Page 68 - Social Media Marketing

48 Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

• Create an account on one or more online social networking
web sites, such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com).

• Get involved in online communities where people who com-
monly use your products or services frequently meet and share
information.

Opt for soft-networking over hard-networking. Soft-networking
is more social and less business oriented. Follow the age-old advice:
"Make friends before you need them." And make sure everyone you
meet receives your business card.

Build a Robust Database

Not everyone you meet will buy something from you, but almost
everyone you meet can benefit you in some way-perhaps by selling
you something you need, sending business in your direction, or
introducing you to new opportunities. Start collecting names and
other information and building your database.

Whenever you meet someone new, whether you bump into them
in person, over the phone, or online, use your sales skills to ask
questions and gather the following information about the person:

• Career, work, or major in school
• Interests and hobbies
• Goals or dreams
• Special talents
• Contact information
• Birthday, anniversary, and other personal information

When I return to the office at the end of each day, I scan in all of
the business cards I collected and then pass along any additional
details to my assistant, who types the information into Microsoft
Outlook. I don't want to lose any shred of valuable information, so I
try to tell the entire story of each person, including where and how
we met and everything that person told me.