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Hi Sandra,

I noticed you have some very high profile national marketing partners/sponsors. How did you form those relationships?

Thanks for joining the SBOC!

Vince

Hi Sandra,

Can you share a little about your radio talk show? What sort of topics do you cover and how and when can SBOC members tune in?

Thank you,
~Tori

Sandra,

Who do you consider to be your competitors? How does eWomenNetwork stand out from the compeition? What makes it unique?

Thanks for reading,
flex_00

First and foremost, in order to be in integrity, your behavior needs to match your intentions. It's hard to not "'seem like' your reconnecting because you need more business'" if, in fact, you are doing just that! This is a good time to perhaps honestly re-think your approach with your customers and make a genuine shift to "giving without expecting anything in return" (one of my mother's favorite sayings, by the way). Using bank terminology, start today by making "deposits" into these important and valuable relationships. While Thanksgiving is over, it is still the season to give thanks. Start by sending cards with a handwritten note of how much you appreciate them. Follow up with a good article or book you've read by forwarding it to them with a post-it that says "As I read this article, I thought of you and wanted to make sure you got a copy. Enjoy!" Perhaps at Christmas you can send a little something that reinforces how much you have enjoyed the relationship you've shared the past year. Next time you go out to dinner, perhaps you can invite them to join you. At the first of the year, reconnect and tell them some of the ideas of how you have been thinking about how you can help them with more client acquisition, market share, sales, etc. I think you get the picture of what I am saying. As we say at eWomenNetwork, "give first, share always." Even if they don't give you any more business, perhaps they would be willing to refer you to someone else who can become a new client. In today's market, put an extra emphasis on the little things. I've long learned that little things often turn out to be big things!

I think I am unique in that I look at any company or organization that is trying to help women small business owners become more successful as a potential collaborator and alliance (versus competitor). I believe in the value of "more" and have been very successful-especially in the current economic condition-in developing supportive relationships with other organizations and companies in cross-promoting each other. I know that my sponsors appreciate this too as it helps to further pollinate their message to an expanded audience. A specific example is the launch of our new movie, The GLOW Project (http://www.glowproject.org/) which showcases 15 of some of most successful-and happy-women in business! They are both corporate executives and multi-million women entrepreneurs. They share some of the greatest setbacks and obstacles you can imagine. More importantly, they reveal how they overcame these seemingly insurmountable odds and hurdles. Yes, it is a full-length movie (78 minutes). I believe this message and format is unique, creative, and desperately needed! And, it has proven to be a real positive outgrowth of the otherwise negative economic downtown. Women's organizations have embraced this movie because of its powerful message. They are holding movie premiers across North America; they are endorsing it on their websites; they are booking the ladies featured in the movie for speaking engagements, etc. The key point that I want to illuminate here is that the best way to gain a competitive edge is to offer and implement breakthrough thinking by embracing transformational opportunities. Expand your vision of what will appeal to your customers; then go after it! You will be amazed at the results! (We even just got back from New York ringing in the opening bell at NASDAQ where The Glow Project was projected on the huge screens on Time Square! Who'd a thunk?!!!) You can do the same thing! Just be the first to market to implement a new idea and/or approach ... and you will have to hire extra help to answer the phones from new customers!