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Add You - 3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Business With Networking
“A leader has two important characteristics; first he is going somewhere; second he is able to persuade others to go with him.”RobespierreHow many of the people who run professional firms have achieved their positions as a result of planned career development? Or through assessment centres, or their ability as leaders and managers? I wonder whether a large number are still there because of some family connection, who they know and bring to the firm as clients, length of service or revenues generated? This does not mean that there has to be a problem with those at the top as some will be capable and some will be natural leaders. However, how many could be better? When I have worked with groups in professional firms, the senior people have generally admitted to having no real training in leadership and often admit to lacking the skills. Those at lower levels commented about a lack of leadership, direction or support.Why does it matter
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more in
In the modern world of marketing there is much attention given to the media presentation of our business. Radio and Television advertising is important and part of an overall marketing presentation, but they can not completely replace the printed word for effective marketing. A brochure or a booklet giving the facts about your business has a place in the overall plan. The major problem with television and radio is that the messages are broadcast and then they are gone. They do not give the complete story in the same way that a printed brochure can do it. Often times they are forgotten while the printed booklet can be kept and read over and over.Brochure printing and booklet printed can be done in house with the aid of software specifically designed for this purpose. They can also be printed by an outside firm, and usually this is the better way to go. In many ways, your business will be judged not only by the content of your brochure, but also by its appea
Here are 3 easy and low cost ways to maximize your networking results:
1 - Follow-up
Usually, people like big events. They feel great when they enter a room packed with people. Big events are great if your goal is to get a bunch of business cards, but not if you are trying to get business. What do you do with all those cards? Be honest, most people put them on their desk or in a shoe box, eventually enter the information on their rolodex, but don’t do anything with them. Why? Because they collected so many that they are overwhelmed and don’t know how or where to start.. They just don’t have a follow-up system.
Statistics show that we need to hear or see a message at least 7 times in order to notice it. So if you follow up only 2 or 3 times you are losing business. A networking event is a way of introducing yourself and starting a relationship with the people you meet. It is definitely not a place to sell. That is why so many people are confused – they missed the point and wanted to sell right away. You may get a client after an event but usually networking takes time, patience and consistency.
That is why it is important not only to have a follow-up system but to have a 7 step follow-up system in place.
• Send an email in the next 24 hours.
• Send a thank you note (in this age of technology, sending a handwritten thank you note will make you stand out from the crowd).
• Send a postcard
• Send articles or information related to their industry
• Use direct mail
• Send a newsletter
• And of course, call them
Be creative in order to follow-up and differentiate yourself from others, especially from your competitors. Stand out from the average entrepreneurs. Be unique!
2 – Join a networking group. Choose the best format for you.
Personally I prefer small events because I get more business out of it. That is why with Biba4Network most of my events are limited to 15 people. Even if sometimes I organize mixers - where I have 30 to 60 people - as a way of spreading the word and bringing everybody together. But small groups allow you to: start a relationship right away, have the time to really introduce yourself and your business, which is more efficient than speaking with somebody for 3 seconds, giving your card to them and then going on to the next person.
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more int
“It’s the same old tissue, honey, it doesn’t make a difference, ok? It’s still going to work the same way”, my exasperated husband hissed into my ear as I grabbed cartons after cartons of some ‘designer’ tissue. DESIGNER TISSUE! Hah, can you even hear me say that? I can’t believe I actually wrote ‘designer tissue’. So, yes, for a graphic designer and writer who knows all about the kind of effort one puts into packaging and branding products, I sure fell for it. All the hoopla. The shenanigans. The ‘suck ‘em in with good copy and fab color combo’. Hey, I am still a consumer, remember that. I am entitled to fall for nice packaging, I have a prevailing right to be human.But they are so pretty…the packaging. I swear!They have the ‘nature lover’ packaging, the ‘fruity’ packaging, the ‘woman on the go’ packaging, and then they have the ‘kids’ packaging. I grabbed 4 of each design packages and made a run for the counter with them with my screaming kids and
Statistics show that we need to hear or see a message at least 7 times in order to notice it. So if you follow up only 2 or 3 times you are losing business. A networking event is a way of introducing yourself and starting a relationship with the people you meet. It is definitely not a place to sell. That is why so many people are confused – they missed the point and wanted to sell right away. You may get a client after an event but usually networking takes time, patience and consistency.
That is why it is important not only to have a follow-up system but to have a 7 step follow-up system in place.
• Send an email in the next 24 hours.
• Send a thank you note (in this age of technology, sending a handwritten thank you note will make you stand out from the crowd).
• Send a postcard
• Send articles or information related to their industry
• Use direct mail
• Send a newsletter
• And of course, call them
Be creative in order to follow-up and differentiate yourself from others, especially from your competitors. Stand out from the average entrepreneurs. Be unique!
2 – Join a networking group. Choose the best format for you.
Personally I prefer small events because I get more business out of it. That is why with Biba4Network most of my events are limited to 15 people. Even if sometimes I organize mixers - where I have 30 to 60 people - as a way of spreading the word and bringing everybody together. But small groups allow you to: start a relationship right away, have the time to really introduce yourself and your business, which is more efficient than speaking with somebody for 3 seconds, giving your card to them and then going on to the next person.
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more in
Success in business and in life comes to those who can sustain energy, creativity and passion in the midst of continual change, stress and competition. Information overload leaves us struggling to sustain that passion and drive and achieve the work/life balance that is essential to our growth and well-being. We are being bombarded with information every day and are working in different environments that require more accountability and have higher expectations than 10 years ago.Individual and organizational resilience is needed now more than ever. Webster’s Dictionary defines resilience as the ability to recover from misfortune or change. Mike Jay, author of CPR for the Soul and Founder of Leadership University defines it as “the integrated power to persist when things don’t work out at first; to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty; to transcend common problems and barriers and to anticipate the future in a sustainable way.”According to Albert Ba
That is why it is important not only to have a follow-up system but to have a 7 step follow-up system in place.
• Send an email in the next 24 hours.
• Send a thank you note (in this age of technology, sending a handwritten thank you note will make you stand out from the crowd).
• Send a postcard
• Send articles or information related to their industry
• Use direct mail
• Send a newsletter
• And of course, call them
Be creative in order to follow-up and differentiate yourself from others, especially from your competitors. Stand out from the average entrepreneurs. Be unique!
2 – Join a networking group. Choose the best format for you.
Personally I prefer small events because I get more business out of it. That is why with Biba4Network most of my events are limited to 15 people. Even if sometimes I organize mixers - where I have 30 to 60 people - as a way of spreading the word and bringing everybody together. But small groups allow you to: start a relationship right away, have the time to really introduce yourself and your business, which is more efficient than speaking with somebody for 3 seconds, giving your card to them and then going on to the next person.
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more in
If you have a home based business or a family business, you probably cannot afford to hire a professional copywriter to create your advertising. However, you still need to advertise your business, so how can you make it as effective as possible? One thing you must never do is try to create a fancy advertisement. The instructor of a class of students learning to be copywriters said, "Creativity is not a positive virtue for an advertising copywriter. Whether it is a print, on-line or broadcast ad, when you ask a potential customer what he thought of the advertisement, you do not want him to say it was exceptionally creative. Instead, you want him to say it made me want to buy the product right now."Here are five advertising tips that you may use to help make your advertisements much more effective.1. Customers want believable proof that your product is better than the product they are currently using. Let people know how good your product or service i
• Send a postcard
• Send articles or information related to their industry
• Use direct mail
• Send a newsletter
• And of course, call them
Be creative in order to follow-up and differentiate yourself from others, especially from your competitors. Stand out from the average entrepreneurs. Be unique!
2 – Join a networking group. Choose the best format for you.
Personally I prefer small events because I get more business out of it. That is why with Biba4Network most of my events are limited to 15 people. Even if sometimes I organize mixers - where I have 30 to 60 people - as a way of spreading the word and bringing everybody together. But small groups allow you to: start a relationship right away, have the time to really introduce yourself and your business, which is more efficient than speaking with somebody for 3 seconds, giving your card to them and then going on to the next person.
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more in
When tested quality programs such as Six Sigma are implemented the right way, process improvement in a company can result in tangible gains within 3 to 6 months. Employees feel satisfied and ultimately, the shareholders also benefit from the overall results. While it is possible for business owners to study quality initiatives and effect changes within their organization on their own, sometimes an external consultant with expertise in Six Sigma might be the best person to help lead the change. Consultants are immune to a company's internal politics and have the advantage of exposure to information and best practices from other companies where they have implemented the procedure.Choosing The Appropriate ConsultantSelecting the right Six Sigma Consultant is a vital decision that can have a tremendous effect on your business. Ways to assess a Six Sigma consultant include checking if their experience is relevant, if their track record is successful, if
Recently, I attended an event, where there were about 80 people. I thought I was actually joining a more intimate group but it was too late to leave. So I decided that my goal would be to speak with 5 people so that way I would have the time for a real conversation. While I was speaking with somebody, a woman came up to me, interrupted our conversation and said, “I just wanted you to have my card.” She put her card in my hand and left. She didn’t introduce herself, tell me her name or find out who I was or what I did. But apparently her goal was to give out as much business cards as she could during the event. Not only is this attitude very rude but it is also totally useless. However, I thought that maybe she was new to networking and didn’t know how it works so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. The next day I sent her an email to follow-up, to get a chance to learn more about her business. Guess what! She never returned my email and of course never called. So what is the purpose? No wonder so many people say that networking is not working.
To achieve better results in networking, join a minimum of two groups and commit to it instead of trying to go to every event and meet people only once. Being committed to a group will help you to build a relationship, learn about people, trust them and then do business with them. When you get to know and trust them you will either work with them directly if you need their products or services, or you will give them referrals because you know that if you send people to them they will be satisfied with the result. And you don’t want to be in a position to refer somebody to someone else whose work is bad, as this will have a negative impact on your reputation.
3 – Create strategic alliances
Would you rather meet a thousand people, one at a time, or meet a few people who will each introduce you to a thousand. Most people see networking events as a place to get contacts one at a time or make one sale at a time.
Now think about this. What about looking for people who have the same target market as you, but are not your competitors, and offer great complementary products or services to you. So that working with them will be a great opportunity to access their clients or mailing list. You can cross-promote each other, you can organize events together, you can do a mailing campaign together, it is a win/win
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