Towards A Healthy Economy + Marketing World

Online networking web sites. Are they really networking and are they really working?

They have been springing up all over. They are based on contact management. They are direct in messaging, emailing, and even in the six degrees of separation. They go by many different names and have various methods of finding people. The problem with these sites is that they are not really networking. Do you disagree?

To be effective in networking requires building a relationship with another person. This is difficult to do through messages and email. If you have ever had a discussion with a person through email or instant messaging, I would like to ask if you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to actually pick up the phone to find out what a person was really talking about?

In relationships conversation is extremely important. The communication is key. The thing that we may not really pay attention to is the importance of tonal inflection in the voice and the added benefits of body language in expressing ourselves. These are the things that online networking is lacking.

Since the most important aspect of having a relationship with another person is based in trust, it is difficult to develop trust in someone that you have never seen nor heard. It is even more difficult to get a person to do business with you without some type of face to face contact.

With this in mind, will these web sites last or are they merely a passing craze? Are they popular simply because we are looking for success in any way that it might come to us? Time will tell.

It is my advice that if you are looking for new contacts, step away from the desk and out into the community. Online networking is less effective for getting business than it is putting your resume online to get a job. All of the people are faceless and voiceless and no one really wants to do business with an email. Or do they? With the thousands of people out there who are selling what you need, including those in your own community, how do you decide what to buy? My guess is that you end up buying most premium products and services from someone that you have met in person, even if it is just a clerk in a store. I am of course excluding buying products through an online store.

So then what is the future of online networking? You are in control of it. Have you ever gotten any business from it exclusively? I am guessing that you probably haven’t and you probably won’t. But I could be wrong - for now!

Jeff Glaze is the Editor of http://www.AtlantaEvent.com, founder of http://www.privacy-first.com e-mail certification program and the author of several e-books. His company, Mostcool Media Inc. (mostcoolmedia.com), specializes in marketing planning, coaching, business networking training, web and media development. His e-book “The Six Xtremes Of Power Business Networking” is available here: http://www.atlantaevent.com/ebook.htm Jeff Glaze is available to speak to your group and can be contacted at 678.508.5975 Copyright © 2006 by MostCool Media Inc.

Here is a short story about one person’s Business Networking success.

Not so long ago there was a wonderful guy named David Mahoney. An Irish-Catholic kid from the streets of the Bronx. He set his goal at being great success in the advertising business. After working his way through business school he went to New York’s biggest ad agency, figuratively flashed his sheepskin and asked for a job. They smiled and said the only job they had available wasn’t for a B-school grad. It was in the mail rooom. “I’ll take it,” he said.

He made sure the job of delivering mail put him in touch with virtually every person, high and low, in the company. He learned a lot by observing how the creative people worked and, frankly, reading their mail.

That took care of business networking on the job. But what about after hours? How do you meet the right people?

Well, Mahoney’s idea was simple: go where the movers and shakers liked to go. Then as now one of the top watering holes in New York was the restaurant “21.” Mahoney would put a sharp crease in his trousers and several nights a week station himself at the bar of “21,” carefully nursing a drink so as not to spend money he didn’t have. Before long, many of the movers and shakers started buying him drinks, and dinner. He was probably the only mail clerk the bar at “21″ had ever known.

Within two and a half years young David Mahoney was the youngest vice president of the ad agency. He went on to become the CEO of several of the great American corporations.

It’s called business networking, folks. Career success networking. It means sticking your neck out and going where most success hungry people fear to tread. Right into the ranks of the movers and shakers.

Richard Riley Conarroe is the author of Success Simplified, the book that tells you how to win maximum success in your job–and in your life. The book is not just about financial success or job satisfaction. It deals with a world of elusive dynamics most people fail to consider or apply. Learn more at http://www.success-simplified.net

Generating new business leads is critical in your success, no matter what business you’re in. Being aware of certain principals can help you increase your business leads list and generate an explosion of sales.

Never overlook the fact that the average person knows about 250 people. That includes you. Those are business leads, for you but each person is also a source of about 250 additonal business leads. Have you worked through your 63,500 business leads already? There’re waiting to hear from you!

Following this concept, the more new people you meet the more sources of business leads you will find. I think these are always the best sources of leads, because you have an opportunity to get to know someone so they can know, like and trust you. The very best business lead is the one you are introduced to.

So how can you meet new people? Here are some suggestions for finding new sources of business leads.

Toastmasters — This is not only a great organization to help you develop your skills as a speaker (you do speak, don’t you?), but this is also the ultimate networking club for generating business leads.

Community Clubs — If you have a hobby, chances are there is a club for it. Find one and join it. Become a member. If you just show up to hunt down business leads you will find yourself not getting the golden referrals. It’s your hobby so enjoy it too.

School — Do you have children or are you a student? Teachers and other parents know people too. Your link to a school can be one of the largest sources of business leads anyone could ever dream of.

Existing Business Leads — Just because a business lead you have isn’t looking for what you have to offer right now, doesn’t mean that they don’t know someone who is. Always ask your existing leads for business leads.

Family — If you have something to offer that people want, aren’t the members of your family potential besiness leads? Remember, each of them knows a potential of 250 business leads as well.

Friends — I see so many sales professionals neglect the fact that their friends are business leads, or at least a source of them. If you have a friend, ask them for a lead. They know, like and trust you, I hope. Ask them to introduce you to a business lead.

Existing customers — A satisfied customer is a gold mine for new business leads. Why? Because they’re satisfied! Get a written testimonial if you can and use it to attract business from new business leads.

Internet — Do you know how to generate your own leads through the Internet? The resources on the left side of this page can help you learn how to create web pages where business leads find you!

Your car — Get a window decal for your business. Some of your best customers just happened to be at the same store where you parked one day…when you didn’t have a window decal!

Those are just some ideas and I know there are many more. Before you pay for business leads, don’t forget to look in your own backyard.

Dave Saunders is a business consultant and published author.
If you would like to read about additional ideas for generating business
leads, the original and expanded article can be found here.
http://www.endless-abundance.net/articles/business-leads.php
For additional information on business coaching, or if you would like
to know more about an emerging trillion dollar industry visit this
address to request free information.
http://www.endless-abundance.net/gk

Networking Your Way to Profit – Part 1

The ‘Elevator Speech’ – Part 1

Create your own business network and you create a wealth of opportunity. The opportunity to find business; give business and introduce business people to each other. Concentrate on creating a network of contacts who know you, trust you and, eventually recommend you. The most effective way of doing this is to make sure you know what he /she offers – so you can recommend him/her. Then he wants to ‘return the favour’ by recommending you.

Before he can suggest you to other business contacts, or even decide if he wants you in his network, he needs to know what you do and why he should recommend you. Your challenge is to get him to decide you are a valuable addition to his network right from the word ‘Go!’ That’s where having a powerful, succinct – perhaps even intriguing – elevator speech works magic for you.

The idea is very simple, but extremely effective. The intention is to give a powerful or intriguing introduction, when you first meet someone, so people ask for more information – rather than ‘switching off’. The name; ‘Elevator Speech’ originates from the US and refers to the time it would take to ‘ride the elevator’ to the top of a high-rise building – about 30 seconds.

And that’s about the maximum amount of time you have to keep someone’s attention after they ask “What do you do?” If your answer is boring or long-winded he (or she) starts looking for a way to ‘escape’ from you.

There are many ‘elevator speech’ structures and theories around. I first came across this particular one at a Jay Abraham’s seminar in London in 1994. It was introduced by one of his co-presenters and the structure made it so easy for a beginner to use.

The ‘speech’ has 4 specific elements:

“You know how…”
“Which means …”
“Well, what I do is…”
“Which means …”

I thought this was such a brilliant way of introducing yourself I enthusiastically ‘spread the word’ amongst my own business colleagues.

And something suddenly struck me… an awful lot of them just ‘didn’t get it’. Oh, they got the idea alright, and they seemed to understand the principle. But when they tried to put it into practice for themselves they either went on for too long (in some cases the elevator could have gone up and down a dozen times before they finished!) or they missed the point of highlighting a serious problem and demonstrating a solution with a real benefit or an intriguing notion.

Let me tell you about one example…

I’d agreed to give a presentation on business networking with a good friend and business colleague of mine, who organises corporate events and exhibitions and offers training on how to get the most out of attending an exhibition. Our presentation was at a business breakfast meeting – we have quite a few of these in the UK. Now, Chris is absolutely brilliant at networking, but he hadn’t come across the Elevator Speech before. We decided it would be a good tool to share with the delegates and Chris agreed to write his own Elevator Speech as a demonstration.

This is what he came up with…

“You know how some business people attend exhibitions but don’t know how to work their stands”
“Which means they don’t get the business contacts they need”
“Well, what I do is train them how to work the stand properly”
“Which means they get new business from the exhibition”

Although this was OK; it does actually describe what Chris does for the exhibiting company, it really didn’t hit any ‘hot buttons’ for anyone listening.

You see, the first statement “You know how…” must reveal a hot problem – whether real or perceived. Chris’ first attempt just didn’t state a problem people could identify with.

So what is the real problem businesses see in exhibiting? Well, for smaller businesses there is a barrier to taking part in exhibitions (at least there is here in the UK, maybe elsewhere as well). Entrepreneurs and business owners find it difficult to justify spending the money and time on an exhibition. And it is purely because they don’t have a clue of how to get the most out of it. Chris does – he and his associates have over 50 years of experience between them. So the ‘real’ problem here is not ‘how to work the stand’ it’s ‘how to justify taking an exhibition stand’.

After talking it through, this is what we came up with:

“You know how some businesses regard exhibitions as a complete waste of time and effort because they never seem to get any extra business,
Which means they don’t exhibit and lose out on the opportunity to make a high number of business contacts in a comparatively short time, don’t you?”

“Well, what I do is train business people on how to prepare for the exhibition beforehand, how to work their stand on the day and follow-up afterwards,
Which means they maximise their opportunity to make good contacts in a focussed environment, know how to follow-up and get good sales results by exhibiting, making the exhibition a cost effective way of increasing business and profit.”

It needed more refining – but the perceived problem for prospective exhibitors had been established.

In the next part of this article I’ll give you another example, show you how to create your own elevator speech and give you some important insights of how to make yours even more powerful…

©2005 Original Work by Carol Bentley

Author of ‘I Want to Buy Your Product… Have You Sent Me a Letter Yet? (How to create powerful sales letters, advertisements, flyers, brochures, web pages and newsletters that persuade hundreds, or even thousands, of additional customers and clients to buy from you!) by Carol A E Bentley (Rated 5-star on Amazon.co.uk)

Subscribe to your free reports, with no obligation, at
http://www.accelerateyoursales.co.uk or visit http://www.CarolBentley.com

No person in the history has yet got success without the support of other people. These people may be your family members, your friends, good contacts in different walks of life or the masses. You have to go to others to help you succeed. Success is actually a team work. Great leaders become great because they know how to make others help them to become great. No businessman can be massively successful without active support of financial institutions, the customers, the men from bureaucracy. How you can expect a writer to succeed if he is unable to influence an agent or a publisher.

The first requirement of any success is that you should have some value to give it to others and second is the support of the people who can highlight and push you ahead. And there is age-old one point formula that can help you to get the support of others: appreciate with heart.

APPRECIATE AS YOU LIKE

Don’t try to copy others or force yourself to appreciate. You must proceed in life according to your own unique talent or psychological make-up. If you can’t appreciate the masses appreciate the persons who are capable enough to push you. If you can’t do that just appreciate your family members. They will do their best to find ways for you. Or simply appreciate some friends. See how enthusiastic they become to help you hit the field of your choice successfully.

THIS LAW NEVER CHANGES

Nothing is permanent and everything changes in this world. But the basic human character like the laws of Physics remain the same. For thousands of years people have been using this magic formula of appreciation in every country to gain power or get success in business, politics, social or marital relations.

You must remember that only following this law of human relations can’t guarantee you success in your ventures. You must fulfil the first condition of creating some value in your life to give to others. Only that value is exchanged with money or success.

RESPOND FAST

If people (friends, family members, colleagues, commoners) try to communicate with you never ignore them. There are phone calls, letters in the letter-box, e-mails in the inbox, but many persons rarely respond. Consequently they lose customers, friends, relationships, and support of many other persons. Although it is a good policy to ignore the junk mail or useless calls but responding fast to the good ones is very necessary. Only then you can build good relations and prepare support areas.

People of modern world may respond to telephone calls but they become extremely lazy when there is a need of answering a letter or an e-mail. And they lose business. Success drifts away farther. Those companies always have better chances of success who are careful to the problems of their customers, who appreciate their customers and give importance to them. Whoever responds better to customers, whoever cares for them will get more of them even if the customers are charged more.

TOO MUCH OF EVERYTHING IS BAD

You must appreciate others to get support but overdose of appreciation may prove useless. Like a medicine overdose of appreciation may make people habitual of it and in some cases it may even spoil them. You may even be called a flatter. So always appreciate in a few words and only now and then to make it very effective. Such appreciation improve your image, endear you to the persons and definitely enthuse them to push you to success.

Anandrahi
CEO: News of India Network
Director: LSE-India (for Communication
Skills and Personality Development)

Trained thousands of persons to get great jobs, improve personality and achieve goals in business.

Best-selling Books written by Anandrahi:
1. Think Your Way to Wealth and Power
2. Fire of Success in Your Mind
3. Speak English and Influence People
(To get an ebook write an email).

emails:
anandrahi@newsofindia.net
anandrahi@yahoo.co.in

Top networking marketing opportunities, also known as multi-level marketing opportunities, run rampant on today’s Internet. You’ve no doubt received some kind of solicitous e-mail or seen some kind of advertisement in the margins of a web site you’ve visited that talks about amazingly easy ways to earn thousands of dollars with a simple home based business.

The truth behind many of these “top networking marketing opportunities” is that they are using the sign-up fees from new members to pay dividends to existing members rather than actually generating any revenue from legitimate products and services. So no matter how much money they promise to make for you, if you can’t see any discernable product or service of value involved in the opportunity, you can assume that this is one of those “top networking marketing opportunities” that is actually an out and out scam.

The truth is that for many of these top networking marketing opportunities, only one out of every fifty or a hundred people who get involved actually make the kind of returns that the opportunity dangles as a carrot in front of you. In fact, the actual numbers might be far less than this. It’s never as simple as “pay for the secrets and start raking it in right away.” Anyone who does make returns on these so-called top networking opportunities work hard to sign up plenty of other affiliates, many more than the “it’s so easy” testimonials make it sound like you need.

When you come across one of the “top networking marketing opportunities” on the internet, guaranteed to help you retire and live easy within a year, be wary. Do your research and find out what people who have been involved in these opportunities actually have to say about their results. Make sure you research these opportunities on objective third party sites, not testimonials on the opportunity’s home page. Keep your common sense, and good luck!

Attract New Customers and SkyRocket your Sales 24/7/365.
Visit us Now to Learn Free Internet Marketing Strategies and Improve your Affiliate Marketing Skills !
Internet-Marketing-Springboard.com
Vita Vee.

I have spoken to many leaders and the consensus is that listening to the answer is more important than asking the perfect question. Listening intently builds trust between you and the speaker. With that in mind, here are some tips to improve your listening:

1. Don’t let your mind wander. Zen masters can keep their minds completely focused on one thought or conversation, but most of us can not. We might, for instance, latch onto one piece of information that the speaker has said. We grip it tightly and plan our response, rather than simply bookmarking this information and continuing to listen. In doing so, the speaker will see in our eyes that we have tuned out. Trust, confidence, and motivation will spiral downward.

2. Don’t interrupt after asking a question. Leaders often have Type-A personalities, so they want to complete others’ sentences. In all likelihood, they could probably do a better job of relaying the information, but that is not the goal of listening. Out-thinking your subordinates or showing off is not leadership. Patience is. Allow the speaker all the time in the world to provide you with an answer and to ask follow-up questions. Doctors at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota pride themselves on spending a lot of time listening to their patients. Many practitioners ask questions and filter out most of what the patient says (listening only for symptoms they believe to be present), paying little mind to the patients’ questions. Those questions can be very revealing especially if the patient is suffering from a rare disorder. Good doctors and good leaders have patience and make better decisions as a result.

3. Don’t ask a question then give an answer to see if you were right. I was in a coaching exercise with a CEO. He summoned his accountant and asked her, “What are our revenue and net profits going to be this year?” Before she could answer, he said, “$5 million and $1 million respectfully.” He clearly wanted to demonstrate that he was aware of the numbers to me and to her. This was about ego and it did nothing to build his leadership within the organization. Each time we do one of our team members’ jobs our leadership power is taken away. What’s her incentive to try to answer his questions in the future? Wasn’t he communicating that her time must not be valuable if she was going to be called into the office just so he could ask and answer his own question? Does she now think he has nothing better to do with his time? Actually, these are not assumptions. This is what I discovered when I spoke with her afterward.

4. Be attuned to body language-your own and the speaker’s. Maintain eye contact. Sit up straight and lean forward. Don’t communicate disinterest or impatience by tapping a pen against the desk. And try to pick up on nonverbal cues that the speaker is transmitting. John Urban, Former CEO, President and Chairman of Pioneer Hi-Bred International looks for “Dissonance.” When there is a disagreement or a gap between the work that was performed and the work that was expected to be performed, he pays particular attention to body language-failure to make eye contact, lowered or trailing off voices, etc. He then tries to imagine the question the speaker least wants him to ask. Then he asks it.

Interestingly, John finds it easier to listen for dissonance and ask the right questions if the organization’s vision, plan, and goals are clear. It makes sense. After all, if you know what key the symphony is in, it is much easier to detect a wrong note.

If you follow these four tips, you will be a good listener. And you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how prepared you subordinates are for their meeting with you.

Gary received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and attended Harvard Business School. He has participated in Covey Leadership, Disney University, & the Aspen Institute as a Crown fellow.

Research shows that talking to strangers — not people in your comfort zone — is the single most powerful key to a creative career and business move. Yet many people resist. Sometimes they don’t understand the concept of networking. At other times, they set impossible goals. Here are some guidelines for network for your second career, home or life.

Create your own supporting CAST

C= Cover Story. When you’re a midlife, mid-career transitioner, you can’t come across like an eager-beaver, bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed newbie. You may not be comfortable calling to say, “I’m thinking of becoming a certified beach blanket analyst. Can we talk?” Decide whether you’re seeking information, clients or both, and plan a positive opening that presents you as a fellow professional, not a beggar.

A = Action. Begin anywhere! Talk to people — even those who seem unrelated to your dream. As you talk, you’ll hear yourself refining your goal and moving to truth. Start with the nicest, friendliest sources you know and ask them for referrals.

S= Slow. It takes awhile to build a network. Begin before you need one, if at all possible. If you’re starting from scratch, don’t rush. Desperation drives away your best resources.

T = Target. Network to those who can help, not necessarily those easiest to find. Sitting at a table with eight potential clients gets you started — but choose a networking event with eight referral sources and you’ll move faster. Talking to ten sales assistants probably won’t help you learn how managers hire sales people.

“No way — not me!”

When you truly resist networking, we have to consider that:you’re not sufficiently excited about the goal to generate momentum.

You’re happily settled in a comfort zone and need an anti-gravity rocket to pull away.

You’d rather be boiled in oil than call and mingle.

You have unique challenges about the way you come across: you’re too much of a maverick or too “different” to be effective

You’re exhausted just thinking about it.

I won’t ask you to become a new person, although I encourage responsible risk-taking and experimenting with new behavioral styles.

It IS true that the greatest rewards will go to those who can work a crowd effectively. My former colleague “Xavier” could give a twenty-minute talk and come away with at least three free-spending clients.

However, you can create an unconventional plan that builds on your strengths and allows you have to connect with strangers. You might take or teach a class, join an organization, promote your website aggressively and more. Your progress may be slower than your friend the networkinag champ — but if you persevere you can reach your own goal without sacrificing your own sense of self.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

Some of the most successful businesses in existence today started in a box room, bedroom or garage. It isn’t how you start out to make money at home that is important. What really matters is that you had the courage to begin.

With a home based business, you are your own boss, or your own worst enemy. It is now your responsibility to do things that will build your business, instead of someone elses. To make money online, you must be online. Basic but true information…

You now have what millions of others do not have, the flexibility to work your own hours. Although you may think life will become so much better, you will need to put in more hours than normal to start things rolling. Then to keep it rolling…

Sure, making money on the Internet may seem easy but if you do not focus, or do things correctly, you will soon be looking for another job. Make sure there is a market for the product or service you are promoting. Be cautious before you invest any money, because things on the Internet are not always as true as they seem.

When you are working at home, you can arrange your work schedule around your family, without worrying about sacrificing either. Just think about the benefits of working and making money online from home and the freedom of setting your own schedule. No commuting back and forth in traffic. No dressing up for the workplace.

Another incentive is that if you become successful and you worked with a large group of people who still have a job they hate, your own success would certainly get them interested as well.

He makes money on the Internet - Works at home - Does not have to bother getting up early - Takes time off when he pleases… Is that jealousy or an accolade to achievement?

The actions you perform today, will determine your tomorrow.

How is your tomorrow looking?

Michael A Fowler, M.B.A. is the editor of the Internet’s premier work at home resource: Work from Home Journal.
An Online Trainer, Mentor and Coach, Michael has been helping people to succeed online since 1998.
http://www.the-mba-way.com | Goldcard43@aol.com

Did you know thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet?

Did you know you could start your own online business and make a living out of it? Did you know you could be your own boss and make your own decisions?

What do you want from life? Are you tired of struggling to make two ends meet? May be you are fed up with commuting to work and living under a time clock. If you like independence, can make simple decisions easily and are prepared to devote your energy and time to your project, you will succeed! There are lots of business opportunities available on the Internet; you just need to choose the right one and GIVE IT A TRY.

As I have already mentioned, thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet. You can be one of them too. It just needs a little bit of effort and investment of both time and money.

Now the question arises, where do I get started?

Well, the answer to this question is quite simple.

In the beginning when Internet started developing its roots, lots of people started their research about how to make money from it and Ecommerce came into being. These people tried various ways and means to make money. Only a few succeeded. But these few are now counted among the most successful people and are millionaires. If you would have to do this kind of research and use trial and error methods, it would take you years to build your own business. But you can fast track your journey to success.

As of today, things are much different. We can easily find out how these people became successful by reading their success stories. We can find out how they reached their goals and made millions just by using a computer and an internet connection. We can also get to know which steps could lead you a profitable business and which ones could put you in debt!

Yes, there’s the point! You can follow their steps and build your own business. Just use the method of duplication, and you can succeed too.

Copyright © Jagruti Bhimjiani
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

About the Author:
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

Check out Jagruti Bhimjiani’s Blog