ember, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from m

When I first decided to leave the corporate world behind and kick off my own business advisory firm, I spread the word through current networking channels: old colleagues, former customers, friends, family, those on my favourite list, and even those on the less travelled list. Phone calls, breakfast chats, coffees (even though I don’t drink the stuff)lunches, e-mails …… you name it, I blitzed it.

I developed a marketing and sales communication strategy, branding not only my business, but also the approach I had always utilized in my former life in business planning and growth (aka Business Architecture).

What I quickly realized is that my former role at Sunbeam had left me with very little time to maintain a serviceable and usable network of business folks that I could now turn to. It also reminded me of what it was like to be on the other side of the received emails, phone calls, etc. When I was in fact that person in demand, I never had the time to speak to individuals, let alone make time to meet with them. Talk about cluing in to what it’s like to try the shoe on the other foot …

So, I decided to toss my net further, attending local chambers of commerce breakfast and lunch sessions, trade shows, and professional networking groups such as BNI.

I worked on a 15 second pitch because everyone here in Toronto knows that by the 10th second, any person you have met for the first time has started scoping the room, is mentally searching for any excuse to exit the conversation or will interrupt you to tell you what they do.

BNI particularly offered its members an opportunity to expand their business prospects, by promoting every chapter member as an extension of your sales team. Each chapter member was responsible for bringing in referrals for the other members, as “givers gain.” (BNI’s mantra)

Well the only gaining I saw was by BNI itself. Did I mention that it cost, including weekly lunches, approx $1500 annually to become a member, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from m

t also the approach I had always utilized in my former life in business planning and growth (aka Business Architecture).

What I quickly realized is that my former role at Sunbeam had left me with very little time to maintain a serviceable and usable network of business folks that I could now turn to. It also reminded me of what it was like to be on the other side of the received emails, phone calls, etc. When I was in fact that person in demand, I never had the time to speak to individuals, let alone make time to meet with them. Talk about cluing in to what it’s like to try the shoe on the other foot …

So, I decided to toss my net further, attending local chambers of commerce breakfast and lunch sessions, trade shows, and professional networking groups such as BNI.

I worked on a 15 second pitch because everyone here in Toronto knows that by the 10th second, any person you have met for the first time has started scoping the room, is mentally searching for any excuse to exit the conversation or will interrupt you to tell you what they do.

BNI particularly offered its members an opportunity to expand their business prospects, by promoting every chapter member as an extension of your sales team. Each chapter member was responsible for bringing in referrals for the other members, as “givers gain.” (BNI’s mantra)

Well the only gaining I saw was by BNI itself. Did I mention that it cost, including weekly lunches, approx $1500 annually to become a member, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from m

ls, let alone make time to meet with them. Talk about cluing in to what it’s like to try the shoe on the other foot …

So, I decided to toss my net further, attending local chambers of commerce breakfast and lunch sessions, trade shows, and professional networking groups such as BNI.

I worked on a 15 second pitch because everyone here in Toronto knows that by the 10th second, any person you have met for the first time has started scoping the room, is mentally searching for any excuse to exit the conversation or will interrupt you to tell you what they do.

BNI particularly offered its members an opportunity to expand their business prospects, by promoting every chapter member as an extension of your sales team. Each chapter member was responsible for bringing in referrals for the other members, as “givers gain.” (BNI’s mantra)

Well the only gaining I saw was by BNI itself. Did I mention that it cost, including weekly lunches, approx $1500 annually to become a member, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from m

to exit the conversation or will interrupt you to tell you what they do.

BNI particularly offered its members an opportunity to expand their business prospects, by promoting every chapter member as an extension of your sales team. Each chapter member was responsible for bringing in referrals for the other members, as “givers gain.” (BNI’s mantra)

Well the only gaining I saw was by BNI itself. Did I mention that it cost, including weekly lunches, approx $1500 annually to become a member, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from m

ember, and that the only other business advisor that was a member of the chapter I visited had one lead that took 12 months to close! Is that the best use of your time and resources? Not mine, I decided.

Chamber of Commerce meetings were somewhat better, but it appeared that every other contact I made was a real estate person, financial services advisor or broker, HR consultant, or printer. And most did not exactly espouse the givers’ gain philosophy.

So what have I learned from my own experience in trying to promote my business:

Keep it simple stupid. Say it over and over again.

Don’t over-brand your pitch. Or make it sound too rehearsed. Tag lines are best kept for billboards or print ads.

Elevator speeches are best heard inside your own head. Or tossed in the G-bin.

Attend events, functions and trade shows where you can gain access to the decision-maker, and not some sales person trying to get leads for their own benefit.

This is very much a ME world not a WE world. Explain to the decision maker tangible ways you can help them. Don’t be afraid to put it in writing. Believe me it helps.

Timing is everything.

Needless to say, the learning continues on my part. Each new prospecting conversation affords me an opportunity to test certain ideas, learn from others’ successes and failures, and most of all to meet the many passionate and talented entrepreneurs that are at the core of our economy, and leading the way on novel products and services.