How Not To Get A New Client

I am constantly giving the advice to entrepreneurs to network, network, network. I tell business owners to get out of their comfort zone and go out and network. When I say network I don't mean to go out and broadcast your services or to do hard sales. To me networking is about creating relationships, to get to know others and to let them get to know you. It is not about trying to get that person to be my next client. It's about making friends and building social capital. You never know who knows your next client or where your next referral might come from.

I recently had a networking experience that felt "icky" to me. How can I explain this? I met a man at an event, he heard me talking about Twitter and social networking (many of you know how much I LOVE to talk about this subject, I get a little passionate when doing so) anyway he asked me for my card and said he'd like to hear more about what I do. The next day he called and asked if I wanted to get together and have coffee to network some more. Being the networking advocate I am, I said yes.

When I arrived for coffee he introduced me to his colleague, explaining they had other meetings to attend today so she came along for this one as well. I thought great, I get to meet another person. They asked me all about Twitter, my blog, social networking and I blabbed on and on talking about being authentic, about how it's not about sales but is about relationships, they agreed and said they loved the concept because that is how they practice business.

About 15 minutes in to our conversation, I asked him why he wanted to meet today, if he just wanted to hear more about what I do or if he had any questions. Suddenly, his colleague took over and dove in to a total sales pitch trying to sell me a service I did not need, nor want. She went on and on, while the wheels were turning in my head and I was slowly realizing what was happening...

I was thinking to myself, did they even really care about what I do? were they here to sell me their services? I felt like a big dummy for going on and on about social networking. Maybe I was too presumptuous myself and should have spent a little more time at the beginning of the meeting to check in with them.

Meanwhile she is still talking about all the benefits of what they do and how much I will benefit from it. Then she said, "so tell me how we can help you?". I looked at her confused and said, "I'm not looking for help, I'm here today because he invited me. I'm not looking for X services, I don't need them. Thank you". I'm not going to bore you with the rest of the conversation but it just didn't sit right with me. We were all polite to each other but by this point I felt like they weren't being authentic, I felt they didn't really care about what I did, they just smiled politely and kept asking questions to keep me talking. I may be totally wrong, because they seemed like really nice people, perhaps they did care about what I do and they just have a different style of networking but I came out of the meeting feeling icky, which means I'm probably not going to use their services and I'm not going to refer them to my large network of friends.

I'm telling this story not to criticize these people but to share with any of you who may be wondering why you haven't "sealed the deal" lately. If you are having trouble "closing the sale" with clients maybe it is time to take a step back and look at your own approach to networking.

If you are going to invite someone for a meeting to try to sell them your services please let them know in advance. Maybe even find out if they are at all interested in your services. Time is precious these days.

My advice is to network, network, network but please be authentic when doing so.

After re-reading this, I realized I'm being a little hard on these people. I'm sure they are good, nice and caring people. I'm not saying people who do hard sales are bad people, just saying they may want to re-evaluate the way they look at networking and sales. It's totally fine to share what you do and talk about your business but that is different than trying to convince someone they need your services.

I'm stepping off my soap box now. Thank you for listening.

Twitter is Magical!

I like Twitter. My Twitter friends get this. My real-in-person friends don't. They think I'm weird. But I'm okay with that.

Ever since I first heard about TweetUps I wanted to attend one. A year or so ago I started asking if anyone was interested in a local TweetUp... no response. Since Twitter has grown so rapidly in the last 6 months I decided to ask again because this time I knew I had a handful of local followers. I got responses this time! People said yes they'd love to participate in a TweetUp. One woman @LissaRankin volunteered her office space at Clear Center of Health in Mill Valley. Others (@pobutler) offered to bring things. Lissa and I decided to co-host the TweetUp and to make it a potluck. We weren't sure how many people were going to come.

Last night I arrived at Clear Center with my vegetarian springrolls in one hand, sparkly water and wine in the other and walked in to be greeted by Lissa's coworkers, charming husband and adorable daughter. They were so nice and welcoming and told me Lissa was coming a little bit later. We rearranged the meeting space, got tables set up, put out our food and wondered if anyone was going to show up. They did! One by one people came walking in with food or drinks in hand. I think we had 20 people total. Four men, the rest women.

I wasn't sure what to expect with a room full of strangers but what I found was a room full of interesting, friendly people. It was probably the most relaxed and comfortable event full of strangers that I've ever been to. But I guess we aren't really strangers. We see each others tweets, we follow each others lifes. We carryon conversations.

I had a strange experience earlier in the day. A local business owner contacted me for something else and I wrote him back asking if he was on Twitter and invited him to our TweetUp. He wrote me back basically telling me he thought Twitter was a waste of time. He said if I can figure out how to make magic with Twitter then God bless me. Well guess what? I think I did figure out how to make magic with Twitter. Last night I was in a beautiful, warm, friendly office filled with wonderful people who I now consider friends. I would have never had this experience if it weren't for Twitter. It feels pretty magical to me!

Thank you to everyone who came to the TweetUp!

Photos from the TweetUp!

Social Networking Etiquette

Just found this great video on the blog Social Media 101 explaining Social Networking better than I've ever heard it explained before.

So many people are still trying the "get rich quick schemes", the bullhorn shouting look at me stuff and the same old marketing techniques. I keep telling people it is not about that anymore. It is about creating relationships with people, building trust and being real.

Tara Hunt said in her book The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business "Turn the bullhorn around, Stop talking and start listening."

If you are thinking about using Social Media to sell your next product or service please watch this video before doing so. Thank you.



Thanks to Scott of @UnMarketing for creating this video (and tweeting about it so I saw it).

How Not talk to your potential Virtual Assistant

I was catching up on my blog reading and came across Candy's blog where she posted this video (that Nina showed to her). I just had to re-post because I have heard things like this SO many times and it relates to my previous blog post.

(I can't get the video to fit properly in the post so please click the link to watch)

The Vendor Client Relationship in Real World Situations

Thanks Candy and Nina!

Calling all Virtual Assistants!

It is time to start networking!

Are you a lone wolf or do you hang out with other Virtual Assistants? If you are a lone wolf I suggest you try networking with other Virtual Assistants. I have learned so much from my VA colleagues. Virtual Assistants are a special breed, we like to share, we like to learn from each other, we like to challenge each other and we like to see each other succeed.

I don't know if any studies have been done but my unofficial research says that networking with other Virtual Assistants will bring your business to a higher level of success.

Here area few great places to hang out if you are a VA:
VAnetworking
IVAA
VirtualAssistantforums

Oh and if you are a Virtual Assistant on Facebook please join the IVAA fan page. I am the new admin for the IVAA Facebook fan page. (So please become a fan to make me look good as the new admin) *wink*

If you are new to online networking here is must have ebook written by Angela Smith!!!

She shares lots of great tips and tricks for networking online.

Online Networking for the Newbie



This just added! I told Angela I was featuring her book and she offered my readers a discount!!! Thanks Angela - you rock!

Virtual Simplicity blog readers get $5.00 off the price of Angela’s e-book, "Online Networking for the Newbie." With this discount, you can pick up a copy of the e-book for only $9.95 or the VA Combo Pack (which includes the e-book and the Virtual Toolkit) for only $12.95. Just enter the following coupon code at checkout: SIMPLICITY.

Women and Money and the Power of Social Networking

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am slightly obsessed with Twitter and Facebook. Most of those people think I'm strange too. But I digress. The point of this blog post is to share some exiting news! I am the featured fan at the Women and Money group on Facebook this week! One of the reasons I am the featured fan is because of the power of online social networking. I met Cathy Curtis (the owner of Curtis Financial Planning and the founder of the Women and Money group) through Twitter and then Facebook! Networking online can be a very powerful tool in building your business.

Control Your Privacy Settings On Facebook

Thanks to Corine who commented on my last post with this video link and thanks to HappySlip for creating this fun video.

A few weeks ago, I posted this under my notes* in Facebook®.

Facebook is weird!

It's the one place where your past & present collide. Your personal and professional life overlap (well at least mine does). Your friends from middle school suddenly appear and post a ton of pictures of you from when you were 12. Your ex-boyfriends start appearing one at a time and now they are all in one place together. Your clients, employers, co-workers, ex-friends, new friends, kids, kid's friends, ex-husbands, lovers, acquaintances and strangers all together commenting on what you are doing at the moment. Friends from high school, people you don't remember from high school, people that remember too much from high school, your family, your neighbors... They are all there (here) together. People in your life that would never interact now have the opportunity to interact. It's just weird. Normally when you go for a job interview or are negotiating a project with a new client you don't show them your pictures from middle school, talk about your exes, or tell them what you are doing every minute of the day. I'm just wondering what this all means in the big picture of life? It's kind of strange and cool at the same time.

I'm not sure how I feel about having you all here together... so far it's a fun ride.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this big social experiment we are all involved in.

*notes in Facebook® is similar to a blog.

This got me thinking... I update my Facebook® page quite frequently and maybe I don't want every single Facebook® "friend" of mine to always be in-the-know of exactly what I am doing.

Did you know you can change your privacy settings so your "friends" don't get updated every time you comment on a picture, write on someone's wall or update your status? You can even specify certain "friends" to get limited updates from you. (You know those friends who it caused less drama to accept their friend request than to ignore it. If you have friends like that.) *wink*

To change your privacy settings in Facebook®

• Sign in to your account
• Click on the link Settings (located at the top right of your screen, next to your name)
• Click the word manage (next to Privacy)
• Click on the word Profile
• Click on Edit Custom Settings under Status Updates
• Where it says Except These People add in any of those special friends you may not want seeing your every move.

Please post your Facebook® questions here. If I know the answer, I will blog about it in future posts.

Become a fan of Virtual Simplicity on Facebook®!

If you are new to Facebook®, want to set up a Facebook® profile or page for yourself or your business and just don’t have the time or the patience to do it yourself… Virtual Simplicity can help you!

Facebook Facebook Facebook

It seems like Facebook® is the subject of most of my conversations these days.

Hi, my name is Sally and I am a Facebook-aholic user. I’ve been talking Facebook® with my friends, neighbors, clients, strangers, my mom, my kids, people on Twitter & Skype, basically anyone who will listen. It seems like everybody and their mother is on Facebook® these days.

Last night @CandieB and I even moderated a chat about Facebook® during the VAnetworking VAjot Chat.

Are you on Facebook®? If you are an entrepreneur and you are not on Facebook®, I believe you are missing out on some great networking opportunities.

For many (including myself), Facebook® is not intuitive and not very user friendly. I’ve learned a few basic steps that have helped me navigate my way through Facebook® and wanted to share them with you.

1. Notifications – Did you know that when you sign in to Facebook® there is a quick way to see what's new in relationship to you? Just click on the little white sign icon at the bottom right of your screen. If there is a red box with a number in it that means you have a new notification. This is the fastest way to see what has happened since the last time you signed on. It will tell you if someone has tagged you in a photo, if someone has written on your wall, etc
   
2. Fan Pages & Groups – Fan Pages are very popular on Facebook® right now. Most business have one or plan to get one soon. Does your business have one? You may already be a Fan of a number of pages but do you know how to find those pages again? The fastest way is to type the name in to the Search Box located at the top right of your screen. (This also works for finding friends quickly).
3. Ignore – Facebook® can be overwhelming. My advice is to use the ignore button frequently. If someone throws a sheep at you, sends you a drink, invites you to take a quiz or download a new application just hit the ignore key. Don’t feel obligated to accept everything that is thrown your way.
   
   
4. Etiquette - If you are going to throw something or invite people to play games, join various applications please hand pick who you are going to throw things at. If you must throw things at people please do so only to people that you know will enjoy it. Please don’t send/throw things to your entire list especially if you are using Facebook to network, you wouldn’t want to annoy a potential client.

If you are new to Facebook®, want to set up a Facebook® profile or page for yourself or your business and just don’t have the time or the patience to do it yourself… Virtual Simplicity can help you!

Has Twitter Changed Your Life?

How has Twitter changed your life?

I blog less now that I have Twitter. I know I participate less in the forums too and I don't go to as many e-seminars/websinars/chats/tele-classes as I used to. I also use Skype a lot less.

Today I am feeling nostalgic for the good old days of online networking forums, Skype group chats and blogging. I miss having endless room to babble on and on and on and not being limited to 140 characters to get my point across. I also am missing the intimacy of private Skype chats and private online forums where everything I say is not put out there for the whole world to read.

Has Twitter changed your life? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Twitter! In fact, I think I am addicted to Twitter. I am tweeting or reading tweets 24/7 thanks to my iPhone.

Today I just took a moment to step back from this fast paced world, breathe and think about the good old days of technology.



------
Did you hear about the awesome sale on our book Managing Your Thriving Business for Success! If you enter the keyword: productive you will get the book for only $9.95

Where do you network online?

There are so many places to network online... one could get overwhelmed with the opportunities.

Where do you network online?

My two favorite places for virtual assistant networking are VANA and the VARevolution.

I dabble in other forums: IVAA, Ryze, LinkedIn, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Olivia and a bunch more... to be listed another day.

Where is your favorite place to network? Why?

More LinkedIn

I was catching up on reading my favorite blogs today when I came across Jennifer Gniadecki's podcast on Using LinkedIn. Thanks Jennifer!

LinkedIn

I joined LinkedIn!

Are you a LinkedIn member?
I am and I decided to join because two different people in one week invited me. I thought, I better check this thing out.

Just curious... if you are a LinkedIn member what do you think? Do you like it? Is it good for networking? I see a lot of the movers and the shakers from the Virtual Assistant industry in there so I know it must be good. I'd love to hear about your experiences with LinkedIn.

Here is what PC Magazine had to say about it. "More of a well-heeled social club than a friendly free-for-all, LinkedIn is the most exclusive site we reviewed." - PCMag

Online Networking for the Newbie

I'm not a newbie but I do network online.

I am currently reading the new ebook titled Online Networking for the Newbie by Angela Smith of AccuAssist. I think the title of this book should be Online Networking for Everyone (not just the Newbie).

Angela shares some great tips on how to network online, how to set up your forum profile, how to avoid 20 of the most common forum faux pas (not surprisingly I've done some of the faux pas...) and basic etiquette on forum participation.

By the way she is offering a free excerpt to download here.

Are you Asking for the Sale?

Last night I attended a workshop on Nonviolent Communication, you can read more about it here. A point was made to always request/state your needs when in a conversation. Our words are often mis-understood.

I got to thinking how this could be applied when networking for our businesses. Do you let potential clients know your needs? Do you ask for the sale? They may not know you want to work with them or even have thought about the fact that you might be able to help them. Next time you are talking with a potential client try saying, "I'd really like to talk with you more about your business and ways I might be able to help you. Can we get together for coffee on Tuesday? or Can I call you on Monday to set up a phone meeting?" Now your potential client knows you are interested in them and they know you want to meet with them. I mean seriously, what is the worst thing that can happen? They might say they are busy or not interested. That's fine, now think about the best thing that can happen: you might get a new client or a great referral!

The Surreal World of Virtual Simplicity

When your partner thinks you are acting like an emoticon should you be worried?

Being a virtual professional /virtual assistant means I spend my working hours in the virtual world. I communicate with my clients, colleagues, friends and even my parents online! I've learned to express myself via emoticons. Anyone who works virtually and uses IM understands. Those that don't... well they usually look at me funny.


I also network online. I hang out in virtual forums such as VANA, The VA Revolution, Ryze, Myspace, and many more.

I could write a whole book (or 3) about my surreal virtual world and it would be full of an amazing group of colorful characters.


For those of you living outside the box it's hard to explain what happens inside of it. Client relationships are created. Support is given. Friendships are made. Bridges are built. Barriers are taken down. There is an incredible connection being made via humans these days and it is all happening in this little box you are staring at.

My partner, (the one who said I was acting like an emoticon) is amazed when I talk about my virtual friends, my virtual clients and the fact that the virtual money showing up in my email via paypal turns in to real money in our bank account. And not to mention the virtual friends I talk about that turn in to real friends sleeping on our couch.

What Should You Be Saying When Others Ask "What Do You Do?"
By Yvonne Weld

Small talk is society’s way of cutting the silence, of filling the empty void that makes many of us nervous. When faced with a situation involving just us and a stranger or someone that we are not well acquainted with, it is our innate reaction to talk about the weather or news events as opposed to feeling comfortable sitting in silence. How many times a day are you asked, “So what do you do?” If you are like most, your answer is usually confined to a simple professional answer, “I am a self-employed ___________”. In most cases this is the end of the conversation or you then ask “and you?” But let’s face it, do we really care and did the person asking the initiating question care? The next time you are faced with this question, take the time to find an answer that makes them care and create enough interest to keep the conversation flowing.

As a small business owner it is important to talk to anyone and everyone about your business because let’s face it, anyone could be a potential client and the person asking could know of potential clients. When answering the question “What do you do?” I am not talking about starting an hour long conversation where you get into the meat and potatoes of your job and start relaying a grocery list of your skills and capabilities. Rather I am talking about giving them something to be interested in talking about and something to make them spread the word about you. When looking for that interesting factor, think back to when you first started your business. What excited you and drew you to start this business? What makes you stand out from the crowd and makes others excited to hear about your business?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Provide a hook or a reason for potential clients to remember you and your business. Paint a picture for the person that is asking. Imagine a person selling a cloth that provides a streak free shine every time. They explain to the person that they no longer have to lug bottles of glass cleaner and paper towels, but simply dampen the cloth and rub and the cloth does the rest. I guarantee the next time that person is lugging glass cleaner and paper towels they will think about that cloth.

2. Give them a reason to ask more. Imagine the questions when you hear of a person who just opened a massage therapy business that utilizes water but the patient never gets wet. What part of your business is most likely to make people ask questions?

3. What makes you stand out from others like you? I am a virtual assistant who provides bookkeeping services. I also provide administrative support and many people choose to work with me because they only want to deal with one person to assist them as opposed to both a bookkeeper and an administrative assistant.

4. Ask a question that will provoke an emotion. This will enable the person to think of you every time that emotion is felt. For example, ask “have you ever felt overwhelmed by the unorganization present in your home? I am a personal organizer who not only organizes things for you, but also provides you with tools and resources to improve your own organizational skills.” The next time someone is feeling overwhelmed and is in a state of chaos I am sure they will think of you.

Always, always, always keep in mind that although the person you are talking about might not be your target client, you can never be sure what fifty people they know. Truly talking about your business can make the difference in truly creating a thriving business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Yvonne Weld is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business and is the owner of ABLE Virtual Assistant Services. For more information about The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business and how you can protect your business from unexpected absences due to injury, sickness or even death, visit the Web site at www.thrivingbusinessmanual.com

Yvonne Weld is the owner of Canadian based ABLE Virtual Assistant Services and the author of "The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business". For more information visit http://www.thrivingbusinessmanual.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yvonne_Weld