As I announced in a recent e-newsletter to clients, I am currently enrolled in a 12 session teleseminar on using social media tools -- like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc. -- for business development and outreach. The class is being conducted by David Riklan of SelfGrowth.com and with 4 classes completed so far, I'm pretty impressed. It's a lot of information to absord but, as David reminds us, we don't have to digest it all in one gulp! It will likely take weeks and months to really make full use of all that is being taught.

I recently described this whole phenomenon of social media tools as a "brave new world," to which a friend replied, "Brave or stupid? - I haven't figured it out yet."

For those of us over a certain age and/or at a certain level of technological skill, these tools may seem a little daunting or maybe even frivolous. But from what I'm learning in this teleseminar, these tools are where things are really happening for people, both socially and professionally. I'm also learning that the business applications of these tools are really just starting to be tapped into. One thing's for sure, though: this bullet train has definitely left the station!

So far, one of the best things I've learned is the basic formula for creating a healthy, dynamic client base.

• First, people need to FIND you -- i.e., they have to have some way to know that you even exist!
• Second, people need to get to KNOW you -- i.e., who are you, what are your interests, your skills, your basic personality, and so forth.
• Third, people need to TRUST you -- i.e., they need some way to judge for themselves whether you are who and what you say you are and whether they feel comfortable with that. You do this by being your authentic self in how you present yourself both as a person and as a professional. E.g., some people like aggressive sales tactics, but there are many of us who don't. How you present yourself and what you have to offer will inevidible attract some people and repell others. In other words, not everyone's going to or needs to like you and trust you. The key is being consistently authentic and do your part in helping those who are attracted to your "energy" find you.
• Fourth, once people start to find you, know you and trust you, then they will be more likely to check out what you have to offer and buy your products, engage your services and most importantly, tell others about you.

This formula really represents nothing new from a business relationship standpoint, but what IS new is that the ability of people to FIND you, KNOW you, etc. exponentially increases to unimaginable levels with the help of the internet and these social media tools!

Again, I'm still pretty new to this whole brave new world but my gut feeling is that there's something to all this and that I, for one, need to tap into and explore it. I will keep you posted as I learn.

Namaste,
Julia