Author: Kirsty France

You probably already know that email marketing is the most effective way of connecting with your customers. That said, you don’t want to be a spammer (trust me, you really don’t). So, how do you persuade people to sign up to receive your pearls of wisdom directly into their inbox?

Answer: offer some bait. That sounds awful, but it isn’t. An opt-in, or lead magnet, offers your potential customers something that they’ll find useful in exchange for their email address. There’s no obligation for them to buy, they can just get your freebie and walk away if they want to. Hopefully they won’t.

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Do you recognise the girl in the picture?  If not, I’ll enlighten you.  That’s me, with my maiden name, 15 years ago, appearing on ‘University Challenge’.

I had always lacked confidence because I was a generally unpopular, bookish child at school. Things improved in my teens and I had a much better time when I eventually went to university.

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Last week, I wrote about conferences and how to survive them.  If that sounds like something you need to know you can catch up here.  For me, smaller and more personal events can be even more nerve-wracking.  At least in a big exhibition hall you can be relatively anonymous if you want to.  Walking into a room where everyone knows each other and might just stare at you is just terrifying.

The good news is, it can be done.  You just have to do your research, put on your biggest pants and go.

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Let’s face it, networking can be pretty daunting.  I know people who’ve built successful businesses without ever going to a networking event.  But mostly, if you want to establish a wide network of useful business contacts you’ve got to get out there at some point.

I was very newly self-employed when I went to my first expo.  I decided that I had to be brave and go and network with (hopefully) like-minded people.

I found myself walking into a room that resembled an aircraft hangar.  It was massive.  I confess, I almost ran.  Then I remembered that I had a pocket full of new and shiny business cards that weren’t going to help me unless I gave some out.

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If I ever have any doubts about my choice of career, I sit down at my laptop and start writing.  When I look up to find that a couple of hours have passed without me noticing, I know that I’ve had a flow experience.

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Visit any writers’ forum and you’ll see a lot of posts about ‘finding your voice’.  Some of the discussion is helpful and some of it deeply pretentious.  But voice isn’t just about creating great literature.  It can really help your business too.

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Stress is pretty much a buzz word these days.  If anyone talks about reducing their stress levels we look at them and wonder whether they’ve got their retirement plan sorted already.

Of course, stress is a natural part of modern life.

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What’s the strangest place you’ve ever given out a business card?  I’ve handed cards out at two children’s birthday parties in the last few months.  Don’t worry, we were invited!  It just so happened that the conversation got around to work.

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I love running.  I’m still amazed to hear myself saying that.  I tended more towards the couch potato when I was younger.  It’s probably because I was the clumsiest child in history.  My first primary school teacher told my Mum that I was the only person she knew who could fall over the floor.

So far I’ve managed to avoid major injury whilst running so I keep going.  I’m not all that quick but I feel better afterwards.  If there’s anything worrying me I generally find it seems insignificant when I’m out of breath labouring up a hill.

It can still be a struggle fitting it all in.  One of the reasons I persevere is that I am my business.  It’s important to me to try and stay healthy as there’s no-one else to pick up the slack if I’m out of action.  If you’re one of those people who say that runners are a drain on the NHS because they injure themselves, stop reading now.  We’re not going to get on.

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How do you communicate? Are you blunt and to the point or do you prefer to use inference to get your message across?  Do you worry that you’ll hurt people’s feelings if you speak your mind?  Everyone is different.  If we weren’t we’d all have to do the same job and that would never work.

The way you communicate grows out the type of person you are.  You might be a ‘big picture’ thinker who makes decisions based on your overall impression of a situation.  You’re likely to lose patience with someone who thrives on data and wants to talk you through all of the details.

Why your style matters

Whatever the size or structure of your business, you’re likely to meet people who communicate differently from you.  Managing those relationships well is key to ensuring your business succeeds.

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