“Follow not where the path may lead. Tread instead where there is no path and leave your own trail”. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Following a recent speech,  I was asked to sit for an interview for a magazine article and I requested that the writer eMail  the questions he wanted answered to me. He quickly emailed what he was hoping to get back.  As I wrote my responses, I realized, again, the importance of questions.

Have you a question or two of your own to add to these, perhaps? How about answers?

Read on.

Q1. Who are your mentors and why?       

Napoleon Hill, Discovered and explained; The ‘Ultimate Laws of Success’ to the world. 1936
Seth Godin, Discovered and teaches / coaches, blogs, Permission-Marketing. 1999
Ralph Bruksos, Coaches business excellence. Gentle, wise, caring guide. 1980

Q. What is the most helpful advice you've received to improve your business?       

“Outta’ sight is outta’ mind and outta’ mind is outta’ money, honey” Mae West 1928

Q. What is the most helpful advice you can give to help others improve their businesses? 

Identify and select a specific niche to serve and nurture.
Be or become an expert in the unique challenges that face this group.
Collect from the best experts in these issues and learn to be and be a true
‘good friend in the their business’.

Design and automate a follow-up process and campaigns for customers and slow-adopters.

Q. How do you give back to the professional community?

I write and blog (www.nurturemarketingblog.com extensively on how to do a better job of nurturing customer relationships, existing clients, slow-adopting prospects and centers of influence. My work at the Nurture Institute allows me to provide anyone, working in an environment where nurturing is truly the only philosophy given today's dramatic marketing shifts.  We continually introduce examples of other nurturers who are addressing similar issues as well.

Q. What is your favorite business book?       

‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, 1936.       By a landslide.

Q. Which 4 basic skills or process steps do you recommend?  

1) Identify The ones you want most to get and to keep.

2) Individualize Think Dossier not Database.

3) Interact    Do it, Test it, Automate it, Delegate it or Ditch it

4) Influence.  Helping Customers Succeed

Q. In your opinion, the best nurture-marketing book is:    

Blush, blush! “Nurturing Customer Relationships”, Jim Cecil, Eric Rabinowitz, Karin Rex, Carol Ellison

Q. Your reasons for choosing this book are:

A classic masterpiece that digs deep into how buyers learn to trust sellers. A step by step workbook on ways to your nurture business garden vastly far better.

Q. What would you say to someone who asks what to do first in managing sales leads?  

I’d say to them, Just 'Do it, test it, automate it, delegate it, or ditch it!' is our methodology for success. The Nurture Institute will take you from concept to profit --
Our team will teach you how to create and distribute messages that matter and communiqués that open doors, sell your products and articulates your uniqueness and your specific services.

Q. If someone wants to nurture sales inquiries what process would you recommend?

Since nurturing is all about gaining and maintaining explicit permission to remain in appropriate contact with your audience, then appropriate,
Interesting, relevant, compelling, always valuable, sometimes even entertaining content is the best way I know to maintain this vital permission and not have your audience "tune out" and just block-sender.
Think first of helping customers succeed, and only then, when you have earned and maintained that permission, should you ever think about
trying to sell them anything, especially if you are planning a long term relationship.

Q. What steps would you suggest to measure the ROI for sales inquiries?    

Only by professionally qualifying and understanding where each lead actually is in their overall buying process can we then assess what nurturing campaigns actually do to move them forward in the process. There is authentic value, for example, in re-engaging slow-adopting, "dead" or inactive leads, but this is difficult to measure unless you have categorized prospects actual buying cycle carefully and objectively.

My Magic formula: NDIO X CR = $. 
Number of Deals In-on X Closing Ratio = $ales

Good Nurturing

Jim