HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES WITH IVY SLATER
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Tips on How Relationship Building Improves Sales by Ivy Slater
- One of the greatest sales and marketing techniques is relationship building.
- Sales is the cornerstone of longevity. If you’re not selling, you are not going to be in a business long term.
- Ivy’s three I’s of relationship building. Information, share information, Invite, Introduce.
- Numbers tell the story
- Ask yourself, “who are great referral sources for your business?”
- Ivy wants to do business with people who are fun and with whom she has shared interests
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SHARE THIS EPISODE: – HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
Over time building relationships with people who are fun and have shared interests will help improve your sales
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Doug: Well, welcome back listeners to another episode of Real Marketing Real Fast. Today is a guest I’ve got joining me, Ivy Slater. Now I met Ivy at the New Media Summit in San Diego not too long ago and I’m super excited to have her on as a guest. She’s a speaker, a strategist, an author and a coach. Ivy partners with her clients from large corporations to small businesses to create strong leadership, identify and implement a growth strategy for a long-lasting success. So, I like to welcome you to the podcast today.
Ivy Slater: Thank you. Thank you, Doug, for having me. I’m excited to chat with you about this.
Doug: So, you have a really interesting background that starts in the printing industry and in direct mail. You live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, in New York City. So, was there anything that you like to add to your introduction or your bio that I may have missed?
Ivy Slater: I got into the printing industry in the late ’80s and I will say it was dominated by the boys. It was a men’s club. I was not really welcomed to be very flat out honest. What I had the opportunity during those 20 years is I built a business while I was raising my kids and I really learned about different forms of marketing. It’s not what I expected to go in to learn. I learned about marketing and I learned sales. It wasn’t what I signed up for and man today am I grateful for that experience.
Doug: Yeah, I mean those are just skills that transfer just across any business that you’re in. Normally, I think when we talked a little bit when you talk about numbers is normally there’s a problem in the company, it’s really because they’re not generating sales for whatever reason.
Ivy Slater: Sales is the cornerstone of longevity. If you’re not selling, you are not going to be in a business long term. Something that’s the key generator of all businesses and it doesn’t matter what it is. Even when you’re developing new business, if you’re in the tech world, if you’re the … you’re developing an idea that has to eventually be able to establish a reason for somebody to buy it. The investors today and all these tech startups and incubators and I do some speaking for them is they have to be able to then sell their product to the investor. It’s the first point of sale. When a company steadily growing, if you take your foot off the gas to peddle on the sales, how long are you actually going to retain a financial stability and financial success?
Doug: No, absolutely. So, is there a particular tactic or a breakthrough or some point you would like to share with our audience? I mean whether it’s from your printing background or your sales or your coaching background where you’ve had some success with Ivy, your business or a client.
Ivy Slater: Yeah. I’m going to share this story. This goes back to I met this … I strongly believe one of the greatest marketing techniques is relationship building. I can document it and ROI it time and time again. I took one client and I sat down and did the numbers. I’m a number girl. I met her probably 18, 19 years ago. She became a printing client. She was director of marketing and advertising for a specific brand. We did on average of between $250,000 and $300,000 annual business with them which was not huge in my company but it was a great steady business for many, many years. Printing job went bad.
We built a lovely relationship. I was referred to her by somebody through a graphic designer I knew. Again, another relationship. The value of that relationship and the ROI of it is in the seven figures and I did calculate it. Over time, I worked with her for about six, seven years. Printing job went bad. We do a follow-up call, struggling through trying to make it right. She’s like, “You know what Ivy, I like you a lot. The job went bad. You’re out.”
Doug: Wow.
Ivy Slater: I was like, “Okay.” Yeah, it happens, right?
Doug: Yup.
Ivy Slater: As opposed to and I’m not saying financially it didn’t “Uh damn!” and I showed up and I kept the relationship going. I would touch base with her, “How are you?” She loved to travel, this, that and the other thing. I love to travel so we drop a little note here and there. This was actually even almost pre computer so it wasn’t an email. It was a note. It was a voice mail. It was actually staying in touch. She eventually moved jobs, found out about it through our mutual who I was referred to her, gave her a ring, had coffee. I told her I was actually starting Slater Success in the next year. She goes, “Oh my God I’m so excited. I’m going to introduce you to … you know I do benefit work for Dress for Success. I run their young women’s this, that and the other thing. I’m going to introduce you to the CEO. You need to sit down and have coffee and get involved.”
I said, “Okay.” I just said yes. Through that and through her mobilizing this, I eventually started speaking for a variety of different ways in Dress to Success including the volunteers who had high level jobs. Ended up with several clients, more to the ROI in that one relationship. A couple of years later, jump forward a little bit, she calls me up and she says, “Hey, let’s have lunch.” I was like, “Okay, great.” We have lunch. She goes, “I’m thinking of leaving the current company I’m at. Not really happy. Thinking of starting a marketing business. Thought about hiring you. What would you charge?”
I gave her a number which was a very, very reasonable number and especially in my early days. She goes, “Oh my God, I could never afford that.” I’ve always come out of from a premise of what can you do. I was like, “Okay.” She goes, “What? I have some friends who probably should be coached too. What if I get us together as a group?” She mobilized a group. I got paid to write my first nine-month group coaching program.
Doug: Wow.
Ivy Slater: More to the ROI.
Doug: Yeah, that’s cool.
Ivy Slater: Got somebody else referred by her. More to the ROI. She introduced me to somebody else through Dress for Success. Sold a few other things. Then jumped forward again a couple of years. She shoots me an email. We’re now on computers. This is now Slater Success is up and running and doing well. She goes, “Can I have a few minutes of your time? Can you talk tonight?” I said, “Sure.” Get on the phone, she goes, “Listen, I’ve had my company. We’re doing okay but I’m being recruited by a global organization to be head of wholesale sales.”
I said, “Wow!” She goes, “Can I buy a couple of sessions? I know you’ll help me negotiate. You help women and money and stepping into their value. I listen and I read to your stuff. I’d love to have you on my corner on this.” I said, “You got it.” She goes, “What are you going to charge me?” I said, “Nothing.” She goes, “Really? I know you.” I was like, “Nope, not going to charge you. This is a gift. You land this job and you step into your value.”
Doug: That’s cool.
Ivy Slater: She lands the job. I’m invited into her office at this global multi-billion dollar jewelry company and I keep names off the air right now. I eventually start doing some training for them. I start doing some executive coaching. There’s a still a client today and the end of last year I was invited into her office as she got a promotion to the first woman vice president of one of their other brands for North and South America. Doug, you know New York. Corner office, overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Doug: Wow.
Ivy Slater: I went in to just give her a hug and a kiss and say, “Hey, congratulations.” She goes, “Hey, Ivy, I want you to know, our first team meeting, I use everything you taught me back from that group coaching and all the other work.” Now that’s a great boost to my ego. I’m not going to tell you it’s not. My lovely vicissitude, the Slater to Success brand but the value in adding up all the revenue, ROI which you touched on before Doug is over seven figures in one relationship. Are people really seeing the value of putting an effort and energy behind relationships and continuously staying in touch and keeping things up?
Doug: Yeah, I don’t know. It’s interesting because I asked you what your biggest success was and often I’ll ask people what their biggest marketing failure was or assumption is. So, you’ve just taken what most people see as a disaster. You had a relationship, a big relationship go south for whatever reason, but I don’t think that people value relationships. I think the relationships these days seem to be on social media and on text and really getting together and like you did and connecting with people one to one and having a coffee and reaching out and having a phone call and sending a card.
Those relationships are far and few between. When I send an email out to people, that’s one way of communication, but when I send somebody a handwritten note, I get people phone me and you think I sent them a big gift. I just say on the note say, “Hey it was great to meet you at this fill in the blank, this event.” They’re like, “Wow, thanks for sending me a note.” It’s a stamp and a couple of pieces of paper.
Ivy Slater: It takes less than five minutes.
Doug: Yeah.
Ivy Slater: We spend a lot more than five minutes figuring out social media, showing up on social media, hanging out on social media, analyzing social media, or trying to analyze it in my case. It’s little things like sending somebody an article. I say like there’s great ways to keep in touch and I call them Ivy’s three I’s. Information, share information. Hey, I saw a great quote. it made me think of you because. Again, less than 60 to 120 second activity here. It’s not that much effort. Drop somebody that note. Less than five minutes time and the value that you’re thinking of people. Invite people. I’m a strong believer in networking because through networking I can build great relationships. When is the last time that you went networking and you invited somebody and say, “Hey, there’s a great group. I haven’t seen you in a while. This way we can reconnect and I’ll introduce you around. There’s some great people. I thought of you. I want you to meet them.”
Doug: Yeah, absolutely.
Ivy Slater: Think of others.
Doug: That’s huge. So, I think you’re right. If you look at your customers, their lifetime value not their value for the particular job that you’re quoting or bidding on, it’s huge. It gives you a different … If you’re doing the math and saying, “My marketing budget, what can I afford to spend to generate this new lead, convert them to a sale and keep them as a client?” So, for retention, your multiple seven figures, you can invest some time and money and keep that relationship going.
Ivy Slater: It’s so important and so simple.
Doug: So, listeners if you’re waiting for the “What? Okay. I’m listening. I’m listening really close seven-figure relationship. What’s the secret?” There’s the secret. Caring for people and building an authentic real relationship that isn’t just about sending out another marketing message saying buy my stuff.
Ivy Slater: It’s very true. My eyes are crossing with all the Facebook changing in algorithms. I have some clients who do some work in the online space and stuff. They’re sending the articles. Their SEO people are sending them articles and they’re phoning it to me to have me weigh in whatever. My eyes are crossing. They’re absolutely … I’m like, “So, if we do this and …” So, I was like, “Okay, maybe I’m not so smart right now. I’ll write it out like …” I’ll always say like I create bubble charts. So, if I could see where the bubbles go, I’ll understand. As opposed to excel, right?
Doug: Yeah.
Ivy Slater: I’m starting like creating this bubble chart on a piece of scrap paper. I was like, “Okay, so if I do this, we do this, we can backend here this, that and the other thing.” I email him back. I was like, “You have a list of 10 high level people, when’s the last time you spoke to them, talk to them, had a lunch with them? This whole thing is driving me nuts. You’ll make more money the other way.”
Doug: Yeah, but I sent out a whole bunch of post on social media. Doesn’t that count for marketing?
Ivy Slater: Right.
Doug: Yeah.
Ivy Slater: Then when you go on to social media and no disrespect, I’m on social media. Believe me, great to connect with me on there but there is that time suck of it Doug. It’s like, “Oh I have a few minutes I’m going to check in.” It’s like it’s 30 minutes later, where did the time go?
Doug: I get that. That comes down to discipline and I think that also comes down to procrastination. As a sales and marketing guy and having worked in that space for a long time, often salespeople will find other things they can call work that really aren’t talking to customer. So, I find social definitely fits into that because you ask, “What did you do today?” “Well, I did all these posts.” Like, “Did you to talk to anybody?” I’m not dissing social media. I’m a big fan of social media. It’s been good for my business, but at the end of the day, the reason its worked for me is because behind every Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account is a person.
So, what I find is by connecting with people, liking and sharing what they’re doing and sending them comments, the people who are attracted to you or your business will bubble up, and you can build deep relationships with them. The social is just the way of networking, because it allows me to network globally and then from there, you end up with brand ambassadors. People who love you and what you do and they constantly talk about you and shout out to the world, not dissimilar to what you’re saying for introductions but through the social space. So, when people say, “Does social work?” Yeah, it works for me because I remember behind every account is a person. It’s not about just broadcast to how many followers I have.
Ivy Slater: It’s true. I actually helped a client build out a business, an online, really based with a hunk there sweet spot being social media. Her platform for the first … in the early days is I will gain your present online and help you build the relationships you can take offline. I said that’s where the value is.
Doug: Yeah, absolutely.
Ivy Slater: That’s 100% where the value is.
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SHARE THIS EPISODE: – HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
Over time building relationships with people who are fun and have shared interests will help improve your sales
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Doug: Yeah, totally agree. So, I wouldn’t mind shifting gears a bit. I really like your thinking around sales, marketing and numbers. So, do you just want to share some insight for our listeners who are going, “Okay, fine. I get the relationship stuff.” but you talk specifically about looking at the books.
Ivy Slater: Yeah. Numbers are going to tell you a story. Numbers are everywhere. It’s not just in the CFO hat of your business. So, it’s not just paying your bills or what your sales are. Numbers and the story behind the numbers are in every … When we look at a corporation and you have the CEO, the CFO, the CMO, the CPO, all your areas or you look at a smaller business that’s building out, you have the same areas. Now, the numbers are going to tell you the story if you’re willing to open the book and look at all the different chapters. Here’s where you get started. Yes, you need to track your sales. You need to be looking at your sales every day. You need to have the revenue goal every month. You need to be knowing that today is blank date, where am I on track towards my goal? So, that’s one.
You need to know what your overhead is. I suggest I develop the system that’s called the stoplight system. It breaks down your overhead into red, yellow and green. Red being firm overhead, hardcore overhead. Yellow is your flexible overhead and that’s very often pieces of your marketing budget. Can we spend more here? Can we spend more there? What are we seeing in results? ROI, return on investment and return on initiative is I’ll also refer to it. Then that green money which is money that comes out in your salary etc. You also have numbers in marketing and sales departments. In your marketing, are you tracking your efforts out versus the return. I belong to a networking organization. I pay $100 a month to belong. I’m on the board. I value the relationships there. I track my ROI on that networking group and the relationships and the referrals. It’s very nice.
Doug: Yup.
Ivy Slater: Okay? From one little networking group, showing up once a month and doing the follow up and creating valued relationships, we’re tracking in less than a year to date 39,000 and growing. As well as other resources and connections. That’s a small piece in the puzzle but I show up once a month. That’s not so bad.
Doug: No, that’s a really good point because I often work with businesses and I look at their marketing plan, they have this long list of stuff they want to do. I want to join the board of trade. I want to do this. I want to do that. I said, “Well, are your customers there?” Just because there’s people there, doesn’t mean your customers are there. Exactly back to your point is, what’s your expectation? You’re going to be there four days a month or four days a month then how much is it going to cost and then you don’t generate any sales or is it really just a social club? If it’s a social club, that’s fine. Just don’t put it in the sales and marketing column. Put it in the social column as maybe that’s your green budget of nice to do to socialize.
Ivy Slater: Exactly. In networking, I focus on a couple of groups a month and that’s it. I don’t believe in networking more than once a week because you can’t do the value of building real relationships if you’re running around your city picking up business cards.
Doug: No. I’m laughing because I talk about that from the direct-mail perspective. As a male full of testosterone, it’s the more is better, more power. So, you go to all these networking events. They say, “So, what happens?” So, you go and you collect the business cards. You put them on your desk. You go to another event, you put them on your desk. Then the pile gets too big, so then you put a rubber band around them so they don’t fall over. Then eventually you have a number of those piles on your desk. So, then you put them in the drawer. So, its not really an achievement to have collected 500 business cards or be achievement to develop 10 really strong relationships like you have with people who will send you seven-figure worth of business.
Ivy Slater: Exactly. Then I also want to share with you listeners [inaudible 00:18:46] is you have to look at your numbers in sales. Energy out, energy in. Are you building the relationships? Then, how many sales conversations are you having? What is your conversion rate? Consistently staying on top of it. If it’s you, if it’s your sales team, there’s numbers everywhere. You want to look at CPO, chief people officer, hey, are your employees, are you teamed, are they staying long or they disappearing short. There’s a number theory there. “Oh we can’t keep an employee. We’ve been through … or a team member. We’ve been through three people this year.” The numbers are telling you a story. Are you looking at the story?
Doug: No.
Ivy Slater: It’s like, “Yeah, they’re all bad. There’s no good hires out there.” I was like, “Really? Hm.”
Doug: Yeah, I’ve been on both sides of that. Yeah, I agree. That’s interesting.
Ivy Slater: The numbers are going to tell you the information that is incredibly valuable to the CEO of any size organization.
Doug: So, speaking of numbers, what do you think is the optimal number of people to maintain that deep relationship with? Obviously, you can have 20,000 people in your database but the reality is you can’t contact and communicate effectively with 20,000 people.
Ivy Slater: Exactly. You get to the point especially if you’re building great networks that you can’t keep running around having coffees if you’re running a business and that ends up being a conundrum. One of the strategies I use and I have my clients use is when you start getting to “Gee, I can’t keep up.” you start creating columns in areas of who are great people for your business and why and then strategically host a once a month lunch and start rotating people through it. Do I have the exact number? No. That’s actually not a definitive number. I know either there’s great value and I don’t want to … goodness, I’ve gotten business from dropping my kids at school when they were young, 10 years later running into the mom at the gym who runs a major company.
Working out a gym and she looked at me and she said, “Gee, we should have coffee.” I’m like, “Oh my God, that would be great. I’d love to catch up.” That was my attitude. That would be great, I’d love to catch up. End of coffee, there was a meeting in her office and we had a contract going for her and her team. So, I can number those relationships? Absolutely not. We spent February in California. I had some great business in California that also came from another relationship. While we’re out there, we had my daughter who … both of my kids are out of college. My daughter’s college roommate was from Calabasas. We obviously got to know their parents over the four years the girls are still dear, dear very, very close friends. We had brunch with them. By the end of brunch, both men are talking about a potential business deal they can do together.
Doug: That’s neat.
Ivy Slater: Opportunity is everywhere and relationships are in all facets of our life.
Doug: Sure. I think it comes back to you said in your database or your spreadsheet, you’re looking at who are good people that I want to have a relationship with and why are they good for my business and realize that just the opposite of that there are people who are not good for your business and don’t warrant your investment and follow up and time. I mean it’s a business.
Ivy Slater: It is. So, identified, so who are great referral sources for Slater Success? Great referral sources are accountants. Great referral sources are attorneys. I also do an enormous amount of business with attorneys. I do a lot of business with professionals. So, for me to host a lunch and say, “Hey!” Attorneys are great referral sources to each other. Attorneys are great referral sources to accountants. Accountants are great referral sources for financial planners. I do also a lot of work in the financial planning area. “Gee, I’m going to have this lunch and I’m going to keep up and have a financial planner, a couple of attorneys in two different areas as well as an accountant and maybe one other person that brings value to me.” So, I’m giving a gift of value to all of them because they all should be meeting anyway. I’m elevating my status by being the organizer and the introducer. So, I’m deepening my level of relationships with them.
Doug: Yup. I’m just thinking of a book that I had read a guy by name of Keith Ferrazzi that says Never Eat Alone.
Ivy Slater: Yes.
Doug: Right?
Ivy Slater: I didn’t know the author but I know the book. Yup, Never Eat Alone.
Doug: Yeah. I’m listening to what you’re saying. I’m thinking that makes sense. Do you mind if we dig a bit deeper? So, what does that look like to be on your invite list and go to a lunch that you’re hosting?
Ivy Slater: So, rule number one, I have to like you. I have to find you fun. I’m really serious. I say I’ve been in business too long or I’ve gotten too bloody old to actually sit down and build relationships with people who I find not fun and I don’t like. They have to have a sense of humor. They have to be people who have good values. When I was young and I was hustling and I was selling, I was raising my kids. It was kind of a little bit anything for the buck. I had to put food on the table. We’re raising two children in Manhattan. There was a lot of money. It was two incomes. I’m on the other side of that. Rule number one is I have to like you and I have to find you fun. Attorney just came up and we were sitting. We met at a network and we’re sitting at a table together at this group. She was like … I said, “So, what do you?” She’s like, “Oh I love the theater.” I was like, “Oh my God, I love the theater.” We went off on this tangent. She will be at my table.
Doug: That’s neat.
Ivy Slater: So, I’m not kidding when I say because when we build real relationships, a real relationship is not just built on business. It’s built on being interested in other aspects of somebody’s life. There’s that quote that says be more interested than interesting. So, shut your mouth and listen. That’s what it says. I want to find out, “Hey, did they have kids? Do they like to travel? Do they like the theater?” That builds a relationship that when I go to refer somebody who’s at my top of mind of people who bring joy and a smile to me. So, that really Doug as crazy as it sounds, that is my number one rule.
Doug: Yeah, I would say … I started my business very similarly like you said. It really came down to could somebody [inaudible 00:25:32] check and then you get past that thinking, “That’s not fun. I’m working with some people who aren’t fun.” So, my rule of thumb really now is if I wouldn’t invite you to meet my family, then we’re probably not a good fit.
Ivy Slater: I love that you said that because somebody just called me out on something and I’m having dinner tonight. It’s so great that you just said that. We’re at this monthly meeting that I referenced earlier. One of the organizers said, “What is it with you Ivy like … He goes, “You have the craziest relationships.” I’m like, “Yeah, let’s have couples dinner.” She goes, “What’s that about?” I said, “What’s it about?” I was like, “Well, if I’m going to like … if I like people so we’re having dinner tonight. He’s from my networking group, the one I referenced. He’s in property and casualty. His wife is a very successful banker. Gee, do you think there’s interest in me meeting her? Probably. I happen to know we probably need to redo our insurance and if I get started on this without my husband, at some point we’re going to come to blows so we probably if we jumped in together and nobody really knows this about me.
So, I said, “Oh honey, when I have dinner, they’re young. They’re an adorably young people. They just moved to the neighborhood that we raised our kids in. We no longer have live up there. We live midtown now. Plus the kids are out of the house, want to walk to work. I keep saying, “Oh we got to get together. I’m going to give them all these restaurants and this ice cream shop open.” That’s actually a speakeasy in this neighborhood. He’s like, “Oh yeah that’s great. You got to tell them.” I said, “So, why don’t we just all go to dinner?” He goes, “Oh God, that sounds fun. Why don’t we do that?” So, tonight with the four of us are having dinner.
Doug: Yeah.
Ivy Slater: Right? He’s a business colleague yet both husbands love to golf. Both husbands spin.
Doug: That’s neat. Yeah, a common interest for sure.
Ivy Slater: Common interest. We don’t know where any of this is leading, but are you really showing up relationships? Will this relationship and the investment in it last? Yeah, because we’re doing … He texted me a picture and he goes, “I’m at the masters. Can I pick up something for your husband?”
Doug: Yeah, that was great.
Ivy Slater: I’m like, “Yes.” He goes, “What?” I was like, “Anything.”
Doug: Anything in the masters.
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SHARE THIS EPISODE: – HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
Over time building relationships with people who are fun and have shared interests will help improve your sales
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ivy Slater: Then he’s a bourbon lover. My husband is in Kentucky because he’s a horse guy. I said, “Hey, while you’re down there, bring back …” He gave me these hats from the masters and I gave him these chocolate covered bourbon balls.
Doug: That’s neat.
Ivy Slater: Right? So, when we talk about … how do you think and keep up with people?
Doug: Yeah. Getting it offline and that’s … Yeah.
Ivy Slater: Right. Everybody looks at these big grandiose marketing systems. This is a simple little system.
Doug: Yeah, have dinner.
Ivy Slater: Have dinner. Go to an ice cream speakeasy.
Doug: Everybody has dinner. So, there’s no reason to not have dinner. That’s really cool. That totally make sense. I agree that the business comes from just about everywhere. I was at the gym. We just switched gyms. We’ve gone from a bodybuilding gym to a cross fit gym. We’re talking to the owner. She’s just building her business. This is her second or third location. She introduces me to her husband. We realize within five minutes, she said, “Oh where were you?” I said, “I was in San Diego at this podcasting thing. That’s why I wasn’t in the gym last week.” She goes, “Oh you got to talk to my husband.” So, we talk standing there in our sweaty gear and find out that we know handfuls of the same people in the venture capital business and technology business and that was the end. We have to have coffee, but who would think that when you’re stinky and not looking your best that you have this relationship and this deep connection with people that share a lot of common interest.
Ivy Slater: It’s true because opportunity is everywhere. It’s a matter of are we open to it.
Doug: Yeah, are you listening, are you looking.
Ivy Slater: It’s sitting right in front of your face. All you have to do is open your eyes. I did a connection the other night for somebody. We were at a benefit. My closest cousin is on the board of this charity that affects children and they have … It’s like of course, we’re going to go. So, it ended up in number one. My husband knew a whole different group of people there. We ran into parents that from my daughter when she was in high school, this, that and the other thing. So, all these connections were going. I showed up to support my cousin, right?
Doug: Sure.
Ivy Slater: Mission, support cousin we love. All these relationships are starting to be built and re-engage etc. etc. A friend of mine is on the board of an organization called Best Buddies. She’s very involved. She’s been for 20 some odd years. She’s passionate about it. I had dinner with my girlfriend the other night and she was telling me they’re looking for a space. They’re shifting their fundraising efforts, blah, blah, blah, blah. There was something on the Bowery they were looking at. This event was on the Bowery. So, I text her. I said, “Is this the space you’re looking at? Because, it so happens that the guy who runs the event space, my son, and his son were in kindergarten together because I just ran into him. How can I help you?” This is New York City, guys. This is like this big bag city. Everybody is connected.
Doug: Well, I think you’re connected if you want to be. Obviously, it takes work and you have to have that focus and that desire. So, let me ask you a different type of question then. So, what’s the bad advice that you hear in the marketplace about your approach?
Ivy Slater: It takes too long.
Doug: Okay.
Ivy Slater: I don’t have the time for that. I need to make things happen right now.
Doug: That’s fair. I got that question from Tim Ferriss’s last book Tools of Titans. I thought, “Man, everyone’s got in their industry the bad advice.” So, yeah, I hear that as well. It’s going to take too long.
Ivy Slater: I have a client who I have been working with for quite a while now. She had to push to add this system in, relationship building, networking, boots on the ground, high-level for her. Her team goes out and does other thing and she was like, “You know Ivy it’s been X amount of months and we can’t track the results.” I said, “It’s too soon.” She goes, “Well …” I said, “It’s a long-term investment that your company will have massive growth from this investment long term.”
Doug: Yeah, you’re right. There’s lots of stuff that’s a long game. Often, when I’m working with people, we’re going, “Okay, so where are we? Where do you want to go?” You need often to do some short-term stuff that will generate immediate sales, but you also need to if you think back of … whose book was it? Talked about doing the important things but not urgent versus the urgent not important, Stephen Covey. So, that’s an example of if I need sales today, I need to go to knock on doors, but if I need sales long term, I need to build relationships with my existing customers. So, there’s some of both.
Ivy Slater: Absolutely. In all business, you should have your short-term goals, your long-term goals, your short-term marketing plan, your long-term marketing plan.
Doug: Yup, totally agree. So, what are you most excited about in the next 6 to 12 months?
Ivy Slater: Oh there’s a bunch of stuff going on here at Slater Success.
Doug: Okay.
Ivy Slater: Beware, there’s going to be A list guys.
Doug: Okay.
Ivy Slater: We launched our podcast in January and I’m having an absolute ball with it. It’s called Her Success Story and it’s focused on stories of gusty women who’ve done some really amazing things and some just real women who have had the guts to follow-through or do the unusual and hear their story and hear their journey. So, that has been a complete blast of what’s going on this year. What hasn’t been a blast is we are writing a new website and we’re doing websites.
So, that was an “Oh yes, I know why we only do these every few years and we don’t do them every year.” It’s an important piece in every company. It is not the only piece in a company. Our website got way too dated so that is hopefully I’m not quite sure of your air schedule but hopefully, by the time we air or in a very near future, you want to look at Slater Success’s website which I’m very excited about. Then, I wrote one book a few years ago and I keep saying this is the year for book number two and all these ideas are coming to me, Doug. I just blocked out a period of time that I’m going to hunker down and disappear for one week and do nothing but get everything down.
Doug: Good for you.
Ivy Slater: Then pass it forward to pull it together.
Doug: Those are some big goals. I just finished my first book. My second one I just got signed off by the editor in layout and it’s a lot of work, but it didn’t take a day. So, when people say it takes a long time, yeah, it takes some time. You have to invest some time, but good for you for chunking down and getting some of this done.
Ivy Slater: It’s the short and the long range. Honestly, the podcast has been in the marketing idea for a couple of years. It kept getting pushed to the side and pushed to the side and then last fall we have a team retreat twice a year. One of the team members said, “Ivy, what about that podcast?” I said, “Okay, let’s play it through.” We looked at all the steps and we listed what it would take and who is going to do what. We’re like, “Yeah ready to get started.” We put it into the marketing plan. We launched it in a matter of about 12 weeks.
Doug: That’s amazing. Well, welcome to the space. When you’re at the new media summit, somebody asked, I can’t remember who it was so I can’t give them credit was, what are some of the things that you can do even when you’re tired and you feel more energy when you’re done? The two things that came to my mind were speaking and teaching and podcasting. I just love to have this conversation that we’re having, is much more meaningful from a relationship building than it is than sending emails or being on a newsletter or … because you get to talk to people and hear what they’re about and what they’re excited about and have the online conversation and have the behind the scenes conversation. So, good for you. Welcome to podcasting.
Ivy Slater: Thanks. I’m really loving it. You’re right. It really does energize me.
Doug: So, who is one guest that you think I absolutely have to have on my podcast?
Ivy Slater: Okay, I’m going to say a friend of mine. She has a company. Her name is Gregory Anne Cox. She has a company that’s called Be More Marketable. A, number one, she’s a great speaker. She’s entertaining and she’s traveled this journey through a variety of businesses and successes and the ups and downs of it. I think she’s great.
Doug: Okay. Well, excellent. You’re probably the first guest that I had in my podcast that could answer without going, “Oh man, that’s a tough question.” So, congrats to you.
Ivy Slater: Don’t they read the prep?
Doug: No. I don’t know why it stumps people. It’s like, “Well, I don’t know.” It’s like, “It’s okay. You’re not going to offend anyone. Just pick one. If you can’t pick one, pick two. Just pick somebody.” So, I appreciate the recommendation and I promise … No, I don’t think everybody reads the prep. So, looking at where you are online and the fact that you are in the social media space, what is the best way for people to find you and to connect with you?
Ivy Slater: So, it’s not that hard. There’s slatersuccesscoaching.com. Hopefully, by the time you go on, there’ll be a new site. If not, there’ll be one up soon. Ivy Slater on LinkedIn. I’m active there. I’m active Ivy Slater as well as Slater Success on Facebook. I engage on both areas. If you check me out on Instagram, you’ll see that I was at the Bon Jovi concert and posting from there and having a blast with my daughter who looked over and she goes, “You’re putting that on Instagram now?” I’m like, “Yeah, I’m here.”
Doug: That’s funny.
Ivy Slater: She goes, “I thought you were texting it to Dad.”
Doug: Mom, you’re doing an Instagram story. What are you doing?
Ivy Slater: We’re on Twitter. We’re out there. I believe in social media. I believe it as a great let’s start the relationships and let’s begin to build them online and then really enforce them and then develop them offline.
Doug: So, what’s your favorite social media platform? If I was to connect with you and engage where do you like to connect?
Ivy Slater: LinkedIn.
Doug: LinkedIn, yeah. I like LinkedIn and Twitter. Instagram is great but I like LinkedIn and Twitter. So, it works for my business as well.
Ivy Slater: Yeah.
Doug: Any parting thoughts you want to share before we wrap up for this interview?
Ivy Slater: Open the book. Look at your number story.
Doug: There you go.
Ivy Slater: There’s great information there. Read your own book.
Doug: And/or hire someone to help you read your book if you don’t want to be honest with the numbers and get some good feedback.
Ivy Slater: Yes. If it’s ah, if it’s that oh thing for you, there’s support out there. Reach out. There’s great information in that story and information that will have you flourishing so embrace it.
Doug: Great advice. So, thanks so much Ivy for joining us and thanks for sharing your wisdom, your knowledge and your experience over the many years and what you’ve done to be successful in your business.
Ivy Slater: Thank you, Doug, for having me. It was a joy chatting, being able to catch up since the New Media Summit.
Doug: So, there we go listeners, this is evidence that networking actually does work. As I mentioned at the beginning, I met Ivy of the New Media Summit in San Diego just a little over probably about a month ago. Here we are connecting online and I’m sure that this relationship will continue past the podcast. So, thanks for listening. Make sure you subscribe to us on iTunes. Feel free to leave us a review and make sure you check out Ivy’s information. I will have all of these notes transcribed for you. I’ll make sure that the links to all of her social media sites and her new podcast are there. So, if you’re listening to this podcast, obviously you like the podcast I would recommend that you go over and download and listen to a couple of her episodes and consider subscribing. So, thanks again and have a great week until we talk to you next time.
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SHARE THIS EPISODE: – HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
Over time building relationships with people who are fun and have shared interests will help improve your sales
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Get in touch with Ivy
Ivy on LinkedIn
Web – Ivy Slater
Find out more about Ivy:
- Slater Success on Facebook
- Ivy on Instagram
- Slater Success on Twitter
- Podcast – Her Success Story
Links to other related podcasts and or blog posts:
HOW TO IMPROVE ONLINE SALES WITH BRIAN GREENBURG
HOW TO AUTOMATE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
HOW RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IMPROVES SALES
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