Weeks after meeting a travel consultant at an event, I received a huge packet of promotional material in mail. This costly packet was sent without a hello note, no business card and no follow-up call. What a waste of paper, postage and energy! Attractive, innovative marketing materials are far less important than a smile and a handshake.

Success in business is not about products or services, it is about people -- getting to know who they are and what they do. Your success is not solely dependent on your product or service. Your success depends on width and depth of people in your sphere of influence.

I attribute my professional success as a business coach and professional speaker to people that know me, like me and trust me -- people in my sphere of influence. These people are my friends, my clients, my vendors, members of groups I belong to, and anyone else I have ever met that I maintain contact with. The people in my sphere of influence send me referrals, are a resource for me, my clients, and are people I call when I have a question. These are people I know, like and trust.

Successful Steps for Creating and Maintain a Large Sphere of Influence o Increase number of people you come into contact with. Go to networking events, join a professional organization or put together a workshop. Set goals for meeting new people each week. Then, create an action list to meet that goal. o Tell people you are interested in expanding your sphere of influence. Ask what they do to meet people, and if they can introduce you to people you would like to meet. o Create rapport. Put your attention on person you are talking to. Make eye contact, smile and give a good handshake. Ask questions about things that interest them, their business, their industry, and their professional affiliations. o People will remember you when you remember them. Make an effort to learn and remember names and use them in conversation.

Here's why ‘WHY’ is such a profit-making marketing trigger.

“Stop taking two and three plates of food,” my mother said to me angrily. I was at a wedding and seven years old. Back then, at a lot of weddings we used to go to, food would be pre-served on a plate. I could never get enough of those calorie-ridden platters. Waylaying different waiters, (so I would not be recognised), I’d polish 3-4 plates without blinking an eye.

Mum wasn’t impressed, and told me to stop and desist.

“Why?” I’d ask. Her stock reply was always, “It’s bad manners to do that.” This Dustbin Hoffman act obviously got her goat, but it left me unfazed. It must have bugged her more than I expected though, because in a short while Dad was peering down at my food-stuffed face.

My question remained unchanged. “WHY?”

“If you invite a hundred people to a wedding, how many would you cater for?” he asked. “A hundred,” I answered, proud of my analytical genius. “If you ate four plates,” he continued, “how many would remain?” He prompted quickly, “Ninety-six right?” I nodded vigorously. “That means some people don’t eat. If you’re so hungry, we can go out after wedding and get something to eat, but don’t deprive others.”

Dad Made Sense, Do You? **********************

Dad understood psychology. He had to sell my brain an idea that my rumbling stomach didn’t want to understand. And he did it by answering question, 'WHY?' How many of us ignore this powerful trigger in our marketing because it seems too obvious, almost too simple?

Why 'Why?' Puts Elvis’ Shaking and Moving to Shame ***************************************************

Let’s examine six honest men. What, How, When, Where, Who and Why. Which one of these is most powerful psychological movers of them all? This would be better answered with an example.

Let’s assume you needed to go to supermarket. All other triggers (how, when, where, who and what) would make absolutely no difference if you didn’t know ‘WHY’ you were headed there. Everything else would be totally irrelevant. Once you know WHY you’re doing something, everything else is just a matter of logistics.

Why Does 90% of Advertising and Marketing Communication Go Down Drain? ************************************************************************