. 

LinkedIn – you bet!  But it’s not just my resume. 

Networking – Oh yea. But I’m more about the mastermind groups than the big ole networking by tossing a fishing net.  

Times are changing.  Embrace the technology that WORKS for YOU! If you still like to curl up in your jammies and read the REAL Sunday Times vs. reading on your iPad – then do it.  No harm, no foul.   

What’s your favorite automation tool or technology hack? 

Cindy 

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Secrets to building your health care practice…

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Word of mouth is one of the best ways to organically build your healthcare practice. People are naturally cautious about who they share their medical needs with, and getting recommendations from friends and family helps to build trust.

The problem is, word of mouth has diminishing returns. You can build up a stellar reputation as a health provider, have overwhelmingly positive people who advocate for you, and bring in new patients, but at some point that’s going to tail off. When that happens, you need some other ways to reach out and let others know how awesome you are. Fortunately, we have just the thing…

Here are some tried and tested ways of marketing your healthcare business to bring new patients through the door.

Provide exceptional healthcare advice in a public setting. Some of the medical advice you provide is crucial. It helps potential patients gauge if you’d be the right doctor or healthcare provider for them. Use this to your advantage by providing great advice in a public setting. Attend health fairs and other events, speak at gatherings, and share your knowledge.

This doesn’t just need to be limited to strict medical information — If you have a nutritionist, physical therapist, or other healthcare expert on staff, they can provide advice in related fields and expose you to a whole new audience.

Give 150% when it comes to the customer experience. With so many options today, patients are being quite critical of their patient experience. How can you stand out? Have a comforting and comfortable waiting area with refreshments – it makes a difference! Doctors running late? Ensure you have a way to contact your patients and offer them a reschedule. Busy day of appointments? Make sure your staff doesn’t rush patients through the process but spends time ensuring their questions are answered and their needs are taken care of. Every little touch point matters. Not sure how you are doing – survey your patients and find out! PS – when you have a stellar customer experience it will differentiate you from others – market it as a perk!

Partner with other local businesses. One of the most powerful forms of local marketing is partnering with similar businesses. If you have a local gym, provide a class on exercising safely. If there’s a sports team, get involved with them by giving talks on recovering from sports-related injuries. If your town has large student population, give advice on good nutrition and diet. Involve yourself with retirement communities on medical care in later life.[/cs_text]

Build up a better medical referral network. Healthcare providers thrive on referrals. Network with other medical businesses in your local area and demonstrate your authority and expertise. As your reputation grows, use this to build mutually beneficial relationships with other specialists.

Offer free or low cost physicals, preventative tests, and vaccinations. Prevention is better than cure. Get healthy patients to your practice by providing physicals, preventative tests, flu shots, and other vaccinations for free, or at a significantly discounted rate.

Enhance your online, local SEO marketing. Local search, especially on mobile devices, is one of the main ways people discover your medical practice. Create a great website with useful, practical content. Make sure all of your local search profiles and listings are consolidated and accurate.

Stay on top of your customer reviews. Reviews should be another key part of your marketing strategy. Encourage your patients to review and rate your services, as higher reviewed businesses are better placed in search results.

Use the power of social media Monitor the social media around your brand and business. Interact with people through social media and share genuinely useful information and content. Answer questions to demonstrate your expertise and build trust in your advice and approach.

It’s time to look beyond word of mouth marketing, and here at RBC we’re ideally placed to help you do just that. We understand what healthcare providers need, and we provide awesome marketing and strategy services to help your business thrive.

Secrets to building your health care practice… Read More »