Doing chores is one of the things no one likes to do and therefore most people will procrastinate about doing them. What this means for you is that if you decide right here and now that you will do your business chores, you will have an advantage on most of your competition.
What exactly is a business chore? A business chore can be almost anything but generally they're the tedious tasks that most people don't want to do. In this article we'll talk about a few common ones that you can easily add to your schedule and by doing them on a regular basis, you will not only stay organized but you'll also get a leg up on your competition.
Chore #1
Take a handful of the cards you collected from the last networking event (or trade show) you attended and put them into your database. You can use Outlook or other CRM type software to do this. The key here is that you create a category for the event. For example, if you attended a Chamber of Commerce networking event on July 20, you would create a category Chamber Events (you may also want to put the year). When you enter the contact information, you will then select Chamber Events as the category.
Did you know that people attending Chamber networking events only follow up 1% of the time? This is your chance to stand out from the crowd.
Chore 2
Decide what method you want to use to follow up with the contacts you just entered. If you want to send an email, I would suggest you have several drafts you can choose from and then customize it for that particular individual (remember we do business with individuals and not organizations). If you create your emails in Word or other word processing program ahead of you can prepare several versions for different scenarios. I suggest you create at least 5 different ones. Then all you need to do is pick the text, fill in the blanks, and send the email. What could be easier?
Email is certainly the easiest method of connection but not all email gets through because of spam blockers or the recipient does not recognize your name and trashes it before it is opened. Because of this you need to ensure that you use several types of contact methods including phone and *gasp* snail mail.
Chore 3
Use the contact information you have just entered to follow up your email with a phone call to set up a time to meet on the phone. The key here is that you are booking 15 to 20 minutes of phone time to discuss how you can potentially work together. You are not selling your products with this first phone call. Most often you will end up leaving a quick message and will have to make a note to follow up a couple days later.
Fourth - Even though you may have sent an email and made a quick phone call, you follow up chores for the day are not complete. If you think there may be business you can do with the prospect, you next chores is to send a card, personally addressed and written with envelope and stamp. Yes, it's a bit tedious but the results can be amazing.
The best way to do this is to some notecards printed with your photo and contact information on them. Make sure to order matching envelopes (Vista Print is great for this). Keep them in your trunk. Have them already set up with a stamp and return address on them. When you leave your networking event, stop off at a coffee shop and spend an hour hand writing "nice to meet you" notes to everyone whose cards you collected. Drop the pre-stamped notecards in the mail that night and they'll likely arrive 2-3 days later. Now THAT is impressive effort.
If you prefer things to be a bit more automated, there are services like Send Out Cards that will automate everything for you. You just upload the addresses and message and they do the rest. It loses some of the personal touch but it'll still make you stand out for making the effort.
In summary there are four chores you need to put into your calendar for the first thing each morning. You should do these chores everyday to achieve maximum results and not get behind
First, enter new contact information into your Outlook or CRM program.
Second, send an email to follow up.
Third, make a quick phone call to set up a telephone meeting.
Fourth, send a personal card in the mail.
If you can do these four chores everyday, your business will blossom.
Author Resource:-
Did you know that a talalay latex mattress will not only give you a better night sleep but will also help with your allergies? Learn how much you could earn for a medical transcriptionist salary.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites