Jim Sutton

 I propose quoting living people you do know.

Looking for a way to build a relationship or spark interest?  Quotes are good for this.  

Many times excellent quotes are pulled from the vast amount of writing of the past by people you didn’t know.  Make that Plan B.  

There is a lot of great writing going on around you right NOW.  I propose you make that plan A.

Why bother, just look up famous people on quote websites?  Here are some reasons to put out a little extra effort.

Networking.  What better way to begin a conversation then “Can I use this quote from you?”   Or, ask for a qoute on a topic you are writing on.

Cross-promotion between small businesses.  If you work closely with other small businesses they are likely experts in their field and you in yours.  If you use a quote from another small business owner you will promote good will and the chance of they will reciprocate.

Any gems floating by?  You can use quotes promote associates, partners, people or companies you are in marketing alliances with.  Here are some suggestions for your search:

• Meetings.  Did someone make an interesting statement during a meeting?   Kinder Kuri: “They need to become research based instead of sponges.”  This came from a discussion (inside Second Life – a virtual world) of rapid change and the reality that just memorizing and not understanding has become useless in a world where the amount of knowledge doubles in less that 2 years.  Kinder sumerized what 4 people were trying to say very well.   
• Conversation.  A co-worker’s statement about change.  I don’t have an example for this one.  Feel free to contribute one in the comments.
• Networking.  I found this one in emails we exchanged after initially meeting on Linkedin.  I made a friend and got him exposure when I asked if I could use it in an article I was writing.  ”I see the more formal LI (LinkedIn) as my online office, FB (FaceBook) as my online living room and Twitter as the front porch.” (Rod Jurado CPT, The Profitable Group).
• Just for fun.  ::)).   Here is an example: “I agree with you both, Jim and Pat.”~Bonnie Dubrow http://www.marketingtoyourworld.com
• Look at emails.  Here is an example from one I received.  “Definitely pointing out what people do that is right is the way to go.”  -Laura Sherman     http://www.yourchesscoach.com/
• Look at email signatures.  “Your fortune is in the follow-up” -D’vorah Lansky http://internetmarketingonashoestring.com/
• Look at blogs and blog comments.  This one came from comment on my Blog. “Networking is not an event, but a process: a way of life.”~Pat Weber   http://prostrategies.com/wordpress/
• Link to another Blog. Examples:
  •  ”Follow-up is the achilles heel for 80% of salespeople.”- Pat Weber      
  • “Trackbacks give the other blog host an inbound link from your blog and it also becomes an inbound link from their blog to yours when your ‘trackback’ comment appears in the comment section of their blog.” -Bonnie Dubrow   I choose to link to my associates, people in my social networks, business circles and friends.  Both of these pieces of information could have been found by a quick search.   

Keep one eye and one ear scanning the living close to you for statements you can use on your website, articles, marketing or blog. Plan B is to find a dead person you don’t know to quote.

Comments welcome. Tell us the great quotes from your circle of associates.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 25th, 2009 at 15:00 and is filed under Networking, writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.