At each of the past four events I attended, I have generated at least one great contact: One bought a résumé the next day, one became a good friend, one became both a friend and a business collaborator, and at this last event, I met two potential clients through an existing client who talked me up. My time is well spent if I just get one wonderful client or connection; I don’t have to sell to everyone in the room. And that’s where many people seem to be missing the idea.

Although I certainly meet a number of people at these events, my goal is never to sell anything—at least not right then. Naturally, new connections will ask what I do, and I tell them: “I help small businesses get in front of—and stay in front of—their target markets through concise, effective content marketing.” If they ask more, I share a bit more. Sometimes, it’s good to be next to someone who knows what I do, because he or she will often elaborate on my short answer by giving me an instant testimonial. At the latest event, I was with a current client, who shared,” Amanda does all of our marketing, including social media, blogs, and writing awards. Without any SEO, we come up first when you type in anything about our industry, and we are consistently at the top of Ranking Arizona.”

What a great testimonial! If I heard that about someone, I would want to learn more for sure. It’s a great idea to approach any event with a buddy, preferably a client. In this case, I know so much about that client, that I could give a reciprocal testimonial, which perked up the ears of new folks.

So, when it’s time to head to your next large networking event, remember that you just need to meet one good person. Introduce yourself to a bunch, but hone in on one or two that look like they could be potentials. Have good conversations and, for goodness sake, don’t try to sell anything. In the end, you’ll likely find that you’ll make a lot more than just some quick cash.

“Can I just lift blogs from other people if I give them credit?”

It’s a good question—with an easy answer. Ideally, you should contact the writer and ask for permission. Short of that, giving full credit to the author on your blog, along with a link to the original post, is sufficient.

However, the question about cross-posting brought up another topic of SEO: commenting on others’ blogs. If you run a Google alert on certain keywords significant to your business (résumé, job search, etc.), you will learn of all kinds of blogs from colleagues. What a great way to make connections and drive traffic to your site by adding supportive, thought-provoking comments to those blogs!

Determine who the industry and thought leaders are in your profession. Follow them. Comment on what they have to say. Readers will link back to your site if you offer noteworthy comments that capture their attention and provide information. It’s a simple, effective trick to improve your SEO and continue to position yourself as an expert in your field.

If you’re a procrastinator, you may choose to do those more menial tasks first, the ones that don’t earn you any money. You know what I mean: heading on to Twitter or Facebook, checking email and phone messages, or doing office tasks. However, you know you have a project that needs to be completed – and you’re putting it off in lieu of those other non-revenue-producing items.

In a past blog, I discussed keeping track of your time, budgeting 45 minutes of each hour for important things to do and the remaining 15 minutes for the daily time wasters. I suggest an addendum to that calendaring system: schedule the more challenging items for the earlier part of your day.

Some motivational speakers refer to the concept of doing the more difficult and less exciting tasks first as “eating the frog.” If you eat the frog first, everything else is better – and easier.

Usually, you’re more motivated to complete tasks right out of the gate, and then, if the phone rings, a client stops by, or a last-minute requirement pops up, you’ll feel less stressed in attending to them right then. Also, if you know you have to “eat the frog” before moving on to other tasks, you’ll be more eager to actually finish it – meaning you’ll succeed in spending 20% of your time completing 80% of your work, instead of the reverse.

Balancing working ON the business and working IN the business seems to be one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs. I have current clients who need attention, and I also have to keep the pipeline full for the future. This is where having a thorough calendaring system is imperative. I don’t take on more than two events per day – and I prefer only one. That way I’m out of the office no longer than a couple of hours, and I can complete my projects on time. I block out the week in advance so I know exactly what’s due and what I’ll be working on throughout the day. Of course, life happens, but having a plan to tackle that to-do list is really important for me to stay on task.

Once I have my daily tasks lined up, I assign a time limit to each project. For me, I’ve found that I can’t concentrate for longer than 30-45 minutes at a time, so I don’t block more than 45 minutes for each project. (It may take two or three 45-minute blocks to complete the project, but I stay focused on it for that long at a time.) In the remaining 15 minutes of each hour, I give myself time to play, doing all of those time-waster activities I enjoy. It’s kind of like dieting: without an occasional slice of chocolate cake, carrots get a little monotonous.

With a timer and my iPhone, I am much more focused and deliberate with my time. If I think of something not work-related during my 45 minutes “on,” I jot it down on the notepad that’s always next to my laptop. That way, I remember it and can stay on target with the task at hand.

Even though some of my résumé clients will say one of their strengths is multitasking, I’ve learned that the real talent is not being able to do multiple things simultaneously. It’s the ability to stay focused and complete one task, while having the flexibility to jump around as needed when the phone rings, a client walks in, or my son needs my attention. Only then will I master my mind and meet the goals I’ve set.

Customers
A customer is simply someone who buys something from another person or organization. This is the base of sales interactions. Customers don’t typically develop a relationship with the company. You may consider yourself a customer of your local grocery store, for example. You won’t differentiate your business or yourself by relating to people as customers.

Clients
A client has a relationship with an organization with whom s/he is doing business. You will cultivate clients and remain in touch with them through drip-marketing campaigns that may include phone, email, and direct mail interactions. Clients are those people who come back to you again and again – and refer their friends and family because they trust your services. Most small business owners refer to those they serve as clients.

Guests
A guest is a person who is invited to do business with you. S/he feels valued and welcomed to your office (whether brick-and-mortar or virtual), and is engaged in the process. This is what you should aspire to have in your business. Think of each interaction as building a long-term relationship. You may notice that many larger businesses are transitioning to this term in their quest to provide the highest level of customer service. Walt Disney mastered this approach, and it is what turned the Disney name into an empire.

I encourage you to consider how you’re relating to those with whom you do business. Are they customers who just give you money in exchange for a service? Are they clients with whom you are developing a relationship? Or are they guests who feel warmly greeted and cared for throughout the process? The answer to those questions will define your interactions – and have a profound effect on how you do business.

Why do you go out to network? I think most people would say it’s to build up a pipeline and create leads. Okay, so if that’s the whole goal, relationship development is at the crux of that effort. To build relationships, you have to initiate a conversation. That conversation ideally should have started at the place where you met, but it needs to continue. Whether you send an e-mail, note card, or call on the phone, some follow-up is required to begin a relationship.

The other thing you can do to continue that conversation is to put those folks’ names in your database and e-mail newsletter, adding them to your drip-marketing campaign. What I do is to send an e-mail with something personal followed by a blurb about me in case they’ve forgotten who I am, followed by a little “disclaimer” saying I’m going to add them to my monthly e-newsletter, and if the content doesn’t resonate, it only takes one click to unsubscribe. Most people never even respond, but many don’t remove themselves from my list either. That means I have plenty of time to connect with them!

So if you’re not following up now, start doing it! It’s why you’re out there anyway, so start leveraging your efforts!

So I was.

I told him I am looking for someone fit since I’m at the gym pretty regularly and want someone who enjoys similar things (and can keep up). His knee-jerk reaction was to ask why women always judge on looks first. “Whatever happened to starting as friends?” Aha – but that wasn’t his question, was it? He wanted to know if I found him attractive, not if I thought we could be friends.

In your business, are you asking the right questions? Are you ready to accept the answers? Too many business owners are living in a bubble, assuming that the way in which they perceive things to be is the way they are – without asking for feedback.

When I met with a new strategic partner recently, he said he’d heard a lot about me in town. This person owns the #1 executive placement firm according to Ranking Arizona, and he’d heard of me. (Phoenix is a very small big city.) I was, of course, impressed, but the next thing I asked was, “Was it good?” If he’s heard bad things, I need to know because that feedback will help me to improve and take action. Thankfully, he’d heard great things about me (which is why he was sitting in my office), so my reputation is strong – for now.

I encourage you to start asking people in your circle – clients, prospects, and colleagues – what their perception is of your business. You may be surprised at the answers, and they can give you an opportunity to grow.

Here, a few simple pointers:

Remember the WIIFM Factor. What’s in it for me? is what listeners want to know. If you can’t catch their attention in a hurry, they’ll tune out. How many of us have heard someone say, “Hi, I’m Todd and I am a plumber. I fix stopped drains. I can help anyone with indoor plumbing. Call me if you have questions.” ZZZZZ! There are plenty of plumbers (bankers, Realtors, etc.); why should I give you a second glance?

You only have 30 seconds (or 60, 15, or whatever). Practice a few speeches to be sure you can include your key selling points – quickly. Sometimes you’re told to only say your name, company name, and tagline. If you don’t have a captivating tagline, you’ve just sold yourself short.

Remember your audience. I have two distinct business channels: entrepreneurs and job seekers. If I go to a networking event with fellow business owners, it would be foolhardy to just talk about résumés. Sure, people in the room may know someone who’s looking for a job, but my better approach is to lead with strategic communications and then drop the résumé thing at the end. Be sure that your presentation is targeted to the people who are listening.

Stay focused. Too many people hear that they’re given two minutes and start telling stories and things that are completely irrelevant. If you have something of value to contribute, go for it! However, in my experience, most people “um” and “ah” their way through 30 seconds talking about nothing, so hone that first before moving on to a bigger sharing time.

The BNI adage is, “You have to be specific to be terrific.” The crazy thing is that, at one of the BNI groups where I sub, two members used absolute no-nos in their commercials. An Arbonne representative said, “I can help anyone with skin,” and the chiropractor said, “I can help anyone with a spine.” Seriously, it was all I could do not to laugh. These are the examples that are used to NEVER say. When you say “anyone,” people typically hear “no one.”

How do you improve your value statement in 30 seconds? The golden rule is to always consider what you can do to help listeners. If you’re asking for a specific referral, make it specific. The photographer at another BNI group almost always mentions a name. Granted, no one in the room may know that person, but it’s worth a shot. And you can’t be more specific than saying a name. If you’re not looking for one particular person, personalize your approach. Try something like, “When you’re talking to your friends and they say, ‘I’m concerned that my company will be laying off soon,’ – that’s the perfect referral for me.”

Don’t talk about what you do; talk about how you help. For instance (not that this is perfect), I say:

“I’m Amanda Collins, Chief of Staff with The Grammar Doctors. I help you stay in front of your targeted audience through strategic marketing in the form of blogs, newsletters, advertorials, and résumés. If you’d prefer to write these items yourself, I can also edit them to make sure they’re perfect! No matter what your objective is, The Grammar Doctors has the prescription for your word ailments.”

I don’t typically say who my target audience is because, in my experience, I’m usually the only person around who does what I do. Also, once I added “products” to my commercial (as opposed to just services: writing and editing), I noticed that my positive feedback and referrals skyrocketed.

So start thinking about your value proposition. How can you help people? Who’s your best client? Would you be interested in listening to what you’re saying? It’ll likely take some practice and testing to get a few great commercials, but if you’re focused on your listener, you’ll see a difference in the feedback you receive.

So what constitutes a follow-up? Well, you can call, e-mail, or send a card. Do what feels comfortable to you, and judge by if you want to meet that person again. If you think you can do business together, a phone call can be a great way to schedule a meeting. An e-mail is pretty status quo, as well as giving you the opportunity to add links to your Web site, blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. If you have Send Out Cards or another, similar system, a card can be a “step above” and really help you stand out.

No matter how you take the next step, remember to mention a few key points:
•    Where you met. Some business owners network a lot, and if you don’t specify and provide a frame of reference, they may have no clue.
•    If you remember something special about them, say it. “I enjoyed learning more about your son and his upcoming birthday plans.” Anything that says you listened goes a long way to building a relationship.
•    Recap what you do. DO NOT SELL! The point of the follow-up is to connect and explain how you might be able to help the person, but definitely steer clear of blatantly selling anything. In my follow-up, I give a brief “about us” on my company.
•    Add contact information. If you’re mailing, include a couple of business cards, via e-mail include links and phone numbers in your signature, and by phone make sure to restate your number.

Without follow-up, you’re missing a captive audience. They’ve already met you, so you know they’re open to hearing something more. And just think of how much you’ll stand out from the other 99% who didn’t follow up.