How we connect shapes our success.
In business and life, the right connections lead to better opportunities, stronger collaborations, and a more fulfilling work-life. That’s why my word of the year for 2025 is “connect”—a reminder to build and nurture relationships that matter.
This month, we talked about the ways we’re making meaningful connections:
- How are you connecting with new, existing, and past clients?
- How do you build a strong network of peers and collaborators?
- Are you making more connections in your personal life too?
Insights from the meeting:
Some members are connecting by offering courses on Meetup, while others are working on a newsletter. I recommended an excellent book for newsletters: Do/Open: How a Simple Email Newsletter Can Transform Your Business (and It Can) by David Hieatt. Another great read from the same publisher is Do/Purpose: Why Brands with a Purpose Do Better and Matter More by the same author.
One member shared that she’s looking to actually disconnect from some clients who constantly request small website updates, making it hard to manage her workload. Instead of letting them go, a few alternatives came up:
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- A Retainer Model – One suggestion was to offer these clients a monthly retainer, giving them ongoing access to small updates while ensuring predictable income.
- VIP Days & Half-Days – I shared that I now offer VIP Days, where clients get dedicated time to tackle a batch of updates or new functionality. I’m also considering VIP Half-Days for those with smaller needs. Bruce recently did a VIP Day with me and he shared his updated Seattle Video & Photo site with the group.
- Hosting & Maintenance Plan – Another option, is rolling small updates into a hosting and maintenance plan, so clients have built-in support without constantly requesting ad-hoc changes.
We also discussed what to do when a promising client suddenly ghosts you—they seem eager, say they want to move forward, and then… crickets. How can you reconnect? Randy had a great perspective: “While they’re probably in your top three on your mind, you’re only in their top 20.” The takeaway? Have a structured sales follow-up process so they know when they’ll hear from you again. This discussion sparked the idea for next month’s topic: A Sales Funnel Checkup! We’ll dive into how to assess and refine your process to guide potential clients from awareness to action—without losing them along the way.
On a personal note, I’ve been making fun new connections through pickleball and Zumba. Bruce was heading to a book reading at Phinney Books, and Heather shared how a simple Facebook post about starting a book club for women turned into a thriving community in West Seattle she really enjoys.
Looking Ahead to Next Month’s Meeting
Next month, we’re going to talk about Sales Funnels!
Do you have a solid sales funnel process end to end? From awareness to acquisition and loyalty? Bring your sales process with you and let’s see if we can patch up any cracks and improve client acquisition!
Save the date: Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 9th, at noon. We look forward to seeing you there as we continue to support each other in bringing our businesses to the next level!