Want to grow your business? Have a virtual coffee!

As an ambitious entrepreneur I’m sure that you already know about the concept of catching up with one of your contact face to face to have a coffee. This is a great way to see whether there are any potential business opportunities that you can develop.

However, how often would you love the opportunity to connect with someone but unfortunately they’re based in another town or overseas, making it logistically impossible. Or you catch up, spend hours chatting about everything other than business opportunities, and leave the meeting without finding ways where you might be able to help each other in your respective businesses.

Brenda Rivas joins me to talk about an innovative system that she’s developed that has helped her build her profile as well as lots of opportunities including new clients and join ventures. And today she’s going to share exactly how she has done this.

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Show Transcript: Want to grow your business? Have a virtual coffee!

“Welcome to the Ambitious Entrepreneur show brought to you by Get More Clients Booked free weekly webinars with must do business building topics to help you get more clients.

And I am your host Annemarie Cross. Today on the show online business strategist Brenda Reeves joined me to talk about a virtual coffee, what it is and why you should be doing these in your business should be sharing how virtual coffee can boost your profile, how it can open doors to amazing opportunities including joint ventures, new clients and expanding your network and much more, so stick around”

As an ambitious entrepreneur I am sure you already know about the concept of catching up with one of your contacts face to face to have a coffee. This is a great way to see whether there are any potential business opportunities that you can develop. However, how often you loved the opportunity to connect with someone but unfortunately they are based in another town or even overseas making it logistically impossible or if you do catch up with someone you spend hours chatting with that everything other that business opportunities and you leave the meeting without really finding out ways where you might be able to help each other in your respective businesses.

Brenda Reeves joins me to talk about the innovative system that she has developed that has helped her build her profile as well as gains lot of opportunities including your clients and joined ventures and today she is going to share how exactly she has done this. So welcome to the show Brenda!

Brenda: – Thank you so much for having me Annemarie, I am very excited to be with you and with your lovely audience.

Annemarie: – I know you got a lot of wisdom to share with us particularly around something which you developed which is very unique and that is virtual coffee. So do you want to just explain to our listeners, what is a virtual coffee?

Brenda: – Sure, Absolutely! It is my pleasure. Well virtual coffee concept really comes from the traditional live networking that so many of us are used to. So basically this concept came out of my very own frustration with attending a live event with my local area that you know while I was meeting amazing people and having a great opportunity to socialize with. I was finding that these conversations leading to nowhere and it was rather that frustration and you know it wasn’t just a frustration that was also my desire to connect with people and a virtual copy is an opportunity to connect with people across the world and very strategically manner.

Annemarie: – The technology we have at our fingertips now such as Skype are amazing. In fact that is how we are conducing this interview. To think that we are on the opposite ends of the earth, yet we can talk to one another. The sound is so clear – you really can connect with anyone anywhere in the world today.

Brenda: – Absolutely! And I actually do use Skype a lot and these conversations and I have had virtual coffee with people in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America and it is really just taking full advantage of the amazing technology that we have available to us today.

Annemarie: – You know you mentioned something about the live networking and I am sure we are very familiar with that. And I know myself when I first started networking and I am sure for many of our listeners it can be very daunting going to live networking event particularly if you don’t know anyone and so for your face with this great group of people yet it is quite difficult to talk with them all and you just really feel like you just one small person in this huge crowd. And I think what I am hearing when you talk about virtual coffee very much taking that relationship with one on one where you really can spend some quality time with people, yes?

Brenda: – Absolutely yes Annemarie! That is very true and what I love about the virtual coffee is that you have the opportunity to be very targeted and to really get in front of your ideal audience so whether you are looking for strategic partners, joint venture opportunities, whether you are looking to get in front of new clients and another really benefit of the virtual coffee is that you really get to uplift your circle of events for a bit and we as an entrepreneur go to the procedure where we really want be in the space of the people that sort of sharing mindset. And I notice a true for lot of entrepreneurs that once we decided to go through a networking event alot of times we find ourselves quite lonely because might be our friends don’t share the same ideas and thoughts that we now share so virtual coffee is an excellent opportunity also to up level your circle of event. I am really excited about that event.

Annemarie: – Absolutely! You know the one of the things that you say is that having a virtual coffee can also very quickly boost your visibility. Do you want to talk little bit more about that?

Brenda: – Sure Absolutely! I would love for our listeners to kind of thing like virtual coffee is a simply another channel. It is visibility channels that can really help you get as I mentioned a moment ago get in front of the ideal audience. And what happens is that you know people will start talking about you. People will you are know having this strategic conversation and you are meeting yourself memorable and definitely have a formula to help people become memorable having these conversation but happens is that you really start to expand that circle who you are and what really starts to happen overtime is that you really position yourself and certainly start to get known. So it is an amazing visibility channel.

Annemarie: – And I think with the tools again we are talking about social media it’s such a great way to listen, to observe, to see who may be someone that you want to connect with, you are talking about strategic conversation we can talk about in a moment but getting in front of your whether it would be your ideal client or you mentioned before potential joint venture personal just someone that you really do admire your respect that they have got great information, they seem to have the similar view point as yourself and you really just want to reach out and connect with them. So do you have any sort of advice or tips on some of the things that you do just keep an eye on it who you should reach out you do. The reason that I say because I know a lot of business owners that I speak to get very overwhelmed with social media particularly when they use tools such as Facebook and Twitter but there are so many people talking and sometimes I just can’t keep up with all the conversation and the chat are going on there. Can you give us some advance you on how you go about seeking out potential people that you want to talk too?

Brenda: – That is a great question. The one of the first thing that I love to do with the virtual coffee is that I really seeking out in my business primarily work with women entrepreneurs very much attracted to women that has already achieved what I am seeking to achieve in my business and in my life and so I am really inviting you know high level women that are really doing it sort of speak. So that is the person that I will invite in the virtual coffee not so much because you know have the hopes perhaps the creating a joint venture partnership or anything like that simply because I want that women to know what I mean. And some really great things have come about from having those conversations with the women that really admire so that is one thing that need to look who you want to know you, whether this person has person has already achieved what you are looking to achieve or whether it is just someone that you want to know again someone who you want to know exists and someone that you want to know what you are up to. So that is first criteria, the other thing is that who can help you extend your visibility and really great to gaze that to look for the people who already have your ideal client in front of them. You know invite them into a virtual conversation and see what can come out of them conversation, you know there are so many different possibilities, I have been invited on to guest blogger, to do a teleseminars and telesummits and things of that nature. So again who is already according your ideal client that could help you to expand your business visibility as well.

Annemarie: – Those are such great tips and I think just having an understanding of the process that you follow is going to be so helpful because there are millions of people and I am sure if we have millions of hours you know do a virtual coffee we would do that but you have to be targeted I think and you mentioned strategic conversations we can talk about that in a moment but really does have to be a strategy behind that because not so great coffee with the people and meeting with lots of people which is fantastic of course, you know we are in the business of business so we want to make that we set ourselves for success and that the end of the day can really align ourselves to some of those key people that we can build a really strong reciprocal relationship with.

Brenda: – Absolutely! And I am so glad that you mentioned that because it wasn’t just happening to me when I was meeting people for coffee locally. I always say that I am social butterfly at heart so what I usually intended to maybe 45 minutes or 60 minutes conversation what turn out to be like a 90 minute, 2 hour coffee break and when you factor in few time and all of the other things when going to meeting someone in person again I was meeting amazing people but I love what you said Annemarie we are in the business of being business so me personally I was very frustrated with the time that it was taking me and it really I wasn’t you know those conversations was not strategic. The same thing was happening time to time when I would have you know sort of like a regular telephone conversation with someone great conversation but that really did not lead to anything so I gave a lot of thought to this process and there are certain things that I seem while I am hosting a virtual coffee that will make the conversation very-2 strategic and not just to myself. One thing that I really wanted to say and stress about a virtual coffee it’s definitely not sets for being. You used a beautiful word a moment ago and it is a reciprocal relationship and that truly excites me as well as about having virtual coffees.

Annemarie: – I think so and what we were just talking about can often have two very separate outcomes if we do not plan ahead and I know that you got a formula that you will share and listeners will know how they can access your formula at the end of the call. If you don’t have a strategic plan and have an idea on some of the things that you would like to speak with that person you can talk for hours and hours and can have a fantastic chat just like what you were saying that you have many-2 ways to face which is fantastic or on the other end of the scale you can really come across as quite demanding and this is what I want happen and you really will know the women entrepreneurs heartened women entrepreneurs. We do not want to come across like that so that really needs to be middle ground but reciprocal so what can you gain from the call but of course most importantly how can you support them as well. What are just couples of things that you would say to people some of the things that they really need to consider about the conversation so that they can make it more strategic?

Brenda: – Absolutely very good question, one of the ways that I really maximize that conversation is that I am very-2 clear on what I like to refer to as my enrollment statements and what I mean by that is that I want to see you know in one to two sentences at the most I want to be very strategic about what I do and how I help people and who I am looking for. First of all, what I have said really resonates in other words statements identifies that keen of my virtual coffee partner then sort of that red flag goes off and typical person might say you know Brenda, I am struggling that myself so that is just a beautiful transition into separate rolling conversation with that person. The other thing is that when you make those powerful enrollment statements you know your virtual coffee partner is going to walk away with the clear understanding and how you help people and that is where the referrals come in. I have had people send amazing referrals recently because my enrollment statement was clear and precise. They clearly got what I do and I think that is problem for lot of entrepreneurs is just having that clarity.

Annemarie: -I think so and as you are talking about your enrollment statement it reminded me of how as business owners we attend with networking events, get up to introduce ourselves whether we have an opportunity to speak with group of people or even individually and if we don’t have the clarity around the statement and how we can introduce ourselves with very powerful we can lose that opportunity can’t we?

Brenda: – Yes, I totally agree. Actually I found that it is true for myself as well because I struggled with that clarity for quite some time. What happens is that become the source of hiding out. So I have had so many people say to me you know what I passed up on this great opportunity or that great opportunity simply because I didn’t want the attention on me because I was not even clear on how I see people. And even that is understandable and it is true that if you are not sure, you are not clear on what it is that you do and who you have and do you really want to be seen and so I have found that once you can create that clarity for yourself as I love to see the floodgates definitely open up. I am very kind attractive.

Annemarie: – It’s great because one of the things that I really love about this is that you really understand where ambitious entrepreneurs, you now the business owners where they are coming from because you live this, you have experienced having those conversations so great socially but at the end of the day think you know what I really gained from that when I look from business point of view how can we help one and another and so now you have created this great formula which is obviously making great-2 opportunities for you because you really being strategic in that. I know that you have mentioned that there is one thing that as an ambitious entrepreneur we must do in order to make ourselves memorable when hosting a virtual coffee. Do you want to share this secret with us?

Brenda: – Sure Absolutely! You know the secret with us that what I was talking a moment ago was that is creating your enrollment statement and again it is a two part process and typically it is what you are gaining clarity. As I mentioned what is that you do and you know we are helping. I typically like to say you want to create statement by starting I am in the business of and fill in the blank and second part of that statement is you know I am specifically looking for and very-2 powerful because you are very-2 clear on what you do and how you help people. And again as your virtual coffee partner can walk away with that understanding that it would be so easy for them refer your business to and remember you when another opportunities come up and I have found because I have that clarity that has really opened the doors to lot of for amazing opportunities.

Annemarie: – Brenda, I just love the entire concept around the virtual coffee and you know that this is going to be such a helpful process for many ambitious entrepreneurs hosting today. We are just going to take a very short break to hear a message from one of our sponsors and in turn we again find out how to conduct a virtual coffee.

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Welcome back! Let’s rejoin our conversation with Brenda Reeves.

Annemarie:– So then if people are not clear really about who they are, what they are in the business of and who they really support and how and of course benefits that particular client achieve through and investing in them from what I am hearing you really do encourage people to spend some time and get some clarity on that first because otherwise if you are still confused about that your virtual coffee partner is probably going to leave the conversation simply not really knowing what is that you want. Is that correct?

Brenda: – That is very true and I have that client to me and say when you go to my website I don’t even know what is that do. If the business owner does not know then how are the rest of? So you are right that is a great point. You know just really work on getting really on that transformation you know what is the problem that you are solving, how does your company solve this particular problem, you know who is that you really enjoy working with and that is really great thing with also factor in when you are making those decisions and now you want to send who people to that thought process of you know what industry you are really passionate about helping. You know there is endless industry out there whether it is a real estate, wedding consultant, medical technology, coaches, consultants, it is just really important to get clear on who it is that you are helping and what you are helping them and when. And it really is that from there that I really believe that business is really strategic off.

Annemarie:– And I think that so is true because imagine if you have a conversation, having a virtual coffee where potential Joint Venture opportunity or even someone who can refer business too and you say I help everyone. My products and services can help everyone. It really doesn’t help them to narrow down the focus of that when they are talking to their ideal client they can all of us sudden think hey this person is really someone that I need to connect with obviously you. So the clear you get the more your virtual partners that you are having a coffee with can really keep an eye and ear out for the people you are having problems with that you said you help with your ideal client with. So the clear you get the more business you are getting to refer you because of that.

Brenda: – I totally agree and I am happy that you brought that up Annemarie because that is the exactly, that is just the byproduct of virtual coffee. That is exactly what happens. As I mentioned earlier, I am still so grateful to be offered with so many different opportunities and the thing is that these opportunities don’t always happen right then and there when I am having the virtual coffee. What it really happens is that because I have made myself clear and memorable, my virtual coffee partner really and truly keeps me in mind. And I have virtual coffee with actually recently I heard from someone that I had the virtual coffee with back in October last year. And she send me an email and she said I want to chat with you for few minutes about an opportunity, she remembered me and she remembered what it is that I do and how I help people. So that is the really-2 great point. Your virtual coffee partners will remember you if you make yourself memorable and in order to make yourself memorable you must be clear.

Annemarie: – And when you are thinking about networking as you said I loved the fact that you mentioned that this is the virtual coffee that you had with someone back on October, it very much is the whole relationship is that it just takes time, so just as you went to face to face networking event, you don’t really expect to walk out with tones of award it is not like that at all. That is really is the relationship building first because the stronger the relationship is, more likely that someone is going to referred to and of course vice and versa as well. You are going to want to refer to them. So what I want to do is just ask you how many virtual coffees you are having.

Brenda: -Yes, that is a great question. Actually you know I always make a rule to thumb to have anywhere from 5-10 virtual coffees per week and so i know that some of the listeners may be thinking oh my god that is a lot, so I recommend that if you are starting up may be set a goal of may be 3-5 per week. May be just has to be that number that stretches you and makes you feel comfortable. What I also wanted to say about that is that I also use this whole virtual coffee process to create great momentum in my business. So time to time I will have what I foundry refer to as virtual coffee bliss. So I kind of say yes this month I am going to have 60 conversations and I just really do the work to get the conversation booked and I have created some phenomenal results that you have I have the proof that turned into cash and great opportunities for me to seen and to be heard. So the virtual coffee bliss is another option as well when you want to create momentum.

Annemarie: – The reason why you are able to have so many virtual coffees, the virtual coffees my goodness is that there is a structure that you follow, there is a process and that process and structure that you follow allows you to have really great virtual coffees with the people so that both of you leave those meetings thinking wow and obviously the rest happens, the relationship building and so on and that is the reason why yes?

Brenda: – That is very true. Absolutely Annemarie! As I said earlier, I had those conversations, I think we all have where it was a great conversation but the when the conversation is all, you are kind of thinking yourself okay so that is going to lead to where. And it is really true that and seen that I really get to virtual coffee secrets because I talk to myself you know why it is going to better ways to really be organised and prepared with these conversations. Absolutely!

Annemarie: – Now how can people get access to virtual coffee secrets?

Brenda: – Well thank you so much for asking. And it really simple, your audience can visit virtualcoffeesecrets.com and they can read more on virtual coffee, system and process.

Annemarie: – Look Brenda, it is an absolute pleasure speaking with you today. I think just the whole conversation around the virtual coffee secrets. I think that it really just bring everything back to the relationship first and it is so excited to see that you develop the system that allows to have the strategic conversations, you generated so many not only success for your business but I am sure you got lot of now with people in your influence that you never had the opportunity to meet where or not for you to reach out on virtual basis. Yes?

Brenda: – That is very true and I definitely agree with that. And you know that is just looking at yet another visibility channel just as we have marketing channel, sales channel in our businesses, this is brilliant easy to implement channel of disability. The other thing to be that it really opens the door for servicing people globally and that truly excites me.

Annemarie: – That is very exciting. I think with women entrepreneurs we know how to have that conversation, we know how to check with girlfriends and however using Brenda system’s the virtual coffee secrets you will be able to take that conversations, leverage that strategic plan so that you can really create a reciprocal relationships that benefits you both. So that web address again is www.virtualcoffeesecrets.com. Again Brenda, it is an absolute pleasure with speaking you today.

Brenda: – Thank you as well. Thank you so much for having me on the show Annemarie.

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