Copy Righted Articles

Breaking In
There are several ways to do that. One way is the lesson learned from shy people: arrive within fifteen minutes of the appointed hour. That way the room is not full of already formed groups. When we do see many groups in any room, find the group with three or more people who look and sound like they are having a good time. Stand in the periphery and when acknowledged step in and respond. BONUS TIP: When you see someone in your group’s periphery, step back. In doing so, you will have included the excluded and that is memorable.

Gracious Exits
Parting is such sweet sorrow but we must exit and move on.

Exit One
After an interesting conversation, interrupt yourself, indicate the conversation was pleasant, interesting, and informative and offer a phrase or sentence that summarizes the conversation. Offering a hand for a handshake, signals “the end”. One colleague smiles and says, “I could monopolize your time but you must want to meet others.” It works for her.

Ask for a card if appropriate and offer one of yours. Then walk a quarter of the room over to another individual or group so your conversation partner won’t think you just turned your back.

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The first is that 75% of the respondees, people whom I considered to be great conversationalists, still thought of themselves as SHY. I was shocked. Several of my surveyed admitted to working through shyness but still feeling so uncomfortable. Could have fooled me! In fact, they did. They worked through it sooooo well that I found them to be exemplary at conversation.

The second result was not surprising as much as it was confirming. NOT ONE of my identified great chatters put down “small talk”. To a one, they saw it as a way of getting to know people, put them at ease and find common ground.

Not to sound Socratic, but my deduction is clear— “therefore, only crappy conversationalists denigrate small talk.”

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If we want to be successful, we don’t get to choose whet­her or not to develop and enhance our conversational prowess. SCHMOOZE OR LOSE is the rule for both personal and professional success.

Formal research from Harvard to Stanford and places in between supports my informal findings that the ability to converse and communicate is a key factor in success. A survey of managers sponsored by the National Association of Colleges and Employees rated “oral communication skills” as the most important.

As corporations continue to merge, jobs disappear and industries are off-shored, we need conversation and communication more than ever before. Networks of loyal customers and relationships become pivotal. We not only establish, develop, and nurture those relationships by our actions, but also by our exchanges and our conversation.

PAY ATTENTION is the watchword for this century. Pay attention to projects, to details, to trends, and most of all to people.

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As you go about your daily life you will find clues every day about people who might be interested in your business opportunity.

The same lesson I used to teach in Head Start to the children when crossing the street can apply to your recruiting and team building efforts for your business.

STOP LOOK & LISTEN
The teaching we give small children when learning basic life lessons about crossing the street can apply here. While we are far removed from our Pre-Kindergarten years, we are on the “street of life”. Every step we take is a pathway to building our business. Lifestyling our business and following those three simple steps could yield lots of clues and open the doors to sharing your opportunity.

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Purchasing Leads to grow a networking business does not work. Most of these leads (prospects) have no interest in a networking business. I speak from experience and thousand of dollars blown here.

Your sponsor maybe making a fortune selling you worthless leads. Who knows - they may be from the phone book! But some people figured out a way to create an income on-line by providing information people want.

This is like fishing. When we give the fish what they want - they bite! When we provide people with what they want - they will buy! When you provide the right bait - people will come to you like metal to a magnet, like fish to a worm, like a bee to honey!

Students spend a fortune (or parents do) on education so they may get a good paying job in their field of interest. Business people spend a lot of money to continue their education through workshops, seminars, books and CD’s.

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The concept of the Mastermind Group was formally introduced by Napoleon Hill in the early 1900’s. In his timeless classic, “Think And Grow Rich” he wrote about the Mastermind principle as:

“The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”

In a Mastermind Group, the agenda belongs to the group, and participation is key. Your peers give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities, and set up accountability that keeps you focused and on track. You create a group of like minded members who will brainstorm together to move the group to new heights.

You’ll gain tremendous insights, which can improve your business and personal life. Your Mastermind Group is like having an elite staff of executives.

You can start out sharing an issue, success or breakthrough and this can be a personal or business example. The group can also focus on an area where members may need support on, so everything is not always focused on the simple things. The Mastermind Group should is there to help the group stay focused, motivated and inspired.

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In the contemporary scenario no business can work as an isolated identity. Every business whether big or small, has to work in coordination with the people associated with it. Each business organisation has its own interest groups like consumers, suppliers, distributors, employees, shareholders, clients and several others to take care of. Each of them holds a certain level of importance to the business. But there is one set of interest group that holds more importance than others for an organisation and that is its clients. Any one who is in the business will know what clients mean to any business. It is these clients that form the ultimate link for a business. All the activities and the risk that a business undertakes are ultimately for these clients. For any company to successfully perform its job it needs the cooperation of its clients.

Considering the importance that clients hold for a business it becomes extremely important to maintain cordial relationships with clients. A satisfied and happy set of clientele is the most important pre-requisite for a business. There is no denying the fact that a strong client relationship is extremely crucial for any business. But the big question here is that what can an organisation do to build strong client relationships? Long boring speeches at annual meetings and conferences can be an option but they quite often fail to deliver much result. A great way to strike a great business relationship with your clients could be through promotional note pads.

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Here is my personal list of things to do at your networking group:

(1) Bring your business cards. Sound simple? Well, I regularly meet people at networking groups who have forgotten their cards or their cards are at the printers. Keep an ample supply in your car, briefcase, and pockets; you never know when you’re going to meet someone important to your business.

(2) Wear a name tag. While attending a networking meeting, it is not realistic to expect to remember each person’s name and the business they represent. If your nametag says what you do, it makes meeting you, and remembering you later, a lot easier. A nametag can also stimulate conversation about your business.

(3) Door Prizes. At many networking groups, there is an opportunity to give away a door prize. This type of promotion is two-fold. First; your product or service will get mentioned in a special way with lots of attentive people listening. Second; the winner will have an experience of your product or service and may tell others within the networking group. Note-the door prize does not have to be expensive. Regardless of the price, your business will still be acknowledged-thus, getting more exposure.

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Every business needs an effective marketing strategy and most business owners would admit this. However, they may not question whether or not their own strategy is, indeed, an effective one. Stop for a moment and just consider what would happen if your business had no decent advertising. The answer is quite simple, most businesses would fail very quickly without an effective marketing strategy.

The Importance of a Business Card
You may not consider a business card as a marketing tool, but it can be a very effective and versatile one. Your business card offers an introduction to your company to prospective clients while at the same time enhancing you as a professional. If you don’t already have a business card, you definitely need one.

Branding With Business Cards
A business marketing plan will usually incorporate a range of strategies including direct selling and branding. Direct selling focuses on increasing market share and profitability by selling your products and services. Branding is a way of differentiating your business from your competitors.

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