happyMy partner (and father of my two children) and I met in Cambodia. I was the tour leader, he was the tourist. You know how it goes. He was at the end of a one-year sojourn around the world and didn’t want to return home and I was at the end of my two-year contract, on my third-to-last trip. He invited himself along on my second-to-last trip, and the rest, as they say, is ……

It could have turned out differently. Lightening didn’t strike either of us. It took a few more weeks before we fell in love. He could have been right at the beginning of his trip, I could have been mid-way through my contract. There were a million ‘could of’s. But the timing was perfect.

Not so romantic

I’m not a romantic (clearly) but timing is everything, in life and in business. People inquire, they fill out contact forms, they sign-up to your list. Or you send cold emails, you make cold calls, you Tweet them or Facebook message them. They lurk on your Facebook page, they never get back to you. They appear immune to your charms.

You continue posting on Facebook. You keep sending emails and getting no response. You ask questions and nobody answers. You’re beginning to feel like a Nigel No-Friends.

Romancing your leads

We blog, email and update our social media channels because we’re romancing our leads. We’re giving them value, sharing our insights, inspiring, uplifting, provoking, cajoling.

Without a blog, email newsletter, Facebook or other social media, it would not be possible to keep up this grand romance. We could not stay in touch with so many people in ‘real life’ (you know, the life away from your screen). These platforms allow this romance to foster and spread.

One day, something changes. The issue, frustration or worry of someone can no longer be tolerated. They are motivated, they have made a decision to change. And with that, the timing is perfect. You’ve romanced them into your business.

Learn how to write ‘Love Declarations’ that romance your leads into clients at my Blogging for Business course – is the timing right for you to join us?