Addy's Blog: My First Networking Event

It’s been a busy day here at AddressTwo catching up after my first networking event last night. This morning I have been putting people into the system, editing my email drip campaign, and researching more networking events through the Indy Chamber!

Putting people into the system is simple. I’ve put in all of the information I can from their business card and any notes I remember from them. I kept a notebook, so remembering is easy too.

Editing my email drip campaign has been the most important part of my morning. I envisioned a networking event to be full of potential customers, when in actuality the people I met may not be the best fit for AddressTwo. That doesn’t mean my networking wasn’t a success. In fact, that’s what networking was made for. In the future, I may see an email from Darcy after she encounters a customer who is a great fit for our software. Networking is about making connections. I want to find great potential customers for the people I meet and connect with potential customers through them.

My favorite part of the event was meeting up with a current AddressTwo customer. She shared her insights on networking and already knew a few people at the event. Thanks to her mentioning it, I will be attending another event through Indy Chamber next Tuesday morning. The Women in Business breakfast should be a great second networking experience for me.

I had a great experience at the Indy Chamber event! If you’re wondering what this blog is all about, you can go check out my first two blogs about preparing for networking. How Do You Prepare for Networking Events and Preparing for Networking with a Drip Campaign will help you understand my experiences as a first time networker.

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks for me as I continue to use networking to grow my personal brand and company name! Stay tuned for my next update on my email campaign results.

Thanks for keeping up with me!

Addy's Blog: Preparing for Networking with a Drip Campaign

We are now just two days away from my first networking event, and I have been working on tying up loose ends. Friend of AddressTwo, Jack Klemeyer, has helped me to develop an email drip campaign to send out to the people I meet at the Business After Hours event. It is important to keep in touch with these prospects. Whether they are potential AddressTwo customers or could just refer friends to us in the future, keeping in touch with them will allow us to build a relationship (which is what CRM is about afterall).

My email drip (or trigger) campaign will consist of four simple emails. Drip emails are sent in sequence. Each subject line below is linked to send you to an image where you can view the body of the emails. Here is when I will send my emails out:

Email #1- Subject: "Nice Meeting You" A few hours after meeting

Email #2- Subject: "I forgot to mention..." Three weekdays later 10:20am

Email #3- Subject: "How can I help?" Three weekdays later 11:15am



Email #4- Subject: "One more thing" Two weekdays later 10:35am

I have otherwise prepared for this networking event by having business cards printed and reading up on The Unbeatable Recipe for Networking Events by Robby Slaughter. In his book, Robby covers the typical issues with networking events and how to make them a successful endeavor. I feel more than ready to take on this event armed with Robby’s tips. And though I am armed with business cards, I know that it’s more important to receive than it is to give. Especially since I will have the art of follow-up on my side. 

Here is to hoping this goes well for me! Feel free to comment on this blog with any other networking tips you have for me before my event at 5pm on Thursday!

Thanks for reading!

Addy's Blog: How Do You Prepare for Networking Events?

Addy here at AddressTwo! Troy is kicking me out of the office and into the world of networking. He wants me to show you how our CRM can truly help grow your business through meeting new people, growing brand awareness, and maybe even gaining a few new customers. What better way to demonstrate than attending networking events?

So last week I went online to find an event. A week from today I will be attending the Indy Chamber Business Afterhours event with Troy. I wanted to put myself out here to go over how I feel about this new adventure and hopefully get some networking tips and tricks from you all.

I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous. It’s easy to talk to you all on here, but in person is a totally different monster. What do I do? How do I meet new people there? What do I say? Okay. You got me. I’m more than a little nervous.

I’ve been doing some research online to help subdue my networking nerves. I’ve found some great videos from Nikki Lewallen, founder of the Indy business development company Rainmakers. Her tips on introducing yourself and leveraging networking events to save time are phenomenal. If you’re wanting some tips on how to get out and network on your own, Nikki’s videos are a great place to start.

I’m working on my introduction/elevator pitch and running through some ideas for opening dialogue with others at the event. What are some other ways I can keep busy in the next week preparing for the event? It will make me feel much better to get help from experienced networkers. Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

I’ll let you know how my first event goes!

The Five Important Business Metaphors from the Book Twelve Seconds

Though many of us can’t imagine a time without flight, the idea of taking flight is an undoubtedly comparable accomplishment. Nick Carter, the founder of AddressTwo, uses the momentous occasion of the first flight as the foundation for his book, Twelve Seconds. This book is unlike other business how-to books. Nick doesn’t give you specific rules to follow or the secret to doing business, he gives you relatable dialogue and lessons learned from his own experiences. Being an entrepreneur is much like being a pilot, and using flight as a business start-up metaphor is a fascinating concept. Here are five basic pieces of his metaphor to summarize the book.

1. FLIGHT: THE BUSINESS PLAN
   Years ago, in what seems like a very distant past, flight seemed nothing short of a dream. For Orville and Wilbur Wright, they were able to make this dream a reality with a flight that lasted only 12 seconds. In those 12 seconds, the Wright brothers succeeded- they had conquered the task of lift. Though the duration of the flight was short, it was a success because of what they had set out to do. It wasn’t about just getting off the ground; that historic flight was about the package deal of lift off, flight, and landing. Additionally, this flight became repeatable. The fundamental physics of lift are still used in flight today.
   
   
   As many in the business world know, more than 50% of businesses fail in their first five years (some experts even estimate as many as 90% do not succeed). Planning a business isn’t just about the concept of getting the business in the air. You have to have a plan for the beginning, middle, and end of your business venture.  
   
   
2. THE PILOT: THE BUSINESS OWNER 
   The concept of the business owner as the pilot is simplified, as it often is. But the idea is that to be a business owner, you have to THINK like a business owner. It’s both that simple and not that simple all at the same time. Without an entrepreneurial mindset, your business may never get off the ground. It’s kind of like the concept of “attitude is everything.” 
   
   
3. MOMENTUM: MARKETING 
   To create momentum, one must have something better than just the perfect product. Momentum is all in how you market your product. One concept that is covered in Twelve Seconds is marketing your product as an object. Marketing isn’t about what YOU can do for your customers, it’s about what your PRODUCT can do for your customers. This is the age of customer centric marketing. Your customers need to know what pains your product is addressing to feel a personal attachment to your brand.
   
   
   Additionally, momentum is established through a sort of business law of inertia. There is always the idea of recurring revenue in your business, as is the case with many software companies. Subscriptions and memberships create this recurring revenue, and create momentum for the business in terms of continuous and predictable income. Beyond recurring revenues, Nick covers the ideas of planned obsolescence and captive consumables as marketing and momentum tactics. Without a plan for momentum, your business will remain grounded. 
   
   
4. FUEL AND GAUGES: CAPITAL AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
   Relating back to his book Unfunded, Nick compares the idea of fuel and business capital on a whole new level. He explains how your capital must have a gauge when going in to business for yourself. The instruments measuring your capital will allow you to know when there is real trouble in your business. It is important to keep an eye on how much money is being spent where.  
   
   
5. THE CREW: EMPLOYEES 
   It’s about incorporating your business venture with the people you hire. Creating accountability, success, and even failure into your job descriptions. It is important to determine the crew that can man your business flight. If your “ground crew” would not adapt well to a change in your business industry without hand-held guidance, then it is probably not the crew you want to take flight with.
   
   

PAGES AT THE PROP: BUSINESS EDITION

Nick Carter will be at the Indianapolis Propylaeum to promote these metaphoric messages in Twelve Seconds on Tuesday August 11^th at 11:30am. If you are a particularly entrepreneurial individual looking for ideas on how to get your current or future business venture off the ground, this is the event for you. Just as in his book, Nick’s speeches reach out to you on a personal level. Lunch will be provided alongside the lecture. Buy your tickets on Eventbrite TODAY. Group tickets are available at a discount and early bird tickets are discounted only through the end of July. You don’t want to miss out on this experience.

DOWNLOAD BEFORE YOU BUY

You can download the first chapter of the book and buy a copy for yourself on Nick's biz website. Whether you are in a struggling business, starting a new business, or just learning about entrepreneurship, Twelve Seconds is an easy reader packed full of Nick’s business know-how and interactions. It always helps to understand things from another person’s perspective, especially when they have learned as much about business as Nick Carter has.

Addy's Top 10 Things You Should be Doing in Your CRM Everyday

Day in and day out, you should be using your CRM to keep your business on track. Here are the top 10 things you want to do every day to ensure that you are getting the most out of your CRM software:

1. LOG IN
2. Review task list
3. Complete tasks
4. Schedule follow-up tasks
5. Enter new customer/prospect information
6. Record history entries in contacted accounts
7. Remember to BCC Addy@addresstwo.com on all contact emails
8. Update current contact information
9. Review email statistics
10. Review pipeline statistics

Completing everything on this list doesn't have to run your day. Forming these daily habits in our simple CRM will help you hit the ground running to customer management success. 

Happy CRMing!

How a CRM Can Help Relieve Small Business Growing Pains

View image | gettyimages.com

Small businesses have the reputation of being a more personal business experience. As a customer of a small business, you expect more intimate customer service than a big box business. The down side from a business perspective is trying to live up to expectations as your business grows. Having a CRM can help you to maintain that personal customer service experience even as your business expands. AddressTwo’s simple CRM for small businesses has three simple features to help relieve small business growing pains:

1. Personalized marketing, no matter your business size

There are multiple ways a simple CRM helps you to personalize your marketing. In particular, trigger email campaigns and history recordings are your best personalization tools in the system. With these tools, AddressTwo helps you maintain that personal touch with every customer of your small business.

*Triggered email campaigns

Email marketing has no doubt become a personalized norm today, but triggered campaigns (also known as drip campaigns) add to that personalization level. They allow you to launch a campaign of personally cordial emails triggered manually or by a formal event such as signing up for a free trial. These emails help to align the customer experience with your brand and make them aware that your company cares about their personal experience.

*History recordings

History recordings are a great way to personalize your messages to your customers. Any interactions you have should be recorded in your history so when a different employee takes the time to reach out to that customer, they are aware of everything that has happened in that customer account. This information allows you to relate to the past events your customers have experienced in your company.

2. Multiple users

With the ability to add more users to the system at any time, the owner isn’t the only person who can deliver a personalized message to the customers. With the click of the history button, new users can learn all they need to know before reaching out to different accounts. The ability to add more users also allows you to lighten the load of following up as your customer base grows exponentially. Tasks can be assigned for different users to reach out to certain customers within their department as well so that the right employee is taking care of the right customers.

3. Task list reminders

When dealing with multiple customers, it is easy to forget an interaction you had last week when you told them you would call them with product offerings. Don’t let your brain do all of the remembering, leave that up to your CRM and the ever-vast memory of the cloud. When tasks are assigned to a certain user, that user receives a task list in their email. In this way, both the CRM and the email task list will remind employees of their work load for the day. This helps to ensure that no customer slips through the cracks as your business grows and flourishes. 

Establishing and expanding your business is no simple task, but having a CRM can ease these business growing pains. With a CRM software, it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. The time is now to start maintaining and managing your customer database so that your business doesn’t miss another opportunity. Personalization is just one way a CRM will help you keep in touch with your customers past, present and future, giving our business that small business personality with a bigger business customer potential.

Start your 14 day free trial with AddressTwo today and find the simple CRM solution to personalizing your marketing while growing your small business. 

3 Tips to Eliminate Trying

 “I’m trying to…”

How often do you say that? I try not to… oh, there I go again.

Yoda told us that there is no try, that there is only do or not do. So when you say you are trying are you really doing or not doing?

More often than not, it’s not doing – or else we wouldn’t say we are trying, right?

You can’t just try. You MUST PUSH the Action Button and Do It!
Photo credit: Stuart Miles, 123rf.com

It is action that makes a difference in our businesses. If you want more clients you have to actively get them. If you want more products, you have to actively make them. If you want more revenue, you have to actively make it happen. Trying doesn’t cut it.

You don’t have time to just try. But it does make you feel better to say it, I know. Me, too. But you know where the road paved with good intentions leads, right? So, here are three ways to move from trying to doing…

1. Focus on one project at a time. There are always more new products, ideas and things to do in your head. I’ll let you in on a little secret: THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE. So don’t fight it, just discipline it. Don’t lose the ideas, keep a record or file of them so you don’t forget, but only work on one at a time. In the end, it will save you time, energy and push you forward faster than you would ever expect.
2. Create benchmarks and deadlines. Break the Big Thing down into orderly and logical steps. Then start at the end with a deadline and work backwards, giving each step a deadline. Now, these are not arbitrary, pie-in-the-sky, wishful deadlines. No, you are a business so treat them like you would if you were dealing with tax or payment deadlines. Know they are important because they are growing your business.
3. Use resources and involve others. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. In fact, if you don’t, you will have a better end result and complete the project faster. Being an entrepreneur does not mean going it alone all the time. A smart entrepreneur utilizes all the available resources, harnessing the power of many to bring BIG DREAMs into fruition. When we go it alone, we can only do what one person can do. Put the strength of many minds and hands to work for you.

Part of action is planning. My writer friend says that being a writer is great because people can’t ever say she isn’t working. Her mind is always moving and thinking, even when she is staring out the window. The same is true for just about every other small business owner I know. To the uninitiated, it may appear you are watching TV, but in reality, you are probably thinking about some aspect of your business. It’s just how we are wired. But even then, you aren’t trying… you are doing – just don’t get stuck in the thinking.

To Your Success!

Jack

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Jack Klemeyer is the founder of Grow Your Business Coaching. His purpose is to “make business better” for business owners and professionals. He is a popular speaker, facilitates powerful mastermind groups, coaches clients to success and is the author of two books (available on Amazon). Known as “the guy in red socks” he infuses humor into every aspect of his business. But a serious professional, he is a certified as a coach, including with John Maxwell. He is a master practitioner of NLP, and facilitator for Myers-Briggs and Kolbe, along with other programs and tools important to the development of business professionals. You can contact Jack at Jack@GYBCoaching.com or at 317-755-6963. Visit his website at www.gybcoaching.com for more information.

Do You Use Technology as a Tool, Or a Toy?

I have to say that I am a paper and pencil kind of girl. Take me to an office supply store and I can easily spend two to three hours walking every aisle and fingering new writing implements, filing system supplies and all the different papers and envelopes there. Kind of like going to a bookstore – I get lost there, too.

Use technology for your business, don’t let it use you. Photo Credit: Robert Churchill, 123RF.com

You would think because of my own compulsion for office supplies, that I would understand when others behave the same way about technology. But I don’t. It aggravates me when we develop a process or system around an app or piece of software and then right away someone wants to change it because they found something “better” or “faster” or that connects with another piece of software they want to use. Changing over is time consuming and often opens some other can of worms. In any event it eats time like a starving dog.

So, I have come to have quite a disdain for advancing technology. But, I shouldn’t. What I should be doing is spreading the word that technology is a resource – a means to an end – not the end.

In this vein of thought, I would ask that people not troll for the new. I suggest they research for the best option at the time and then implement that and go on to the next problem they need to solve. In that way, problems get solved and entrepreneurs move forward. They don’t get stuck in a constant cycle full of bright shiny objects.

Think of the time that frees up. No more sitting at the keyboard and visiting websites reviewing that new app or program. And, for me, no more hours spent on changeovers and re-tooling systems.

Small business people who shine are blessed with the ability to be nimble and agile in the marketplace. Make technology a tool instead of a new bright, shiny toy.

Now, I am not saying anyone should stop improving. But improvement comes on the heels of a problem, not just because something comes into the radar and looks interesting. The process should be: problem – research – solution – implement. Not research – implement – research – implement – research – implement. And I am using research loosely there as it is usually more of “Hey, I saw,” or “Someone told me about …”

Pick something that works and solves your problem, like AddressTwo CRM software or One Note or whatever it is that meets your immediate need and then learn it, use it and make it work for you.

--Elaine

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Elaine Whitesides has a unique business past having spent time in the residential and commercial real estate/finance corporate world and also many years as an educator. Combining those with a love of writing and organizational development, she founded Whitesides Words. Her business is to bring together professional service providers and the business owners who need their services – at a reasonable rate. Her purpose is to share the stories of business and business people with the world. She can be contacted at elaine@whitesideswords.com or at 317-520-2885. Visit her website at www.whitesideswords.com.

Do you Have Control Over Your Day Or Is It The Other Way Around?

Productivity

Managing all the tasks and responsibilities that we have each day can be a real challenge.  How do you decide what to do first?  How will you ever be able to tackle everything that’s coming at you?

We have all had those days where we find ourselves with too much to do and not enough time.  You feel like you’re drowning in work, right?

There are a few key things to think about before you start digging in.

·         Time – How much time do I have?  How much time is this activity or tasks going to take?
·         Resources  - Who do I need to work with in order to move forward?  Can I delegate this?
·         Tools - Do I have access to the computer program I need to complete this task?   Is there a phone or connection available?  

Considering your available time, resources and tools before deciding what to do with something can help you to group tasks together and accomplish more.  For example, when you have a phone available and quiet, you could call all 6 people on your list back more efficiently than if you made 6 scattered calls throughout the day. 

There’s a great book that has made a tremendous impact on my daily workflow and productivity.  It is Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress FreeProductivity by David Allen.  Make it the next book you read and I’ll bet you’ll find yourself inspired to become more productive and in control of your day, like I was.

Below are some other simple daily tips to keep you organized, fresh and on top of your business.

·         Evaluate uncompleted tasks from the day before-check the status and send an update with a time for completion.
·         Review any new emails - you may need to catch up on something from the day before or start right away on a new task.
·         Choose which inquiries you will respond to first.  Make any client “fires” or emergency items top of the list.  If it’s only going to take a few minutes, go ahead and knock it out.
·         Assess your current project list.  What action needs to be taken next?  Are you waiting on a response from somebody else to proceed? If so, reach out again so you can move forward.
·         Plan for long term or ongoing projects - decide how much time you are going to spend on various projects and then stick to your time frame!
·         Include time for maintaining client relationships - have you touched based with your clients and prospects lately?  Send a card, or a quick email follow-up.  Keeping your name in front of your clients and partners is good for business.  Since you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already a CRM rockstar, but just in case you’re not familiar…there are wonderful tools out there for business called CRM’s or Customer Relationship Management systems.  AddressTwo, the simple crm, is a great one.  Use it to it’s fullest and you will enjoy a growing business and a dynamic network.

 

Realistically, you may not meet your goal every day, but being perpetually dis-organized, distracted and unproductive is a sure fire way to lose clients and kill your business.  Aim high, study up and get some productivity tools like AddressTwo to help you reach your goals.  Now, go…conquer your day!    

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Another Great Guest Blog from our Friends at Imagine Virtual Assistant Service.  An administrative support service for small business.  Well versed in all things MS Office, and social media, Imagine Virtual Assistance can provide help with management of calendars and contacts, travel arrangements, party planning, and even help with your AddressTwo CRM account.  Need more tips?  Check out their website:  www.imaginevirtualassistantservice.com