This week I had the great opportunity to meet will John Assaraf to discuss the Global Hug Tour, a great new cause inspired by Gail Goodwin from Inspire Me Today. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how John and his company One Coach might play a role in the tour.
During our meeting we had a conversation about the why behind the Global Hug Tour. John was very passionate about having a strong why. If your why is strong enough then the how will become clear. The Global Hug Tour is a huge project with many moving parts which seem to be growing bigger with each day. The important part of this project is everything is coming together. Because the why is so strong it allows the how to truly present itself in the form of people stepping up to play a role, people buying hugs to support the tour, and both private and corporate sponsors taking a big interest in supporting the tour.
Bringing this back to follow up… How does having a great why help you in follow up? Follow up is one of those things we all know we should do! Having a great why will help you take the action steps like following up to achieve your desired goal. Your goal might be additional sales, revenue, customers, or referrals, whatever your goal is make sure you have a powerful why to keep you on track!
For anyone who may not know, John Assaraf is the founder of One Coach, was in the wildly successful movie The Secret and his current book The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life is a New York Times Best Seller.
There was a great article in the current Inc. Magazine titled The Ultimate Business Tune-Up For Times Like These.
The article listed 23 things you can do right now to energize your employees, wow your customers, and get your business back on track. One of the ideas from a previous Inc. Start-Up Blog post was from a great company Zappos titled Pay employees to Quit!
During the first month of training, Zappos offers new employees $2,000 to quit, plus their time worked! This may sound crazy but to Zappos it’s a matter of costs… The cost of training an employee who is not happy or does not fit the company culture is far more than $2,000! Zappos wants people who are passionate about customer service and who love their company culture.
I know for me I am always attracted to companies who seem to have a passion for what they are doing. If I receive a follow up call from a new contact or someone who wants me to purchase their product I listen for the passion. How many times have you purchased from someone just because you felt inspired to support them? Have you ever been price shopping for a product and found a sales person or company who was so passionate that you decided to stop looking and just purchase? Do you see how valuable passion could be for you?
So if passion is so important to a company like Zappos it might be something you should consider as well. Whether you are an employee or the owner of a business or an entrepreneur passion is one of your best assets. Why not take a look at how you are doing in regards to passion. You might just find an opportunity to light the fire of passion within you!
One simple question I ask every new contact at some point during our first meeting… So are you on LinkedIn? The answer to this question can be very surprising! I have heard everything from “No, Yes, What is LinkedIn?, LinkedIn? What a complete waste of time!, I think I am on LinkedIn, I get invites but just ignore them, or I am on LinkedIn but don’t know how to use it.”
So is LinkedIn one of the most powerful sales and follow up tools available or is it just a complete waste of time? I know for myself LinkedIn has proven to be a very powerful tool for connecting to new prospects, passing referrals, and keeping top of mind with clients and prospects.
The opportunities on LinkedIn are extensive! In fact I just wrote a post on Square Martini Media titled 7 Top Reasons LinkedIn is a Must Have for Your Business. This is a must read article to learn why you should be using LinkedIn!
So what are you waiting for? Set up a LinkedIn account or find your password and get ready to learn some simple ideas to help you attract more clients and increase your sales using LinkedIn! Over the next few weeks I will going over the 7 Top Reasons LinkedIn is a Must Have for Your Business. When you find that password or set up your new account make sure to invite me to your network!
Have you ever met someone who is filled with passion and enthusiasm? Passionate about their company, passionate about their job, passionate about their relationship, or possibly passionate about their cause… I mean real passion! So much passion and enthusiasm you might think it’s too much! This reminds me of one of the people I followed up with from LinkedIn this week. Lisa Marshall a communication specialist, speaker, and at one time accused of being too passionate! Lisa’s thoughts on this… “It is impossible to be too passionate”! I have to agree with her! Have you ever seen or heard Gary Vaynerchuk speak? Did you have the thought “I wish I was as passionate as Gary Vaynerchuk”? View a portion of this video with Gary Vaynerchuk speaking at Web 2.0 Expo this year.
Do you see the passion coming from Gary? Do you feel his enthusiasm for what he is doing? Are you thinking to yourself “I wish I was this passionate about something”? The thought in your mind should not be I wish I was… It should be why not? Why not live with the same passion and enthusiasm that Gary does? What is stopping you from doing this? The difference between living and believing with passion versus not is so dramatic! People who have passion and enthusiasm are like magnets. People want to be around passionate people!
Many times I have been told to tone down my passion and enthusiasm… I admit at times I have thought this was some kind of flaw and for years I would always keep myself in check. Now I realize this is one of my biggest assets. I love to get behind something I truly believe in with passion. Lots of passion! You can be passionate about your job, company, product, spouse, or your favorite cause. Find something in your life to be passionate about and then share with those around you.
So my last thought to you is if you have ever thought “I wish I could be as passionate as (fill in the blank), why not start now… Passion is something you can turn on and turn off.. Passion is a love for what you are doing or what you believe in. Passion is the one thing that will push you forward and keep you going, passion insures you reach your end goal. Passion is one of the elements of those who achieve greatness and those who do not. Passion is in you… It’s in all of us… We just need to recognize it, feel it, and let it run through us.
So here we find ourselves past the holiday season. We now have a great opportunity to make a positive impression on our top clients and referral sources! Sending books to top clients and referral sources is one of the most memorable follow up strategies I use. It’s creative, different, and is just not done enough! The following are my Top 10 books to send to a business owner or top sales professional for 2009. In choosing this selection I found myself thinking of the many types of clients and referral sources i have. This selection should include a great title for any possible business owner or sales professional which may be on your list.
#1 The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
“At last! A book on sales and salesmanship that can be read and enjoyed by veteran and recruit alike! I have just completed The Greatest Salesman in the World for the second time-it was too good for just one reading-and in all sincerity, I say that it is the most readable, most constructive and most useful instrument for the teaching of sales as a profession that I have ever read.” F.W.Errigo, Manager U.S. Sales Training Parke, Davis & Company
#2 Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
“At American billionaire Andrew Carnegie’s bidding, Hill studied the characteristics of these achievers and developed 15 “laws” of success intended to be applied by anybody to achieve success. Think and Grow Rich! condenses these laws further and provides the reader with 13 principles in the form of a philosophy of personal achievement.” Wikipedia
#3 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
“Rich Dad Poor Dad is a starting point for anyone looking to gain control of their financial future.” USA Today
#4 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
“Fascinating enough for the general reader, Gladwell’s work is a particular boon for businesspeople looking for inspiration on how to top their own ideas into popular crazes.” Publishers Weekly
#5 The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey
“An absolute must-read for aspiring business executives who want to significantly increase their personal effectiveness in the workplace and at home. Covey has created a brilliant blueprint for both career and personal success in the new millennium.” Douglas Conant, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Co.
#6 Tribes by Seth Godin
“Tribes is a must read for all of us. It’s up to each one of us to lead in today’s new kind of world.” Bill Bradley, Former U.S. senator Tribes is one of my favorite reads of 2008! It’s is truly inspiring, showing the value and simplicity of becoming a leader. Keep an eye out for my future post on Tribes.
#7 Beach Money by Jordan Adler
“If you plan on building a large successful network, I recommend reading Beach Money. Jordan’s stories are inspiring and each one has something that you can put to use immediately.” Ivan Misner, NY Times Best-selling Author and Founder of BNI
#8 E-Myth by Michael Gerber
“The mythic and often disastrous assumption is that people who are experts regarding technical details of a product or service will also be experts at running that sort of business. Many small business owners eventually realize that just as they had to learn the technical skills, they have to learn business growth and management skills.” Wikipedia
#9 Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn
“I can’t believe it. In the three months since reading this, I’ve almost doubled my sales and settled a couple of long-standing problem in my marriage. I’m recommending this book to management.” O. T., Regional Sales Manager
#10 The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
“Stunning and amazing, from mini-retirements to outsourcing your life, it’s all here. Whether you’re a wage slave or Fortune 500 CEO, this book will change your life!” Phil Town, #1 New Your Times bestselling author
#11 101 Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies by Gwen Steege
Number 11 in my top 10 just to check and see if you are still reading! Honestly the best gift and easiest way to bribe me is with homemade chocolate chip cookies! Who can resist that?
I could have easily listed 20 more books in this top 10 so if I am missing one you think should be on the list please leave a comment with your suggestion and why you think the book should be on the list. The more selection and recommendations the better!
In writing this post I kept thinking back to my corporate career. During the holidays I would receive well over 20 boxes of candies from clients and vendors. The candy made no lasting impression due to the amount I received. A book is completely different! If I received a book during the first few weeks of the New Year it would stand out amongst all the previous gifts. I would remember who sent the book to me and it would positively affect our relationship.
January 29, 2009 
This week I had the great opportunity to meet will John Assaraf to discuss the Global Hug Tour, a great new cause inspired by Gail Goodwin from Inspire Me Today. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how John and his company One Coach might play a role in the tour.
Posted in Business Resources, Follow Up, Increase Referrals 
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