Create Shazam! Moments by Asking “What’s Your Resolution This Year?”

It’s a New Year and it presents a great opportunity to refocus, refresh, and refer. That is, a great opportunity to find some robust referrals for your referral partners by asking one simple question of everybody you know and meet in the next week …

So what’s your New Year’s Resolution?

Asking this simple question of your clients, patients, friends, families, and those you meet will generate many opportunities to help solve problems or challenges (aka referrals). It will also start the process of creating a new habit for the New Year (if you’re not already doing so) that I call the “SHAZAM!” moment.

Remember that show in the 1970s (dating myself here a bit because I sure do) called Shazam!? When the main character, Billy, spoke the magic word “Shazam!,” he was struck by a magic lightning bolt and was transformed into the World’s Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel. There were no super-villains he would fight, Captain Marvel would just help people out of difficult situations of their own making (remember the problems & challenges?). When he needed help, Billy would speak directly to the elders that empowered him – who appear as animated characters: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury (remember your referral partners?).

Get into the habit of talking to someone and when they tell you about a problem, challenge, opportunity – or simply their New Year’s Resolution – SHAZAM!, think of your referral partners who can help with that. Isn’t that great feeling? AND isn’t it great that the person you’re talking with is appreciative? AND isn’t it great that you will establish yourself as a tremendous center of influence? It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN!

Here are some ways to make that SHAZAM! moment happen more often.

Your clients & patients:

Whether in person or on the phone, once your business with them is concluded, you can say “You’ve mentioned your business challenges/problems/goals to me, what is the first hurdle you need to jump to get that resolved or move towards your goals?”

People you meet networking or at social events after you’ve spent a few minutes getting to know them:

“If I was a genie and could fix one problem you’re facing personally or in your career right now, what would that problem be?”

Family and Friends:

This is the easy one… “So, tell me what’s been going on with you?” Doesn’t this result in an outpouring of medical complaints, home improvement issues, financial concerns, job frustrations, etc.?

Asking the question, So what’s your New Year’s Resolution?, is a simple way that we can all create more referral opportunities … be truly interested in the people we come in contact with … and look like a hero.

Go out this week and ask this question to see just how many SHAZAM! moments you can experience.

Need a Great Speaker Video Just Posted

I just posted a new promo video – thanks www.MightyLime.com for the excellent work!

Commit to Focus

Look, there goes a shiny object …

…Stop it, stay focused Mark!

Beginning today, I’m re-committing to Focus. I hope you’ll join me if you’re not already there because it is absolutely amazing what you can achieve when you are focused in any facet of life.

Since I am quite often asked how I can get so much done, you might be thinking that I’m good at this, but (like many people) it’s a big challenge for me – I too suffer from shiny object syndrome. Focus requires constant vigilance. (Can you imagine how difficult it’s going to be when our future generations raised around instant messaging, tweeting, and constant distraction get out here in the working world with us?)

I’ve included several specific thoughts and ideas below on what I’ll be doing (many of which are continuations of strategies that I already have in place) . I hope some of them will be helpful to you.

My Focus Commitments and Affirmations…

Email… I will not check email first thing in the morning (there’s nothing worse than starting my day working on someone else’s agenda), I will keep email alerts turned off, I will check email only twice a day (9:00am and 2:00pm), and I will not receive email on my smart phone (I got rid of the Blackberry over a year ago & I didn’t enable the email feature on my droid now). When I think that’s impossible because people need to reach me because I’m so very important, I’ll remember that I’m not as important as I think I am.

Instant messaging… I will not use it as a conversation tool. This would be like allowing someone to jump up on my desk anytime they want and interrupt my workflow (and I certainly don’t want to do that to anyone else). After all, I’m a grown-up. It’s only to be used for quick, logistical notes like “I’m on my way” or “C U in 5 mins.”

Web… I will not use the web personally during my money hours (mine are between 8 am and 6 pm each work day with a break for lunch sometimes). When this gets tough because of my shiny object syndrome, I’ll remind myself again that I’m a grown-up.

Phone… I will not give my attention to my phone when people I know are around me. If it vibrates when I’m in a face:face conversation, I will ignore it and give it attention when I’m alone.

Television… I will not channel surf. If I want to watch something, I will watch that thing and that’s it. If I need downtime, I’ll read a book, magazine, or something on the web (being careful here too, of course).

Commitment: When things get tough, I’ll remind myself that I want to succeed professionally, financially, and personally. And, if I do these things, I’ll likely contribute more, make more useful things happen, earn more, and enjoy more as a result. (It’s a better bet.) When I make a mistake (check my email, look at the web, etc.), I’ll stop, re-commit, and remind myself that I want to make good things happen (rather than living in a state of busy distraction).

These are for me and my workflow. If your work really requires more attention to email or a phone, then adjust accordingly. As you make these commitments, be sure to let people know so they understand you’ll be responding to them, just at a different interval than you did before. Let them know that if they need you urgently, they should call you – yes, even most smart phones actually still have a “calling” feature! If they don’t like that idea, remind them that you still love them and they’re important to you but you are trying to make good things happen and that requires hard work and focus. Maybe they’ll be inspired and join you in your commitment to focus and we’ll all win.

One last thing…

If I missed you with this, here’s Louis CK (http://goo.gl/I2FYW) on Conan reminding us to pay attention to the life in front of us. It’s a hilarious couple of minutes. He cusses a couple of times so if that bothers you, you’ll want to skip it.

(NOTE: I was inspired to write this post based on an email I received from Sam Parker at GiveMore.com – I recommend checking out his blog at http://blog.givemore.com/)

Got an idea … get your domain … build a site with GoDaddy.com and HostGator

Every time I have a brilliant idea for a new product or service (which is at least once a day), one of the first things I do if I believe it is viable, is buy the associated domain (website) name. GoDaddy.com (affiliate link) is the best place to that – it’s where I buy all of my domains.

The next thing I do is if the idea has merit, is build a basic website to test the idea with a Minimum Viable Product – ala The Lean Startup (amazon affiliate link) – and I host my sites with HostGator (affiliate link) - they are by far the best combination that I have found of value, dependability, and ease of use.

The reason I’m specifically mentioning this today, is that GoDaddy.com & HostGator are running major promotions for Black Friday (only good til the end of today).

The deals are:

GoDaddy.com:  $5 .com domains – Check it out here:  http://x.co/Y9cb (affiliate link)

HostGator:  50% OFF on ALL hosting services for Unlimited Web Hosting … which means for me about $2.48/month to host a bunch of sites. – Check it out here:  http://goo.gl/dgnWA  (affiliate link)

Now those are some deals.  Check ‘em out today.

Got an idea … get your domain … build a site … do it NOW!

PS – Hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday.

Getting More out of Networking Mixers

There are dozens of ‘networking’ events every day in Central Virginia – and you can run yourself ragged just going from event to event. So why not make sure that you’re getting the most out of these events? And the key to getting more out of networking mixers is simple – Triage – yet I find that most people are horribly ineffective when it comes to understanding this simple concept. Likely this is simply because it can seem so overwhelming. It’s not unusual at all to walk away from a lunch meeting or business after-hours with 10 – 20 plus business cards in hand, maybe more. The quantity from a trade show or multi-day conference can be frightening.

Let’s eliminate that pressure right now – don’t feel like you need to follow-up with everyone.

Frankly, that’s just not productive and creates a ton of work if you’re going to do it right. You’re much better off prioritizing those that you’d like to reconnect with, and in this case, less is more. Oftentimes, having met just 1 or 2 of the right people who know the people you want to know (ala your Bull’s Eye Market or BEM), can be incredible IF you now own the follow-up and execute on the appropriate steps when you triage.

Wait … What are the appropriate next steps? Typically, you’ll know when you’re talking to the right person in that moment.

Here’s what I mean. If the person you’ve been talking with has access to your BEM and is a ‘connector,’ rather than having the focused conversation you really want to have with your new found friend during the mixer, say something like this: “Susie, it’s been great meeting you and I’d really like to continue our conversation, but I’m sure you’d like to spend time meeting some other people while you’re here. I’ll call you tomorrow so we can schedule a time to sit down for coffee or lunch and talk about how we can help each other. Is that okay?” Simply get their contact information, move on to the next person, and DO NOT FORGET TO FOLLOW-UP the next day.

If the person you’re talking with is not able to help you or vice versa, just say something like this: “Susie, it’s been great meeting you, but I’m sure you’d like to spend time meeting some other people while you’re here. Enjoy the event.” Exit stage left.

It’s as simple as that.

Use the mixer or event as a way to triage potential contacts and schedule the follow-up meeting. That’s it. NOTHING IS FOR SALE. If you start selling to people at events, you will be disappointed – you are there to meet connectors and then build a mutually beneficial relationship with them. As soon as you start selling, you’ll start repelling. Have a meaningful conversation, determine if there is a fit for a future relationship, and you’ll attract people.

If you execute this simple process, you’ll be well on your way to being far more successful in your networking efforts at mixers!

How (and Why) to Give a Great Testimonial

Business and salespeople are always looking for ways to get a higher return on the time they invest developing their business relationships. Successful people will tell you that one very effective strategy is testimonials. Webster’s dictionary defines testimonial as a “statement testifying to benefits received.” It’s amazing that something so simple can have a huge impact on the referral business you can generate for your referral sources and on the business your referral sources can generate for you.

Sure, when you give testimonials about others, it makes them feel good. But what are the real benefits to using testimonials in your strategy to generate more business for others (and for yourself)?

Testimonials are used to create credibility for the person you are endorsing. When you give a powerful testimonial about someone, the credibility and trust you create for him or her far outweighs anything that he or she can possibly say about him or herself. In fact, sometimes a strong testimonial, properly placed and effectively delivered, can create more value for an individual or business than a new client.

One good testimonial can generate several new clients, and effective testimonials truly keep on giving.

So how can I create testimonials to give about others?

One of the biggest challenges in creating testimonials for others is knowing where to find them. You can create testimonials about others using strategies such as:

• Meeting one-to-one to learn about their business
• Visiting their office or worksites
• Asking to see testimonial letters they have received from their customers
• Talking to the customers or clients you’ve referred to them and ask them what they think
• Doing business with them

What’s the best way to deliver a testimonial?

Decide who your audience is and the reason you are giving the testimonial. Some things to consider include deciding whether you’ll be giving the testimonial in a one-to-one situation or in a group setting. Will you have collateral material or will your message only be spoken? Is it a personal introduction or are you endorsing someone with the hopes of making an introduction?

Then you should focus on real-life success stories. The key to doing a great testimonial is to keep it brief. Your testimonial should spark interest and dialogue about the person you are edifying so a prospective client or customer can seek more information. The elements that make up a great testimonial include:

• How long you’ve known the person and how you met them.
• Did the person help you or someone you know? You will want to share briefly who was the recipient of the product or service provided.
• What did they do? Did they (a) save a client money (or help a client make more money), (b) solve some type of problem or (c) provide outstanding service or follow-up?
• Give your endorsement

Support others and they will support you. The more testimonials you create and deliver for other people in your network, the more likely it is they create and deliver testimonials for you. Be a role model. Use the strategies discussed to support others and by doing so, demonstrate how others can provide the same for support for you. There are many appropriate places you can choose to deliver testimonials for others including:

• Introducing them at a networking event
• Introducing them at a meeting
• Introducing them in your company or client newsletter
• Bringing them up in conversation when you hear a need from someone they can help
• Creating a testimonial “booklet” and placing it in your office or on your desk for your customers and clients to view

When you give a testimonial about someone, you don’t guarantee they will land a new customer or close a big contract. You do provide a starting point for a dialogue that can cause a business relationship to happen. Successful business and salespeople know that the time invested in making testimonials happen, for each other, can lead to a significant and fruitful return on relationships.

Your Network is Your Crisis Management Team

It’s a competitive business world out there. As we settle in to the “new” economy, sales are more challenging to come by and your competitors are getting bolder and more aggressive. One danger of this new environment, is the damage that competitors or unhappy customers can do to your reputation in a matter of minutes these days through tools like the internet. One brilliant way that you can defend you and your business is your network.

Crisis management experts will tell you that the best strategy for managing a crisis, such as an attack on your reputation, is to #1, have a crisis management plan, and #2, create as many “points of presence” as possible. Points of presence include such tools as websites, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google Alerts, and your NETWORK. If a critic launches a campaign against you or your product, you will know about fast.

This will allow you to prepare a strong response for clients who ask about the negative chatter and you can tell them about it upfront. Tell them it’s negative and inaccurate information, and tell them the truth. And what better tool to have at your disposal than an army of people (aka your network) out there spreading positive word-of-mouth and supporting you and your business; and sharing your response to this issue. This will help you raise your voice over the squeaky wheel while diluting your critics” impact in any online or offline discussion.

An easy way to have your network out there working for you every day!