Relationships In Your Business Are Important

You knew this.

We all “know” this.. in theory.

I say in theory because I hear people talk all the time about how important relationships are, but I don’t see the actions to back the words.

In essence, we’re talking the talk, but are we walking the walk?

We’re busy, things are going on, and sometimes, maintaining those relationships can, reaching out to our clients or customers gets pushed down a little further down on our to do list.

We think about sending that card to congratulate our client on their award and some how, some way, it moves right off our never ending to-do list.

But there are people that are walking that walk every day.

And people are noticing.

I urge you to head over to Josh Perrington’s blog and read his latest post about “our” place.  Only it’s not just “our” place.  (He business cheats on me with the likes of some other guys.  Clearly, he has a few issues.  But don’t hold that against him.  And I’m pretty sure he’s never referred to it as “our” place.  But when Josh and I have ideas to pour over?  That’s where we go.  Short of the families getting together, I’ve never met him anywhere else!)

It’s a post that, while I wanted to expound upon, I can’t seem to find the words to say it any better than he did.

It shows the value of excellent customer service while tugging on the heart strings.

And makes me very excited about #MargaritaMondays.

(Read the post and you’ll understand.)

When walking that walk?

Just remember…

Investing involves more than just money.

The return is greater than you will ever expect.

And So, We’ll Revamp and Start Over

Blogging for business purposes is always a great idea if you (a) keep up with it and (b) have something relevant to say.  If neither holds true then, don’t bother.

That’s probably something I should’ve told myself when I put up this site so many years ago.  This was yet another blog, and one that I didn’t have time for, but I needed a place that I could bring together all the pieces of my online life in to one spot; a portal if you will.

HeatherJacobson.com was born.  I moved over the articles that I had written and posted in various locations, threw up the links to the books that I wrote and the websites that I ran, and then?

With every good intention of coming back here to blog about business or post articles from my newsletter, etc, I walked away.

Until I needed this space again last February.

With the new found knowledge that I was going to lose my job, I came back to this site and decided that I was going to revamp it.  No longer was it going to be a blog, because, clearly, I wasn’t keeping up with the upkeep, but rather, it was going to serve as my online resume.

I started mapping out the site, writing brief placeholder content, and figuring out how I could showcase the talents and abilities of Heather Jacobson to the online world.

When in reality?  I just thought it was different to put a URL that had my name on it on my resume.

I secured employment before I finished the site and never returned.  Yes, I had plans to come back to it; to finish what I started, but I never made it.

That is until last night and even up to that point I hadn’t really thought about it.

But a friend and I were talking and I realized that I have so much to say about marketing, social networking, and business relationships that I needed to write them all down.  Truthfully and honestly, do I think that by writing this down it will bring me customers?

No.

I’m an Account Manager at a Technology Infrastructure firm.  If I were writing about how to configure a network or solve IT headaches, then yes.  Maybe a local audience would find it and we would be well on our way to establishing credibility and expert status.

But what I feel the need to write about has very little to do with getting more clients or padding my paycheck.  It has everything to do with my mind swelling with ideas that I feel the need to share with others.  Do I use some of these things in my own realm?  Of course.

Should you use some of these ideas in your business?

Maybe.

I say maybe because just because something works for me, or I think I’m a pure genius for coming up with something, doesn’t mean it will fit with your business.  It might.  It might not.

If you like what you read, try it!  If it works… great!  (Please let me know, of course.)  If it doesn’t?  Can you take an idea I have and spin it so that it can work for you?

The sky is the limit when you’re out there working on building you customer base, your business, your youth group, your blog readership, or what ever it is that you’re trying to build up or market.

So, with that, I’m going to make sure that I’m coming back here to spill my brains.  Maybe people will read it.  Maybe people will talk about it.  Maybe I’ll help someone in their business or career.

Or maybe I won’t.

But, I will at least release the ideas that so often weigh my mind down because I just can’t get them out.

I do hope you’ll subscribe and keep coming back for more.

If nothing else, I’m kinda funny.

Until next time…

Creating a Networking Buzz

When you want to create a buzz, you do so by offering something up that people want.  Like an iPod Touch for example, which is what the Networking Masters are doing today.

Not only are they offering up this great prize, but in order to win it, you have to create a buzz for them.  The more you buzz, the more points you get, and the person who creates the most buzz, wins.

Simple.

Ingenious.

This is taking the simple idea of a contest, which is highly popular to generate traffic, and create awareness about your site, and getting it out there.

There’s still time to enter this great contest and once you do, take some time to think about how you can replicate this idea to make it work for you.

Until next time…

Heather

Protected: Going Out of Business SALE!!!!

Swyper…No Swyper

In my newsletter today, I bragged on Swype File.  It was great.  I was making a little extra money by way of Adsense and book sales, and gaining new commenters on my articles and new newsletter subscribers.

It was generating traffic which was the whole purpose of the concept.  I wanted others to sign up, too.

But I just went to log in to kill some time before my doctor’s appointment and found the following

Unfortunately, swypefile has been shut down for the time being. Things weren’t going as planned, and we are re-thinking the swypefile concept. Thanks to everyone who supported what we were trying to do!

I must admit that I’m a little bummed.  I understand that concepts go awry but I think we all knew that this was a new concept, a new site, and that changes would be forthcoming.  I’m also dissappointed that there was no email notification that was sent out.  Had I gotten it, I certainly wouldn’t not have recommended it to the masses.

So for now, if you’re an internet marketer and have great articles to share you’ll have to go back to the article directories, your blogs and newsletters.  At least for the time being.

(or you could submit some to me… I’m always looking for great content to share with my readers!)

Tags: , Article Marketing, blogs, internet marketing, Newsletters, swypefile