5 Ways to Connect, Stay Organized and Profit

Do you offer a free consultation to potential clients? Do you give people 10 different ways to contact you or connect with you? What about that focused funnel that everyone raves about... 

There is more than 1 way to crack an egg and we are not here to tell you how to best connect with people, we all have our own technique and level of comfort. However, as creators we can get overwhelmed with creating more opportunities for people to discover and connect with us and then forget to streamline those methods into our calendar or master contact list. 

What happens when you open up all these avenues of connection without some sort of way to organize how all the calls, emails or messages come in? Opportunities get lost in the sauce. We ask ourselves, did I sign-up for this mailing list or is this an actual person talking to just me??? Facebook messages go 2 weeks without a reply, "Man, I didn't realize you had to approve of new messages on Facebook Messenger when I am not friends with a person", what happens when your Bot Assistant is asked something that isn't programmed yet ..., or, You wake up and there are 100's of email notifications because on a recommendation post you asked for suggestions on how to fix your d*ck instead of your deck in a mom's group. Things can blow-up when you put yourself out there but that doesn't mean you have to get lost in it or ignore the people you don't know.   

Let's Get Organized with Connections: 

1. Each platform has settings that allow you to control how notifications are sent to you. Check them out and control them. For example, I only want notifications between 8-9 am, 12-1 pm and 4-5 pm. Phones also has a do not disturb option that you can set for when it is time to rest or focus on something besides your online following. You are not a slave to each message. Own your day and posts, schedule your time for focused responses to emails, media messages and direct texts or calls. Use a posting scheduler for social media to free up your day for more focused interaction. Recognize that people can agree to disagree and not everything needs a response if it doesn't serve you.    

2. Have a business email. We like google but the options are endless. In fact, it is recommended that different parts of your business have different email addresses. The caveat is to forward all of the email into a master email box so things don't get lost in the internet void. Again, check out the settings, ask for help. From there you maintain a master .cvs contact list, write notes about people so you can remember them, separate your lists so you can focus your messages to each specific audience. Integrate your email with your preferred calendar app. Use a mass mailer like Mailchimp to make email campaigns that track your analytics, don't spam or add people who have not signed up. When you write focused emails with valuable content on a regular basis to your audience you are offering a service, know who is benefiting from it to understand your strategic alliances or even who your next client is with a little direct interaction. 

3. Stay focused with who you are working with, old, current and new connections. There is only so much time in a day, if you can talk to 20 people in a day or more that is great, if you can't, you don't have to. It is important to always maintain a level of comfort when you are engaging, if talking to 1 or 2 people is all you can do, that is also great! Love yourself for who you are and so will others. There are gurus out there who have a 5-5-5 list. You reach out to 5 old contacts, 5 current contacts and 5 new contacts. It is truly up to you. It is about the relationships you build from these contacts, it isn't a race to the biggest contact list. You also have the ability to have a business that doesn't require daily interaction with clients like a drop/ship store that is promoted via paid ads. Focus is not repeating yourself, it is creating a deeper and deeper connection each time you engage with someone. Here is a contact worksheet to help you stay organized for today.  

4. Don't overload your audience with ways to contact you! Direct them to your preferred method. Remember, providing valuable content on the platforms that serves you is better than spreading your message thin. You have a tribe, envision your ideal client avatar and market directly to them. Focus your ads and make it easy for clients to buy what you want to sell. If you are an artist, public figure, or coach don't under estimate your audiences desire to participate in a tiered membership site. 

5. Pay attention to affiliate marketing opportunities, branch out, see who you can collaborate with that shares your message and offers something different. Be willing to work with others to diversify your possible income streams. Remembering that we can't do it all and asking for help is OK. In fact, it is really important in taking control of your time, schedule and ability to grow in business and in your personal life.