I love Sunday mornings. Why? Because James plays with Chloe while I enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee while putting the finishing touches on my ezine before sending it out. (click here if you’d like a copy).
But I also love it because the way our house is designed, my office is in sort of a loft, so I can hear them playing together… and it just makes me so happy when I hear Chloe in an absolute fit of giggles because her daddy is being silly. It’s simply the best sound. ๐
So my ezine is sent, my coffee mug is empty, so I’m off to join them, and to enjoy this spectactular day here in NY.
It’s 8am, 80 degress, and muggy yet again in my corner of the world. It’s been a great summer as far as the weather goes, but I am soooooo ready for cooler temperatures, apple picking, and sweaters!
Today is our little village’s annual Harvest Festival, so James, Chloe and I will be taking a stroll down to the village square this afternoon to enjoy it. Our neighbor runs the entire production, so we go each year to show our support for all her hard work, and because it’s actually very cute and fun. Kinda a Gilmore Girls-Stars Hollow event (the only show besides The Apprentice I watch with any regularity).
Then tomorrow we’re going to the Irish Heritage Festival in the village next door, which I am really looking forward to. Chloe loves music and dancing, and I think she’s really going to enjoy the Irish music and maybe even watching the dancers. James and I celebrated one New Year’s in Ireland (here I am at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin), which was amazing, and we just can’t wait to take Chloe when she’s a wee bit older. ๐
My husband and I (and now Chloe, it seems… ๐ are big football fans… (my first cocktail after being pregnant and having Chloe was last SuperBowl Sunday – a Sierra Nevada never tasted so good…!), and I think we are both such big fans for two reasons:
1. We simply enjoy the game, and
2. We both use the time while "watching" the game to do other things – mainly to work on our individual projects.
Obviously this has changed a bit with the arrival of Chloe, but she’s pretty good about entertaining herself for a bit now, or hanging out on the floor with one or the other of us while playing with her toys.
I think it just makes us feel that we are doing something together while getting some other stuff done at the same time – a win-win.
I used to hate Sudays (especially when I worked for someone else and had the Sunday Night Dreads), but now they are my favorite day of the week… ๐
Go Pats! (you can take the girl out of New England… :))
Just back last night from our last visit to the lake for this summer season… The weather was gorgeous, and Chloe and I got to enjoy tooling around in the water a few last times. It always makes me sad to say goodbye for the summer, especially as this was Chloe’s first one there – but it makes me look that much more forward to next summer… ๐
I’m still trying to figure out a way to help victims of Katrina. Cash is a given… but there so much more I want to do, but I’m just not sure of the best way to go about it. So that’s on my agenda today – figuring out what we as a family can do to help and support those in need. I am grateful for my family’s health and vitality, for everything we have, which is more than enough, that I have this huge pull to do more in addition to sending cash. I look at those babies… it just breaks my heart. I had a vision of going into Carter’s (clothing for kids) and just buying them out, boxing up every item, and shipping it to Houston, with a picture of Chloe and a letter sending prayers and peace of mind, saying we know how blessed we are to have this beautiful baby girl, who is healthy, well clothed and fed… If nothing else, this is a real motivator to continue to build a highly profitable business.
Do you often attend in-person events, such as workshops, networking breakfasts, and seminars, and as you speak with people you collect a handful of business cards, but then you don’t know what to do with them?
Of course if someone’s expressed an interest in your services, you want to follow up with them, but most people you talk with at these events may not need your services RIGHT NOW, yet they very well may in the future.
So how do you make sure you’re at their fingertips when they do need you?
Get them on your list! That way you’ll have the opportunity to continue to get in front of them in a subtle way. Remember, though, never to put anyone on your list who hasn’t give you permission to do so.
Here are three ways to encourage people to get on your list when you meet them in person, without being pushy:
1. Put your Pink Spoon offering (your freebie product that draws people into your marketing funnel) information on the back of your business card, or on whatever other materials you hand out.
Business cards are the standard pass-around marketing tool at these kind of events, but if the back of your card is blank, you’re losing valuable real estate. There are several things you could add to the back of your card, and one of them is the information for your Pink Spoon.
Write a snappy sentence describing the benefit that the reader will get if they sign up, along with the website address of where they can subscribe.
For example, on the back of one of my cards, one of the questions I ask is,
"Are you struggling with consistently and successfully marketing your business? If YES, visit www.ClientAbundance.com to find out how to attract and keep all the clients you want."
2. Email each person whose business card you collected within a week.
Send a brief email to each person you met, reminding them that they can sign up for your freebie offering at your website. Make sure you include a live link to make it super-easy for them to click and sign up.
I sent this note to someone I met at a party recently:
"Dear Christine,
It was so great to meet you at Cathy’s party last weekend. I enjoyed swapping the joys and trials of juggling a business and a family, and I’m really impressed with all you do having three children under the age of 6!
I wanted to send you the link to my free ecourse and ezine that I think would really help you in your marketing of your business. It’s http://www.clientabundance.com.
Keep in touch and let me know if there are other ways I can help you!
cheers,
Alicia"
3. If you’re a speaker at the event, or if it’s your own event, have a sign-up sheet for the attendees.
At the beginning and end of your talk, make sure you tell your audience that they can receive FREE valuable information from you if they will simply sign-up on the form. Ask them for their first name and email address, and make note on the form what it is they will receive. You can give each person a separate sign-up form or have one that you pass around for everyone to sign.
You can also pass around a basket or bowl for people to drop their cards into to win a prize, AND to be put on your list to receive your Pink Spoon. (Most email list services require anyone signing up to double opt-in now, so you will be giving them another opportunity to confim that they do in fact want to be on your list after you’ve added them.)
You’ve probably heard "the fortune is in the follow-up" and that’s exactly what this will do for you. If you collect their names and email addresses at the event, add them to your list with their permission, or send them a reminder email to do it themselves, your Pink Spoon will do the follow up for you. It will keep you on your prospects’ radar screens so you’ll come to mind immediately when they do need your services. And that’s exactly what you want!
ยฉ 2005 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com
WANT TO REPRINT THIS ARTICLE? You may, as long as it remains intact and you include this complete blurb with it: Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coachย, founder of http://www.ClientAbundance.com , and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success Systemย, teaches coaches, consultants, online entrepreneurs and solo professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com
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