This guest post comes to us via Maria Ross, creator of Red Slice, brand strategist, speaker and author who believes cash flow and creativity are not mutually exclusive. Maria’s latest book, the 2nd edition of her Amazon best-selling book, Branding Basics for Small Business: How to Create an Irresistible Brand on Any Budget launched on April 1. For your reading pleasure, below is an adapted excerpt, which includes insights and tips from the author of I’m at a Networking Event-Now What???, Sandy Jones-Kaminski. 

Networking. Ugh. For those of you rolling your eyes at the thought of making idle luncheon chitchat or tooting your own horn a bit, consider this: Since brand is all about every touch point and experience people have with you, making connections and networking is a vital component of your brand-building strategy.

Few business owners realize that networking—in-person or online—should actually be a marketing budget line item and something you schedule into your weekly plans.

When engaging in social networking online, come at it from a place of generosity and mutual benefit, not a sales angle. Try to present yourself online as you would at an in-person event. You’d never just meet someone for the first time, shove your business card in their face, and ask them to buy what you’re selling, would you? While there are some people that do this, it’s not the best way to boost your brand perception! Be human and be consistent online with your brand, just as you would offline.

You can use social networking platforms to follow up on connections you make in person to reinforce your brand. When you meet someone at an event, exchange cards and invite them to connect with you through social media. If you do this, they are more inclined to click through to your profile and learn more about your business and brand than if you’d sent an email with a website link. Make sure you take the time to create a polished profile that reflects your brand.

Here are eight tips for achieving online networking bliss:

1.  Follow up online with offline contacts
When you meet offline, immediately connect with key contacts through online social channels, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+ to keep that connection fresh and avoid spamming.

2.  Personalize the note
Do not send invitations to connect on a social channel without personalizing the message. Say something meaningful! Remind them how you met or compliment them on their website.

3.  Give before you get
Think about a connection you can make for this person that benefits them. Surely there is someone you know who might make a good client, partner, or mentor.  Be generous and share.

4.  Acknowledge people who acknowledge you
Try to acknowledge @mentions or Comments when you can, especially those on a blog post or group discussion you’ve started in social media.

5.  Participate in online groups
Many social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook offer online groups. Try different groups on for size and see which ones fit. Keep your active groups to a manageable number, maybe just 2-3 per platform. Test them out and if they are not working for you, leave the group. Remember to spend some time listening and reading posts or searching for key terms first to get a feel for the vibe before you jump into conversations.

6.  Follow experts and other thought-leaders
With many social media channels, you can follow people to whom you are not linked, whether they are famous or not. Share their valuable content with your connections rather than always using your own cntent.

7.  Don’t join too many peer groups
This is true for both online and offline networking. While it’s important to network with peers, collaborate and gain support and referrals, remember not to join too many groups filled with your competitors!

8.  Stay clear and true to your brand, and the right people will find you
Staying active in group conversations is a great way to get your name out there so that reporters, bloggers, and other media influentials in your space can find you. And if they are in your groups, be sure to comment on their posts as well. If you do, this makes it less of a “cold call” if you ever want to pitch them later on.

As with any other part of your brand-building plan, you must recognize the need to put in networking time.  This will be valuable time you bill to yourself. While it’s a different form of marketing, networking reinforces your personal and professional brand. Remember, when you work for yourself or a small organization, you don’t have a million-dollar budget behind you to promote the brand. You are the brand.

How do you feel about networking? How do you do it in a way that feels good to you?

photo by craig garner // cc // via unsplash

In the spirit of the holiday season (and helping you + your business get a jump on 2014), I wanted to do my small part in spreading good cheer.  In an attempt to repair my karma after regifting that sweater and making my cat wear costumes, I’m giving away a Solution Session to one deserving company, creative, or entrepreneur.

Last year, Arc’s Value Village won.  They’re a Twin Cities-based, chain of non-profit thrift stores that supports children and adults with disabilities.  Last year, their stores brought in over $2 million dollars to fund special needs programing. Isn’t that lovely?  I was flattered to be able to work with such a wonderful organization. (You can see nice things previous clients have said about my work here.)

While I’ve got a weak spot for nonprofits, you needn’t be rescuing puppies or curing cancer to win this Solution Session.  I love businesses and people who are passionate about their mission - whatever that is - and show that they’re serious about what they’re doing. You’re on at least one social media platform. You update things regularly. You do not quake in the face of terms like “at mention” and “Hootsuite.”

Sound like you?  Wonderful!  Fill out this questionnaire to apply for the free session; I’ll choose a winner next Tuesday.

And? This is probably a good a time as any to tell you:

My Clever Sessions will go from $250 to $300 and my Solution Sessions from $1,000 to $1,200.  If you’ve been thinking about working together, you might want to book now and lock in my lower rate 😉

Why the change? I need a break from sales pages and About pages.  I’m working on one (or three) apps, a book proposal, and a new ebook. I’m planning trips to Mexico and Alaska and Florida.  My clients have straight up told me I should be charging more.  And honestly? I’m ready for something new.

As always, I am so, so thankful that you make Yes and Yes and this blog part of your online life.  I so appreciate it!

Has this ever happened to you?

One of your favorite, widely-read blog announces that they’re taking sponsors.
On Facebook , a graphic designer friend says they’re taking new clients.
A writer whose work you admire announces that she’d be happy to help people edit their book proposals.
But none of them actually mention how much they charge.

There are plenty of super valid reasons not to post your rates.  You want to write up individualized quotes for each client.  You want some wiggle room - depending  on how eager you are to work with someone.  Or maybe nobody else in your industry posts their rates and you’re worried that yours are way, way too high (or too low.)

There are also lots of reasons to be totally, totally open about your rates - which is what I’ve decided to do.

Reason 1
I want to save time - both mine and my potential client’s
I spend at least an hour every day responding to queries about my rates and how I work.   The answers to these questions are always the same and I do have a template email that I use - but wouldn’t it be a lot easier if I just posted my rates on my site?

Reason 2
I don’t want people to assume I’m out of their price range
Hiring someone to write a sales page for you seems like a Big Huge Deal that will cost you $500+ and take a month.  And maybe that’s accurate with some people or marketing agencies! My turnaround time is 2-3 business days and I charge $180 for each permanent page.

Reason 3
Being secretive exhausts me
I can’t be bothered to charge people different rates.  Isn’t transparency a million times easier? Now I’ll know that every person who emails me for copywriting or editing work has downloaded my rate sheet, knows they can afford me, and has (probably) decided to hire me.  Easy peasy, right?

Of course, there are projects that don’t fit on my rate sheet: 100-word elevator pitches, mottos, researched and ghostwritten blog posts, on-going consulting gigs.  And of course, there are projects and professional fields that don’t lend themselves to rate sheets - a static webpage shouldn’t costs the same as a totally interactive, built from scratch website.

But it brings me (and my inbox) a lot of peace to be open about how much I charge.

Do you post your rates online?  How do you deal with putting together quotes for clients?

P.S. other money stuff:  If you’re self-employed are you topping out your Roth IRA?  You should be.  I’m doing it and it’s not nearly as complicated as I thought. I also keep my money at a credit union rather than a bank and I looooove it.  Also, if you’re self-employed and you travel for work a lot, you should know about per diem tax deductions.  This ish will save you thousands of dollars a year. 

photo by epSos.de // cc

This post comes to us via Michelle Ward, PCC (aka The When I Grow Up Coach). She helps creative women get out of their soul-sucking jobs and into work that feels like play. Her first book, The Declaration of You (co-written with the artist Jessica Swift), was recently published and encourages everyone to clarify their purpose sans super seriousness.

Are you afraid that talking about your biz turns you into a used car salesman overnight (greasy pompadour and mismatched suit included)?

Then you’re gonna wanna buy this article you’re reading now, 5 Ways to Bring In The Money Without Feeling Sleazy! For the low low price of just $19.95, I’ll throw in a set of steak knives! Get your credit card ready and call –

{shiver}

When we think of Selling, we usually think of steak knives, Crazy Eddie and operators who are standing by to take our calls. We think of in-your-face aggression, one-way conversations, and telemarketers who interrupt our dinner.

Do me a favor and wave goodbye to the slimiest of salesmen that lives in your head.  Smile.  Give him a hug, even. Watch him go, dejected.

See, in your world, that slimy salesman won’t ever be able to make an appearance. Not only because you won’t let him, but because you can’t possibly become him. Ever.

You have too much of an interest in connecting with others, in bringing them goodness and improving their lives so that you’d never strong-arm someone into buying something from you that they don’t need.

It’s just not who you are, what you offer, and how you want to build a relationship - and you can bring that into all aspects of your business. I pinky swear it.

Stop Calling it Selling
Thinking of having to “sell”, “market myself”, or “advertise” brings on a big case of The Icks.

I decided long ago to group those things under one umbrella, and call it Hooplah - something silly, and fun, and a bit ridiculous, too. I had another client decide to call it Ballyhoo (isn’t that the best word ever?), and it immediately brought a sense of celebration to it all. Conversely, a coach I had called it Inviting, and it immediately created an intimate, personal connection.

Find your word for Hooplah/ Ballyhoo/ Invitations and ban the Selling/Marketing/Advertising from your vocabulary for good.

Create Your Client Profile, and Speak to Her Directly
Who will read your blog, buy your product, or hire you for your services? Think demographically + personality-wise. By starting to answer them and create a client/ customer/ reader profile, you’ll be able to have a picture in your head of who needs to pick up what you’re putting down and why. You can even cheat and use your favorite client or best friend!

Once you have that person in your head, you can write your copy and blog posts for her directly and tailor your products and services to her specifically, too. It’s so much easier than writing for My Audience, I promise (because really – who the heck is that?)!

If you’re having trouble answering these questions, grab a magazine and start leafing through. Rip out anything and anyone in those pages that speaks to you, even if you don’t know why. When you’re done, create a collage and hang it in your office space, or make it your desktop. Keep it in plain view when you’re writing, and write for the person(s) included there.

Be Yourself, Loud and Clear
When I started my blog, I was initially under the guise that, as a life coach, I had pretend that my life is perfect and I have it all figured out, instead of disclosing that I still worked a day job and was pretty damn scared and vulnerable at the time, I realized pretty quickly that my blog was so boring that even I wouldn’t read it. That’s when I chucked the mask I was wearing and let it all hang out – my “real” life, my challenges, my loud personality, my enthusiasm, my sense of humor, my silliness, my day job, my wins and the excessive use of the word “amazeballs.”

Uncoincidentally, that’s when I started getting steady readers and clients who were already excited to work with me despite never having a consultation call.  I inadvertently realized that I never have to sell anyone on working with me who’s read anything I’ve written online because they know what they’re gonna get. That’s THE BEST!

Make It Valuable
Quick - which statement below makes you want to Click Here?

“I wrote a book! It’s so great! Click here and buy it!”

or

“Want to uncover your own declarations around life’s big, scary topics in a fun, creative way? Click here to make it happen!”

I don’t know about you, but I see Option 1 more than I’d like - on Twitter, on Facebook, on blogs - they’re all over! If someone comes to your home on the Interwebs, they want to get to know *you*, and what you sell is just a portion of that. I gotta tell you, nothing keeps me away from the Follow button more than someone with a feed full of outgoing tweets that link back to their own stuff and/or only talks about themselves. Yuck.

So, swap it around and start crafting your copy to be about what your audience will find helpful (yes, that includes sharing what other people are putting out there) - not what you wanna tell them about yourself.

Have a Conversation
There’s a reason we have two ears and a mouth – it’s to listen twice as much as we speak.

On my consultation calls, there’s never a schpeel. I’m never waiting to “close” them. I’m there because I get to gage whether I can help someone, or know someone that can help them. I’m there to answer their questions and give them the information they’re looking for so they can make the best decision for themselves. I’m there to listen to dreams and offer encouragement and make a connection.

Honestly, the Hooplah doesn’t even come into the equation, and I don’t think of my consultation calls as “prospects” or “sales.” I think of them as “creatives” and “go-getters” and, um, “people.”

Imagine that.

How do you feel about selling?  What tips/tricks have you found useful?  Share in the comments!

photo by tax credits // cc