Hi -

March has been fantastically busy which is why this issue is coming to you just under the wire.

I'm really excited to share this month's Tip on ZoomInfo, a quick, easy way of reviewing what's been published online about people and organizations you do business with (or want to).

As always, I'd love to hear how you end up using it or other tools that give you helpful background on key contacts. Email me at kip@gregory-group.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Network and Prospect More Effectively with One Great Tool

Whether you're chatting with clients, presenting to prospects, or schmoozing with centers of influence, it pays to know the people you're talking to. And thanks to the Web, finding useful background information on most folks has never been easier than it is today.

The problem is those nuggets of data are scattered in a million different places and few of us have time to ferret them all out, much less piece them together in a coherent way. Certainly not you anyway, not with people to see and a business a run.

Still, wouldn't it be great if somebody else did – a resource you could tap routinely to review what's out there on those you're connecting with? Insights like a person's current position, their employment history, boards they belong to, their educational background, biography, and other meaningful references posted online.

That kind of snapshot, all in one place, would be truly helpful.

Believe it or not that very thing is available right now, for free, at ZoomInfo.com. And I'm betting if you actively service, market, sell to, or network with executives of any kind, you're going to love the site.

Primarily packaged as a tool for recruiters and job seekers, ZoomInfo's database can be an equally valuable prospecting and networking resource for smart advisors. With 28 million executives and 4 million organizations on file (and more than 500,000 new names being added every month), odds are the people you're targeting are within ZoomInfo's growing universe of profiles. You know who I'm talking about; those A clients you'd like more referrals from, the C-level corporate execs whose accounts you'd love to manage, the board members at the nonprofit you're interested in getting in front of.

Here's how to find out if they have a ZoomInfo record…

On ZoomInfo's homepage enter the name of a person and/or organization you're researching. Be sure to put your search terms in quotes so that the service will look for the words as an exact phrase. (Go ahead and try searching on yourself first… everybody else does.)

If the database contains the name you enter, it'll surface in a results list. A click on any result will either get you the profiling information mentioned above (for individuals), or the address, phone, Web site, and key contacts at an organization, along with a description of the organization's business.

Here's something I tell my coaching clients. Don't print out what you find; doing so only adds to office clutter. Store the information where you and members of your staff can access it easily right online. The best place I know is in a Furl account, another no cost resource I covered in my June 2005 Tip.

While we're at it, let me share two other tie-ins to past Tips, ways of leveraging ZoomInfo to connect the prospecting and networking dots more intelligently. Remember the ASAE Gateway to Associations and Jigsaw articles? ZoomInfo is a great, quick way to dig deeper on the people you uncover in either place – buyers, thought leaders, and referral sources at companies and associations… people you want to build relationships with.

As Bill Gates said in Business @ the Speed of Thought, "the best way to put distance between yourself and the crowd is to do an outstanding job with information." Learn to use tools like ZoomInfo well and you'll be doing that in no time.

Make Sure This Newsletter Reaches You

The best way to ensure that future Tips messages reach you without being filtered or blocked is to add the address they originate from, kipgregory@mailer1.cooleremail.net, to your Address Book. Be sure to label it "Kip's Tips - No Reply" because messages sent to that address never reach me.

If you have a corporate email address, I encourage you to pass the email address above onto your IT help desk so they can add it to your company's approved sender list as well.

Finally, please take a minute to review and update your contact information on file in case any of it has changed since you first signed up.

Ways We Can Help You Improve Results

One-on-One and Team Coaching

A quarter of the year is gone. Are you where you want to be? If not, don't let another three months go by before taking action. Find out if you may be a candidate for my one-on-one or team coaching (that coaching work is one of the reasons things have been so busy around here).

Each engagement starts by developing a very clear picture of your goals and objectives, business structure, markets served, clientele sought, team strengths and weaknesses, technology and other resources you own. Then working together we map out an action plan for getting you from where you are to where you want to be, laying out specific milestones by which we can measure success.

We don't just talk, we roll up our sleeves to address specific objectives. Big ones like developing a better profile of your top clients, expanding (or consolidating) your base of accounts, and increasing assets; and little ones like eliminating unnecessary expenses, automating routine tasks, and taking control of your email inbox. We develop practical ways of achieving those results (through smarter use of people, process, and personal technology) and focus wherever possible on executing those strategies using resources you already own.

We also draw on a variety of proprietary tools – forms, worksheets, databases, and online conferencing resources (all available at http://gregory-group.webexone.com) – designed to help you achieve that elusive next level of success.

Most sessions run between 45 and 75 minutes and are conducted weekly… all in the comfort and convenience of your office (which means everyone on your team can participate... and there's no travel expense, time lost in traffic, or nights spent in a "bootcamp" hotel room).

The cost? Just $3000 for a full day's worth (eight hours) of consulting and coaching time that you can access for as little as 15 minutes at a time.

If you are ready to take your business to the next level email or call me at 202.364.6913 and let's visit.

If you're serious about implementing improvements contact me now and let's develop a plan for accelerating your success. The kind of results you're seeking don't happen accidentally.

Keynote, Breakout, and Workshop Speaking

If you're involved in booking or recommending speakers for national or chapter events at AICPA, FPA, NAIFA, NAPFA, the Society for Financial Service Professionals, or any other industry group, my presentations offer the kind of practical, innovative, take-it-back-to-the-office-and-put-it-to-work-immediately value attendees are looking for... useful content that will save them time, increase their income, and improve their effectiveness.

Or perhaps you work for a product or service provider and you're currently planning a national sales meeting, due diligence road show, or sales force training calendar. Let me show you how to increase your meeting ROI by delivering tangible, value-added content that draws advisors closer to your firm and helps both you and them do more business.

Either way email or call me at 202.364.6913 to explore how I'll assist you in getting more mileage from your event. I'd be happy to schedule a webinar with your and your colleagues to see and hear my material firsthand.

Here's a sampling of recent audience feedback:

"I've been this business for 32 years and I've heard a lot of good ideas from speakers about building my business, cultivating high net worth prospects, asking for referrals, you name it. The problem is after a while they all start to sound the same. Your stuff was fresh, innovative; I'd never heard anything like it."

"One of the five nuggets I look for at a meeting."

"Really creative and invaluable tips."

"Excellent. Every advisor looking to increase office efficiencies and production should attend."

"Very valuable - quick, easy-to-apply-immediately techniques to share with our reps at 700 financial institutions in 42 states."

We Now Accept Credit Cards!

You can now purchase the premium forms package from the Winning Clients online store with a credit card!

This package, highlighted in my book, includes a set of worksheet templates that will make managing your business easier, less stressful, and less costly.

For example, the Online Research Checklist is a great tool for organizing Web addresses and other tidbits of intelligence from various association and company sites you find while prospecting online.

There's also a set of three client communication planning worksheets, a top client profiling form, a worksheet for mapping workflows (including your sales process), a form for figuring out delegation opportunities, and three others.

A total of ten templates, all for just $24.95. You'll see a return on your investment the very first time you use them!

Until next time wishing you all the best,

Kip Gregory
The Gregory Group: Teaching Clients to Leverage Their Time, Talent, and Technology to Increase Productivity and Profit
202.364.6913

http://www.kipgregory.com