There can be a lot of stress on entrepreneurs when those you love don’t get what you’re doing. It’s like my 80-year old aunt who just wants to hear me say business is good. She doesn’t understand or want to know anything about my website. Or there are times my husband will ask, “So, how did you do that?” And I get so excited and overwhelm him until his eyes completely glaze over. He tries to stay focused, but I just give him too much information. (more…)

As an entrepreneur, you can easily get caught up in focusing so much time on the technical things of business – the “how to’s” of running your business. All of that is important.

But the fact is, businesses are about people. Businesses are about relationships. Businesses are about people connecting to you, liking what it is that you have, relating to you, and from there, wanting to do business with you.

It all starts with the connection. (more…)

Guest Post by Jane Pollak

I’ve talked about my friend and colleague Lucy Hedrick on many occasions, but her re-entry to Connecticut this season prompts another side of Lucy I’d like to share.  Enviably, Lucy spends over six months a year as a snowbird in Sarasota, FL, taking her writing and book proposal coaching business with her. Once the Northeast warms to her liking, Lucy returns to her Greenwich home for the spring and summer months.

Lucy doesn’t sit around and wait for her friends and colleagues to notice that she’s back. She doesn’t even consider that anyone should have her on their radar. Rather, she gets busy reaching out and setting up her calendar to include the people and activities she most enjoys.

Last week I received two personal messages from Lucy with inspired ways to connect. She emailed me saying we had lots to discuss and would I like to meet her for a walk.  Note the benefit here: Lucy invited me for an activity she knows I engage in regularly. She also knows that getting anywhere in Fairfield County, Connecticut, is a challenge. She made an irresistible proposal. She offered to drive to my house to meet me. My answer was an immediate, “YES!”

Earlier that same week I was included in a group email sent to the women from my writers group, of which Lucy was a part, which disbanded a few years ago. These creative writers are still foremost in my heart, but we haven’t gotten together as a group in well over a year. The email was from Lucy with the suggestion we get together for a reunion. Again, not only did Lucy come up with a lovely idea, but she also named a place and put out 5 dates that we could respond to.

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Twitter is a fantastic avenue to connect and form business relationships if you learn how to use it authentically and with the right mindset. I’d like to share with you tips on: how to understand the difference between collecting and connecting mindsets, who to choose to follow on Twitter, and how to connect with the people you admire in a meaningful way.

 

 Connecting vs. Collecting on Twitter [8:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Meaningful connection can have a positive impact on your life personally, professionally and financially. And here’s the good news…you can meet a great connection at any moment—at the supermarket, a soccer game, online via Twitter, at a networking event or at a dinner party—basically wherever people gather.

Keep your business ears on constantly and be open and alert to the possibility of connecting effectively because you just never know where a great relationship will come from.

For me, mundane activities are an adventure. Whether I’m going to my local coffee shop or to the dry cleaners, I approach my errands thinking “what new person will I meet today?” I do trust and believe that everyone I meet has something to offer, but you only discover that when you’re open, engaged and present.

Having your antennae up is just part of the Art of Connection, which is one of my favorite topics to speak about. Join me as I share more about connecting in my upcoming Get It Done training call on May 4th.

Some of the things I’ll speak about are…

• The difference between connecting & collecting (why having more isn’t always better)
• How to use your connecting skills in the social networking arena. (I’ll speak lots about Twitter)
• How to shift your mindset from getting to giving
• Key techniques to connect effectively and soulfully

Click here for more details.

Using Twitter is a great way of connecting and building relationships. But it can be overwhelming to know who to follow and how to make meaningful connections with someone that you admire. I’d like to share some tips on how to move past the overwhelm so you can begin using Twitter authentically and meaningfully.

Here’s what I recommend:

1. Choose 10 people to "actively" follow. The 10 can be chosen as people who are:

• Mentors
• People you admire
• Those you’ve recently connected with
• Someone you met at an event
• People in your industry
• Local business owners

2. Use Hoot suite, Tweet Deck or Seesmic to manage this "column of people". These tools allow you to simplify your Twitter viewing experience.

3. Take the time to really follow their links. See what they’re talking about and to whom they’re talking. Follow the links and the people and see where it leads you.

4. If they link to a blog, take the time to read it and if appropriate post on it. Then write the blog owner a tweet saying how much you enjoyed the blog and share what you learned.

5. Look for ways to provide connections and referrals.

6. Keep asking "how can I be of service and provide value?"

7. If you’ve really connected, take it offline. If they’re in your local area arrange to meet for coffee. If they live far away, pick up the phone and give them a call. Don’t hold back – people love it when you find them interesting!

Twitter at its best is about engaging and connecting meaningfully. Especially as entrepreneurs, who often work from home, I can’t overemphasize how important it is to be maximizing these resources as a way to expand your community.

If you’re new to Twitter and need tips to get started, please listen to a free call I hosted called Intro to Twitter.

Social networking is a fantastic avenue to connect and form business relationships. The key to being successful is learning how to use it authentically and to create meaningful connections. The platform I’ve spent the most time on is Twitter so I want to share with you some of the ways I’ve found to really connect through Twitter.

I believe the first step is to go into social networking with the right mindset. I have an upcoming class about the Art of Connection where I explain the difference between connecting and collecting when you’re networking.

Understanding the difference between these two concepts will allow you to enjoy networking – both online and offline. Here’s the difference…

Collecting Mindset:

“What am I going to GET?” and “What’s in it for ME?”

Short-term approach vs. Long-term value of connection

All about quantity (how many friends/followers can you get?)

Perceived as less personal

Focus is often on talking about you.

Connecting Mindset:

Focus is on “What am I going to GIVE?”

Focus on being of service first

All about quality (not quantity)

Long-term value of the relationship and how it will evolve

So the goal on Twitter should be to connect and engage. It’s not about having tons of followers but more importantly having relationships. The problem is it can become OVERWHELMING to do. Please read my next blog for tips on how to choose who to follow and how you can connect with them in an authentic and meaningful way.

I’ve discussed before how it’s good to learn from what others are doing to move their businesses forward, but it’s more important for you to focus on what makes you and your business unique. In this way you’ll build an authentic marketing campaign that is true to who you are, and your community will find this very attractive and want to connect with you.

How do you get clarity of what is your authentic marketing style?

Here are four different areas to focus on, and by asking yourself these questions, you’ll be able to identify your authentic marketing style.

• Your strengths. What are you good at, both professionally and personally? Are you good at marketing or coaching? Are you a strategic planner or good at thinking on your feet? Are you an inspirational speaker or good listener?

• Your passions. What are you passionate about? What fascinates you? What subject are you always researching, buying another book about, or taking another workshop around?

• Your personality. Are you funny and a bit irreverent or are you elegant and graceful? Are you sophisticated or casual? Practical or creative?  That’s how you show up and you can’t pretend to be someone that you’re not.

• Your experiences. We’ve all had unique experiences that shape us. You may have gone through hard times like bankruptcy, divorce, have dealt with sicknesses or a child with disabilities. It doesn’t mean you have to spill your guts to everyone, but because you have had that experience, and more importantly learned from the experience, it does become a part of who you are, and can be woven into all that you do.

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Imagine a business where you have really great referral partners and ideal clients. You have clients seeking you out and referral partners who believe in what you do and really want to share your work with their friends and communities.

The question is… how do you go about finding these ideal clients and partners?

The answer is to connect effectively with a broad assortment of people.

Business is all about people and all about creating relationships. We all do business with those that we feel connected to. Some of those relationships can be cultivated online and others need to be nurtured in person. Regardless of your method you have to put yourself out in the world and give yourself the opportunity to connect effectively, meaningfully, and authentically.

A few years ago I was involved in direct sales and my first “homework” assignment was to create a list of everyone I knew from high school friends, to past co-workers, to neighbors to relatives. The plan was to contact them, rekindle the relationship and see if they would either become involved in my business or connect me to someone who would.

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Lately I haven’t been getting out enough and while I like hunkering down for the cold winter with my family, working from the warmth of my home and connecting via phone and social networking, there’s nothing that replaces connecting in person. And, lately I’m missing that part of my life. For me, connecting is a fuel, especially with great women.

In 2007 I started hosting Great Women’s Gatherings in my home. I began them at the suggestion of my coach who reminded me how much I love to entertain and connect with great women so why not put it together with a bit of networking. I never expected it to become what it did, but every month for two years I hosted a gathering on a Saturday afternoon, complete with a full spread of food and drink and a different assortment of women each time.

The amazing thing to me about these gatherings was they were always intimate and always magical. No matter how many I invited, about 10-15 showed, which was really the perfect number for magical conversation and connection. There were a few die-hards who always showed, those who came when it worked for their schedule, and those new people I met while out and about who I shared with my special community.

After the last woman left and the food was put away I’d recount the entire night, woman by woman, to my husband, who, bless his heart, listened attentively and most importantly gave me the space to share. I was continually astounded by the quality of conversations and depth of connections made in a 4-hour window of time. Some women shared personal stories, some shared professional. Unlike the typical “male” networking scenario sharing a 30-second elevator speech, each woman shared until she felt complete. There were no rules and it worked. Some spoke for a minute, others needed ten. It always worked out, and amazingly enough, magic always happened.

As my life and business changed, I somehow never put the Gatherings on my calendar in 2009. Today I long for them and the camaraderie of the women. These gatherings were the seed of Metromom. They were the gift in my life that led me to realize how much pleasure and value I get from connecting and therefore the desire to come up with a business model that allowed me to do just that.

Many asked me to show them how to do what I did. They wanted to connect in their areas. I came up with a concept called Metromom Gatherings about a year ago to bring this concept to other women nationally so they could develop their own circles of women to connect with. Often as entrepreneurs we’re isolated, these Gatherings were an answer.

As my vision for my business as a whole evolved last year, I needed to put the expansion of Metromom Gatherings on hold. Now, I feel called forth to begin them again locally, if for no other reason, than I miss the women. And stay tuned as I put my plans together to share more with you.