Networking Magic
YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that must be mastered. However, for those of you that are new to the networking game and the art of mastering it, please READ ON. While you do not want to be in a position at social function of hanging with the same person all night, if you really want to make your network work for you, there are some surefire tactics that you must employ. Networking is much more than simply handing out your business/calling card and moving to the next 'target' in the room. I am always so surprised by the number of people that exchange business cards and do not take advantage of the possibility of creating an instant marketing campaign. They hand over their business card, say a few words and move on without leaving an impression that would inspire you to tell others about them. Get away from the fallacy of believing that networking is about who you know. Master networkers know that the true power in your network is really about WHO KNOWS YOU! Learn to engage in meaningful dialogue with others and you will rapidly multiply the dispersion of your message. Going home with a pocket full of business cards is no indication of how strong your network is. You must implement strategies that will not only facilitate building a good network of people that know you but also create solid alliances with others. Below are 5 strategies that have helped me grow personally, professionally and take my businesses to new heights! Try one, two or all of them and be sure to drop me a note and share your success story. I would love to feature it in my next newsletter. -GRAB their Attention and Make'em Want to Listen!
Master your 30-second introduction! You must have something to say and know how to say it quickly and with impact! If you do not have the ability to articulate the brand you call you, get it in order before your next network mixer. There are three simple steps to creating a 30-second introduction. Don't miss the opportunity to have people know who you are by being unprepared to get their attention. If you missed my article last week, drop me a note and I'll get it to you ASAP. -Business/Calling Card Buzzzzz!
Put your business/calling cards to work for you! Business/calling cards are at the heart of the first introduction that you make with others. Ensure that your business card serves as a true marketing engine for you. Take the time to design an impressive card with a tagline or message that will get attention and make people want to contact you. Try using the front and back of the card to get your message across, however do not cram in too much information - leave some "white space." Business cards with visual clarity are more likely to be read AND kept for future reference. -Use Reverse-Networking not Empty Dialogue!
Don't waste your time or anyone else's with fruitless conversations that lead to nowhere! After giving your 30-second introduction, spark a dialogue that shows you have a true interest in understanding what it is that person does. This works much better than simply exchanging business cards and talking about yourself the entire time. Learn to ask probing questions-- something as simple as "So tell me what it is that you do" and following it up with "Hmmm, that sounds interesting, tell me more" is enough to initiate a meaningful not empty dialogue. People love it when you truly take an interest in what they have to offer. Besides this creates a memorable experience and when you contact them AFTER the event, you will have plenty of focused and dedicated time to really talk about what you do. It's a reverse networking tactic that has not only helped me build a network of people that know me but create some very meaningful alliances with others as well. -Use the 'Power of Introduction' to Extend that Buzzzz about You!
Take advantage of the "Stick and Move" strategy to create more buzz about you! Now that you understand and know something about the person that you just met, introduce them to someone else in the room that you know. Not only will you make a memorable (stick) impression, but it also allows you to make a brief introduction and keep it movin'. If you are a lone ranger and do not know anyone else at the event YET, let the person know that you will be following up with them in a few days because you have a colleague that you would like to introduce them to. Now?.you are really starting to have people know WHO YOU ARE and creating alliances with others as well. -Implement a Follow-up Campaign!
Get people to really know who you are! If you find that you are handing out plenty of business/calling cards but your phone isn't ringing ? there could obviously be several factors that contribute to this. However, one may very well be that you do not have an effective follow-up strategy ? if you employ one at all! Following up with those that you meet is imperative and may very well be the one strategy that gets you closer to your ultimate goal. Do not make a big deal out of follow-up. This only leads to procrastination and no follow-up. A quick and simple email a few days after the event just to express your pleasure in having met and extending an official invitation to keep in touch. That's it! Now you have started to establish an open AND welcomed relationship that could blossom into something at the NextLevel ? whatever that level may be for you! Felicia Davis is the Founder and Chief Visionary of WomenCEO Network ? a membership based organization for female entrepreneurs. To learn more about the network, please visit the website at http://www.women-ceo.com. USE MY NEW TESTIMONIAL LINE! I'm giving away FREE publicity! Use my Testimonial Line to record your comments on this article and get FREE publicity for your business -
Your comments will be heard by thousands of visitors to the WomenCEO Network website via our popular iAudio Network! What are you waiting for? ? Claim your FREE business publicity Today! 214-231-2905 Ext. 8914.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and generate leads. But it's also an excellent way to keep your brand name in front of customers, and to nurture leads until they become customers.
Peek a Boo - We See You -- 7 Trade Show Tips for Marketing Managers
Peek a Boo - We See You
Easy Marketing Methods with Letters, Post Cards, Referrals and Testimonials
Easy Direct Marketing Methods for Insurance Agencies
Small Business Marketing Tip - Get Attention and Be Remembered
We live in a world of noise ? not just auditory noise but total sensory overload. Everywhere we go marketing messages are shouting at us day and night. Hundreds of TV and radio stations, thousands of newspapers, magazines and books, millions of ezines, brochures, and leaflets, billions of emails and web pages. And unfortunately much of it is junk so it's hard to find the important stuff.
Free and Easy School Fundraisers | Elementary and High School Fund Raising Ideas
Parents are always looking for free and easy ways to improve their child's education. School funding plays a big part in the education that your child receives, especially if you are in a smaller school such as a church school or private, independently owned school. There are several school fundraising and fund raiser programs that a parent can participate in that will help with the goal of raising funding for their school. The following paragraphs describe some of the most easy, effortless and popular school fundraising ideas in which parents can participate:
1. Campbell's Labels for Education -- The Campbell's Labels for Education fundraising campaign has been around for many years and provides large amounts of funding to schools throughout the country each year. The process is simple -- simply peel off the labels of your Campbell's soups and turn them into your school. Your school will then send them in to Campbell's to redeem them for school funding. Also, did you know that all Campbell's labels aren't worth the same amount of money? I found that the Campbell's line of Chunky Chilis are actually worth 5 soup labels! Campbell's makes lots of other products that you can turn into your school for funding -- it's not just limited to soups! For more information on the Campbell's Labels for Education fund raising program and many of the Campbell's products that are worth funding for your school, visit the Labels for Education website.
2. General Mills Box Tops for Education -- This fund raising program is very similar to the Campbell's program listed above. Simply purchase any General Mills products with the Box Top for Education label on it, turn it in to your school, and they in turn will send it in for school funding. It's that simple. You can find out more about this fund raiser program by visiting the Box
Tops For Education website.
3. Scrip Advantage -- The Scrip Advantage fund raising program provides school funding through purchasing of gift certificates from popular retailers (such as Macy's, JCPenney's, Home Depot, Shell, Kroger, and Gap) nationwide that it has relationships with in large quantities and at a discount. Scrip Advantage then makes these gift certificates available to nonprofit organizations (in your case, your school) at a discounted rate. When your school sells these same gift certificates to its families and members at face value, the difference between the discount rate and face value is the school's weekly profit. There are hundreds of retailers on the list, and your school is probably already a participant in the program. Call your school office to find out of they are a participant and sign up! If they aren't have them visit the Scrip Advantage website for more details on this fund raising program.
4. Your Local Grocery Store ? Many grocery stores have fundraiser programs where they will donate a percentage of the money you spend for groceries to the school or organization of your choice. For instance, in my area there is a Food Lion store that has a card called the MVP card where you can get grocery items at a discount price if you are a MVP member. Then each time I shop at Food Lion and use my MVP card, a portion of my total grocery purchase will be donated to my school. It's that simple! Hey, we all have to eat, so why not benefit your school in the process, since it is so effortless! To see if there is a Food Lion in your area, visit the Food Lion website. If there isn't then check with your local grocery stores -- I'm sure at least one of them has a similar fund raising program.
5. Restaurant Benefit Night -- This is an idea that I think is great! Local restaurants (such as Fuddruckers, Chick-Fil-A and CiCi's Pizza to name a few) have a benefit night that provides funding to the school or organization of your choice. It works like this -- you go to the restaurant and when you order your food, tell them the organization that you would like them to fund. The restaurant then takes a percentage of your meal total and donates it to the school or organization of your choice for funding. Many restaurants have these types of fund raising programs, so next time you go, inquire about it and enjoy your food even more, knowing your are funding your school!
6. Department Store Contributions -- Did you know that you can provide school funding every time you use your department store card? For instance, Target offers a school fundraising program where for every purchase you make on their Target Visa or Red Card, they will donate a percentage to the school of your choice. All you have to do is link your card to the school of your choice through the Target website and they'll send the money to your school. Again, it's just that simple!
The paragraphs above list just a few easy and effortless school fund raisers and fund raising ideas. They don't require selling of candy bars, candles or pizzas (not that there's anything wrong with those fundraising ideas, but they require more effort), and they provide your school with funding year round, for buying items and things that you would normally buy anyway.
Good luck with your school fund raisers and fund raising!
Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker
Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. That's because speakers do more than just convey the overall meeting message. You look to them to provide insights, awareness, and cutting-edge information in an energetic, motivational, entertaining, and professional manner. What more could you ask for? Well, the right speaker can emphasize an important message, offer inspiration, help people cope with new assignments, and lead the way towards change.
Selecting the right speaker for your event is one of the most important, yet daunting elements for creating a successful meeting. Your speaker can often make or break the event. If he bombs, your reputation not only takes a severe nose-dive, but you also have the pleasure of dealing with the barrage of complaints from a disappointed audience. Yet, if he does well, you can walk away with many of the accolades, compliments, and of course, the rave reviews. By now, you probably realize that this massive responsibility is not to be taken lightly.
Raise Your Expectations
The skill to selecting a great speaker is determining what combination of education, motivation, and entertainment best fits your function. Then set out to find a perfect match. But keep your expectations high, since nothing can spoil a meeting faster than booking the wrong speaker. The following 10 guidelines should help you keep your focus and also keep you away from the "duds."
1. Know the program objectives. Before you can start looking for the right speaker, you must know the program objectives. Begin with the end in mind. What are you looking to achieve? Is this an annual meeting, a training program, an incentive get-together, an awards celebration, or another type of event? This will probably be a committee or management decision, rather than one you will have to make. But you may have to make an intangible concept tangible.
2. Understand the audience's needs. Along with the program objectives, consider the needs of your audience. Does your group need industry-specific or technical information? Will a mix of motivation and entertainment serve your group's purpose? Today's audiences are generally younger, more educated, more diverse, and more sophisticated than in the past. They want content. They want to learn, but they also want it to be fun, so consider the audience needs and exactly what they expect. Consider surveying your audience. Ask them what they want or what skills would most help them in their jobs. For example, sales people may ask for advanced selling skills, but managers may request teambuilding programs.
3. Check for reputation. With countless speakers out there vying for your business, how can you possibly determine which one best meets your needs? Many speakers produce highly professional or glitzy marketing materials to help sell their services. You must look deeper than simply scanning a few brochures and ask pointed questions to find the right fit, such as What experience does this speaker have? How familiar is this speaker with this industry? and, Who else has used this person?
4. "Test drive" your prospects. If you don't have the opportunity to preview a speaker in person, then the next best thing is to request a video or audio recording of a previous presentation. A session that was recorded before a live audience gives you a better sense of a person's real ability.Watch or listen carefully to how the speaker builds rapport and interacts with the audience. Ask yourself if this person would be right for your group. Is the combination of education, motivation, and entertainment appropriate for your needs? Does the speaker have a message that is appropriate, timely, and relevant to the theme or purpose of your event? Does it conform to your company's philosophy and policy? Do you feel the speaker is genuine and has the expertise to deliver a solid presentation?
5. Don't be star-struck. If you are considering celebrity speakers, make sure they can speak! TV personalities do a great job on the air, but sometimes have little public speaking expertise, and you should be aware that the skills needed for being on TV and for speaking live are very different. However, many well-known personalities make excellent speakers and can add enormous value and clout to your event. Politicians and sports, media, or entertainment celebrities often share life experiences, offer advice, or have an inspirational message to impart.
6. Be wary of grandiose claims. Speakers who claim to be all things to all people are probably desperate for work. Avoid them. True professional speakers, on the other hand, usually have certain areas or topics of expertise. They would much rather refer potential business to a true expert than jeopardize their reputation by trying to do a program outside of their knowledge zone. Also, beware of the charismatic and fluffy speaker as your audience wants good, solid take-away value.
7. Provide and ask for good information. Reputable speakers want to find out as much as possible about the meeting objectives, the audience, industry challenges, and so on in order to tailor their presentation to the group. Share information on your organization and audience to help the speaker design a program to fit your specific needs. provide them with newsletters, catalogs, or any other publications that highlight industry trends, key people, industry jargon or buzz words, and insider news and views.
Also include as much information as possible about the size and demographics of the audience such as age, gender, and positions.
8. Ask for an outline. Ask prospective speakers for an outline of the presentation to make sure they will be covering the material as you discussed. This will clearly lay out what's expected as verbal communication is subject to being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Seeing exactly what speakers plan to cover in the sessions should help to ensure that the material is tailored to your specific needs.
9. Maximize opportunities. Look for ways to maximize opportunities with your speakers. Discuss different ways they can add extra value and be a significant resource to help improve your meeting's success. Brainstorm ways that you feel they can assist you in planning, preparing, promoting, and presenting. Some suggestions include serving as an emcee, conducting special sessions or roundtable discussions about current issues for select groups such as company executives or the board of directors, and participating in a spouse program.
10. Trust your instincts. Through your communication with the speaker, you will quickly form an opinion or have a feeling about this person. First reactions count here. "I like this person" or "I don't like this person," or "I feel comfortable or uncomfortable working with this person," are strong indicators. These responses usually comes from your gut - a very trustworthy organ. Have confidence in your instincts and trust that so-called sixth sense. If you experience any kind of negative feeling, think about looking for someone else or get another opinion from a colleague. You want to make sure that you can work with this person and that both of you are on the same wavelength.
The true objective of hiring a professional speaker hinges on establishing a partnership where a mutually beneficial relationship grows and flourishes. When this happens, you know you've chosen well.
The Perfect Match
Overwhelmed with the plethora of speakers to choose from? You may want to turn to a speaker's bureau for advice and guidance. A good bureau should act as a consultant and partner to help your event succeed. Even though many hundreds of bureaus are out there, the numbers pale in comparison to the thousands of speakers. A bureau's sole purpose is simply to make your job easier and provide you with solutions. They want to find the best possible match for your event within your price range. So, where do go looking for one of these bureaus? Here are a few places to start your search: the phone book, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, the Internet, industry colleagues, and friends.
A Final Note:
Look for CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) or CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) designations. Both these are conferred by the National Speakers Association and are considered the speaking profession's international measure of professional platform skill (http://www.nsaspeaker.org).
Armed with these guidelines and resources, your search for the perfect speaker will be more fruitful. And with a little effort and some time, you will connect with a speaker who will fulfill your goals- one that will be both inform and enlighten. Your audience will thank you.
Trade Show Display Booth ? A Marvelous Contact System
Trade show booths are one of the best direct contact systems with end consumers. The face to face meeting opportunity with customers can provide some excellent results?provided you have a good communication strategy in place. Keep in mind that there are at least a hundred other advertisers at the same trade show vying for the attention of the consumer, you have a small window to make an impression on the persons mind. Here are some tried and tested strategies to implement to maximize your on-the-floor communication:
Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations
A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of their specific needs. It can communicate major benefits or features more clearly than words can.
Free Marketing Tips
Dumb Excuse #1
Advertising Campaigns That Get Results
"Advertising doesn't work." I hear it from my clients all the time. One client was about to file for bankruptcy because she wasn't getting a good response to her radio ads, and the cost was killing her. But she knew her target market was listening; she knew she needed to get her name out there to generate more business. What should she do?
Ten Crucial Questions
I'm a business coach. I've worked with hundreds of small, medium and very large business, and over the course of the past eleven years, I've asked my business coaching clients endless questions which have helped them achieve much greater levels of success than they would have otherwise. While the following may not be the only ten questions -- or even THE ten questions, they are ten questions that you must answer if you want your business to flourish. The right answers are critical to your company's future.
Judge Rules in Consultant?s Favor with 80-20 Rule
I opened the registered letter and was shocked. My best clients were joining together in a class-action suit against me. The letter stated that I had promulgated a false illusion of success by having them follow the 80-20 rule. It alleged that I brainwashed them into thinking that the 80-20 rule was a basic law of business and nature. They followed my advice and many of them had gone bankrupt.
Direct Mail - Dont Assume, Just Test and Track
Where to Start:
To Web or Not to Web?
Do I need a web site? That is the question often asked by business owners.
The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Advertising
Every business and professional practice MUST be in the public eye. You need customers! Folks need your goods and services -- it's a mutual alliance for mutual benefit! But if potential clients and customers don't know you exist, or can't find you, you will go bankrupt! They won't benefit from your services, and you won't make any money. So, marketing is a necessity. Advertising is one form of marketing, but it's terribly expensive. Here are the Top 10 alternatives:
Top 10 Tips To Market & Build Your Professional Practice
In building and running a professional practice (or any small business or a home-based business), there are many items that must be monitored closely. As a small operation, you can't afford to find out too late that a critical aspect of your business has gotten off-track! This list looks at 10 items to emphasize at the start of a new year, or any time you want to rapidly grow your business in a short period of time.
The 4 P s of Marketing: Effective Marketing Programs Depend On Them
There is no shortage of marketing programs, many with great profit potential. The challenge is to sift through and choose the ones that are right for your situation -- the ones that have the greatest potential to grow your business.
Direct Mail Still Works!
Direct Mail Campaigns
How to Measure the Benefit Your Product or Service Offers
Measuring the benefit of your product or service means putting a specific value on the advantage it offers. For example, it's ineffective to say your light bulbs are brighter and last longer than the competition's. You've got to let people know that they're 50% brighter and last two times as long! Your dry cleaning methods aren't just better, they're three times more likely to remove stubborn stains than traditional methods. Your chiropractic techniques aren't just effective, they're clinically proven to reduce back pain for 95% of patients. And so on.
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling ? Part 6
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling ? The Final Part
|
