As I mentioned in my October 4 post – How to Expand and Nurture Your Small Business Network – the secret to success, according to Jordan Adler, author of Beach Money, is to grow your business network and stay in touch with the people in it. Last time I gave you some tips about how to grow your small business network. Here are some great ideas for staying in touch.
Check-in with a phone call just to let someone know you’ve been thinking about them or you saw something that would interest them.
Send a “Thinking of You” card or a birthday card to let them know they’re on your mind.
Send a personalized thank-you note to show appreciation and get remembered. A note about notes from Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals: Thank you notes should be friendly, simple and brief without a hint of a sales pitch.
Send a card to compliment or congratulate for a promotion, an award, a great advertisement, a new menu, great service, etc.
(Check out SendOutCards, a tool that allows you to go online, select a card, type a message and click send. The company prints it, stamps it and sends it in the US mail.)
Schedule a short meeting at a coffee shop. Face-to-face meetings are an effective first step to get to know someone better. Send a card that says, “Let’s meet for coffee. I’ll buy.” Include a pre-paid gift card to a local coffee house in your greeting card.
Send an article you’ve written — a great way to develop trust and establish credibility.
Send an article you’ve read, with a brief note about why it made you think of your contact.
Send information about an exciting new find. When you come across a new product, service or business that you think is the cat’s meow, let your contacts know. Send along some information about your new find with a note about why you’re impressed.
Give a referral or make an introduction to another member of your network — then facilitate the connection between the two individuals with a phone call or email.
Remember to keep your contacts informed of all that’s new in your business including upcoming events, educational workshops and new offerings.
October 18th, 2010 at 1:54 am
I like Colleen’s list; it’s a very personal way to build your business. So, perhaps I should be using some of them…
Terry