Perhaps you haven't started to blog yet for one of these reasons:

1. You have no idea what to write about
2. There's no time to blog
3. No one will read it anyway
4. You don't feel there's any ROI (return on investment)

But there are very compelling reasons to blog:

1. Search engines like blogs and prospects will be able to find what you have to offer more easily
2. Blogs allow your prospects and clients a way to converse and interact with you instantly
3. A blog is an easy, affordable way to connect with prospects and provide valuable education

An important factor often neglected is to respond to reader comments. You want to converse with your readers and that means you must reply to their comments.

What are your thoughts?

You've gone to a networking event and met many new people. You know you should follow up. Yet making follow-up calls is very difficult for you because of the fear of rejection. You may feel 'they won't be interested', or 'it will seem like I'm being pushy'. Or you may feel you just don't have time to make the calls or that it just doesn't work.

What is the purpose of a follow-up call? To explore whether or not it would make sense to pursue a business relationship. A follow-up call is an opportunity to connect and learn more about the possibilities of working together. You've already met this person, so a follow-up call can be very simple. Here's an example:

"Hi, this is Sue Canfield. We met at the networking event on Wednesday evening. I wanted to find out more about your business. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

That's it! Ask them questions about what they do and they'll gladly tell you. When it's appropriate, tell them about your business and see if there's a way you can connect. Everyone else is nervous about making follow-up calls too. But you can have fun making these calls and grow your business.

Once you decide that making follow-up calls is important and can be an effective way to grow your business, you'll find that people actually appreciate that you took the initiative to make the call. These calls can even lead to referrals.

So, pick up the phone and make that call!

Earlier this year I created a profile on LinkedIn and started answering questions. It didn't take long before someone read one of my answers, found it interesting, and wanted to connect with me. That's how I met Mindy Krueger. Mindy and I connected on LinkedIn and enjoyed each other's comments so much that we connected by phone and eventually by email and snail mail.

Mindy is a relationship building consultant and independent distributor of Send Out Cards. Her website is here. She also has a blog. The connection we made initially through LinkedIn has been very valuable to us both. We've asked each other's opinions on our businesses and received valuable feedback from each other.

When I have a new idea and want an honest opinion, I ask Mindy. She's let me email her information about new aspects of my business and her comments have helped me fine tune what I'm doing. I've been able to mail her marketing materials and get her constructive feedback so I can improve what I do. She asked me about her business and what suggestions I had. So LinkedIn has proved valuable to me just in this one connection I made.

I hope you visit Mindy's website and read her blog. Have you made a valuable business connection on LinkedIn? I'd love to hear about it!

"I am pleased to see that you hold your business to such a high standard. You strike me as a person of high integrity and business sense. I can see that you genuinely appreciate your clients. By giving them an incentive for referrals, you are showing them that they are a valued member of your organization."–Mindy Krueger, Relationship Building Consultant, Michigan