5 Secrets to Building Business Relationships When You're an Introvert
I've tried any number of ways to
market my business: attending networking functions, joining professional
associations, exhibiting at trade shows, just to name a few of my tactics.
However, despite my best intentions, I've gotten little or no business as a
result of my efforts. I know that part of the reason for a lack of return on my
investment in these items is my poor follow-up with contacts I've made, but I
think it goes a bit deeper than than.
I just simply don't enjoy those activities. There now, I've said it, and it's
out in the open.
I'm a card carrying introvert (INFP) on the Myers-Briggs scale, and while I can
be extroverted when at a meeting or a networking event or a trade show, it takes
a great deal of energy and effort for me to do so. I feel as though I'm playing
a role (and I am, to some degree -- the role of an extrovert) and am not as
authentic as I am when I'm speaking with someone that I know well.
In any business marketing book or course, you'll hear that if you don't toot
your own horn about your business, no one else will. So, what's a good
introverted girl to do to get the word out about her business?
Instead of continuing to beat my head against the wall and continue to do those
things that I dislike in the hopes that something will change, I've made a 180
degree turn in my marketing efforts. It's much more comfortable for me, and I'm
much more authentic, since I've decided that I want to get 95% of my clients
from online means. So, instead of spending a great deal of time and money out of
my office trying to drum up business, I'm refocusing all marketing efforts to
building relationships online.
What's even more surprising is that I'm pretty good at it. I've developed close
business and personal friendships will people all over the US and Canada, most
of whom I've never met face-to-face. However, I know that if I were to show up
in their city, I'd be welcomed into their home or at least be invited out to
dinner, as we know each other quite well, without having ever met.
What's my secret? I'm a great writer, and have gotten much praise and acclaim
throughout the years for my writing efforts. Many introverts love to write, and
that skill alone can help you begin to forge great relationships online. Here
are my 5 secret strategies to building business relationships as an introvert:
1. Email Newsletter
I've been writing my email newsletter, Work Smarter, Make More Online,
http://www.worksmartermakemore.com
for almost 5 years now. For the first 3 years, it was a real hit-or-miss
proposition, as I published the newsletter only sporadically. However, about 2
years ago, I decided that I needed to publish on a weekly basis, and in that I
needed to write articles that truly reflected me in each issue. I'm now starting
to see the results of the writing I do each week. The results include readers
calling or emailing me for coaching, to sign up for a program, to sit in on a
teleclass, or to form a strategic alliance with them. Just exactly what I'd
would happen. You can read more about how I publish my email newsletter at:
2. Writing and Submitting Articles
Once I have written my email newsletter for the week, I now have a usable
article to place on my website as well as to submit to article banks,
directories, and announcement lists. As a matter of fact, as I was sitting here
composing this article, I received this week's email newsletter from
Entrepreneurnewz, and the email had an very familiar subject heading --
the title of an article I had submitted to article banks about 3 weeks ago! You
can see the article at
http://www.entrepreneurnewz.com/entrepreneurnewz-19-20051103CreatingYourSmallBusinessDisasterPlan.html.
Two weeks ago, Ana Rincon, guide at About.com's Online Business section thought
this same article was so good that she featured it in their weekly newsletter,
http://onlinebusiness.about.com/od/successstories/a/hurricanerita.htm. The
service that I use to submit my articles is called SubmitYourArticle.com, found
at www.submityourarticle.com. I can keep track of the articles that I submit
and go in and pull out a plain-text version of the article to send to new
sources.
3. Creating Your Own Blog
Blogging is now all the rage, and it seems that every newspaper, magazine and
business has its own blog. Blogging is a great way to get noticed online, and
it helps both returning and prospective clients get to know you and your
business better. I just started a blog in mid-2005 and have experienced greatly
increased traffic to my website. You can get started very easily using a free
service like Blogger,
http://www.blogger.com, or work with a service like the one I use, TypePad,
http://www.typepad.com,
that permits you to customize the look and feel of your blog.
4. Participating in Online Discussion Lists and Blogs
Many of the people I know today I have gotten to know through my participation
in online discussion lists. I belong to a great number of lists, but only
really participate in a select few. In order to make this work, you need to
participate consistently on the list or blog. When others see your regular
posts or entries, more people remember you and it becomes easier for them to
refer others to you and your business. Initially, upon joining a list or
subscribing to a blog, you need to lurk (read without posting) to see how others
respond to posts, and you'll also want to read the rules of the list that you
should have received when you joined the list. A great resource for finding
groups in which your target market might hang out is Yahoo Groups,
http://groups.yahoo.com,
and I use BlogLines,
http://www.bloglines.com to subscribe to blogs. When you begin to contribute
to these lists or blogs on a regular basis, you'll start to become known as an
expert in your field.
5. Conducting Teleclasses
I've been told I'm a pretty good speaker, but having to dress up and travel
around my local area to speak to various groups isn't the most productive use of
my time. Instead, I can reach people from the comfort of my own home through
the magic of teleclasses. Teleclasses are conference calls conducted via the
telephone in which you can deliver content, answer questions, or hold a
brainstorming session. You'll need a telephone bridgeline to conduct the call,
and I get mine free of charge at
http://www.freeaudioconferencing.com. Both Teleclass.com and
TeleclassInternational.com have great resources and training for anyone who
wants to create teleclasses as a part of their marketing strategy.
You can sell yourself and your business, even if you're an introvert. Finding a
marketing style that's comfortable for you is key, and when you're comfortable
and authentic, prospective clients will beat a path to your door!
(c) 2008 Donna Gunter
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You
can, as long as you reprint the article in its entirety
and include this blurb with it:
Online Business Resource Queen
(TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service
professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise
on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift,
TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at
http://www.OnlineBizU.com.
Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at
http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com. Read about running an online biz at her blog,
http://www.GetMoreClientsOnlineblog.com.
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