I’ve been told that I have the gift of gab–and it’s true.  I am able to connect quickly with people and can usually find some common ground to talk about within just a few minutes of meeting them.  It’s not something that I plan out, it just seems to “happen”.  I really enjoy meeting new people and  I love networking events!  I don’t mind “cold calling”.  I even enjoy interviews.  (How weird is that?)

My kids can’t believe how I can start talking to someone like I’ve known them forever.  As an example, during the last airplane trip that we took, I was sitting next to a guy and I found out that he was a pilot from the same airline traveling to his next assignment (the uniform was a dead give-away).  We started talking and before we knew it, it was time to land…THREE HOURS LATER!  For me, this is fun…but I realize that I’m the exception and not the rule.

For those who don’t find it totally natural, just think of it as making new friends.  People will never do business with someone who they don’t

• Know
• Like and
• Trust

As you make and develop these relationships, you will find that being genuine and developing the above will help others to know, like and trust you as a person.  They no longer see you as a salesperson who is just after your money, but rather, as a friend or acquaintance that genuinely cares about them.  People will do business with you–and they will refer others to you.  There is a great article that I read about this–here is  a quote from that article.

A critical component in any marketing campaign is learning, understanding and catering to the needs of your audience. This process takes time and doesn’t lead to an immediate sale. However, through developing relationships with your audience, you gain a far greater understanding of how you can uniquely meet their needs.

A concept that is often overlooked in modern digital marketing is the personal touch. Many companies seem to have forgotten that their audience is comprised of people who have needs, wants and could just use a simple “Hi! How are you today?” without having a “buy now” message shoved down their throat.  Read more about developing a following through altruism.

Are you building genuine relationships with other people?  Do they know that you care about them and you want to help them?  Your product or service could be just the solution they are looking for, but if they don’t know, like and trust you, they will find their solution elsewhere.  When you build those relationships and they do become clients or customers, they are generally loyal and long-time customers and may even become your sales force!  Take the time and get to know your potential clients–you may just make a new friend in the process!

I’m going to be very transparent here.  This is a personal invitation to my clients–leave a comment and tell me if I’m “walking the walk.”  If not, I want to know.  Comments are open to everyone of course.  I would love to hear how you use relationship marketing in your business–be sure to leave your URL when you comment!

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Niche Affiliate Marketing Strategies Workshop (NAMS) in Atlanta.  It was amazing!  Not just the learning, but the networking, too!  While I met a lot of “big name” marketers, I also met a lot of people just like me, which was just as great!  One of the people I met–and actually sat next to in class was Judy Kelly.  Judy wanted to have a background designed to coordinate with her website, Quick Steps To Health.  So, it was great that we were able to talk and that I have been able to help her with this project!  Here is the final result, which you can also see live on her Twitter Page.

Judy was so pleased that she wrote a testimonial for me:

In January at NAMS, I was fortunate to sit next to and therefore meet Kim. During our conversation, I discovered that she did website creation stuff. Being a non-technical person, I was thrilled to meet Kim. Turns out that she is fantastic at what she does. She designed and put up a new twitter page for me that looks awesome. Go take a look at http://www.twitter.com/judykkelly and see for yourself. You should have seen it before (ugh!). Kim is honest, trustworthy, prompt, and most importantly really really good at what she does.

Next time I need any type of web work done on my blog at http://www.quickstepstohealth.com I’ll certainly be calling on Kim!

Thanks, Judy!  It was great meeting you and being able to work with you on this project!

Local client, Josi Stevens, creates beautiful baby items.  Many of them are made from a material that I’d never heard of before–Minky.  It was one of the softest, most elegant fabrics that I’d ever felt!  It would be wonderful for a baby’s soft skin!

The items that Josi is focusing on to start include:

• Bibs
• Booties
• Blankets
• Burp Cloths
• Gift Sets

In addition to Minky fabric, she also makes some items in a flannel print, which is also a very soft fabric for your favorite little one.  Josi’s baby items make great gifts for baby showers and for visiting the baby for the first time!

You can visit the complete site at www.josiq.com

I hope you’ve been enjoying the January desktop calendar that I posted last month.  Here is a new one for you to enjoy through the month of February.

This photo was taken in Washington DC.  We were amazed how “pedestrian-friendly” the city was.  The crosswalks were wide enough to accommodate all the foot traffic and the signals count down the number of seconds that you have to get across the street.  The metro was very convenient and easy to navigate–and clean–not at all like what you see in the movies.  Oh, and the legs in the photo are those of my husband.

You can download the February 2010 Desktop Calendar to your computer and right-click on it to “Save as Desktop Background.”  Feel free to tell your friends they are welcome to download these calendars, too, if they would like.

This week, I have been attending NAMS in Atlanta, GA.  This morning we learned all about Strategies for Social Marketing from five of the best in the business!  It was so informative and I wanted to share the information with you.  Below, you will see a snippet of the video presentation.

The presenters are Jeff Herring, Meritza Perra, Kevin Riley, Willie Crawford, and Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins.

Now, if you thought that was good, you’ll want to check out the full audio presentation: Strategies for Social Marketing.  The audio is available for only $17 and includes several bonuses!

I’ll write more about NAMS later, but had to get this information out to you!