Are you communicating effectively, efficiently, and in a trust building way?  The way you communicate and interact with your network is a direct reflection on you, and your business. 

Check out these eight mistakes to see if you might be sending the wrong message:

MISTAKE #1: Not acknowledging people and saying thank you when someone does something kind.  For example, if someone introduces you to a potential client or gives you a valuable resource.

SOLUTION: It’s pretty easy to say thank you (or write it in an e-mail).  And for such an easy thing, it sure goes a long way in building relationships.

MISTAKE #2: Not replying promptly to your e-mail.

SOLUTION: If you don’t have time to reply to an e-mail send a short e-mail back saying that you don’t have time this week and say when you plan to respond.

Or you can add an auto reply to all of your e-mails that explains when and how often you read and respond to e-mail (Tim Ferriss style, author of the Four Hour Work Week).

MISTAKE #3: Promising to do something for someone and then not following through.

SOLUTION: If something happens and you aren’t able to deliver, simply acknowledge it.  Hiding from it or ignoring it won’t make it go away.  Just be honest and let the person know what’s going on and when you will be able to deliver.

MISTAKE #4: When you go on vacation or you’re out of office for a few days you don’t activate an out-of-office auto reply that says you are out and when you’ll be back. 

SOLUTION: No-brainer.  Create an out-of-office reply.

MISTAKE #5 (this one is really three mistakes about the same topic):  Sending out your newsletter as an attachment to an e-mail.  Sending your newsletter to people who haven’t asked for it (otherwise known as s’pam).  Sending out your newsletter sporadically. 

SOLUTION: Attachments are not appealing for several reasons: virus threat, large file size, and they add an extra step to get to the information.  Allow people to sign up for your newsletter and use a service to send out your communications.

Make sure the service provides a ‘double opt-in’ subscription process.  A great resource for this is AWeber. Decide on a schedule (every Tuesday, 2^nd Wednesday of the month, etc.) and stick to it.  Reliability and consistency build trust.

MISTAKE #6: No way to capture visitor’s e-mail addresses on your website.

SOLUTION: Offer something valuable for free (audio tips, special report, assessment, checklist) in exchange for a visitor’s e-mail address.  Automate the process with a service like AWeber.

MISTAKE #7: No photo on your social networking profiles (Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). 

SOLUTION: Not having a photo on your profiles really sticks out, and not in a good way.  It’s like wearing a paper bag over your head at an in person networking event.  Have a professional photo taken; it’s more than worth it. And until then, even a decent vacation picture with phone camera is better than nothing. 

MISTAKE #8: No e-mail signature that has a ‘clickable’ link to your website and a call to action. 

SOLUTION: Decide the one action you want people to take who are interested in your business and put that in your e-mail signature.  Be sure to include the http:// part of your e-mail address so it is a ‘live’ link.

I hope you’re starting to see how making some tiny changes can have an enormous effect on the success of your business.  Don’t delay; take the time to be sure you’re sending the right messages 

© Stephanie Ward, 2009

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com/.