Tag Archives: marketing

The Seven Phases to the Perfect Customer Lifecycle

on November 3, 2011 in Marketing, Uncategorized

While some entrepreneurs are confident students of marketing, most report a feeling of overwhelm and uncertainty about what they should include in their marketing plan. The “menu” of available marketing tactics that I could do is ever growing.

  • E-mail marketing—How can I be using it better?
  • Social media—How do I interact with my fans?
  • Website—How do I make it more effective?

At first, it’s exciting to think of all of the possibilities and tactics, but it soon feels more like chaos than strategy. When all of these mini-strategies don’t roll up to a comprehensive marketing plan, the end result is too often overwhelm and helplessness (i.e. We shut down and don’t actually do much of anything).

How this year can be different?

There are seven distinct phases to the Perfect Customer Lifecycle:

  1. Attract Traffic
    This includes all of the work you do to generate interest in your business, like website traffic, foot traffic, etc. that comes from online/offline advertising, partners, etc.
  2. Capture Leads
    Smart businesses are very intentional about capturing contact information for interested leads as well as permission to follow up. You can’t follow up if they leave your site or store without giving you their info.
  3. Nurture Prospects
    Let’s face it, some leads are hot, and some are not.  Smart businesses have appropriate follow-up in place to educate & build trust with their new leads. Some take 5 minutes to warm up, some take five weeks, some take five years, but when you nurture well, you are the one they think about when they are ready to buy.
  4. Convert Sales
     Once prospects are hot, it’s time to turn them into customers. Whether you have a sales team, or you use automatic follow-up to get the job done, you’ve got to close the business.
  5. Deliver & Satisfy
    What are you doing to make sure that every new customer is completely wowed by you? In addition to delivering your core service, there are many small but powerful strategies for creating happy customers
  6. Upsell Customers
    We all know that it is significantly cheaper to resell a new product to an existing customer, but too often we aren’t systematic enough about offering additional products to customers who’ve already bought.
  7. Get Referrals
    Finally, there are never any better leads than those who come from referrals. What are you doing to ensure that your customers are referring you when they get asked the questions.

Want to hear more on creating the perfect customer lifestyle for your business? Tyler Garns is a highly sought after marketing automation expert at the#1 all-in-one marketing automation software company, InfusionSoft. Join Tyler on the eWomenNetwork Success Institute Tuesday 11.08.11 at 1:30 pm CST.

We would love to hear your thoughts! What are your plans to take your marketing to a new level this year, and next?

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Six Things I Learned at the eWomenNetwork 2011 Conference

on August 8, 2011 in Annual International Conference & Business Expo, Events, Motivation & Inspiration, Relationship Networking, Success Stories, Women in Business

Guest Post by Vikki Loving, The InterSource Companies

This was my FIRST eWomenNetwork Conference!  I know, I know what you are saying – “Girl, you have really been missing something special!”  You would be so right!

Here is some of what I learned:

Women Power – It has been a long time since I immersed myself in women-only activities.  I have many girlfriends, however most of my work has been with men.  I forgot what it was like for someone to say,  “We need a girlfriend over here!” and up rushes more than one person to help, to hug and to offer a hand.

The Importance of Purpose – “There are two days that are important in your life, the day you are born, and the day you figure out Why”.  Sandra Yancey, thank you for that line in your keynote speech!   I know WHY I was born.  In my role as an Executive Recruiter and as an Executive Coach I will certainly use that line!  The power in knowing what you are good at, what you have to sell to others and what you are built to do makes all the difference in how motivated you will be in your life.  When you can answer that question the rest becomes an adventure!

Carry a Credit Card – After an evening of Chocolate Decadence you might find, as you are walking back to your room, the opportunity to speak to someone you wanted to connect with at the Conference.  For me it was Marcia Wieder!  There is something about her that just glows.  And as the universe would have it, she just happened to be in the lobby sitting there and available.  She still had space in one of her wonderful workshops, an enrollment form in her tiny little purse and I happened to have my credit card securely tucked in my Spanx!  I am grateful for the moment to connect with Marcia Wieder and for remembering to carry a credit card.

Structure will Set you Free – Thank you Lisa Sasevich!  I know for myself that I love spontaneity and the ability to change priorities as I see fit.  Lisa’s main stage presentation showed me the value of structure and the flexibility to be spontaneous all in the same moment.  She helped me remember that “you cannot ask others to invest in you at a greater level than you are willing to invest in yourself.”  While our many family members back home think we are off at the Conference playing, it really was a BIG week of investing, absorbing all that you can learn and remembering that a commitment of time and resources can set you free.

New Friends – You meet the most amazing people, like Dr. Michelle Robin the author of “Wellness on a Shoestring” and the founder of Your Wellness Connection, a healing center in Kansas City.  I met Nikkea Devida, founder of Accelerated Results Expert, a songwriter and a female veteran. Nikkea‘s heart has been moved to write a tribute song to female veterans. She would like to sell the song and have all the proceeds go to the eWomenNetwork Foundation to help the women’s veterans initiative.  These are just two of the women I met who instantly made a difference in my life and in the moment of knowing them.

Sell Your Thing – It is not enough to be knowledgeable about what we do for a living. It is important as well to teach others to do what we do and better yet, make money doing it!  All the speakers provided us with great content, great ideas, great advice and they were all willing to teach us what they do and how they do it.  It made me reflect on the eWomenNetwork saying, “lift as you climb”.

I am back home and busy creating product offerings that I can share with my client companies and with my executive coaching clients.  My new post-Conference focus is to teach my clients the process I utilize to find the absolutely RIGHT Person to Hire and the absolutely RIGHT Job Fit.  Even though I have recruited for companies ranging from Coca-Cola and Dell Computer to smaller companies with fewer than 50 people, I never once thought about selling them the process I use rather than the service I provide.  I LOVE the thought of teaching others how to do what I do!

Thank you Sandra and Kym Yancey for your vision, for your commitment to excellence in all things and for your willingness to bring us those who will put a hand out and help others along the way.

 

Vikki Loving is a Platinum Member of the Chairman’s Circle

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How to Drop Fear

on August 2, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Education, Women in Business

Guest Post by Pragito Dove, Discover Meditation Training, Inc.

Fear is the absence of love. And the problem with something that is absent is that you cannot do anything with it directly. Fear is like darkness, which is the absence of light. There is nothing you can do with darkness directly, because it is an absence of something — which leaves you nothing to work with. But you can bring in more light.

Switch on the light. If you want darkness, switch off the light again. You work directly with the light, not with the darkness. The same is true with fear and love. Don’t bother with the fear—focus on love. You can do something with love immediately. Start loving.

Love is born within us, it is an intrinsic quality. We can just start giving love, sharing it, allowing it to flow out of us. As we do that, it grows. Don’t hold back; don’t be miserly with your love. If we don’t use our natural qualities they become blocked, grow stagnant, and wither away. That’s what happens to embittered people—they become frozen by their refusal to share their love.

When we give love, in the very giving we become richer because our love starts radiating outward. And then our fear starts to naturally disappear. It simply cannot exist in the face of so much love.

So it is not a question of dropping fear; it is a question of sharing your love, and then the fear vanishes of its own accord.

MEDITATION: Start Loving!

BENEFITS
The more you do this technique, over time you feel the joy in your heart expanding and your fear dissolving.

Become more and more loving, and you become more and more joyful. Don’t worry about whether or not your love is returned; that is not the point. Joy follows love automatically, and fear is dissolved automatically. The beauty of love is that its result, its value, are intrinsic. Love does not depend on the response of another, because it is totally yours.

Choose a person or pet to be loving toward. It makes no difference to whom you are loving—a dog, a tree, a stranger in the grocery store. Smile at people in the street, be more loving toward yourself.

Join Pragito Dove on Success Institute,  August 9, 2011 at 1:30pm CST, to Revitalize your Entrepreneurial Enterprise with the Power of Laughter Meditation.  Learn how to revitalize your entrepreneurial enterprise while discovering inner calm!


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QR Codes are Worth a Scan

on July 31, 2011 in Education, Marketing, Technology, Women in Business

Post by Kathy F. Catoe

QR codes are popping up everywhere. These strange two dimensional codes are appearing in magazines, on coupons, in television commercials and on websites. You may have even seen them at the doorway to your favorite restaurant or on business cards at the 11th Annual eWomenNetwork Conference & Business Expo. Their adoption is steadily increasing as a marketing tool. This presentation will give you some insights into this exciting new technology.

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Top 5 Reasons to Use “Message” Marketing for Speakers & Entrepreneurs

on April 29, 2011 in Branding, Marketing, Women in Business

Guest Post by Brandy Mychals

1. Craft Your Message so it is memorable!

Having a succinct message that drives home the purpose behind your business creates clarity for you and your ideal client. When speaking in front of a group this will be the #1 reason your audience remembers you once they are out of the room. The clarity it provides you as the speaker and entrepreneur is invaluable as it can keep you on track in all your content creation, marketing and promotional efforts.

2. Create a Message in “Sound Bites”

One of the ways to get the media’s attention is to have a clear message that can be translated into print, radio and TV. Having a message that is marketable generates press. Quick tip: Use your business/book/product in your message.

3. Use Who You Are in Your Message

What happened in your life to make you who you are? The joys and often even more compelling…the challenges! I will be sharing how to access this info and why it can be the “mojo” for your message. I often tell my clients, YOU are the most powerful form of advertisement for your business. In the end, as a Speaker & Entrepreneur, your clients are buying you.

4. Memorize Your Message & Use it Everywhere

If your message doesn’t roll off your tongue, get a different message. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Simple, succinct and ideally, sizzling hot will work! Use your message in your blog, your presentations, your email signature, your tag line, your website….I will walk you through the process of creating a clear message!

5. Become Known for Your Message

If you are starting to get a little tired of hearing your message over and over again…then you are on the right track! It is okay to be repeating the same core message because that is what you will get known for. You want that message promoted and exposed to audiences over and over again. This is one of the ways you “generate buzz” about your business and attract your dream clients. When I spent the time needed to craft my message my business went from the feeling of climbing the face of a glacier to flying down a water slide! Whether you go through this process with me or someone else, I urge you to take the time needed to really craft the message for your business. As a speaker and entrepreneur, I know it will make all the difference! Now, you want to take that message and move into action with your marketing… When I work with my clients we sit down and decide which marketing strategy is going to work best for their business. We base this on their own Character Code and their financial need (how quickly do they need results?)… I often start by creating an outline of their overall strategy. One way you can do that is by having a massive marketing “mind dump” that you will organize into the many spokes of your marketing wheel. After that, we decide how we are going to achieve that and I break it down into 3 strategies:

“Throwing Spaghetti Against the Wall”

This approach works well for those that have an immediate need for a financial return and can move quickly. They will be in action and will be learning as they go. Instead of activating one spoke of the wheel at a time, they will activate 3-4 at a time, hence the title! It is a fun, fast way to generate buzz. Those that are most fond of this approach are Cheerleader, Actress & Class President Character Codes.

“Fill Your Audience First”

This approach works well for those that have time to build and have a spouse, a second job or additional source of income. They will provide information and create a following before they ever initiate an offer. It is a longer time line that can result in a bigger response when an invitation is made, thus the title! Those that are most fond of this approach are Activist, Scholar or Artist Character Codes.

“The Kitchen Sink”

This approach is usually desired by those that have to generate some immediate results and will follow some of the steps involved with “Throwing Spaghetti Against the Wall”. They also have some items structured into a later launch and will use the “Fill Your Audience First” strategy for that…This works best with those that have the need and ability to move quickly in some areas and the patience to be able to wait in others…Marketing is FUN when you can see where you are headed and break it down in to bite-sized bits of information and instructions you can handle. Marketing is also the easiest when you have a clear, carefully crafted message and are in the position of feeling compelled in your work and not driven.

Join Brandy Mychals on Success Institute, May 10th at 1:30 pm CST to learn “How to Go from Obscurity to Buzz in Record Time!”

Original Post from BrandyMychals.com

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Branding: The Architecture of Success

on April 22, 2011 in Branding, Marketing, Uncategorized, Women in Business

Guest Post by Star Ladin

When you think of your brand what comes to mind? The color of your logo, the beautiful font on your letterhead, the new picture you just put on your website? These are all important elements of your brand but what about your branding? You may be thinking they are the same thing, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.  When I tell people this I usually get a blank, puzzled look followed by, “What is branding?”

Excellent question!

“Branding” is the equivalent to the architecture of a building. It is the strategy, the thinking and the plan behind what you are doing with your business. Think about it like building a brand new house from the ground up. Before you build you make critical foundational decisions like how many rooms it is going to have, how many square feet, and if it will be one or two stories. You determine the point or purpose of its existence.

Similarly, branding is the necessary foundational elements that support the outcome you desire for your business and allow it to function smoothly and feel effortless. Your branding is what keeps you in alignment with who you are and your bigger purpose as you share your gifts with the world. For your brand to attract the client you desire and share authentically what you offer and why you do what you do, you must build the foundation first. Your values, mission and passion are your branding and keep you in alignment.

Your brand is the visual you present to the world. If this was your home it would materials such as brick or stucco, color of your paint, type of front door. The logo and design that share your authentic message with the world is part of your brand, like the icing on the cake. When the face on your business is in authentic alignment your audience will feel it and respond to it.

Are your branding and your brand in alignment? Here are three exercises to get there:

1. Write Your Story

Everyone has a story. When you share it, you are sharing your branding. Your story is the foundation of what you are and how you came to this point due to the choices and tough decisions you made along the road of life. This story is full of examples that will bring to the surface your authentic self and the values you hold close and live your life by.

2. Define Your Top Five Values

Once you define your values, decisions become easy. Why? Because when you approach a the decision-making process with clarity of what your values are it becomes very black and white. If something does not align with your values it is a no. Defining your values will help you to be clear and focused on what you will and will not tolerate.

3. Define Success

When you define it you can own it. In order to achieve goals you have to set them. Ask yourself:

  • What is your bigger yes?
  • What values must be present for you to feel successful?
  • How would honoring those values impact your success?
  • What are you committed to?
  • What two or three things could you do right now that would most impact your success?
  • What two or three things are you doing that have no relevance and impact on your achieving success?
  • What are you willing to give up?

Join Star Ladin on Success Institute 4.26.11 at 1:30pm CST for “Success On Your Terms”

Original Post from Star Marketing Media.

 

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Social Media for Local Businesses

on March 23, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media, Success Institute, Women in Business

Guest Post by Gail Z. Martin, an excerpt from her book “30 Days to Social Media Success”

Whether you own your own company or operate a local franchise of a national firm, being a good neighbor is essential to creating a successful business. In the past, businesses have demonstrated their neighborliness by being prominent in the local scene. Sponsoring the town’s intramural or kids’ sports teams, underwriting local pageants, festivals and holiday celebrations, providing hometown scholarships, and encouraging employees to take visible roles in charity events have all been ways companies have shown themselves to be good neighbors.

Being neighborly also includes creating a sense of community by hosting programs that offer a chance for local people to mingle, relax and get to know each other. Some examples might include a health workshop held by a local medical practice, live music at a neighborhood coffee shop, bar or club, author readings and signings at a book store or library, or even a community day of service cleaning up a park or painting a school.

Now think about how social media could help you maximize those opportunities. Social media becomes a powerful way to leverage the PR benefit of your involvement as a sponsor before, during and after the event by creating new ways for the community to gather, communicate, interact and remember.

Before the event, use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to generate interest in what’s coming up  Get the conversation going before the event even happens. Encourage your core team of organizers, volunteers and beneficiaries to get online and talk about the event on your social media sites and on their own. Get them to link to each other’s sites/blogs and reTweet.

During the event, take photos and digital video (simplify the permission issue by making permission to be photographed part of the participation contract and the ticket agreement). Tweet and blog live. Have roving “reporters” with digital cameras and audio recorders gathering on-the-spot comments from participants, organizers and attendees. Ask everyone who signs up to blog, Tweet and invite their Facebook friends. Sign everyone up who attends as a Facebook friend and Twitter follower so you can stay in touch. Offer a prize to the person who submits the best video or digital photo collage/slideshow and then post it on all your event social media sites (encourage everyone to re-post for more viral coverage). If you need more volunteers, ask your Twitter followers to come and help out.

Make the most of local PR by contacting the reporters for your newspaper, radio and TV outlets and encouraging them to cover the event in their social media as well as in their regular column or show. If they attend the event, get plenty of photos and put them on your social media sites. Use your tags and keywords for great searchability, and be sure to do your Social Bookmarking. You might even seek out local dignitaries like the mayor or council members for photos, audio or video. Politicians will rarely decline free PR!

You can also leverage the local power of social media by rallying neighbors to help. Local animal shelters have used Twitter and Facebook to feature pets that are available for adoption, ask for volunteers and solicit donations of food or money when money gets tight.

Most people have no idea of the variety of things that go on in their community every day. Few Americans read a daily newspaper, and many formerly local news stations now only run nationally syndicated programming. When you become the conduit to connect busy people to their community, you gain stature as a leader and visibility for your business.

By featuring local events, local people and local businesses in your social media conversation, you will create a “voice” that can resonate within your community and that raises your profile in a positive way. Put your social media sites on your business card, and invite everyone you meet to friend or follow you.

At the same time that you’re cultivating your neighborhood audience, don’t automatically close the door to growing regional or national clientele. You’ll need to create a separate social media campaign to offer your products and services outside of your community, since local happenings won’t usually be a draw for long-distance clients. On the other hand, if you live in an area that is a tourist resort, a college town or a city or region that has seen an exodus of residents due to economic circumstances, you may find that for those who have left, there’s no place like home.

For example, a favorite sports bar in a college town could retain connections with alumni who leave the area through social media. Restaurants have found gold in shipping favorite comfort foods, sauces and dips to regular diners who moved away, and a Facebook or Twitter site can allow your expatriate audience to get a taste of home. If you operate a store, entertainment venue or business that sees repeat business from vacationing clients, use your social media to stay in touch all year long, keeping them updated on what’s new, and finding out what they’d like to see when they return to your business.

Using social media for “local” businesses pays off in many ways. It can build business and strengthen community ties, which can win loyal clients. By staying in touch with event participants and “alumni” who periodically return, you can improve the odds of repeat sales. And by extending your reach to clients beyond your area, you also buffer your cash flow from the ups and downs of the local economy.

Join Gail Z. Martin on Success Institute, 4.5.11 at 1:30pm CST for “I’m On Facebook, Now What?”

For more information about Gail Z. Martin and DreamSpinner Communications

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7 Quick & Easy Money Making Activities to Do Every Day in Your Small Business That Only Take 10 Minutes or Less to Do!

on March 1, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Marketing, Relationship Networking, Social Media, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premier Success Coach Katrina Sawa, Social Media and Online Marketing Coach

Money-Making activities are the #1 thing you should be spending time on in your day-to-day of the running of your business.

Don’t get caught up doing administrative tasks or time-sucking tasks that will never bring you customers.

Instead sprinkle in some of these quick and easy money-making activities among your big picture marketing plan and watch how more prospects come your way!

#1. Add (and send a personal message to) 25 people in Facebook or LinkedIn to your profile or fan page.

#2.  Make 5 follow up phone calls to connect with people in your database, previous clients for referrals or upsells, prospects for new business and more.

#3.  Email 3 people asking them if you can speak at one of their upcoming events, include creative ideas so they email you back.

#4.  Write a quick, ‘how to’ blog post or article for your blog, ezine or fan page.

#5.  Connect via email, facebook or phone with 2 people who you could do an article swap with you who have complimentary businesses to yours and a list.

#6.  Record a video tip about your expertise or something you teach in your coaching/business along with a call to action and get it up on YouTube, linking it out to your social sites and blog too.

#7.  Create a new freebie or free teleclass that will be of interest to your target audience and start promoting it for list building.

About the Author: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her female entrepreneur clients into high gear when they work with her.  She is one of the eWomenNetwork Premier Coaches and works with women entrepreneurs worldwide on starting, growing and marketing their businesses.  You can find out more about Kat and get some Free Gifts at www.JumpstartYourMarketing.com/gifts.

Connect with Katrina Sawa at eWomenNetwork or

at JumpStart Your Marketing

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The Client Attractor Factor: 7 Steps for Attracting Your Ideal Clients

on September 23, 2010 in Branding, Marketing, Motivation & Inspiration, Women in Business

Guest Post by Ellen Looyen

In my 22+ years in business, I’ve seen so many talented service-based professionals enduring a never-ending struggle to attract more clients. They often squander the few opportunities they have with viable prospects, by not being able to talk about their own value in a way that connects with their market.

Here are some simple tips that will ensure your success as a client magnet:

1. Connect Emotionally First and Logically Later

Prospects for your services want to get a FEELING about you and your practice or consultancy.

The easiest and most direct way to do this is to tell them your “Branding Story”, using compelling language, laden with emotionally-connecting sound bites, that hit both sides of their brain at once.

Get real good at telling the “story” of your value (using compelling words and visuals that convey the essence and energy of your business). Your messaging needs to confidently convey your value, experience and unique style to those in need of your services.

2. Share the “Experience of Your Value and the Value of Your Experience”

Give people thinking about hiring you a direct experience of your work, in the form of a complimentary consultation. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your value in real-time; and it will give your prospective client a chance to see how it feels to actually be working with you.

Once you capture their imagination (the hallmark of charismatic people) and they feel comfortable working with you, they will feel an instant resonance and in their gut they will want to hire you.

3. Inspire Confidence

Most don’t realize it, but confidence is the number one reason people buy or choose anything.

People will never buy into feelings of doubt or uncertainty—yours, or theirs.

If you don’t believe in yourself and your own value as a service-based professional, how will your potential clients ever feel confident enough to buy from you? Your whole being must confidently exude that you offer the best solutions for their specific problems.

4. “We Convince by Our Presence”…Walt Whitman

Present people seem totally focused on whomever they are with.  They seem to possess an enviable peace about themselves and to have nothing to prove.

They make people feel like they are their only client in the world.

They are totally with people in the present moment, with no agenda (attention focused on a desired future outcome) and they truly want what’s in the best  interest of their clients.

5. Become More Likeable

In his terrific book, author Tim Saunders shares “The 4 Keys to Likeability” and they are: Friendliness, Relevance, Empathy and Realness. Develop these 4 personality strengths and you’ll have a much easier time attracting people who may become your clients in the future.

6. Position Yourself as an Expert in Your Field

Brand-building is about consciously creating the “perceptions” you want people to have of you and your practice.

Position yourself as an expert by writing articles, blogs and newsletters and by developing first class marketing materials that highlight your expertise and experience.

Learn how to expertly articulate the many things that you know and how others could benefit from it.

7. Enhance Your Charismatic Influence—It’s Your Very Best Attractor Factor

Charismatic people throughout history have possessed the unique ability to capture the imagination of others and inspire them to be supportive and devoted to a cause. Charismatic people know how to instantly create trust and rapport and can quickly influence others to see things their way.

Don’t Miss Ellen Looyen October 5, 2010 on Success Institute as she discusses “The Client Attractor Factor: 7 Steps for Attracting Your Ideal Clients.” REGISTER HERE.



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How the Idea of eWomenNetwork Came to Life – An Interview with Sandra Yancey

on September 7, 2010 in Motivation & Inspiration, Relationship Networking, Success Stories, Women in Business

Trisha Kagerer

Trisha Kagerer

Guest Post by Tricia Kagerer

Dallas Women in the Workplace Examiner

The Dallas Women in the Workplace Examiner had the opportunity to interview Sandra Yancey; Founder of Dallas based eWomenNetwork. (www.ewomennetwork.com) This is the first of 5 articles in which our readers will get to know Sandra on a personal level and learn more about eWomenNetwork, the Glow Project and the eWomenNetwork Foundation.


DWWE: What inspired you to start the eWomenNetwork?
Sandra: Honestly, I was a lousy networker. I’ve never really been terribly comfortable in a room full of people. I’m an introvert at heart, but I’m great one on one. I started going to networking events in Dallas in about 1998. We had moved here in 1996. I had my own consulting practice at the time and was really a soloprenuer. I had a bevy of impressive clients, which made for an impressive portfolio. My business was indeed successful.

I was living on a plane daily. And as a soloprenuer, I was doing it all. I was booking my flights, as well as my hotel room and interviewing clients. I would then run to Kinko’s, make copies, get the mail, update QuickBooks, and process invoices. I wasn’t functioning as a CEO—Chief Executive Officer, I was functioning as a CEO—Chief of Everything! All the while I had 2 small children at home; my son was not even three years old and my daughter was eight. I wasn’t happy.

It was at this point I learned the difference between success and happiness. My husband encouraged me to look for clients in my own backyard to cut out some of the travelling, so I did. I started attending various networking groups in Dallas and witnessed the most amazing, phenomenal thing: “The Good ‘Ole Boys Club.” First, you must know, I say it in the most complementary way; I’m not bashing anyone at all. I saw these guys at work and thought, “You know what, they deserve to be where they are; no wonder they are so successful.” They were sharing ideas, talking about what they needed, and opening up their rolodexes to each other. They also had their protégé close by, there with them to watch and learn the ropes, introducing them to others along the way. I thought this was a really amazing way of doing business, “a unique sport” and I wanted to play. I wanted to be on the team. I didn’t want to be sitting on the bleachers—I wanted to play.

DWWE: So did you start to play?
Sandra: Unfortunately, I wasn’t eligible. I just didn’t have the qualifications to get in.

DWWE: Do you think it was because you were female?
Sandra: I think part of it was. I also think it was the dynamics of the group. It’s similar to when you’re at an eWomenNetwork Conference; there’s an energy that can’t be replicated anywhere else. It’s not that it’s right or wrong, or good or bad; it’s just what it is.

DWWE: So how did you begin to move forward?
Sandra: I started looking for women networking groups. The first one I attended was a disappointment and eye opener. It seemed as if the women were all showing up in pairs, coming with a girlfriend. I felt like everyone knew this but me, that I wasn’t included on the memo. I went to the meetings alone and felt like people were thinking, “You don’t have any friends? What’s wrong with you?” It was hard to even find a table that had a spare single chair because everybody came and sat in pairs. When I did find a seat and sat down, I started eating my salad and noticed the ladies seemed to all be talking to their girlfriend. I tried to interject something here and there, but never really felt welcomed into their conversation. It was just the weirdest thing.

On the way out, I realized I was not the only one who was disappointed. On the way down the elevator, I overheard heard someone say they didn’t get much out of the meeting. I thought to myself, “No Wonder! You didn’t talk to anyone new. ”

Soon afterwards, the idea for eWomenNetwork began to percolate. As I talked to other women colleagues and business owners, I discovered I wasn’t alone in my experience. It was then that I knew there was a need to networking group for women that would focus on sharing resources, ideas, contacts, leads and customers with a female approach and environment would be a viable business model.

DWWE: How long did it take you from idea to the launch of eWomenNetwork?
Sandra: I began to test my assumptions by embarking on some statistical research. (This was before the internet was popular, so research was much slower than it is today.) I discovered that there were 10.1 million women-owned businesses in the nation. One out of eleven adult women in the USA runs her own business! The list goes on. Bottom line, I saw a need and decided to fill it an immediately developing a business plan.

DWWE: What other research motivated you?
Sandra: Women influence 80% all purchasing decisions in this nation. Women are starting businesses at the rate of two to one to male-owned businesses. They are leaving corporate America, and are starting businesses in droves. I also found out that there are about 7,000 networking groups that open and close each year. So, the viability of longevity of using networking as a business model wasn’t what I would call seductive. It wasn’t like I was easily seduced into this because I was looking at a huge failure rate.

I also noticed that the largest organizations that were out there had a big leg up on me. One organization, for example, was celebrating their 25th year the year I opened my doors.

My business model is based on stickiness; I had to have something women would value and “stick” to. I learned a lot of networking groups were born out of women who had other primary businesses but weren’t getting their networking needs satisfied. They were starting their own networking groups “on the side” to feed their core business. Eventually, these women would realize the amount of time organizing these events took from the core business, and would eventually give them up. I knew that if I could meet their fundamental business-building needs, they would become members of eWomenNetwork and tell their colleagues, who would also join.

Resources were also scarce; banks and investors wouldn’t really talk to me because I was too small. They didn’t a value business model based soley on building relationships. Silly them! All businesses are built on relationships! It’s true that for the first several years, I struggled. But, by sticking it out, honing our message, investing in technology, building our memberships, things started to take off. Like many others who have experienced the same thing, suddenly everyone had an interest, everyone wanted to talk.

This is the first in a series of 4 interviews with Sandra. Stay tuned for the next posting to read more about Sandra’s amazing story.

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