Kit Prendergast, PCC
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Author Archives: Kit Prendergast
Get Noticed…Get Referrals
Get Noticed . . . Get Referrals: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself, by Jill Lublin, McGraw Hill, 2008.
Lublin is a master at helping business owners like us build our businesses through the art of nurturing relationships and encouraging referrals.
She brings a wonderful energy and a wealth of experience to her workshops and books. I had the opportunity to travel to the California wine country to take one of her courses with my colleague and media extraordinaire, Judith Harlan. We both took away a huge amount of information to apply to our businesses and a bottle or two of wine tucked in the back seat.
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged communication, Leadership, Networking, Relationships
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3 Tips to Build Referrals
It’s not hard to build a referral-base business if you are strategic about what you want for your business and how best to use your time and energy. Having your previous clients continue to buy from you and to refer to you is a very cost-effective way to grow your company.
Research shows that the average business owner spends about 30% of their time trying to engage new clients but the person working primarily from referrals spends about 5% of their time. So let’s get smarter about this so we all can enjoy the phone ringing with requests for our services. Here are three strategies I have found particularly helpful over the years. They work!
- Identify your most valued “referral partners”. Who is out there in your professional network that sings your praises and recommends you often? Nurture those relationships by staying in frequent contact, thanking them personally when they refer and returning the favor by passing on the good word about them and their services when appropriate.
- Develop a reputation “personal brand” so you are known as someone who is easy to work with, visible & available, reliable & dependable and most importantly you can be trusted to offer top quality services at a reasonable price.
- Ask for a LinkedIn recommendation (2-3 sentences) from clients who are wildly enthusiastic about your work. Get their permission to cut & paste the recommendation into your website using their name or initials, name of company or geographic location.
Patience in the Rain
Have you ever come across a faithful dog waiting in the rain for its owner to return? We feel sorry for the loyal dog, but the message is a great reminder. Over the years we work in teams, committees and projects with many, many people. And as we move around the country or overseas we also live with many other people in different living situations and a variety of communities. If we are wise, we nurture the best of these relationships faithfully. We know as we continue to grow in our careers we need and want a supportive professional network of friends and colleagues that we can call in the good and bad times.
In short, we share a history together and a mutual respect for our diverse talents, skills, expertise and experiences. So when times get tough and the rain is pouring down, we know that each of us has each other’s back and we can wait in the rain for a bit. And at the end of the day, that’s all that counts – as well as our faithful four legged friends.
Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies
Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies by Joshua Waldman, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011.
There are lots of books out there on social media but this is the first I’ve seen that specifically addresses social media and the job search. It’s well written (like many of the Dummies books) and tackles one social media resource per chapter. It even covers personal branding and the nuances of weaving your brand into your internet presence. And of course, my favorite chapter is on LinkedIn.
Waldman keeps it simple, strategic and smart. Perfect for professionals like me!
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged Career, change, Networking, social media, strengths
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Keep It Simple, Strategic & Smart
It’s so easy to become totally overwhelmed with the latest in all the social media buzz. My suggestion is to keep it simple, strategic and smart and, most importantly, working for your specific career needs. I suggest starting with the free version of LinkedIn. This is where the professionals and the organizations that hire professionals gather. Begin with these three strategies.
- Build a solid, engaging profile which includes a photo of you smiling and looking interested in meeting people.
- Identify who you want to be in contact with and start to “invite” them to connect with you. Be generous in inviting others so you can build a robust network of people you want to stay in touch with or who know people you would like to know.
- Strategically select 1 -2 groups that interest you and become a regular contributor to the online discussion between the members.
Give yourself time every couple of days to familiarize yourself with the resources within LinkedIn. It’s amazing how your growing network puts you into contact with a wealth of job opportunities.