Archive for February, 2011
8 Tips to Help You Become a Networking Guru!
Effective business networking is the bringing together of like minded individuals who, through relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.
Keep in mind that networking is about being bona fide, building trust, and seeing how your relationship can genuinely help others.
1. Always figure out before you even walk into a room, what your specific goals are in attending each networking meeting. This helps you to pick groups or associations that will help you get what you are looking for.
2. Ask open-ended questions during your networking conversations, questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how. Try to avoid questions that require a simple yes or no response. By using this line of questioning you can open us the discussion and show listeners that you are interested.
3. Become a walking resource centre. When you become known as a strong resource, others remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you at their “top of mind”.
4. Make sure you have your “elevator speech” prepared and know it like the back of your hand. An elevator speech is the commonly known as the response you would give in the amount of time it would take to reach the tenth floor in an elevator. Always rehearse your spiel and be genuine, so that you don’t sound automated when you relay it to someone who asks what you do.
5. Always know what is going on in current affairs, if you don’t feel comfortable just rolling into a spiel when you first meet someone, have a back up topic to break the ice until you do.
6. Never just throw your business card at someone the minute you meet them, you must get to know the person and their business as well as explaining your business before you even contemplate a business card exchange. Some people will find you rude, pushy and unprofessional which will in turn reflect badly on your business.
7. Always phone or email your new contacts and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them. If possible mention things that you discussed on a more personal note (i.e. I hope you enjoyed that movie you were going to see that night.) people will come to know you as someone who listens, remembers them and they will form a trust with you.
8. The most important thing to remember is to follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor their trust and your referrals will grow exponentially.
Because I Was A Sucker
I was chatting with a friend of mine recently, and we found ourselves on the subject of my website and ebook. I rambled on about how pleased I am with the way this project is going, and he asked me: “What got you involved with internet marketing in the first place?”
I thought about this question for a second, then gave him an honest answer. “I got involved in this business because I was a sucker.”
We both had a good chuckle at this. My friend laughed because my response caught him off guard, but I was laughing because what I said was true.
You see, I came to the wonderful world of net marketing without a shred of marketing experience. Sure, I had been a bit of an entrepreneur all my life, and even been self employed a few times, but I had no real idea of how to effectively promote a product, or even draft a business plan.
I was drawn to this niche by the residual effects of too many infomercials and “get rich quick” ads in the classified section of my local newspaper. Even before I owned a computer, I used to fantasize about making a ton of money with some “secret wealth system”.
I admit it folks.
I honestly believed there were “little known methods” that could make the average person rich with just a bit of hard work and an open mind. The mainstream population, I told myself, was just too brainwashed to accept these opportunities. All I needed to do was get myself a PC with an internet connection, tap into the right system, and I’d be on my way.
Yeah…
A few thousand dollars and countless hours of frustration later, I had a frightening thought. Had I been duped? Was all this internet marketing stuff just a scam?
Or… could it be… was it possible… that maybe I just wanted an easy way out, and was willing to believe in even the most ludicrous of proposals in a blind effort to find that golden opportunity that would have me basking on a beach somewhere while my replicated affiliate website did all the work for me?
Could I have been personally responsible for the wasted money and lost time, because I was buying into ideals that I knew deep down were nothing more that fluff and rubbish?
Ouch. Now there’s an uncomfortable thought. Sometimes the truth hurts.
The fact is, many people come to the land of biz opp affiliate programs and MLM systems in search of fast, easy money. In the end, just about every one of these desperate hopefuls ends up in one of the following situations.
1. They lose a ton of money and give up in complete frustration.
or…
2. They have a light bulb moment and realize how silly their original ideals were. Such moments of clarity are a fantastic opportunity to step back, change perspective, and have an honest look at where one might fit into the net marketing puzzle.
There is money to be made here. All kinds of different people have built successful businesses within this niche.
But these people are not the day dreamers, the star gazers, the whiners, or the suckers. They are marketers with clearly defined objectives, strong action plans, and tireless work ethics.
The good news is, even if you were a sucker coming into this business, every moment contains the possibility of a new beginning. I had my awakening after a few slaps in the face, and with the help of a few great people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. If you aren’t making any money with what you are doing, maybe you just need a new perspective.
3 Myths That Ruin Meetings
These myths have cost companies billions of dollars in wasted payroll money.
Myth #1) Structure spoils spontaneity.
I once attended a two-day long disaster that easily cost over $40,000. Thirty people spent the first hour seeking an issue to discuss, then spent the next 15 hours arguing over insolvable problems. When I asked the manager who called the meeting, “Where’s the agenda?” the reply was, “I didn’t want to spoil the spontaneity by imposing a structure.”
Reality: If spontaneity were a universally sound business practice we would build buildings without blueprints. Of course, no smart business leader works without a plan.
The Fix: Set a goal and then prepare an agenda. Ideally, this agenda should be so clear, complete, and specific that someone else could use it to lead the meeting to obtain the accomplish the goal.
Myth #2: Since it’s my meeting I should do all the talking.
Some meetings are run like a medieval court. The chairperson sits on a verbal throne while the subjects sit in respectful silence. The big talker justifies this by thinking: if the other people in the meeting knew anything worthwhile, they’d be leading the meeting.
Reality: If you’re the only one talking, you’re working too hard. In addition, realize that most people protect themselves from extended monologues by sending their thoughts off on a holiday. That is, no one is paying attention to you: they’re busy daydreaming, doodling, or dreaming.
The Fix: Convey large amounts of information by a memo or email. Then call a meeting based on participant driven activities that test or reinforce comprehension.
Myth #3: Meetings are free.
Most meetings are paid for with soft money. That is, it’s money that has already been spent for wages. In addition, no purchase request is necessary. No budget needs to be approved. All someone has to do is call a meeting.
Reality: Meetings are very expensive. They use people’s time, and payroll is the largest part of running a business. When people hold bad meetings, they waste the most important resource in a business – the time people that spend working to earn a profit for the company.
The Fix: Design meetings to earn a profit. After all, a meeting is a business activity, not a company picnic.
Learn more about Effective Meetings at: http://www.squidoo.com/OneGreatMeeting/