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Reveal yourself

Loosen up, reveal a bit of yourself

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This could be a reveal. How’s that profile of yours going?

I don’t mean to get too personal but do you think it’s still cutting it?

Lots of competition out there, you need to be at the top of your game. And you know the old story … first impressions matter.

So, again, how’s that profile of yours going?

Is it showing you as the professional only and not your personality?

Not every client is going to connect with a mega-driven, ultra-focussed, uber-confident superhuman.

Many would be just as comfortable with someone they can relate to, and who they believe has their best interests at heart.

Maybe a lot more comfortable.

Is your more human side something your current profile reflects? Does it show anything of your other interests? What you do outside of work? Things where you might find a natural common ground with your clients?

It might be sport, a theatre group, a wine-tasting club, or arts and crafts of some sort. Maybe you’re a charity volunteer, maybe a bellringer at the local church. Perhaps, like this scribe, you double up as a musician.

Does your profile reveal some of the other you? You know it might just help you engage more effectively with your clients if it did.

Like I said, I don’t mean to get too personal but it might be time to talk to a writer. One who can convey all your attributes to your clients.

The Building blogs of business

Blogs: Building blocks of business relations

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Blogs and building relations are critical to sales — first-time sales and ongoing sales alike.

We all like to deal with brands, with companies, that are familiar. Names that we know and feel comfortable with.

But how does a business help grow that familiarity, that confidence, that comfort factor?

In many ways, truth be known. But one very special way is with blogs.

Why blogs?

Well, for one, because a blog doesn’t have to try to sell something.

A blog can be like a chat with a girlfriend over a coffee, with a mate at the footy. What you’d call a water-cooler conversation. It’s not the hard sell. It’s not selling anything, actually. Except goodwill.

The blog idea is simple. Talk about something interesting, maybe something topical.

Talk in a way that shows your personality. Engage your blog’s reader to show you value them beyond just the money they might mean to your business.

In many countries, business is all about relationships and friendships.

Friendships are important because they grow and depend on trust. But friendship depends on talking with one another.

You can do that talking with a blog. It’s easy. Invite your clients to talk, listen to what they have to say. Talk to each other. Communicate. Become familiar with one another. Listen to the feedback and learn.

Blogs are a great investment in your business’ most valuable asset, its people. They could work wonders for your business.

Get ahead of the game. Get blogging.

 

PS: What do you think of this blog post? Email me @ info@noelmurphy.com.au.

Engage more often

Engage more with your clients … it’s your call

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How often do you hear that you need to engage more with your clients?

Be nice to have a dollar for each time you did. Be even nicer, better for your business, if you could actually engage more often. And a bit more easily, too.

But you know the story, finding time is tough. Your business is already demanding your attention, always. Then there’s the family, the kids, the gym …

It’s a wonder you have any time free at all, let alone for extra engaging with your business network.

Still, you know the importance, the very real value, of making that extra contact. Of checking in, even if just for a quick g’day, with your clients.

A phone call goes a long way, of course. And if you can squeeze one or two in while you’re in the car, terrific. But mobile phones have a way of adding to the busyness of the coal-face, and cutting out what might once have been a little free space.

Even if you can get in that call or two, how do you stop yourself sounding stressed or forced? Or worse, like you’re ticking the boxes?

At the risk of sounding a little old school, what about sending a personal email? Maybe even an old-fashioned letter?

Yeah, yeah, who has the time for that? And who reads their emails, let alone snail-mail letters?

You might be surprised to find it’s lots of people. You read all your own, don’t you?

Okay, people might not get right back to you straight away if you write them, they might be busy too. But rest assured, a quick personal note just touching base, even if there’s nothing much going on, will be noted. And appreciated.

It shows you value them.

Trick is, how to get out to those clients quickly and efficiently when your time’s at a premium already.

In truth, it’s not really so hard. Not much more than a quick phone call, really.

That’s provided you talk to someone who can relay your thoughts and your personality — readily and concisely — out to your network.

You need a writer. That’s what they do. Write just what you need. Quickly, properly and, importantly, professionally.

Talk to one next time you get a free minute or two. Make that minute or two. You might just be saving your business.

And you might be surprised at just what else they can help you with as well.

Content is king, and critical to your clients

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Content: (noun) substantive information or creative material.

Sounds flash, eh?

Just whip up a bit of content for your website. Bit of impressive banter, a few buzzwords, bit of the old vocabulary.

Yep, shouldn’t be too hard to get something substantive and creative. That ought to rope in a few new clients. It’s just words. How hard can it be?

Hmmm.

Thing is, when’s the last time you read something you’d write yourself and found it … ahem, engaging?

Or convincing enough to persuade you to learn more?

Content is curious stuff. It can be engaging, whimsical, serious, pushy, persuasive, authoritative, sympathetic.

In business, it’s everything.

Content is tied closely to credibility, survival, turnover and, ultimately, success.

Content is king. On your website. In your reports. In your media statements, your blogs — everything you put out to your existing and prospective clients.

But it must be the right content. Not something just thrown together because it sounds clever, has a few big words and looks kind of pretty.

Content has to engage your client.

It has to communicate what they want to hear from you.

It has to relay what you want to say without sounding pushy, overbearing or a try-hard.

In short, it has to be believable. It has to be genuine.

Which, in the end, means it has to be compiled by a professional.

Don’t leave something so important to chance … or you won’t be very ‘content’ in the other sense of the word.

PS: What do you think of this blog post? Email me @ info@noelmurphy.com.au.

Christmas

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Christmas, for some people, is a bit like nostalgia — it’s not what it used to be.

If you’re not surrounded by kids, especially young kids, it can be a little empty. It’s not hard for some people to find Christmas too commercial. After all, it’s been going on for a couple of months now.

No doubt it’s hard work. Negotiating the Yuletide campaign of office parties, client knees-ups, annual get-togethers and family gatherings can mean a solid workout for the liver and waistline.

But planning and managing kids’ presents, dinners, barbecues and backyard cricket matches is fun. Especially if you approach it all the right way, with a touch of creativity. It’s good for the soul.

Of course, all this busyness can mean your eye is a little off the ball with your business and your clients. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Not if you share a little Christmas largesse with them.

Want to throw a Christmas party? Sure. But make sure everyone’s free to get there, and help get them home too. They’ll love you for it.

Too expensive? Don’t fuss. Everyone knows business is doing it pretty tough right now. But remember, it’s the thought that counts.

A lucky dip of kids’ toys for your workers to take home might be the thing. Maybe you could try something a bit different; like a whip-around for clothes, toys and foodstuffs you can donate to charity.

Christmas cards to your clients, dancing elf videos of your staff with thank-you and Merry Chrissie messages, or just a straight-up emails, texts, Facebook posts or Tweets … make sure you do something to  engage with your most important asset — your people — at Christmas.

From this bloke’s perspective, Christmas is another year older. That’s the joy of being born on December 25.

And yep, birthdays are a bit like nostalgia, too — they’re not what they used to be.

 

PS: What do you think of this blog post? Email me @ info@noelmurphy.com.au.

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