Plan to include more time to network with fellow professionals and potential clients this year.

Business may be "busier" than ever, but don’t allow yourself to be trapped indefinitely in your office. Get out from behind your desk and talk to managers, employees, fellow profession¬als, existing clients, and new clients. Resolve to expand your business and social circles in the upcoming year by including regular networking time in your schedule.

Join a group or two. Visit a few local networking and industry groups, mingle with the members, and choose a group that best suits you and best meets your needs. Some groups meet on a weekly or monthly basis while others may have fewer meetings in a year. Some are more lead-oriented and may place a limit on the amount of members that can represent one field. Groups such as this can offer the opportunity to be the only business provider in your industry, but you should also be prepared to spend time generating leads for others in your group. Some are regional and may include a variety of fields, but place no limits on the number of members. You may have some competition in the room, but there is likely to be a deeper pool of potential clients and there may be more scheduled time to net¬work. Joining an industry group can also help build business. You may get invaluable advice from networking with others in your industry or combine forces with another professional to land a larger joint project, branch out in a new direction, or put pressure on com¬mon suppliers for better service or lower costs.

Attend a conference. Conferences can be a great way to make new business contacts across the country and across the globe. Attend a conference to pick up some new skills or learn about current trends in your industry, but also plan to make a few new contacts with other attendees while you’re there, and then continue that contact via e-mail, telephone, or over a cup of coffee.

Network in social settings. Networking can be fun. Don’t limit yourself to networking groups and conferences. Network while you go to the gym, stand in line at the grocery; attend a holi¬day or cocktail party, or pursue a hobby or activity you enjoy. You never know where your next lead will come from, so expand your networking beyond people you know or plan to get to know and make an effort to get to know the person who happens to be in front of you.

Set aside a few minutes a day to strengthen and expand your net¬work. A few minutes a day is all it takes to stay in touch with the people in your database. Executives who spend a few min¬utes a day calling or e-mailing colleagues, vendors, and other business associates have an advantage. Networking can pro¬vide business leads, and keep informed about current trends. It’s also a great method to fill a vacancy in your company or help out your associates.

My species (business advisor) constantly implores our clients to take advantage of the most cost effective and marketing effective method of marketing - networking.  Few of our clients really use networking to their advantage, so here are some tips…

The easiest and quickest marketing tool, and often the first impression a customer may have of you, is about 3.5" by 2", and it is probably the most often overlooked. Using your business card as a marketing tool takes a little forethought and just a few seconds of your time.

Have your card printed professionally. Avoid using "do-it-yourself’ perforated, laser or inkjet printed cards. They do not have the profession¬al edge that a printer and designer can provide. A designer and printer can help create a unique look and suggest a quality card stock.

Maximize space. It costs very little to print on both sides of a card, so consider using the back of your card as well. Include all personal contact information on the front, your logo (if you have one), and a short tagline that highlights a specialty or strength. Use the reverse side to inform cus¬tomers about what you do and why they should use your services.

Hand out two cards, or more. If you’re handing out a card to a client or future customer, why not make it two or three? Ask them to pass your card along to a friend or business acquaintance that may need your ser¬vices. Hand out cards to friends and family, business contacts and associ¬ates. The cards will do more for you in the hands of others than they will if they remain in your back pocket.

Mail it. With every letter you mail, mail one or two business cards. This keeps your name in your customer’s hands and also gets your name in the hands of future customers.

Business Card Etiquette: Did you know that it is considered impolite to write on someone’s card before asking permission, espe¬cially in Asia? Always hand someone your card, and use two hands if possible. When receiving a card, it is considered good form to take a moment to read it before putting it in a safe place.
 

Advertising, as well as prospecting new clients, is not a one-and-done kind of thing. You have to break through the daily clutter to get noticed and then you have to reinforce it again and again. If you don’t, you are just wasting your time.

As a business advisor I recommend that when you decide on a campaign, be a prospecting campaign or a marketing campaign, make sure you understand that it is for the “long haul”.

I have had this list for many years (I think it is from the 1930’s, but it holds true today) and I recently saw it on the internet somewhere so I dug it out of my archives and wanted to share it with you.

ADVERTISING
1. The first time a man looks at an ad, he doesn’t see it.

2. The second time, he doesn’t notice it.

3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it.

5. The fifth time, he reads the ad.

6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"

8. The eighth time, he says, "Here’s that confounded thing again!"

9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

10. The tenth time, he will ask his neighbor if he has tried it.

11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it.

12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

13. The thirteenth time, he thinks it might be worth something.

14. The fourteenth time, he remembers that he wanted such a thing for a long time.

15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it someday.

17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum of it.

18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys the article or instructs his wife to do so.

Occasionally I reprint articles I find interesting from other authors, this one is fro mone of my favorite newsletters – Early to Rise and is by Ilise Benun

You already know that you must follow up with people you meet at business functions. This is Networking 101. But it bears repeating, because no matter how well we understand the importance of follow-up, few people actually do it.

Maybe you think you’re too busy to follow up. Or you lose new business cards (they are tiny and easy to lose) in the piles on your desk. Or maybe you suffer from blank screen/blank mind syndrome.

The fact is, it takes no more than a few minutes to compose a short e-mail to a brand-new contact. Yes, it’s possible that the other person won’t remember what you discussed. He may even have forgotten talking to you at all. But don’t let those "what ifs" prevent you from making contact. When you’re sitting in front of a blank computer screen with a stack of cold business cards, push yourself to make the effort to write a short note. That way, your e-mail address and message will be in the other person’s inbox to jolt his memory.

Set the foundation for follow up while you’re talking. Note anything unusual about the other person or the work he does, any details or specifics that you might forget. As soon as your conversation ends, jot down a few notes on the back of his business card - ideas about what to say when you follow up, the link you promised to send or the resource you want to pass along.

And then say goodbye to blank screen/blank mind syndrome.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
 

I came across this article on networking in one of my favorite newsletters – Early To Rise – and thought I would pass it along.

Networking Tip: Make First Impressions Count
By Michael Masterson
According to Nicholas Boothman, author of How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less, what you do in the first few minutes of every personal encounter determines how people will respond to you later on. First impressions do count, Boothman believes, more than most people realize.

I agree. And it’s not just the very first impression. It’s the first impression you give each and every time you greet someone. So each and every time you encounter a friend, family member, or business associate, do the following:
1. Make yourself feel positive and allow that feeling to be reflected in the way you hold yourself.
2. Make eye contact. Always look the other person directly in the eye, even if only for a moment.
3. Be the first to smile. Let your smile, as well as your body language, show that you’re happy to see him.
4. Make your "Hi!" or "Hello!" sound sincerely welcoming.
5. Take the lead. Extend your hand first.
6. Shake his hand strongly. Shake it like you mean it. Remember, your handshake provides an instant message about you. Are you an important person? A friendly person? Someone who can be trusted? Answers to these questions - and more - can be conveyed by your handshake. Ask a few trusted friends or colleagues to check out your handshake. Make sure the signals you are giving are those you intend. If they aren’t, make changes.
7. Lean toward him. An almost imperceptible forward tilt will very subtly indicate your interest in and openness to the other person.

[Ed. Note: Take advantage of Michael's advice whenever you meet people who could be important to your career - when, for example, you attend events like this year's Info Marketing Bootcamp. And for more of his tips on how to present yourself in a positive way, pick up a copy of Power and Persuasion.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

I ran across this article on networking in one of my favorite newsletters – Early To Rise – and thought I would pass it along.

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you."
- Dale Carnegie

Are You Listening?
By Ilise Benun
Everyone tells my friend Andy that he is a good listener … because he doesn’t say much. And I’m thinking the reason he doesn’t say much is because, well, he’s not really listening.

He may start off by asking great questions and listening to the answers, but his mind wanders. You can see it in his eyes. Maybe he’s thinking about what he’s having for dinner. Maybe he’s thinking about his girlfriend. Maybe he’s even imagining that the person he’s talking to thinks he’s a complete bore.

Whatever is going on in his head, Andy misses out on a lot because of it - like new project opportunities or suggestions that could help him improve his business. But he’ll never know.

Listening is one of the most valuable skills a businessperson can develop. And all it requires from you is to be attentive. To be curious, sincerely curious. To ask questions because you are genuinely engaged in the conversation and interested in the person in front of you. To be willing to take in new information and ideas and act on what you hear.

You needn’t advise, coach, or even sound wise. All you have to do is sit there and take in what’s being said - which, for some people, turns out to be a pretty tall order.
 

Here are some concrete suggestions to help you build your listening muscle:

1. Be open. Being open means forgetting (or at least setting aside) everything you know about the person or the topic and listening with every ounce of your attention.

2. Be interested. Most people try to be interesting when they should be interested. To be a truly successful communicator, you must be curious about and fascinated by the way another person’s mind works. You must want to understand others, to know more about what they think and feel.

3. Don’t be distracted. Give your full attention to the conversation. Don’t let your eyes wander if someone enters the room or passes by. Don’t answer your cellphone. Don’t check your watch. These are all signals to the other person that what he’s saying isn’t important to you.

4. Don’t interrupt. Resist the urge to respond immediately to something the other person says. Learn how to hold your thoughts until it’s your turn. Speaking just for the sake of speaking won’t add to the conversation. It’s more likely to derail it.

5. Reveal yourself. Being a good listener doesn’t mean all you do is listen. A good listener also reveals information about himself that makes the other person feel more comfortable about opening up. For example, if someone tells you about a struggle he is having, wait until he finishes. Then, without shifting the focus onto yourself, respond with a bit of information about a similar struggle of your own.

6. Ask unexpected questions. Don’t ask a question you think you know the answer to. Ask "Why?" or "Why not?" Use unexpected questions to find out what makes the other person tick. You may get an unexpected response that could take the conversation on a more interesting path.

7. Ask for clarification. You are not a mind reader. If the other person uses jargon or terms you don’t understand, or makes statements that confuse you, ask, "When you say ____, what do you mean?" Or, "Can you expand or give me an example of ____?"

8. Take advantage of an occasional lull in the conversation. Don’t feel that you have to fill in a moment of silence with a forced question or comment. Hold back … and see what the other person will reveal.

Most people listen with the intent to reply. But it’s better to listen with the intent to understand. If you listen with the intent to reply, you’ll spend your time thinking about what you’re going to say next, and you’ll miss what the other person is telling you. If you listen with the intent to understand, you will hear more - not only what they are actually saying but also what they are implying.

Nothing affects the quality of your relationships more than your willingness to listen to others. Start listening better today, and you could see big changes in your personal and business life - better friendships, more (and better) clients, more respect, and more attention when you speak, too.

[Ed. Note: Ilise Benun is the author of Stop Pushing Me Around: A Workplace Guide for the Timid, Shy, and Less Assertive

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
 

Not matter what kind of business you have; referrals are the warmest contact you can get. When you’re meeting someone, whether for the first time or not, (at a networking event, in your establishment, in the drug store line or wherever) always treat them with respect and courtesy.

They may not be a prospect, but you don’t know who they know. Everyone knows 50,100, 200 or more people and those people (The 250) may need your help, your product or they can help you.

After a recent networking event I was talking with a young man who was disappointed in the event, he told me "these people won’t do my business any good". I asked him if he thought that his persona came off that way, in other words was he dismissive of them. Not necessarily in his words but also in his body language and actions.

Did he know their circle of 25O?

Could someone in their circle be a prospect, partner, or referral source for him?

From the look in his eyes and his closed body language, he had already dismissed me, he had that look of "Yeah right", while his more experienced partner told us that exploiting the Circle of 250 was exactly how he had built and sold two businesses.

Be in the moment, that person in front of you at that moment is the most important person in the world at that time.

When I send an email blast out to the 4,000 associates in my consulting body, asking for help or a particular expertise, frequently the replies come back along the lines of "I have a client / partner / friend / vendor who can help". So I figure that instead of having the power of 4,000 associates I really have the power one million plus.

Who do you know?

How big is your circle?

Click here to down a copy of this article.