It’s about Relationships – Stupid!

The headline is the title of a Presentation Skills Workshop I regularly deliver to my clients, where I impress upon them the importance of talking less about themselves and what they do while putting more emphasis on their prospect and the problems they can solve for them.

I am old school and believe these relationships need to be face-to-face if they are to be effective.

I have regularly heard myself tell audiences that to get their prospect to accept and act on their suggestions they need to meet up!

However, I was aware that the nature of business had changed, becoming global as opposed to local, making it less practical and also very expensive and time-consuming for my clients should they take my advice.

Let me tell you about my conversion on the roads to Damascus!

At a network event some years ago I met a former business colleague and asked her what she was doing since we last met?

She explained to me how she supports companies to create a strong online presence.

This conversation intrigued me as I had done little or nothing in this area other than a presence on LinkedIn and a Twitter account that lay dormant.

We agreed to do some work together to build my online presence, yet I was firm in my conviction that my way was the best way.

How I had to eat my words.

We were not starting from scratch as I was already using OnePageCRM to manage my clients and prospects. I also had a large community on LinkedIn who had connected with me over the years.

A result of the work done in conjunction with my content manager –

We have connected with a large online community who follow my fortnightly articles and tell me how they provide excellent value and insight.

However, even more importantly, let me give you some examples of actual business won as a result of my presence on the internet.

• A new contract with a client whom I had not worked with in over five years. When I asked (as I always do) why she contacted me, she told me she had been reading my articles and she knew that I was still in business.
• One of my articles touched a nerve for a major multinational. They contacted me via LinkedIn and asked me to speak to an audience of 250 of their staff.
• The articles I published led to an introduction to Simon Cocking Editor of Irish Tech News (ITN) and I am now a regular contributor to ITN with access to a vast community worldwide (1.5 million monthly views, up to 900,000 monthly unique visits, from over 160 countries) that Simon and his team have built up over the years.

Having published 50+ articles via an online marketing platform (MailChimp), which are also available on Aristo.ie or IrishTech News in the last two years, I have a body of work which I can refer clients to by way of introduction to my style and philosophies.

I now realise the importance of needing a strong presence on the internet and am acutely aware of the advantages of building an online community with my team.

I now have a Content Manager and a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist who took the time to understand my business; both work together with me and in partnership with my web designer to build the profile of Aristo and Andrew Keogh.

I strongly suggest you do the same.

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking