{"id":661,"date":"2009-10-12T07:16:10","date_gmt":"2009-10-12T07:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/?p=661"},"modified":"2009-10-12T07:16:10","modified_gmt":"2009-10-12T07:16:10","slug":"the-looking-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/the-looking-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"The Looking Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iStock_000000138631XSmall\"Today\u2019s guest post is by Maria Duron, the\u00a0chief buzz officer, coach and speaker with <\/em>buzz2bucks.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Research numbers give us so much rich information providing insights and basics on clients and contacts.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always been a fan of market research from my days as a market researcher in the media industry. Understanding \u201cthe who\u201d and \u201cthe what\u201d is so fascinating! And, the benefits garnered from that research are not \u00a0just limited to large companies.<\/p>\n

How can small companies and solo professionals make the most of research data?\u00a0 The demographics provides us some of the basics of who a client is yet even more interesting is the psychographics \u2013 the \u201cwhy\u201d behind what they do.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re connecting for work or for your own business, there are people who are beneficial for you to connect with.\u00a0 I always recommend that you deepen your connection with those who already know you \u2013 those who you already have some degree of \u201cknow, like and trust\u201d.<\/p>\n

These are your current customers or contacts.\u00a0 After all if they did business with you or connected with you, you\u2019ve established some level of \u201cknow, like and trust\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s a much higher starting point then starting from nothing.<\/p>\n

Further, spend some time really understanding who you would like to connect with that would be an asset in your goals.\u00a0 For example, identify who would be a great connection for you.\u00a0 Who would make a decision or be involved in a major project, position or department you\u2019re interested in. Or, who would take you further connecting with leaders in your industry?<\/p>\n

Most important is finding people prior to the time that they\u2019re in the \u201clooking zone\u201d.\u00a0 This applies to employees and entrepreneurs alike.\u00a0 For entrepreneurs, what does your ideal customer \u201clook like\u201d before they\u2019re in the looking zone?\u00a0 If you\u2019re a realtor, before someone has an interest in selling their home, what do they look like?\u00a0 Maybe they just found out they were pregnant and are now thinking their current place is too small; maybe their child just graduated and are off to college and now their home is too big; or maybe they just were divorced and realizing they want to start fresh or find a new place.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s important to connect with people prior to them looking.\u00a0 When people are approached to connect when they are in need of something, they are leery of the intention for the connection.\u00a0 They wonder, is it genuine?\u00a0 That\u2019s why the connection and the relationship must develop prior to the need. Thus, you are seeking to develop your connections prior to the looking zone.<\/p>\n

To maximize this connection, when your connections are in the \u201clooking zone\u201d \u2013 where is it they spend time with others just like them?\u00a0 For example, in keeping with our realtor situation and targeting someone who is going to have a baby and wants to sell their current home, let\u2019s say before they\u2019re in the \u201clooking zone\u201d they might look like parents with younger kids already, or they might have been married a couple of years and are thinking of starting a family.\u00a0 So, where do they hang out with a great number of others like them?\u00a0 It could be at a doctor\u2019s office, Lamaze class, elementary school or day care or even a kindermusik class.<\/p>\n

Now, take one step back from that and ask yourself, \u201cwhere are they spending times before they\u2019re in the looking zone?\u201d\u00a0 This is a vital question to ask because everyone wants to make contact with your prime customer when they\u2019re in the looking zone. Everyone wants to talk, meet or sell them what they need.\u00a0 Yet, if you have a relationship already established with them prior to their need; if you have developed some \u201cknow, like and trust\u201d; if they\u2019ve had chance to sample your character and competence, then when the needs arises and you are visible and credible to them, they will call on you.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/em><\/strong>: Maria Duron is author of the book \u201cMouth to Mouth Marketing\u201d and the eBook \u201cSocial I.R.A.\u201d She\u2019s been quoted as a marketing and word of mouth expert by Entrepreneur Magazine and contributes to several publications and is the creator of <\/em>#brandchat,<\/em><\/a> a weekly twitter conversation about all aspects of branding. She broadcasts weekly as the business coach with CBS7. Duron will speak at the <\/em>2009 Massachusetts Conference for Women<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s guest post is by Maria Duron, the\u00a0chief buzz officer, coach and speaker with buzz2bucks.com. Research numbers give us so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[335,933,793,342],"yoast_head":"\nThe Looking Zone | QuestionPro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Today\u2019s guest post is by Maria Duron, the\u00a0chief buzz officer, coach and speaker with buzz2bucks.com. 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