It’s human nature. People do business with people that they know and trust. Building a relationship with a person online who is considering your business opportunity can be as simple as putting your best face forward on a website, social networking space or a blog. The more a person sees that you are just like them, the more comfortable they will be.
Your goal is to make yourself known to people and then build trust. The process of building a relationship can take a long time or a short time. The key is to get the person feeling comfortable with you.
Take a few minutes to evaluate what is working for you and what is not. Consider these ideas to add to your profile and online presence.
Introduction – About You
Have you upgraded your profile introduction lately? If you haven’t revised it in the past year, chances are it is probably stale. A new introduction can often spark a fire and increase your own energy. This will show when you introduce yourself.
Consider including little blurbs about your family, beliefs, likes and dislikes. Let your personality shine through. Assert yourself in a whole new way. You can be very proactive about your business if you show how it is an integral part of your life and how it has enriched and empowered you.
What Will You Do For Your Prospects?
Most of the time, we only think of what we want to get from relationships, like a request for information, a new resource, a potential business partner or a customer for retail sales. Changing your profile to one that shows what you are willing to GIVE to your network of potential customers and that you CARE that they succeed, often gets them to look closer.
Do you offer sample products? Do you offer a FREE newsletter? Do you offer FREE training and support that your Prospect can use?
Building relationships takes two, so let it begin with you. Approaching these relationships in a giving, caring mode is a terrific beginning.
Plant Seeds
Building relationships is the same as planting seeds. In order for the seeds to grow, they need water, food, and sunlight over time. For relationships to grow, you provide opportunities for your network to get to know you and ultimately trust you with their business. The end result will be well worth your efforts.
Keep in Touch – Show Them You Care
The simple act of keeping in touch with individuals that you’ve met online will make you stand out. Very few people are consistent and follow up and check in with a person over a period of time. It is important that you have contact information in order to so this.
Successful follow up actions include sending notes or comments (they stand out), e-zines, newsletters, holiday or birthday cards, an article of interest, and invitations to an event. Pick any of these that fit your personal style and do them consistently. An Auto responder can be a great tool for some of these tasks.
By doing these simple steps you will watch your network grow as you demonstrate an interest in building the relationship.
Keep Track
Building relationships can be difficult to maintain if you do not have a method to capture and maintain contact information in a practical way. This means it has to be accessible and easy to update if changes need to be made.
Software programs such as ACT, Goldmine, and Outlook are excellent for this purpose. If you don’t feel comfortable using these methods, you can use business card files, a Rolodex, a Palm Pilots, or planner systems such as Day-timer or Franklin. A landing page can collect most of the information you will need.
Pick a system that fits your work style and schedule time for communication with your contacts and maintenance of the database. This is a “nuts and bolts” step of any relationship and is an important part of building relationships over time.
Online Branding
Do you show your new Friends and Prospects what you have accomplished? Have you written any articles or e-zines? What awards have you won? What titles do you hold? Are you acknowledged in your company’s newsletters? If so, post them so everyone has access to them. Credits and accomplishments build credibility and go a long way in making a person feel comfortable with your experience.
Provide the link to your personal website, if any. A personal website will give you a place to provide more information about yourself than you can on Social Networking sites or Blog sites.
Remember, you have to sell yourself first by building trust and respect before you can sell them on anything else. So, build your relationships online to build your business.
Darlene Mitchell
Diamond Distributor
Phone: (570) 674-7887
Learn to Earn while you Burn your way to a lighter way of life!
Visit our Website: www.CuttingEdgeCandles.com
Want more information now? www.ScentSationsHomeCandleBiz.com
Shop Now: www.MiaBellaCandleShoppe.com
No comments:
Post a Comment