13:00:37 From vickigiuggio : Good afternoon! 13:00:48 From Phillip : Hello from Rock Hill SC 13:01:29 From Gabrielle : Hi everyone. I’ve started walking at the end of my work day. :) 13:01:41 From Geesey : LOl - stressing from my current job 13:02:09 From vickigiuggio : I have been taking weekends off from ALL work-related stuff since this started. Love it! 13:02:22 From Geesey : Susan, I'll be departing early, another call at 2 PM with current job. Not sure Zooming is a good or bad habit... 13:03:01 From Sam : Started journaling again every morning. Also started Elevate brain training app. 13:04:05 From Beth : I have zero me time now. Not a good habit! Will also be pulled away before end of session. No childcare. 13:04:47 From vickigiuggio : W: I signed my first contract for a project this week! 13:04:52 From Phillip : got back on track with session 5 13:04:52 From Geesey : W - did some serious rewording with my soon-to-be-new website after Susan's thorough feedback. 13:05:04 From Cheryl : Finished my website! Just got your review back. Can't wait to read it and make changes. 13:05:08 From Matt Shannon matt@ascenify.com : I finished up some other things so I can now spend more time on the B2B launcher program 13:05:28 From Chris S. : W: I worked on my course task consistently for 1 hour per day. 13:05:33 From laurelmildred : W: Website is mocked up and it looks beautiful, conveys my “brand.” 13:05:46 From Beth : W: I’m on this call. First call in ages I’ve been able to do. 13:05:53 From Gabrielle : W - met my goals for sending out batches of personal networking emails :) 13:06:25 From Phillip : W finished updating my website 13:06:26 From Geesey : Not a problem for length 13:06:55 From Sarah : W: I made a first list of possible prospects and started on Session 5 13:07:18 From Sam : W: Reviewed and re-re-viewed your evaluation of my website copy. Also got my website and dedicated email address and am setting it up on Wix. 13:08:34 From Brittany : W: Finished my first week in the course, working consistently for a few hours every day. Working on my website copy currently. 13:10:12 From Gabrielle : I: I suppose I’m ‘implementing’ session 5 still, but I’ve listened to 6 and 7 as well. 13:10:55 From vickigiuggio : I: Need to finish session 8, but circle back to consolidate prospecting strategy and ensure all parts in place to start prospecting in earnest 13:11:05 From Laird Raymond : Prospecting for that first client. Making a new email list. 13:13:38 From Gabrielle : Q: What is LinkedIn 3-2-1? Is it 3 comments... 2 connections... 1 share? I know it's your strategy Susan but I can't find it documented in the library and I'd like to make a habit of it. 13:14:59 From Chris S. : Q: I'm stuck defining the Size/Scope of my Target Market. I'm differentiating between he 'overall' target market (SAS companies, for example) vs the target market I INITALLY focus on (eLearning software companies). 13:16:51 From Beth : Q: I’ve missed several calls since pandemic times began… are there any adjustments advised on warm email prospecting in these times? Are we proceeding as if nothing is unusual? Full speed ahead? Or do we incorporate a bit of sensitivity to the circumstances? I haven’t been able to listen to calls in recent months, so I’m not sure how/if it’s been addressed. 13:17:11 From Gabrielle : Ok. I believe Ed mentioned it in the emergency covid call that he did. 13:18:41 From vickigiuggio : Q: I know (and agree) we should keep prospecting at all times- but do you have advice for the scenario where a prospect has work for you, but you’re booked at that moment? I realize this is a good problem to have, and don’t expect to encounter it, but I’m worried that I’ll reach out to solicit work when I don’t have bandwidth…. Is it OK to say I can take on this work, but not until 2-3 weeks from now? To avoid this, should I limit the number of prospects per week to send? 13:37:26 From Beth : That’s it for me for now. Thanks Susan. Stay safe everyone. 13:38:02 From Gabrielle : Q: To answer your question about how my prospecting is going - I'm getting positive responses from people (the ones who respond!). They say they'll keep me in mind if anything comes up. I'm coming to the end of the list of people I know that I can reach out to and I can see that soon I'll be sending more warm emails than anything else. (The warm emails I've sent so far haven't gotten a response). I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about how broad my target audience is - small businesses and professional service firms - and also the fact that I'm in a new city and not really aware of my surroundings. I moved here a few weeks before lockdown started. All of the businesses I've brainstormed so far are back home. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for how to narrow my focus so that I can spend my time searching and reaching out to businesses in a less haphazard way? I like fitness so I've reached out to gyms, but aside from that not really sure how I can limit my search. 13:41:27 From Sarah : Q: Susan, when talking about the client who has been following you for a while and then signed on for a project, do you mean you were publishing helpful content on social media / was she on your email list? Is that what you mean? 13:42:14 From vickigiuggio : Yes, it was v helpful, thanks. I think to get a good sense of how to balance level of prospecting activities w/ current work is something you really need to learn as you go. I think I’m getting too much in my head and trying to know the exact formula before, which is impossible :). 13:45:07 From Gabrielle : I guess a better way to phrase my question is how do I find them? Searching ‘small businesses’ or ‘service firm’ on a search engine or LinkedIn seems like not the best approach. 13:50:53 From Gabrielle : Ok that’s helpful thanks. I hadn’t thought about looking for the chamber of commerce, or reaching out to diff types of agencies. 13:50:54 From Sarah : thanks! :) 13:54:00 From vickigiuggio : You’d think, as a scientist, I’d be comfortable with not knowing the outcome of any given strategy ha ha. This is process is difficult to adjust to, but exciting! And hearing your about experiences helps a ton. 13:55:03 From Gabrielle : Well I’ll focus on your suggestions today and report back on the experience! 13:57:24 From Gabrielle : I was just thinking about how Ed suggests googling industry publications to find businesses and that sort of thing, but there is no industry publication for ‘small business’ haha. 13:58:48 From Gabrielle : Ohh 13:59:13 From vickigiuggio : Omg I love Maine :) 14:02:47 From Gabrielle : Q: Thanks! Yes it helps! Ok another q - Hearing you say we’ll have to send hundreds of emails over the course of a couple months seems overwhelming. So far I’m sending about 15 a week. Is there a minimum number you think we should shoot for? 14:09:19 From Gabrielle : Ok. I’m not working full time but I find it takes me a while to personalise emails to the people in my network, and then for solid prospects, deciding which ones to approach and finding a way to make a connection in the intro - like, you did a great job with your facebook post! or, I liked the blog post you put out about X! 14:12:53 From Sarah : V: I am also struggling with the whole target market issue so it has been helpful to hear others are too... and to hear the ideas you've given them that I can also use. 14:12:58 From Phillip : V Because of where I am the discussions about prospecting were the most valuable. 14:13:25 From Laird Raymond : V: Patient Prospecting… Be consistent. It takes time. 14:14:19 From Brittany : V: I appreciate hearing what others are encountering and thinking about a few sessions ahead of me. It’s motivating :) 14:14:32 From Gabrielle : V: All the feedback and guidance about prospecting. Thank you. 14:14:37 From vickigiuggio : V: Again, hearing your experiences is a huge help for me to remain comfortable with the unknowns- it’ll all work out in the end! h 14:15:30 From vickigiuggio : I’m good with unexpected endings as long as it means I’m on my own, and not in corporate office :) 14:15:36 From Chris S. : V: Today I learned a lot about Target Audience scope (just pick a relevant audience that links to my experience, and run with it), and about prospecting for clients, such as looking at professional associations and their publications. 14:16:32 From Sam : V: Hearing you talk about pivoting, particularly your point that you will learn a lot by calling on your market. Even if what you think will be your target market doesn’t pan out, other opportunities will open up. 14:17:13 From Chris S. : Great reference: The Encyclopedia of Associations 14:18:51 From Chris S. : at the library: Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations, 55th Edition Published By: Gale ISBN-10: 1414487851 14:19:09 From Sam : Lots of libraries have these Gale directories online. 14:19:47 From Matt Shannon matt@ascenify.com : A: Finish first several modules that I started in early April 14:20:07 From Sarah : A: Session 5 and crafting some pitch letters and actually sending them out! 14:20:17 From Gabrielle : A: Improving my prospecting strategy and getting more emails out. 14:20:32 From vickigiuggio : A: Start prospecting and get into the habit of going on LinkedIn daily— and start posting/sharing there 14:21:10 From Chris S. : A: Complete/Re-do all exercises in Section 1: Positioning 14:21:15 From Brittany : A: Working on my website and Session 3+ 14:21:35 From laurelmildred : A: I’m working on an RFP bid on an opportunity that came up on the consulting side of my biz so I’m slower than expected with the writing biz startup…But trying to get the final pages of my website done and turn back to the lessons again. Very helpful that all the resources are self-paced, everything right now is a bit crazy and unpredictable. Thanks for the call and resources. 14:22:08 From Sam : A: Finishing my website and updating my LinkedIn page. 14:22:37 From Phillip : A Set a schedule of 5 things I will do every day before anything else. 14:23:06 From vickigiuggio : Thank you, Susan! Have a nice (socially distanced) Memorial Day Weekend everyone! 14:23:13 From Matt Shannon matt@ascenify.com : Thanks Susan! 14:23:20 From Gabrielle : Thanks Susan :) 14:23:23 From Sarah : Thank you! 14:23:25 From Brittany : Thank you! 14:23:31 From Chris S. : Thanks very much! Very helpful. Stay safe and focused!