Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Do I Have to?

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I had lunch with a friend today and she asked “do I have to join Pinterest?” My answer? NO.  She’s active on Twitter and Facebook and oh yeah, running a really great business, that’s doing WELL.

When you’re running a business there is a TON you have to get done, and now it’s clear that social media is a “have to do” item on your marketing to do list. But as i’ve mentioned before, you have to be comfortable with what you’re doing. We all know I refuse to join Facebook, and that’s OK. 9 times out of 10 when I tell someone this, their response isn’t “well you should” it’s “I’m so jealous” or “I wish I hadn’t.” Social media and all marketing are a responsibility. I’d rather do a couple of things well, than everything half-assed. If you have to ask “do I have to?” you’ve already answered your question.

If you don’t want to do it and it’s a burden, you won’t do it. If it’s something that you believe is integral to the success of your business and you have the budget to bring someone on to manage it (or another team member) then that might be a workable solution. However, if it’s just you, and the idea of one more thing to check/update/pin/retweet a day makes your head want to explode, then you should say no.

Take a few minutes to reevaluate your current sales and marketing efforts every few months. Is what you’re doing working? Are you “pinning” and it’s not bringing in new business? Then go ahead and stop for a month, or reduce the time spent and increase it in areas that you are seeing results from.

And if you need someone else to give you that permission, Hank & I are always happy to let you off the hook.

Completing the Circle

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A couple of weeks ago someone asked for an introduction to another person in my network. She asked for my opinion on this person, and it was favorable so I did the introduction. I got an email this morning that they’ve met, had a great time and person B got a great speaking engagement out of the deal. It was a great quick two-line email completing that introduction circle.

I often get introduced to people who end up being a great connection, or at the very least, good to know and be aware of in the community. And while I’m good (I hope) at following up with the person I met and sending them any information I said I would, or connecting them to someone else, I’m usually pretty crappy at circling back with the person who introduced us.

I ran into a friend last week at a luncheon and he asked if I knew someone, and I realized HE had introduced me to this person. Whoops, guess I didn’t circle back to thank him for the connection.

I know it’s one more step and easy to forget or leave out, but when I introduce two people, I honestly think they’ll be a great fit and should know each other. I’d like the feedback of “that was great, thanks” and I’d also like the “that person’s an idiot what were you thinking.” So, the next time you meet a new person for coffee, text/tweet/fb/email the person who connected you and thank them. And also let them know if it wasn’t a good connection. No one wants to waste another person’s time or send them the wrong leads.