How often has it happened that you go to a networking event, have several fantastic conversations and interactions with a number of ideal prospects. You get their business cards but, for one reason or another, you never ever followed up with them. That might have happened a few more times than most people would like to admit.

The bad news in all of this is that you have more than likely missed out on a number of very good business opportunities that could have made a very big difference in your amount of revenue, maybe a joint venture or just more visibility for your business. The good news? You can start today by committing to implementing a system to follow-up on all leads that show an interest in your business to avoid missing out on more opportunities in the future.

To do so, follow these tips for effective follow-up and prospect conversion into clientele. First, make sure that when you register to attend a networking event, add the appointment to your calendar, and add an appointment on the following day to be able to make follow up calls. Schedule out an hour to email, call or even write a hand-written note to follow-up. Block out an hour for each day of the event that you attended.

Before you go to the event, organize your system so that you know how to follow-up with each person that you come in contact with. For example, “hot” leads get a dot on the front of the card, while “warm” leads get a dot on the back.

When you meet people, take a moment between conversations to jot down a quick note about the person. Then, if you meet somebody that you feel like you need to connect with, be ahead of the curve and schedule the appointment while you are at the event.

When you get back from the event, place the stack of cards at the center of your desk to help remind you to do the follow-up on the next day. At your designated time the following day, go through the cards individually. Do whatever you feel is best for the particular card you are working with, or have your assistant do it for you.

Finally, add the individual’s contact information to your database together with a note about the steps you have taken to follow-up. Pretty easy, right? In our next article we will be discussing where to start right now on organizing your system.

It shocks many people that only 1 out of 50 entrepreneurs follow-up with their potential clients on a regular and consistent basis. Especially with how the economy is in a difficult state right now, many people would think that this percentage would be much higher as businesses try to both retain former clients and find as many new ones as they possibly can. This is especially low considering that 4 out of 5 sales are only made after the 5^th attempt.

There are various reasons as to why entrepreneurs are not following up with their clients as they should, but here are just a few of the reasons that we could think of why they might not. They don’t want to come across to the client as pushy, they simply forget to do it, or they get stressed out when they are actually following up. They aren’t sure what the best way to go about it might be, or they don’t have a follow-up system already in place.

We are sure that there are a lot more that could be added to the list and each business and business owner could be different. However, there is a new idea that has had some success and shows to help entrepreneurs to be better at following up. That new way is to add fun into the system. Fun helps to create bonds, relieve stress, prevent emotional and physical burnout and even releases endorphins which help to boost confidence and satisfaction.

Here are just a few ideas to add some fun in your follow-up. Make sure that you surround your follow-up time with things that you really like, maybe a favorite snack. Using fun, upbeat screensavers to inspire and make you laugh, or even try to learn how to juggle when you are being put on hold. Doing these types of little things can help to alter your attitude towards the task of following up with clients.

Getting ahead in business can sometimes be difficult.   It can also be difficult as a small business owner because you wear many hats, and your team isn’t as big as you sometimes need.  It is important to remember that no one can ever achieve anything great without help.  One great way stay ahead is networking…or connecting with many people.  We can’t do it all alone, and connecting can help you find people and learn from them.

Admit it, connecting on a personal level is very difficult in the digital age we live in, but in order to build successful, business relationships built on trust, you must connect in person with people and often.  It is important to connect with all types of people because you want to try to learn from them and what they are currently working on.  This can help springboard many ideas for you and your business.    Steve Jobs once said “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.  You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘wow’, and soon you’re cooking up ideas.”

If you want to be successful, it is important to always be looking for ways to connect with employees, clients, competitors and just random connections everywhere you go.  You never know who will be the person you need to give you your next best business idea, so don’t be afraid to say hello and start asking questions.

Follow through has the power to change your life.  If you really want to make a difference or a change in your life, or in the world it can really change with one simple tweak, and that is in learning how to follow through and implementing it in your life.

Yes, follow through can dramatically improve your business, but it has to power to extend into other realms of your life as well.

During the holidays you probably saw people you only see once a year, and possibly caught yourself saying “Why do I only see these people once a year?” or “why don’t we make the time to see each other throughout the year?”  Now might be the perfect time to practice following through with those friendships or relationships.  If you can practice these skills and perfect them with those you love, how can your personal life improve?  Once these skills are perfected, now take them and use them in your business as well.

So how can follow through improve your life?  Can the power of follow through make you a better spouse, parent, neighbor…maybe it’s time you find out.

At the beginning of a New Year it is a good time to start making changes in our lives.  We all have great intentions for improving our lives and making changes to make our lives better.   The only problem is that most people fail to take action and follow through with their resolutions.

Some tips to help you stay motivated to follow through with your plans, is to focus on the dream and break it down into steps that would help you achieve.  Take time to focus on one change at a time and the chances of success improve.

Another easy step to success is to involve a friend or a mentor to help you stay focused and help you stay accountable.  Involving someone else can help you see from the outside any obstacles that might be in your way or help find the better path to success.  A friend can also help you to find new habits that can help you achieve your goals.  Involving a friend or a mentor can also ensure that you will follow through on what you are striving for.

2014 can be your year!  You can make it happen…go for it!

Are you dependable?  With this instant culture we are living in, you might be surprised to find out that it is becoming harder to be dependable.  Is it easy for you to say what you’re going to do and then do it?  It’s not always that simple.  A failure to follow through on what we say has become such a dominant pattern of modern life that most of us aren’t even aware when we do it. You meant it when you told your biggest account you would send them samples…you didn’t mean to forget.  So what happened?

Make a commitment to following through and becoming more dependable.  Commit to yourself that you will not go to bed at night until you have followed through on those commitments.  Realistically this is only a matter of minutes, we do live in the instant age, it is a time to be “quick to respond” to our customers needs.  Commit to the time that works for you and get it done!  You will feel much more at peace and so will your customer that you are committed to them and their success as well as your own!

There are many reasons for writing a business letter to your customers. You may be writing to tell them of new events, specials or you may also want to reach out just telling them how much you appreciate their business. One important thing to remember when writing customer letters is to maintain a professional format and dealing with each client on an individual basis.

When you write your customer letters a good way to make sure your clients feel appreciated is to include a handwritten note that accompanies the professional letter like we’ve discussed in previous posts or  any number of things like a photo or invitation to give it a very personal touch. If you start now on your letters for this month you’ll be able to put time and thought into them and really make a difference with your clients and customers.