As every entrepreneur knows, referrals are the lifeblood of small business. Events hosted by professional associations, college alumni groups and your local chamber of commerce are the perfect opportunity to expand your network of professional contacts.  Networking leads to a direct increase in the number of referrals you receive for new customers, earning you new business.  Yet as a business coach, I’ve learned that small business owners rarely take the time to attend networking functions.

There are three key reasons that networking for referrals makes good business sense-especially for entrepreneurs:

1.  Referrals come to you pre-sold.

When a network contact sends you a referral, they’ve already done a good part of the selling for you.  This is a fantastic concept if you don’t enjoy prospecting for new business.  With every networking event you attend, have a goal of meeting new people whose business contacts complement yours.  With a robust network, you’ve got your own pro-bono sales force enthusiastically working for you seven days a week.  You couldn’t build a better sales team than that!

2.  Trust is built faster with a referred client.

A key buying motivation with every consumer is reducing risk.  No one wants to feel they’ve made a poor buying decision.  A prospect who has been referred to you sees you as a friend of a friend, so you are instantly viewed as trustworthy.  A referred customer feels more comfortable during the buying process and tends to purchase more.

The social aspect of networking events is designed to build trust and friendships among business contacts.  When attending functions look for ways to assist others in their business-growth objectives, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by professionals eager to send business your way as well.

3.  Referrals clone more referrals

For long-term revenue growth, nothing beats the multiplying effect of referrals bringing new business directly to you. Your reputation for quality and integrity grows with each new “generation” of referred business.  The loyalty factor helps protect you against the fads and gimmicks of your competitors.

Remember that each new referred client has their own circle of influence that represents a whole new door of networking opportunities for you.  Find out what professional or social groups your new clients are involved in and offer to provide a short seminar, presentation, or article content for its newsletter.  Your valuable insight will win you the enviable reputation of “expert in your field” within that group.  And when they need assistance, you’ll be the one they call.

The time you spend building relationships within your professional network pays off better in long-term revenue growth than any other marketing strategy.  Instead of thinking of networking events as a chore, think of them as a chance to put more money in your pocket.  The old adage, “Work smarter, not harder,” certainly applies when it comes to networking.

To find great networking opportunities, keep an eye on the schedules published by your local professional association, chamber of commerce and business newspapers.  Once you are at an event talk to as many people as possible about your business; it may surprise you how often they need your services or know someone else who does.  Dedicate time each week to meet with others in networking activities, and you’ll see your referral business grow in ways you never thought possible.

—————————————————-
Deborah Walker, veteran coach and revenue building expert helps entrepreneurs and small business owners to improve sales, revenue and profits. Her long-term experience as small business owner provides insight on avoiding the pitfalls of starting, growing and maintaining a small business enterprise.

You’ve probably heard the old expression, the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts. This concept proves
itself over and over with the exponential power of the
Mastermind Group. The idea of a mastermind collective was
formally coined in Napoleon Hill’s classic book, “Think and
Grow Rich.” Hill wrote, “No two minds ever come together
without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible
force, which may be likened to a third mind.”

Today, more and more people are harnessing the power of the
Mastermind Group to help them think bigger. This concept
can be applied to business, social causes, politics,
relationships, health, and artistic endeavors. Combining
the abilities of multiple individuals to solve problems,
brainstorm ideas, seek solutions, and develop strategies
creates greater results than going it alone as a “lone
ranger.”

The size of a Mastermind can range from two to eight
members. Any more than that can get chaotic. The group can
meet in person if they are in a similar geographic
location. Or if the Masterminders live in different states
or countries, they can also meet via a bridge line. The
members of the group make a commitment to show up regularly
and to contribute to each others’ success.

The types of groups can be as varied as your imagination.
However, compatibility is vital to the success of the
group. Members should have similar interests and/or should
be at a similar “level.” For example, participants can be
in a similar area of business like realtors or life
coaches. Or the group’s members can have a common goal like
writing a book, building an Internet subscriber list, or
losing 30 pounds.

In this way, stronger bonds are formed and the group
creates win-win situations for all of its members. When
selecting members, only invite participants who have a
strong desire to succeed and a demonstrated ability to
contribute. Your group will be the most successful when you
have members who are passionate about Masterminding.

If you want to start your own Mastermind Group, here are
some guidelines:

1) Define the purpose to the group: What will your
objectives be when you meet? What do you want to accomplish
together? For instance a Mastermind of college students
could set a goal of academic excellence.

2) Decide on the groups’ ground rules: What is acceptable?
And how will the ground rules be enforced? One of the
groups was extremely committed to attendance and promptness
- we decided that if a person was late showing up for a
call, he or she paid $1 per minute to your charity of
choice. Miss the whole meeting and it was $60.

3) Determine the structure of the groups’ time together:
You can have an agenda and a facilitator. Or, you can
rotate leadership. You can have freely-flowing
conversation. You can also decide to have closely monitored
time frames for each person to speak.

4) Plan the groups’ logistics: Where, how often, and how
long will you meet? When will your group start and when
will it be completed? For instance, one of my Mastermind
groups met every week for one hour for a period of four
months.

5) State wants and needs: Mastermind groups can only reach
their full potential if each member is willing to think big
and ask powerful questions. At your meetings, each
Mastermind group member can tell the group exactly what he
or she wants – the member does not have to know how it will
be accomplished. Case in point, a group member might start
off – “This is Jane. I am facing a problem in my business
[describe] and I need the group’s ideas on how to solve
it.” Another group member might say, “This is Tyler. I want
the group to help me develop a strategy to make me an
additional $100,000 in my consulting business this year.”

6) Commit to contributing: Your Mastermind group’s success
depends on you. Make a commitment to listen carefully, be
present, show up on time, and fully support your fellow
Masterminders. In this way, you exponentially increase the
groups’ synergy and other members will rise to your level
of contribution.

Being a part of a successful Mastermind group is an
enriching experience that will accelerate you
professionally and personally in ways you can’t imagine.
You don’t have to be a lone ranger and you don’t have to
figure things out on your own. So, don’t wait to start or
join one!

—————————————————-
Wendy Maynard of GoMarketingMaven.com created the Maven
Marketing System specifically for small business owners,
coaches, consultants, and solo-preneurs. She also publishes
a free weekly marketing ezine. Subscribe at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine_3.html

“Bodacious” means to be bold, outstanding, and remarkable.
Take those attributes to work and you’re on your way to
building a fulfilling, bodacious career.  Does having a
bodacious career sound exciting to you?  It is!  After
starting as an $8 an hour customer service rep, I rose
through the ranks of AOL, accepting four promotions and
surviving over six layoffs to become the head of corporate
training for 12,000 employees.  Along the way I learned I
needed to be bodacious to achieve the career I wanted.  Out
of that experience I created my “cheat sheet” of ten
essential Bodacious Career Builders.  Here’s number two:
Create Deliberate Relationships

Bodacious Career builders know that in today’s business
world value lies in relationships. Everything is
introduced, evaluated, negotiated, bought, sold, resolved,
ended, and enjoyed based on relationships.  The
technological advancements that have evolved over recent
years serve as both metaphors and evidence of our demand
for an infinite ability to make connections through
computers, modems, phone lines, and air waves, as well as
among people in organizations.  Even with all this
high-tech stuff, it’s still all about people.

What I’m about to say flies in the face of all good girl
coding most of us have had embedded in our systems from the
day we first heard, “Now play nice.  That’s a good girl.”
And it might make you so mad that it will cause you to stop
reading this article and move on to something else.  I
certainly hope not.

But in the name of authenticity and full disclosure, I have
to tell it like I see it:  To build a Bodacious Career,
deliberately seek relationships with people according to
who they are, who they know, what they do — and what they
can do for you.

Sounds horribly selective, doesn’t it?  But it isn’t really.

Think of how you’ve created relationships at work in the
past.  My guess is that more often than not, you’ve created
friendships based on those around you who you easily
connected with or felt some kinship because of working
closely together or having something in common.  These
approaches are okay, but they don’t do much to increase the
quality of the selection.

Your mother always said to choose your friends wisely,
right?  Now it’s time to do it strategically.  Proactively
create relationships with people who can support your own
growth, who can contribute meaningfully to your journey.
Do the same in return.

So what kind of people would be best for building your
Bodacious Career?  Perhaps it’s someone with a particular
kind of experience that you’d like to have.  Or, someone
with an organizational rank that you want to make sure
knows you exist.  Maybe it’s an internal or external
customer whose performance is linked to yours?

While there are no “right” one-size-fits-all answers, here
are a few suggestions of the kinds of people to seek out
when creating deliberate relationships:

- People who are in key leadership positions

- Women or men who are successful in your profession or
industry

- Women who represent an achievement or personal growth
spurt that you would like to experience

Once you’ve brainstormed a list of 2 -3 people, reach out
to them.  Send an e-mail, call them up, invite them to
lunch or coffee, or ask for a phone appointment.  Yes, you
can do this, even to very successful people!

Make sure you identify what’s in it for them to invest
their time with you, be it something emotional like a the
positive boost for being recognized and appreciated, or
something practical like offering your talents on a project
they need done.  If you’re able to succinctly and
gracefully capture what you have to offer, you’ll get their
attention sooner.

Thinking of developing relationships this way may feel
awkward at first, but I encourage you to give it a try.
You have nothing to lose but the potential of meeting
someone who could make a huge difference to your career.

BODACIOUS CAREER BUILDER #2:  Decide who in your company or
organization could help your career in some way and how you
will go about getting to know them.

—————————————————-
Mary Foley, author of “Bodacious! Career: Outrageous
Success for Working Women” inspires women to be
courageously in charge of their lives, careers and
businesses. You can be inspired, too! Get her free e-book
“10 Bodacious Ways for a Bodacious Career today at
http://www.GoBodacious.com/ebook .

Does this sound like you?

*  You’re spending way too much time trying to network
online and are on networking overload.

*  You’re trying to keep up with all the threads that
relate to your business in all the social networking groups
you’ve joined.

*  You’re also monitoring all the discussion lists you’re
on looking for an opportunity to jump in and share your
pearls of wisdom with the others on the list.

*  You’re afraid to keep track of the hours you spend in
online networking because whatever the number is, it’s way
too high.

*  You’ve just gotten an invitation to join yet another
social networking group and while you’re very flattered,
you realize if you join one more group in an effort to
network your way to a full client roster, you won’t need
any new clients because you’ll be out of business

*  You’re spending so much time trying to master online
networking that you’ve totally neglected the face-to-face
networking that has been working for millions of people for
centuries.  (Come on, how do you think people built their
businesses before the Internet came along?)

I mean, seriously, how much time can you afford to take
away from your work to keep current on all the goings on in
all the online networking groups you belong to without your
business starting to spiral downward?

There is a solution to all this online networking mania and
it’s very simple:  Cut back on your online networking and
up your offline networking.   See?  I told you it was
simple!

Yes, I know, you don’t have time to get in the car, travel
to an event, and spend a couple of hours with people you
don’t know and will probably never see again, right?

You’ve been to lots of networking mixers and it never
seemed to work for you.  You’re shy and you don’t want to
appear pushy.

Any of this sound familiar?  I’m not surprised; I’ve heard
it all a million times.

If that’s what you’ve been thinking, you may not understand
what networking really is and how it works, and trust me,
you’re not alone in this.  I have found that the biggest
misconception about “networking” is that people think the
term is synonymous with going to formal networking events.

That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Networking
starts by forming relationships with people, getting to
know them and understanding what their needs are while they
are likewise getting to know you and understanding your
needs.

You can start these powerful relationships anywhere-at your
kid’s soccer game, on the commuter train, at the
hairdresser’s or at the doctor’s office-so if you’re
reluctant to go to networking events, fear not; there are
lots of other ways to start the networking ball rolling.

If, however, you do chose to include networking functions
in your networking plan, please do yourself a favor and
make sure you do everything you possibly can to optimize
the experience.

That means, among other things:

*  Attending functions where members of your target market
(or those who have access to them) will be.

*  Crafting a self-introduction that will grab people’s
attention and have them practically begging for you to tell
them more.

*  Knowing in advance exactly whom you want to meet and
what you want to get out of the event.

*  Having a follow-up plan to stay in touch with the people
you meet and deepen the relationships you began at the
event.

*  Resisting the temptation to sell your product or
services at the function.

*  Having a list of open-ended questions in your head so
you will never be at a loss for something to say.

These are only a few of the things that can help you get
the most out of any networking event so you attract more
clients than you ever imagined possible, easily and
inexpensively.  There are others, but the bottom line is
this:

BOTTOM LINE:  If you want to grow your business, step away
from the computer and do what the great sales trainer,
Floyd Wickman, has been preaching for years.  He says the
key to getting more customers and clients comes down to
three simple letters:  “STP:  See The People…belly to
belly.”

—————————————————-
Leni Chauvin, The Client Attraction Coach, has been helping
ordinary people build and market extraordinary businesses
since 1993. If you want to attract more clients, make more
money, and achieve more success, you’ll find TONS of
f.r.e.e resources to help you at
http://www.AttractClientsGalore.com

Ever wondered how to get your business card pulling in
leads really fast? Here’s a couple of tested and proven
tips you must know.

It’s interesting…why do people want to SPLASH THEIR NAME
across the top of their business card?

The answer is simple…ego.

You should treat your business card as a mini advertising
billboard…and most certainly have an ATTENTION GRABBING
headline on the card! Imagine this….

Imagine if a company hired out on of those huge billboards
on the side on the road, and put the name of the person who
owned the business across the top of the billboard? EG. Do
you really think that people are going to want to read
anymore of what the billboard has to say? Lets say you
owned a business card printing service , and your name is
J. Smith … would your roadside billboard look better if
it said “1000 Free Business Cards if You Call and Mention
this Billboard”, or would you think “J.Smith” would attract
more sets of eyes?

So why not put a nice BOLD headline that gets attention
onto your business cards as well? Let me give you another
example as to why a headline is important.

EG. Picture yourself reading through a newspaper, don’t you
normally look for a headline, or sub-headline that catches
your eye? How about if you read through, and all the
headlines you read where the authors names who wrote the
article??? Now that would be one BORING experience!

I’m sure you get my message now. Just take the time to
think about what your product or service is…then do
this……. Put yourself in the buyers shoes! If you were
interested in the product that your selling, what would you
want to know?

EG. If your selling advertising … should you have
“J.Smith Advertising” in the headline, or should you have
“Cost Effective Advertising That Will Pull Leads Like
Crazy!” Obvious which one’s a better headline right?

Here’s another tip that you should be VERY careful NOT to
do…

Tell me, which of these two headlines do you think worked
best for a steakhouse restaurant…

1) “Great Steaks, Half the Price”

2) ” Ladies, Watch Your Man’s Face Light Up When He Bites
Into One of Our Juicy Steaks!”

Answer: #1. Why? Because you just knocked out half of your
audience by addressing the headlines to ‘Ladies’. Mmmmm…

So there are techniques that are sure to bring you more
customers in less time.

—————————————————-
Dean Cowley is considered to one of the best in the world
when it comes to stretching your advertising dollar to the
maximum. Dean has spoken to 1000′s of business owners
around the world about marketing, and effective advertising
using business cards, and business card displays.  If you
would like to learn alittle more about how to generate cash
flow from your business cards, you can go to
http://www.businesscarddisplays.info

When you attend a conference or other networking event,
you’ll meet people with a variety of backgrounds and
interests, and inevitably you’ll find yourself conversing
one-on-one with someone whose subject will totally stump
you. What should you do?

First, don’t try to wing it, because you’ll make mistakes
and look foolish. Why would you want to fake it anyway?
There’s no shame in not knowing about a topic you’ve never
studied. When referring to something that’s not too
difficult, you may have used the expression, “It’s not
brain surgery”, but did you ever stop to think that to a
brain surgeon it might be just as appropriate to say, “It’s
not accounting” or “It’s not desktop publishing” or even
“It’s not rock music”? Will Rogers once said, “We’re all
ignorant – just in different subjects”. Personally, I
believe the only reason I can’t perform brain surgery is
that I’ve never studied it, but that doesn’t mean I am less
intelligent or worthy than a brain surgeon, does it?

If we’re not embarrassed to admit we don’t know about brain
surgery, or rocket science, why should we be concerned
about admitting ignorance of any topic? Perhaps there’s a
clue right there in the word I used. “Ignorance” is a
loaded term, isn’t it? But the Oxford Dictionary defines it
simply as “lacking in knowledge”, with no connotation of
shame. In fact, I’d suggest that admission of ignorance is
the first step towards learning-and often to a truly
interesting conversation.

To take advantage of this idea, try some of these
conversation encouragers:

•  I haven’t had any exposure to the world of professional
music. Is it really as exciting as it looks from the
outside?

By using this wording, you are granting the other person
the status of insider. Since we all enjoy talking about our
special knowledge, that will usually encourage him or her
to give you all sorts of information.

•   Your enthusiasm about this subject is infectious. What
is it about it that so fascinates you?

You have subtly complimented the speaker, who will
subconsciously want to convey the same fascination to you.

•   I’m afraid I don’t know anything about the publishing
business. Would you explain what that expression means?

When you have admitted ignorance of a subject, there is no
such thing as a stupid question, so go ahead and ask away!

(By the way, this last question is also very useful when
purchasing services. Have you ever received an order back
from the printer, only to find it was not what you had
envisioned? You could probably have saved time and money by
admitting your lack of knowledge right up front and letting
the specialist help you order exactly what you wanted.)

Did you notice the common element in all three examples?
Yes, I am inviting the person to tell me more. There’s no
more effective conversation technique than asking people
about themselves and their interests – and then genuinely
listening to their answers. During my networking workshops,
people often tell me they are nervous about meeting new
people because they don’t know what to say. If that’s your
challenge, why not turn this around, and consider what to
ask?

—————————————————-
Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, workshop leader and
author specializing in communication. Call 416-966-5023 for
information on her popular keynote, “Sowing and Growing
Your Network” or check out her audio program on networking
at http://www.mhwcom.com/pages/valuefromnetworking.html .
Subscribe to Helen’s no-cost monthly e-zine,
“Communi-keys”, at http://www.mhwcom.com

What began as just an ordinary night out with friends
turned into a lesson in business building and
self-motivation. You see when I started my own business
working from home I was naturally a bit wary. I’d never had
my own business before. I was the typical person who had a
job and put up with it. But that had changed and now I did
what I wanted to do. A new life was beginning.

The trouble was even though I knew what I was doing,
actually explaining it to other people was difficult. A
business publishing and marketing information products was
just right for me. But getting people to understand what I
did was the hard part. So usually I just didn’t bother. I
just got on with it quietly and enjoyed every moment.

But two conversations that night were to change all that
and now I take every opportunity I get to talk about my
business.

First I happened to meet an old colleague who I hadn’t seen
or spoken to for over eighteen months. He was the Training
Manager at a company I used to work for. The subject
naturally got around to work and to what I was now doing.

I explained as best I could my business and soon the
questions were being fired at me. But then came the comment
that made me realise I should really talk about it an awful
lot more.

“Well remember me when you’re developing products. You know
I can talk about anything!”

That’s right! My old friend had offered his services to
help my business. We went on to talk about possible
training niches and all of a sudden new product ideas were
coming to mind. He happens to be a very good trainer and a
very good presenter and public speaker. I quickly decided I
would certainly be talking to him in the future about joint
ventures.

We went our separate ways but I had a new spring in my step.

I then met up with my usual circle of friends and expected
the usual conversations about sport and music, our
favourite topics.

But no! I was asked how the new business was going. And
then I was asked by one friend what exactly it was I did.
Previously I might have quickly glossed over the subject
but not now.

In fact I then spent at least half an hour explaining it
all. I went right the way through how I identified a niche
market, including explaining what a niche market actually
is. I told him about how to research and develop the
product and then how to create it. I had to explain what
digital products were and how they were sold.

Well, not only was he interested but he started coming up
with all sorts of product ideas. In fact he said he was so
excited by it that he would have trouble sleeping that
night. I gave him a couple of ideas for products that he
might be able to create or at least do so in a joint
venture with me.

It really was amazing. I was buzzing and felt really
motivated to get on with building my business. The simple
process of talking to people and telling them what I do had
given me renewed enthusiasm.

But the point of relating all this is that if you do the
same you will be surprised at where it will take you. New
doors will be open to you and opportunities and ideas you
never imagined will present themselves to you.

Just take on board these key points:

• Take every opportunity to talk about your business.
• Be patient and be prepared to explain things and answer
questions.
• Ask plenty of questions about your friends’ and
acquaintances’ interests, hobbies, and jobs. Product ideas
are bound to come out.
• Offer to show them how they could create a product. If
they are interested then work on it together.
• Be confident and be proud of your business.
• When success comes be willing to share it.

Starting out in business is never easy. But the vital thing
I learned on my night out was that if you talk to people
about what you do you really will gain a great deal. Your
confidence will soar and your motivation to go out and
achieve your goals will be boosted to new heights.

I’m now building a successful business and you can too.

—————————————————-
Tony Hall has vast experience in business and personal
development. He runs his own business providing advice to
business owners and individuals. To learn more about
building your own successful business visit the website at
http://www.howtobuildasuccessfulbusiness.com

One of the few complaints I hear from small business owners
when it comes to generating business or leads by way of
referral is that too many of the referrals they are offered
aren’t a fit for the business. The referrals are either
unqualified, don’t need the firm’s offerings, can’t afford
the product or just don’t fit the typical profile of an
ideal client for the receiving firm.

If this is your referral reality, then you know that
chasing leads that don’t fit your target client can be a
grand waste of everyone’s time and energy. The primary
reason for this affliction though is that most small
business owners and independent professionals don’t take
the time to educate their referral sources.

The typical referral request may go something like, “Know
anybody that needs what we do?” “Okay, I know lots of
people, here you go. Have at it!”

The solution to this is really quite simple. I’ve created a
tool I call the Perfect Introduction, as part of my
Referral Flood program. The Perfect Introduction is a
document (although is can take many forms including a web
page) that contains answers to the following questions:

How would know if I spotted your ideal client?

Describe, in great detail, the type of clients you work
best with. This step will help assure that you get highly
qualified leads and make it easier for your lead source to
think of prospects that fit a narrow description.

What would I say to best position your business?

Give your referral source the exact words you would like
them to use when introducing your products and services to
prospective referrals. Give them a simple, memorable way to
explain the benefits you have to offer. Remember, many of
your best referral sources may not be actual clients who
can talk eloquently about your brilliance, give them your
core marketing message so that the expectation they set
remains consistent.

How can you add value to my relationship with a referred
lead?

This is a multi-answer question. Show your prospective
referral source what you do to make them look good and
outline any offer you might have cooked up to reward and
motivate your referral sources. By the way, money isn’t
always the best referral motivator. Showing appreciation,
helping referral sources meet their goals, and making
referral sources look good are all powerful motivators.

What do you do with the leads you receive by way of
referral?

Outline the exact steps you take when you receive a name or
introduction. This step allow the referral source to get
comfortable with your marketing process. Everyone has some
fear that the referred party may abuse the relationship by
hard selling or calling every night at dinner time. Put
these fears to rest by outlining your very educational
approach. (That is your approach, right?)

Now that you have your Perfect Introduction document in
hand you can go out there and confidently let the world
know that you are someone they can feel great about
referring.

Another very powerful aspect of this tool is that often,
even if you don’t realize it, you are in competition with
others who are seeking referrals. CPAs, for instance, are
heavily targeted by service professionals seeking
referrals. With your referral process outlined in a very
professional manner, you will stand out in the referral
competition for some of the best potential referral sources.

And Now a Powerful Twist

Once you have created your Perfect Introduction, you should
also consider using this tool to open doors with potential
referral sources. Send a letter to 100 targeted referral
sources with a copy of your Perfect Introduction and a
blank Perfect Introduction form. Inform the recipient that
you have clients and prospects that you believe could
benefit from their products and services. Ask them to
complete the enclosed Perfect Introduction form (using
yours as an example) and send it back to you as soon as
possible. Do this and you will find new referral marketing
doors swinging wide open for you. In addition, you will be
better prepared to give referrals to your clients and
prospects, kicking the referral cycle into even higher
gear..

—————————————————-
John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning
blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most
Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more
information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com .

Copyright (c) 2007 Audrey Burton

Playing Black Jack (aka ‘21′) requires that you play by the
rules, or you ruin it for the other players.  When the
dealer has a card showing between 2 and 6, you never risk
going over 21.  That’s the rule.  More times than not, you
will come out ahead and so will everyone at the table.

You need to know and follow the rules in networking, too,
or you risk upsetting everyone at the table!  For example,
when you have 30 seconds to talk about your business,
respect that time.

When you follow the rules consistently in Black Jack –
combined with some skill – you win.  When you follow the
rules consistently in networking – combined with some skill
- you win there, too!

One of the rules that – when followed consistently – will
work for you, is to network at the right location.  Either
you attend networking events where your target market hangs
out (direct) or where your strategic alliances gather
(indirect).

For me, because there are numerous networking groups
organized just so my target market can gather, I am able to
gather where they meet.  I target women small business
owners.  If you have not yet selected a target, consider in
your selection process how accessible they are as well as
if they will actually pay you for your product/service.

Another important rule of networking is to give it enough
time.  If you only attend sporadically and/or expect great
returns after only a few visits, you will probably be
disappointed.  The way you win at networking is to build
relationships with people so you will be the first person
they think of when they need you or when they meet your
target market.

In Black Jack, you cannot expect to come in and play a few
hands and win big – you need to find the right table, stick
with it and then give it time.  In networking, you may need
to try out a few groups to see if your target is there and
if you click with the other people in the group.  Then keep
showing up consistently at least *7 times in a row* before
you will know if that group will bear fruit.

One difference is that in cards, the prevailing belief is
that you don’t count your mo’ney at the table.  At
networking, you should definitely be counting your mo’ney!
Otherwise you will not know if the networking you are doing
is working!

—————————————————-
Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is “The Tigress”.  Get
her FREE Special Report, “Closing the Sale is Not
Complicated!” and her FREE monthly email newsletter at
http://www.TigressCoaching.com .

For all our interest in networking, following up is just as
important.  Many one-person business owners find they
either don’t follow up because they don’t know what to do,
or develop such an elaborate system for keeping in touch
that it quickly breaks down and becomes unworkable.
Typical downfalls include:

–Using the same personally intensive strategy and
activities for everyone they meet, finding they have no
time for service delivery

–Flooding new contacts with electronic information, but
don’t check in to see if there is a real fit

–Letting months go between contacts and then being
dismayed with few responses to offers

Networking Maven Kristy Rogers, is not only well known for
her prowess in networking, having received three major
networking awards just this year alone, but also conducts
great seminars on following up.
(http://www.KristyRogersConnects.com)

Following up, says Kristy, is crucial.  Especially for
people who are in their first three years of running their
businesses or those who need to grow their businesses.  Yet
most people, even those who know they ‘should,’ don’t
follow up after meeting new potential clients.

Kristy identified the three most common follow-up mistakes
one-person business owners make:

1)  Not scheduling time for follow up on your calendar. If
you don’t make a follow-up appointment, or if you don’t
keep the appointment with yourself for follow-up
activities, it won’t get done.

2)  Not developing the habit of following up.  Set up some
simple follow-up systems and tools: have note cards and
stamps handy.  Write a few sample notes you can use for
either email or snail mail.  Make following up part of your
daily routine. Use ‘scrap time’ to dash off a quick
note/email to one of your contacts.  Build your library of
‘one sheets’ describing your various products and services.
Format printed and electronic copies of articles,
especially your own, ready for distribution.

3)  Not capturing your contacts in an electronic format.
Most people struggle with this task because they get hung
up on finding the ‘perfect program’ to use. Should it be
Goldmine, Outlook, Entourage, Excel, and so on and so on. 
Kristy is adamant about this common sabotage: ‘Stop waiting
until you find the perfect system and just do it.’  Most of
us have Excel, it’s a part of the Microsoft Office package.
Just use it!

Take a course, use the tutorial that is included, ask a
friend, pay an expert to set up a simple system.  Just
start.  (Of course this doesn’t mean utomatically putting
every new contact onto your ezine list.  Most of us have
more than enough email to deal with already, and just get
annoyed when having to unsubscribe from unwanted ezines.)

Why don’t people follow up?  The biggest block cited by
participants in Kristy’s workshop is ‘not knowing what to
say.’  She suggests having a script when you phone, or
write your follow-up notes.  Practice and polish your
script, and soon you’ll be much more comfortable with
follow-up calls.

Professional Speaker Marc LeBlanc considers keeping in
touch so important he calls it ‘The Greatest Marketing
Strategy in the World.’  Growing Your Business, available
from http://www.SmallBusinessSuccess.com, is best known for
Mark’s clear instructions for crafting your defining
statement, your ‘elevator speech,’ how you quickly explain
your unique selling proposition (USP).  While developing a
great defining statement is necessary, for me the gem in
his book was his keeping in touch strategy, his Target 25.

Mark suggests you identify the 25 people in your life who
are in a position to impact your business.  Then make the
most of your Target 25 by following his two ‘rules’:

1)  Never let any of them get more than 30 days of hearing
from/about you

2)  Each of them must know your defining statement

Why 25? — More could quickly become overwhelming.

Why 30 days? — We’re all busy and need reminders.

At this point most folks go right to an electronic
newsletter, ezine, as their primary stay in touch strategy.
And, you should have one.  But don’t stop with only an
ezine.  Ezines have become necessary but not sufficient. 
Use all your stay-in-touch tools and techniques:
face-to-face meetings, fax, personal notes, and even phone
calls.

Evaluating your Follow-up System

Evaluating the effectiveness of your follow-up system has
two parts:

1)  Do you use it, and

2)  Does it get the results you are looking for?

Whatever keep-in-touch system you develop, make it easy to
implement so you will keep it up.  Too often the system
becomes so complicated or unwieldy it is quickly abandoned
as too much trouble.  Start small and simple.

Assessing results from your follow-up system is crucial.
Not always easy, but very important.  Too many
professionals stay busy with marketing tasks and activities
that don’t give needed results.  Track the source of all
new leads.  Compare the amount of effort, costs, and time
against number of leads. Identify your best sources.

One colleague has spent enormous amounts of time and money
with one ‘networking’ group only to find it was a social
experience not a business building experience.  ‘Doing the
numbers’ showed new business came through referrals from
existing clients, not networking events.  She has shifted
her keep-in-touch activities to her client base, rather
than relying on networking events to fuel new business.

Both Kristy and Mark define action plans for Patricia
Fripp’s marketing maxim: ‘It is not your customers’
responsibility to remember you, but your responsibility to
ensure they never forget you.’  As Kristy reminded me, ‘It
is up to the salesperson to drive the sales process.  You
must drive your own follow-up program.’

Don’t wait to get started on your action plan.  Your
business will thank you, and your bank account will thank
you.

—————————————————-
Need to get your small business more strategic, organized,
automated? Click here => http://www.1PersonBusiness.com for
Pat Wiklund’s complimentary introductory course on How to
Run a One-Person Business Without It Running You.