ROYAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Women in Consulting- Discover the Power of Collaboration Today!

Royal Relationship Building by Kathleen Ronald

This month, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to a phenomenal group called Women in Consulting. Pay attention, because this group blew me away! WIC is a vibrant, diverse and powerful community of consultants and small business owners working to build strong businesses. It creates unique opportunities to connect and share leads and resources with like-minded business professionals.

For this month’s article, I interviewed the lovely Jennifer Berkley, of The Insight Advantage, and the current Vice President of WIC. I was able to talk to her about the wonderful group that she has been involved in for about ten years now. I have known and worked with Jen over the years, and it came as no surprise to me to hear that of the ten years she has worked with WIC, she has been on the board of directors for seven of those ten years. What a girl!

As you know, I love hearing a good story about how a group gets started, so I asked Jen to tell me the history of Women in Consulting. As she explained, four or five women, who were acquaintances, started sharing information and supporting each other informally. Since the collaboration, resources, support and sisterhood were going so well, the gals decided that more people ought to be able to experience this great network. So, in 1997, they officially became known as the Self Employed Women’s Network, or SEWN. This title lasted a few years, before they changed SEWN to WIC: Women in Consulting. The gals felt that the name SEWN lent itself to people thinking they were a group for home makers, rather than consultants. So, as any good marketing consultant would suggest, they re-branded to be more appealing to their target market; and they have remained this way for the last ten years.

I asked how Jen had become involved in such a dynamic organization, and she told me her story. Jen was told about this group from fellow consultants when she was taking a class on how to start a consulting business. The business she was trying to launch was a customer research firm; she had been working for the same company for 17 years, and was looking for a new and bigger challenge. Research, an important element of her job as a product manager, was the obvious focus for her new niche, and she felt that it was a huge need for many organizations. As a new endeavor, Jen was unsure what to do with her new dream; however, Women in Consulting helped her make it happen. Jen “wouldn’t still be in business if it weren’t for this group.” She reports that she owes so much to WIC for all that it has provided, in the form of expertise, resources, and most importantly, referrals.

Personally, I feel in large part her success has been because she gives so much. For anyone who is smart enough to get on a board or volunteer in any way, the return on your investment is always, in my mind, tenfold!

I was curious as to whether this group was for women only. Jennifer, however, told me that although the vast majority of its members are women, WIC is not restricted to the fairer sex. There are men in the group, although they make up less than 1% of the membership.

WIC currently has around 200 local members, as well as 200 affiliates.

This group, as Jen explained, is an organization that creates many opportunities during the month for members to take advantage of “face to face” networking. They offer professional development as well. While Women in Consulting started in the Bay Area, and hosts meetings only in the Bay Area, their outreach is now worldwide, thanks to their affiliate program.

According to Jen the benefit of being a WIC affiliate is that it allows people who are in the Bay Area to take advantage of the in-person offerings; and for those who do not live in an area with this type of group, they can instantly plug into WIC’s virtual community via the WIC Community email list, which allows participants to:

- Tap the collective intelligence of a large think tank of experienced consultants

- Receive prequalified recommendations on best practices, resources, and tools

- Connect to people across various geographical locations, which currently includes at least 11 different states and 3 countries

This Affiliate list, which costs $75 to join, serves participants in a number of ways. Just listen to Jennifer’s glowing report of how WIC helped her out most recently:

“I was working with my business coach, and she recommended that I find a “clipping service” so I could keep an eye on news about companies that I’m targeting. This would give me research on the company prior to approaching them. Since this was new to me, I posted my need on the WIC Community list and within an hour I had over 15 recommendations for free/inexpensive clipping/news alert services. People on the WIC Community list are very willing to share, which saved me so much time and effort.”

According to Jennifer, this example is just one of many ways that WIC makes life and business easy for her on a daily basis.

“The benefits of this list alone make me much more capable of running my business. I can access information in little or no time, which is a huge time savings. Also, the list involves like-minded people running consulting organizations, so their feedback on any request that I have is beneficial, because we’re all in the same field.”

WIC also offers a membership option at $175, which provides a variety of benefits, including:

- Access to the WIC Community email list

- Discounts on monthly meetings, workshops, and webinars

- Invitations to special members-only events

- A directory listing on the WIC website

- Discounts from WIC partner organizations, including companies such as Vertical Response.com, Zoomerang.com, and Egnyte.com, which provide services that are critical for consultants’ business needs

Each year, WIC conducts a Consulting Compensation and Best Practices Study to gather data about revenue trends and consulting best practices. The results are available to all survey participants and WIC members.

As in traditional networking, there is always the opportunity to build solid relationships over time with the people within the community.

Without paying any dues, you can access all kinds of articles and other resources, including the WIC blog via the WIC website. The website also provides information about other networking opportunities for consultants ~ all for free! Sounds good to me!

For those of you fortunate enough to live in the Bay Area near Women in Consulting, you can check out their monthly meetings, which include networking, dinner, and great speakers that discuss relevant topics. The meetings go from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm on the 3^rd Thursday of every month. In fact, I will be speaking to WIC on September 17^th, so mark your calendars! You do not even need to be a member to attend!

Whether or not you live close enough to attend a meeting, there is so much that Women in Consulting can offer you! If you are a single business owner trying to start up a franchise, or just looking to see what is out there, I encourage you to go check out WIC and find out how they can make your dreams come true today!

If you are interested in learning more about Women in Consulting, please visit www.womeninconsulting.org, or you can contact Deborah Plumley, Vice President of Membership at deborah@plumleygroup.com.

For more details, please visit Kathleen's TNNW Bio.

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CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: The Top Ten Ways to Ensure Your Networks are More Effective and Produce Results

Connecting is Not Enough with Andy Lopata

Last month I wrote in my blog about a friend of mine who struggles to get any return from his networking despite always being generous with his time, his contacts and his support.

I got a lot of feedback on the piece, with many people either recognizing themselves, or people they know well, in the description of my friend.

So why do so many people struggle to attain a real return from their networking? There are a host of possible reasons but I thought this might be a good time to share some ways in which you can get more of a return from your networking.


ONE
Take a long-term view

When I was MD of Business Referral Exchange someone came to us wanting to open a group in his local area. At the time we insisted that a group needed fifteen members to start meeting. It took him time to recruit and when he had eight he came to us to beg to be able to open the group.

“I need business NOW”, he said.

My advice was to pick up the phone and cold call. If you need an immediate return, networking is not the tool for you. Networks are built over time, trust is a key factor in people recommending and referring you, and it does not appear over night. Patience is a key factor, as is a long-term view.

Long-termism in networking also allows you to think on a grander scale. As you develop and build your network, investing into the ‘emotional bank account’, you are creating a stronger bank of support to withdraw from when you need to. If you take from the very beginning, people will soon stop networking with you.


TWO
Define success

Are you clear in your mind what success looks like from your networking?

It is vital that you understand exactly what new business you want to generate, which introductions you need, what support you are looking for. Once you are completely focused on this in your mind, you will find it much easier to determine which events you should attend, recognise opportunities when they come along and to clearly communicate to others how they can help you.


THREE
Hone your message

If you’re not getting support and referrals from people in your network, stop blaming them and look at yourself.

How well are you expressing yourself? How easy do you make it for people to support you?

We all lead very busy lives. As much as we want to support those closest to us, the harder it is to do so, the more likely we will move on and do other things. Make it simple for people. Communicate the support you need, be very specific and, above anything else, when someone is in a position to help you, ask them. Don’t simply assume that they will recognise the opportunity to help you if you don’t point it out.

Of course, this step only works if you have built the relationship with them first and they want to help you.



FOUR
Stay with it

A short-term view in networking unfortunately leads to people writing off various groups and networking sites before giving them a chance to produce a return. Although things are improving, there are still people who attend groups seeking a set number of leads, rather than treating each event as a step in the right direction. As a result, they end up visiting lots of different meetings, collecting bundles of business cards and never building relationships.

If you have taken the advice above and set longer term objectives, you can join the right networks to take you there, with a clear idea of the commitment needed from you to achieve those goals. It is rare that a network will produce to its full potential in the first few months of membership.



FIVE
Engage, don’t broadcast

The growth of sites like Twitter has shown both the best and worst of networking. At its worst, there are people who use sites like this to simply broadcast their message, without listening.

Just as with event sponsors who expect people to buy from them just because they have a stand and a couple of minutes to plug their product at an event, they will be disappointed when the results aren’t quite what they had hoped for.

Networks have moved us towards a society where communication is two-way rather than one. Companies have to listen to their customers now, rather than just sell to them. Similarly, we need to engage with people in our networks, listen to them and join in conversations.

As people find out more about us and as we help them more, they then let us know when they are ready to listen to us and possibly buy from us or pass our message onto our target market.


SIX
Give and take

‘Givers Gain’ is the mantra of members of Business Network International (BNI) and both sides of that equation are equally important.

Thanks to BNI’s motto, it is now commonly recognised that you need to give to your network before you can expect to receive. And those gifts you offer should be without expectation of return; networks don’t always deliver your reward from the same direction in which you gave.

Where many networkers fall down however, is in being ready to take in return. We can be in so much danger of not being seen to ‘hunt’ that we are frightened to ask for help when people are ready and willing to offer it.

Know who wants to support you in your network and understand how they can. Then help them to do so and accept their help without guilt.


SEVEN
A wider perspective

The power of networks lies not in the people in our immediate vicinity but in those they know. And that power is exponential. If we have a strong relationship with 150 people, who each know 150 people well, that means we are within one strong introduction of 22,500 people.

Yet so many people can’t see beyond the person in front of them. They go to events and target ‘low hanging fruit’, talking about products in the lower range of their offering because they think those are more relevant to the attendees at those events, or turning down invitations because they won’t meet prospective clients.

Build relationships with people you get on with and don’t ever worry about selling to them. Instead, develop their trust and they will introduce you to the people they know.

If they are ever in a position to buy from you themselves, if you have developed the right levels of trust and understanding they will do so. In the meantime, they could be referring you to a number of their contacts, which could be a lot more valuable to your business.


EIGHT
Everyone’s an individual

Just because you have built your network to large numbers, it doesn’t mean that they will all act in the same way and respond to the same requests.

I received some national press coverage last year because someone in my network asked how he could help me. Instead of reeling off a list of prospects I’d like to meet, I mentioned that I’d like to build my media coverage. Why? Because he was the former executive editor of a national newspaper. I knew he would be comfortable referring me to someone else from the media.

Get to know your network as individuals. Offer support based on their specific needs; ask for support based on their individual ability to help or their circle of influence.


NINE
It’s not about YOU

“I want to talk to xxx because we want to work with that sector more”.

I have heard so many requests for introductions over the years which focus on why the person wants the introduction, not on the value they offer to the person they are asking to be introduced to. Remember the all important words, ‘What’s in it for them?’

When someone agrees to introduce you, they are going to enter into a conversation where you are not present. They need to be able to answer the questions that they will face confidently and leave the other person interested in speaking to you and eagerly waiting for your call. That means that they see your relevance to them, how you are going to solve their problem.

Focus on communicating that relevance effectively and people will find it so much easier to refer you.



TEN
Take risks

‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs’, as the old saying goes. If you are going to maximize your return from networking, you are going to have to get out of your comfort zone and take some risks.

These include:

- Approaching people you don’t know at networking events
- Risking losing referrals by being specific, rather than covering everything when explaining what you do
- Passing up a quick sale to build a long-term relationship
- Using social networks occasionally to tell people about your successes or ask for help

Whatever the risk may be, look at what you want to achieve and ask yourself a simple question.

Which approach is going to take you closer to your goal?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Are you struggling to put an effective networking or referral strategy into place? Do you want to know more about how to ensure you get the maximum possible return from your networking?
Andy's new Audio programme 'Networking in Ninety Minutes' will give you the tools you need to make the most from your networking. Available in CD or mp3 format here.
Andy Lopata's newsletter archive
Andy Lopata's LinkedIn profile
Join Connecting is not Enough - Andy Lopata's Facebook Page


For more information, please visit Andy's TNNW Bio.


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SALES & MARKETING: Top 10 Challenges Professional Service Providers Must Overcome To Generate New Clients and Revenues

Sales & Marketing with Bill Doerr

15 Second Executive Speed-Read:

I recently surveyed a number of people, via LinkedIn, on this topic. Their responses were varied but clustered around 10 categorical challenges the respondents felt would compromise the goal of generating new clients and (more) revenues. This article identifies these 10 challenges as well as the underlying causes behind them and specific corrective actions you can take so these challenges won't be affecting you.

The following challenges resulted from a LinkedIn survey I conducted in July 2009. While I was pleasantly surprised at the number of responses received, I was more intrigued by the fact that there appeared to be a recurring theme around certain responses.

For the purpose of writing this article, I have 'clustered' the responses received into ten (10) categories of challenges that providers in various fields and professions feel are likely to compromise the growth of new clients and revenues for professionals and other business services providers.

In no particular order, the challenges seem to cluster into these categorical responses:

1. Not seeing enough of the right kind of person
2. Dealing with 'high maintenance' prospects and clients
3. Prospects (and, some clients!) who are asking us for 'lower fees'
4. Losing bids to other firms (who are arguably less qualified, too!)
5. Finding it distasteful to have to 'sell' and/or 'market' our services
6. No sense that everyone is responsible for marketing in the firm
7. Not having time to devote to marketing my services
8. Not leveraging our relationships with existing clients to find new ones
9. Not developing long-term relationships for the referrals and revenues they offer
10. Not getting people to buy or refer us when there's no apparent reason not to do so

Can you relate? To how many? Would you agree they are valid 'challenges' to growing a clientele and revenues for your business or practice?

The AHA!
After looking at these challenges for awhile, I began to see them not as the challenges that need to be overcome but as the symptoms of what the real challenges might be. After identifying the 'probable cause/s' of the symptoms, the cure/s came into view.

Symptoms / Causes/ Cures

Here then, are the Symptoms / Causes / Cures for these 'top 10 challenges' that are limiting the growth of clients and revenues in a variety of professional practices and firms that are business services providers.

Challenge 1
"Not seeing enough people"

Probable Cause/s:

• insufficient level of marketing-related activities

Corrective Strategy:
Be sure you're engaging in appropriate activities at an adequate level for the client acquisition and revenue-generation goals you have. Seems obvious and may correct any deficiency right there. As one respondent said, "Get of your office and go see some people!". Sage advice.

Challenge 2
Dealing with 'high maintenance' prospects and clients

Probable Cause/s:

• not clear about who is 'right' for the business or practice (i.e. who is 'qualified' to work you?)
• not using that profile at the 'moment of truth' with a prospective client or referral source

Corrective Strategy:
Define your 'ideal client' and don't compromise your own standards. A number of people lamented that their willingness to take 'anyone with an open checkbook' often led to a client engagement that, in the end, proved frustrating for all parties. Just don't do it! Identify specific 'knockout' factors and, if present, avoid engaging with those people.

Challenge 3
Prospects (and, some clients!) are asking us for 'lower fees' or 'better pricing'

Probable Cause/s:

• not focusing on the value you provide vs. the fee you are charging

Corrective Strategy:
Charge a 'fixed' fee for your services rather than billing by the hour. Why? Understand that an hourly rate is something you need to know to be sure your pricing is profitable for your business or practice. It is NOT something your clients need to know. In fact, most don't like hourly billing (survey your clients and you'll confirm that one!).

What they do need to know is the answer to this question: "What's it going to cost me . . . if I use you or, if I don't?" Once framed that way, any 'price' you'll ask for will be positioned around the VALUE you represent, not the time you have to invest in a project that will provide the client what they want. In my own experience, 'package' pricing invariably causes more services to be sold and better margins to be maintained than providers who bill 'by the hour'.

Challenge 4
Losing bids to other firms (who are arguably less qualified, too!)

Probable Cause/s:

• No system for helping clients to make a decision is present
• Not skilled at using a system for helping clients to make a decision
• Not seen as a preferred provider of your services

Corrective Strategy:
The first two causes will be addressed by a systematic approach to helping someone make a decision . . . in short, 'selling'. Seen as an essential aspect of your professional advocacy role, it's an incumbent responsibility of every professional to help clients make decisions about their services - including the decision NOT to use them. But it must be a deliberate decision, not a decision by default because it wasn't made deliberately.

If prospects fail to perceive you as a preferred provider you are not differentiating yourself to your marketplace. To differentiate yourself, you must be both beneficial and unique. Being yourself is about as unique as it gets. So you need to learn how to demonstrate the beneficial 'edge' you offer that will cause you to stand out to your prospective clients.

For service providers the 'secret' is to learn how to manage the experience your prospects have with you during the courtship phase of your relationship so they will feel, all things being equal, that you and your firm are definitely the preferred providers of your problem-solving expertise.

Challenge 5
Finding it distasteful to have to 'sell' and/or 'market' our services

Probable Cause/s:

• An attitude of advocacy . . . as a fiduciary of your client's interests is missing

Corrective Strategy:
Reframe 'selling' as a 'moral responsibility' that your professionalism demands. Selling is simply 'client-centered advocacy'. Think of a physician who 'advocates' a course of therapy for a patient not because they want a fee as much as they want their patient to be healthy. So too, you must see that such client-centered advocacy is a high calling and not something much lower . . . in your humble opinion. More than one respondent offered the admonition to "just get over yourself". I hope this perspective will help you do just that.

Challenge 6
No sense that EVERYONE is responsible for marketing in the firm

Probable Cause/s:

• leadership has not communicated that marketing IS everyone's responsibility
• There is no consequence for not bringing in clients (or, doing things that would!)

Corrective Strategy:
If you / your firm hasn't made this expectation public . . . do so! Rewrite everyone's position description (yes, even the receptionists') to include behaviors that support 'marketing'. Unless and until marketing behavior is expected and inspected, it's likely not to happen. Better yet, post this expectation in locations where you will be re-minded of it frequently.

Challenge 7
Not having time to devote to marketing my services

Probable Cause/s:

• No need to market (see Challenge #6)
• No plan - so no marketing activities have been identified to do in the first place
• No skills - you know what to do and why but you still don't allocate time for it

Corrective Strategy:
Create and use a 'Marketing Activity Plan' to ensure you're allocating your time to what some call the 'mission critical' activities so the 'mission' of your planning will be accomplished. And brushing up on your time management skills might be a good idea, too!

Challenge 8
Not leveraging our relationships with existing clients to find new ones

Probable Cause/s:

• Not asking for help from existing clients
• Asking but ineffectively

Corrective Strategy:
Learn to use an effective referral system with existing clients and centers-of-influence. Two possibilities to consider might be: "Referral Flood" by Duct Tape Marketing or The Preferral Prospecting System®

Challenge 9
Not developing long-term relationships for the referrals and revenues they offer

Probable Cause/s:

• No system for following-up
• No system for keeping-in-touch
• Not using such systems even if present

Corrective Strategy:
Get - and use - a system for

1. following-up, and
2. keeping-in-touch

in a manner that is as professional as you are.

While no one will argue these two functions aren't important, many cite they either don't know how or feel they'll come off a 'less than professional'. The key is not to ignore the need to do these things but to find a way to do so that won't be offensive - to you or your marketplace.

Challenge 10
Focusing on client acquisition activities at the expense of client retention activities

Probable Cause/s:

• myopic mindset . . . "Need MORE Revenues? Get NEW Clients!"
• inability to appreciate that not all revenues are equally profitable to your firm

Corrective Strategy:
Consider that the cost of acquiring a project from a new client is much more costly (cost of sales) than generating a project from an existing client. In his book, "The Loyalty Effect" Theodore Reicheld explains that many firms don't see a profit until an account has been with them for some time. Implication: "equal revenues with high turnover is less profitable than equal revenues with lower turnover". Point: Keep-in-touch and stay-in-mind with your existing clients so whenever a need arises . . . you'll be there and . . . seen as the preferred provider that you are.

BONUS!!
Doing more than expected . . . without being asked - (so here's my little 'extra' for you!)

Challenge 11
Not getting people to buy or refer us when there's no apparent reason not to do so

Probable Cause/s:

• Trust (or, a significant lack of it!)

Corrective Strategy:
For any professional or business service provider, trust is an essential element to the formation and maintenance of a productive client relationship. If trust is an issue, getting and keeping clients will be highly problematic if not impossible.

This is an important topic and one that space doesn't permit me to address fully. In general, remember that 'trust' is a conclusion about you that people make after they experience you. That means that what you DO is more significant than what you say. Behave like someone who is worthy of trust and you will be . . . trusted.

And here's the best advice I can give you on this one . . . buy a copy of Jeffrey Gitomer's book: "Trust . . . How To Earn It, Grow it and Keep It to Become a TRUSTED ADVISOR in Sales, Business & Life". It's a painless read that is priceless at helping you create and maintain trust with your prospects, clients and centers-of-influence.

*******

Bill Doerr is CCO of SellMore Marketing. He helps professionals and other service providers to market their problem-solving expertise simply, effectively and affordably. You can reach him at www.sellmoremarketing.com, by email at billd@sellmoremarketing.com or by phone at 860-798-6964.

For more please see Bill's TNNW Bio.

*******

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SALES & MARKETING: Top 10 Challenges Professional Service Providers Must Overcome To Generate New Clients and Revenues