Leveraging The Talents Of Moms (Part I)

Nearly 70% of my clients are Moms - and most of those Moms are "Stay-at-home Moms".

The fact of the matter is Moms, specifically Stay-At-Home Moms, are one of the most undervalued, underutilized, untapped resources in our society. They work extremely hard each and every day running their mini-corporations, called families. But as I have found in my practice, they want more - they want to be produce more, interact with others, use their god-given talents and find a way to contribute to the marketplace and their needs at home.

Many of these Moms are HIGHLY motivated. Most have either a formal education or loads of business / life experience. And all of them know how to juggle more balls successfully than most of their counterparts in the marketplace.

The problem is their number one commitment is to their family - to their kids. And quite honestly, most businesses haven't learned how to tap into this resource without creating havoc in their business model. Sadly, I believe, this happens because most businesses (even women owned business) are more worried about filling seats in offices than actually producing quality.

Over the course of the next four days, I will be posting a series of articles on how businesses (small and large) can leverage the capability of Moms and how Moms can enhance their lives with additional income doing what they are already doing each and every day of their lives.

These topics include:

- An Untapped Marketing Resource - Moms, a networking machine.
- Win / Win for All Concerned - The talent pool is very deep and there is a desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
- A Balancing Act / Releasing the Guilt - Managing home responsibilities with commitments to business.
- Flexibility and Support - The key to working with Moms is understanding their situation and working with them / not against them - No short-term Deadlines.

An Untapped Marketing Resource

For Business Owners:

Throughout history, one of the most important assets in any business's tool box is their ability to network. Who you know. How well you know them. How well they know you. And who your friends know have all been the important concepts businesses must be able to leverage to grow effectively and penetrate any new market.

So have you spoken to a Mom lately?

Do you have any idea how big and influential their network is?

Whether it is your wife, your Mom, your sister-in-law, or your neighbor, they are an absolute networking machine. Between "play dates", school, preschool, Baseball, Softball, Boy and Girl Scouts, music lessons, the YMCA, local stores, and now with the introduction of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn, the Moms around you know more people . . . WELL, than you could dream of meeting in the next year. And this doesn't even account for the fact that Mom's have a natural elixir for building new with others - their kids.

Not to mention that the people that Moms know are other Moms - the real financial decision maker in most households.

If you are NOT tapping into the resources of the Moms in your life, finding ways to leverage their natural networking gifts then you are missing out on business opportunities beyond your wildest dreams. All you have to do is recruit these women and reward them for the work they are already doing - networking. Take advantage of what they know and who they know to build your business and reward them as they support you.

For Moms:

Stop thinking that you don't have value. As I just pointed out, the network you have has more value than you can imagine. People, including those that you know, are always looking for businesses that they can trust and that will take care of them.

Think about it . . . aren't you looking for the same?

And when it comes right down to it, who would you rather get a recommendation from . . . a friend of yours or some celebrity on a TV ad?

As a Mom, you have a unique opportunity to help businesses (particularly small businesses) grow and prosper simply by doing what you are doing every day. You know your neighborhood better than anyone else. You know the problems and struggles that every Mom is facing - whether she is a stay-at-home Mom or fully employed at an office. You know the services they need and the problems that can arise when those services aren't fulfilled properly. Leverage your gifts and turn them into income. Approach the businesses that seem to understand your struggles and work out a deal to generate strong leads for them - not as a sales rep, but as an affiliate.

Most small businesses are struggling right now with getting new customers to walk through their doors. If you can make that happen for them, by being an advocate, by being a cheerleader for them, you can earn some great money . . . simply by being you.

On the average, most businesses spend anywhere between 5-10% of their sales on marketing. If you are generating leads for them, you should be able to get at least that much for your efforts.

But don't stop at who you know today, build your network and grow it even stronger. Expand it - grow it - increase your influence by engaging with more and more people in your marketplace.

Some recommendations for growing your network include:

- Join clubs with your children
- Meet other parents at sporting events - talk to them, find what you have in common.
- Get involved at school
- Join the social networking sites - Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn
- Get in touch with old friends
- When picking up your kids at preschool or school, get there a couple minutes early and commit to meeting one new person every day - make them a friend. You don't have to be a close friend, but one that listens and understands their life.

Bottom line is that networking, the skill you most Moms take for granted, because it comes so natural with their lifestyle, is an amazing asset that can be leveraged for the benefit of all involved: small businesses, Mom, and all of the people that Mom knows.

Whether you are a small business owner of a Stay-At-Home Mom, you have an opportunity to help a lot of people - including yourself. Don't let that opportunity go un-rewarded.