How To Communicate With Influence And Without Email

Guest Post by Neen James

Recently while chatting to one of my biotech clients about productive prospecting he asked ‘if my potential prospects are limiting their access to email how can I reach them?’

What a great question!

I was secretly delighted to hear some people are limiting their access to email (but that is a topic for another blog)!

Here are strategies you can communicate with influence without using email as your primary tool … each of these will take you no more than 15 minutes (now that’s productive!). We are all responsible for practice development and if you want to grow your book of business for the firm try a few of these ideas.

Invite them to a tele-coffee – phone (leave a voicemail if you must) inviting them to a tele-coffee! What is a tele-coffee you ask? You make a coffee and they make a coffee and you talk on the telephone … for no more than 15 minutes! I do tele-cocktails on Friday (love those!)

Send a hand written note – no one does this anymore and because we have so much electronic communication they will appreciate a ‘personal touch’.

Send a magazine subscription – for usually less than $20 you could include a note: ‘I know you don’t have time to read all your emails but thought you might have a few minutes to enjoy a magazine… would like a chance to connect and share with your what our firm could do for you’.

Send a postcard – hand write a message on the back… same idea as the hand written note but it stands out in people’s mail each day.  I like to send Aussie postcards with scenes and phrases that make people smile (it helps I am Australian). What is memorable about you and your firm that could also be shown on a post card?

Send a parcel – everyone loves presents!  It could contain a recommended book, journal or sample of your product. Include a note suggesting you get together by phone to chat about the book/journal/sample.   I once sent a jar of peanut butter and jelly to the director of very large cable company with a note ‘I know you don’t have time for lunch but maybe a quick PBJ sandwich?’ (I don’t even eat PBJ – that is definitely an American institution… I found out that was his favorite sandwich). That jar led to many fabulous opportunities, great relationships and a very profitable client.

Send a LinkedIn request – OK so this one does appear in their inbox… however… people take notice of invitations to connect and often take a moment to read your bio.

Invite them to a networking event – phone and offer to host them, introduce them to others they would benefit from knowing and connect at the same time – very productive!

Text them – no… you don’t have to be up on the latest text talk (e.g. LOL, BRR) however you can quickly and easily ask if they have time tomorrow to chat by phone. Not many people use text wisely for connecting, it is personal, quick and usually gets a response.

Search social media profiles – you can direct message on Twitter or send a Facebook message.  These are alternative communication strategies and will appeal to different clients.

Create a video – create a 30 second invitation to connect with you (you can do this on your iPad using iMovie … or the camera in your laptop), upload to YouTube and send a link inviting them to coffee (these videos can also be texted). OK I admit this is another email… however you have to admit it is a creative one!  Note: You might want to also make sure this is OK according to your firm’s social media policy.
Your prospects and current clients do want to hear from you – you just need to get clever, cut through the clutter, be creative and do this more productively – now it only takes 15 minutes – which strategy will you try first?

Neen James, MBA CSP, is the President/CEO of Neen James Communications, LLC. An international productivity expert and native born Aussie, Neen delivers engaging keynotes that have educated, and entertained audiences with real-world strategies that apply in all roles, whether at work or in life. Neen also provides one-on-one consulting and mentoring to women on a variety of business issues and topics. To find out more about Neen, visit her at www.neenjames.com/bio.

Facebook Announces Changes To Sharing Options

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Facebook has rolled out some new sharing options this week— users can now tag where they are and who they’re with, as well as manage sharing settings from the status updates box.  The most interesting change is that users can change who sees a status update, photo or profile information at the time of sharing or afterwards.  Apparently, Facebook has made the privacy settings page more simplified.

Many are saying the changes to the social networking platform were done to set the platform up as a more viable competitor with Google + and its more flexible sharing options.
Other interesting changes include:

• Users don’t need to be friends with someone to tag them in a post. 
• Users have the option to veto a photo tag if they enable “Profile Review” option under “How Tags Work.” Users always have the control if tagged by a stranger.  (SCREEN CAPTURE)
• From any computer, users can tag themselves at any location around the world.  Facebook’s mobile app, however, utilizes the phone’s GPS to claim any check-in deals offered by businesses. 

To see more screen captures of the changes photos, check out this Mashable.com article. 

The Justinian Society To Host Michael Perino Author Of The Hellhound of Wall Street

Author Michael Perino will serve as a special guest to The Justinian Society of Philadelphia on October 24, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at The Union League of Philadelphia. He will present his latest book, The Hellhound of Wall Street: How Ferdinand Pecora’s Investigation of the Great Crash Forever Changed American Finance. 


Perino’s book has been described as a “page-turning history” (Business Week) and “crackerjack legal drama” (Publishers Weekly). Bloomberg and the Library Journal both named The Hellhound of Wall Street to their best books of 2010 lists. The Economist says that it “deftly sets the drama of the Senate hearings within the wider cultural and political ferment” and “is potent testimony to the way in which one person can help crystallize the interpretation of an event.” The book has also been favorably reviewed by, among others, Reuters (“Perino plots Pecora’s improbable rise to stardom like a Hollywood screenwriter”) and Concurring Opinions (Perino writes with “spellbinding elegance”). The Financial Times calls it a “superb story” of “a hero, a villain and a million victims.”


Michael Perino is currently the Dean George W. Matheson Professor of Law at St. John’s University School of Law in New York. A former Wall Street litigator, Perino has testified in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives and has consulted with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  He is frequently quoted in the media on securities and corporate matters. He has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Marketplace, on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, and on CNBC.


Perino has presented his book at the National Archives in Washington, Stanford Law School, George Washington Law School, the New York Court of Appeals, the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute and the New York Athletic Club to name a few.  


Perino received his LL.M. degree from Columbia Law School, where he was valedictorian, a James Kent Scholar, and the recipient of the Walter Gellhorn Prize for outstanding proficiency in legal studies. He received his J.D. from Boston College Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. 


Tickets for this program are $65 per person for members and $80 for non-members. Checks are payable to The Justinian Society of Philadelphia and should be mailed to 1205 Locust Street, Suite 100, Philadelphia, Pa 19107. For more information, call 215.545.0706 or e-mail jct.uta@att.net. 


About The Justinian Society: Founded in 1935, the Justinian Society is a legal organization comprised of attorneys, judges and law students of Italian-ancestry. Located in Philadelphia, the Society's members celebrate generations of involvement within the legal community. For more information, go to www.justinian.org. 

Social Media's Role Before And After A Natural Disaster

Posted by Amanda Walsh


Some of us on the East Coast are still reeling from the earthquake that struck in Virginia on Tuesday afternoon. The 5.9 magnitude quake was felt as far north as Maine, as far west as Michigan and as far south as Georgia. Thousands of people immediately took to social media to confirm fears that yes, in fact, the earth did move and everyone wasn't dreaming. According to Facebook, more than 3 million people in the U.S. used the term “earthquake” in their status updates. This animation shows the spread of earthquake-related tweets throughout the Eastern seaboard as they occurred after the earthquake. 


We’ve seen it before – the power of social media in organizing people, from the Egyptian uprisings to the U.K. riots. Social media has changed the way we all react in a crisis situation, particularly a natural disaster. Facebook and Twitter prove to be valuable tools to assist with preparation before or recovery after a devastating event. In fact, this news release from The American Red Cross says more and more Americans are using social media to learn about disasters, seek help and share information. The release states that "nearly a fourth (24 percent) of the general population and a third (31 percent) of the online population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe."


Currently, the East Coast is scrambling to prepare for Hurricane Irene and this Mashable article HOW TO: Prepare for Disasters Using Social Media can be of use to many in the region. Another site that I’ve been seeing all over the place is FEMA.gov.  In this preparedness website, run through the Department of Homeland Security, a breakdown is given of various types of hazards and how to prepare. Of course, sometimes, there can never be enough preparation. There are also examples of people around the world using social media after a devastating disaster.

After the tsunami in Japan, millions flocked to social media for breaking news and updates. In this article from PBS, journalist Dorian Benkoil notes the change in reporting a disaster story today from what it was like in the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan. Not only is social media widely used, but our technology in general has evolved exponentially. “The morning I learned of the quake, I had a TV connected to digital cable, an iPad, a Blackberry and a web-connected computer in my living room,” wrote Benkoil. People on the ground in Japan were able to give constant reports of the sights and sounds via Facebook and Twitter. The author put it well when he wrote: “The media and communication technology of course do not change the scope of the disaster but do change the way we are able to experience and share it.”


This article from Fast Company discusses social media’s role in the wake of the tornado that ripped through America’s heartland in May killing 89 people in and around Joplin, Missouri. Immediately, families, friends and fellow Americans from throughout the country took to social media to express concern and support, identify those lost, or assure others of their safety. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube videos all archived the destruction as well as identified missing people and helped reunite family and friends.


As we hunker down on the East Coast for the impending approach of Hurricane Irene, I encourage everyone to check out some of the resources above on how to prepare for a natural disaster. Also, be sure to check out updates on social media and news sites regarding areas affected by the storm. Even if the power goes out, there’s always a smartphone… as long as you charged it first!


photos courtesy of viralblog.com & blog.compete.com