Secrets to Success

There are over 30 different networking organisations in the Reading Berkshire area. It has been said that you could network all day every day if you wanted too but which organisations are the best ones for you?
After a year of trial and error I have experienced a variety of different groups that could work for different people and different industries. The BNI which stands of Business Network International is the most successful networking organisation in the world. It was started in America by Dr Ivan Minster and has been the bench mark of profitable networking ever since. Their Ferocity is Givers Gain, if I give you business hopefully you would like to give me business in return.
Their meeting are very structured and are on a weekly basis starting promptly at 7am and finishing at 9am. This has been questioned by a lot of people saying it does not let working Mums have the opportunity to join and these people have now started to run afternoon meetings in its place. There is a lot of commitment when joining BNI not only financially but time wise as well, but if you are prepared to do all of this then you really get out what you put in.
Ladies who Latte meets at the Copthorne Hotel in Reading once a month and as suggested in the title this is an all women networking event. There is a turn out of about 20-25 women and is very much a social lunch as well as business events. Most of the women attending these Ladies who Latte meetings are promoting products, massages, holidays and the like. Most are generally working part time or are just stepping out into business.
Mary Flavelle networking takes place all over the Berkshire area but the nearest one to Reading is in Bracknell at the Bear Keller by the John Nike Centre. This is a monthly Networking Event run by Mary herself. Mary is an extremely passionate and fun person to know and her breakfast meetings are extremely popular and up beat attracting a group of over 30 local networkers. This is a group not to be missed.
NRG Networking is run by David Clarke at Wokefield Park in Mortimer. This is a lunch time meeting. They run business seminars before each business networking lunch. These pre-lunch seminars cover business or personal development topics as well as giving people the opportunity to network. Seminar topics are chosen with the independent professional in mind. The kinds of people that attend this event are mostly experienced business owners.
Duffnuts is a new local networking group which is run by some experienced local networkers. This is a free event which takes place at the moat house in Sindlsham on the last Friday of every month. There is usually a great turn out of about 25-30 local business people. There is free parking out side and you are able to order some lunch from the restaurant if you wish. I have found there to be a lot of regulars that attend Duffnuts so it is a great way to build strong relationships.
Word of Mouse is a franchise and was started by the directors of The Business Referral Exchange. The idea of this networking group is to network on line and off line and costs £25 per month which you can pay as you go. When using the web you join a power circle and there will only be one person from one industry in each circle. The area coordinator will arrange monthly meeting and make sure that everyone is contributing effectively and will help and improve when needed.
Networking in your local area is very important not only to achieve referrals and to make local connections but to give and receive great advice as well. The idea is to not sell to the room but to make strong relationships which will hopefully result in business in the future. Networking should not be a short term fix and if you go in with that attitude then you will come out with nothing. Make sure you have goals for networking just like you would with any sort of marketing and advertising so you know what you want to achieve out of each and everyone. This stops people treating the networking event like a socials meeting.
Happy Networking.

Are you finding it difficult to have the time to build your network marketing business. Or maybe you have people in your downline or prospects who tell you they don’t have time? If you are working full time and have a family it can be a challenge.  Here are a few tips to help you.

One thing you might consider doing is getting up an hour earlier, before the kids are up, this can be a good time to blog, work on your newsletter, or even make phone calls to prospects, depending of course what time zone you are in. I’m in the pacific zone, so 6 AM to me is already 9 AM to someone in New York.

Alternatively, if you don’t like to get up early then perhaps the last hour or two before you wind down for the day could be good. If calling prospects or downline members is not feasible at this time, again it can be good to do some online work. The one thing about this is that often people are mentally tired at this time, and may not be as sharp as they are at noon. However, some people work well late at night.

If you have young children, perhaps your spouse can take them out to the park or do other activites with them while you are working your business. You don’t want the distraction of kids shouting or your dog barking anyway when you are on the phone. If your kids are old enough to understand, it’s a good idea to let them know what you are planning on accomplishing with your business so they will be understanding. Most women with a family want to build a business so they can stay home with their kids. It definitely helps to have a supportive spouse.

Another thing to consider is we often tend to waste time on such things as watching the news, or evening TV for an hour or so, when this time could have been put to productive use making phone calls or doing other activities that will grow your business.

If you have a job and a cell phone, you may be able to call prospects, customers or people in your downline on your lunch break. Of course you never want to do these things on company time. But your lunch hour is yours to do with as you please. Maybe instead of spending the hour socializing or reading a book you could work your business.

What matters the most is not necessarily the quantity of time you have, but the quality. An hour spent following up with a prospect, calling your new customer, and posting on your blog as three examples will help you a lot more than spending hours on social networking sites, surfing the web, or any other activity that does not directly help you grow your network marketing business.

The use of social networking sites to connect people has become so widespread today.  But other than those who just want to communicate with friends, old and new, social media is also currently being taken advantage by business oriented people as a way to reach their target clients and improve their businesses.

People involved in small business have found a powerful marketing tool in these social networking sites.

Among the top social media used by business people today are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.  By using these sites, you are able to expose your business to more people, at both a local and international level.

Facebook

Facebook has become highly popular in recent years attracting millions of users from across the globe. This popularity has, in fact, led the site’s management to offer marketing platforms that encourage people to share their business endeavors and build communities as well.

To use Facebook to your advantage, make sure to create an interesting personal profile page. Include photos and business information that will attract visitors and encourage them to read through your profile.

Update your information regularly so that existing and potential clients know what you’re up to. Discuss recent happenings regarding your business and interact with readers who post comments on your page.

Be friendly at all times and don’t forget to create a “fans” page and invite clients to join.

Twitter

In just a few years, Twitter has attracted a steady following that is increasing rapidly as the “buzz” around Twitter spreads.  This is the power of social networking sites – they are viral.

One advantage of Twitter over the others is that it lifts the lid on the activities and conversations of other people. What we are seeing today is news being reported on Twitter before the media even has a chance to tell us.

For business people who want to maximize the vast communication potential of this social networking site, it is best to be consistent when tweeting (telling people what you are doing).

This means not only providing information to your followers about what you are up to with your business, but also adding value.  You need to share tools, tips and strategies and make your updates interesting and engaging.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an ideal site for entrepreneurs because it gives you the opportunity to grow your business using less of your own money.  How?  LinkedIn is used by many professionals to search for potential employees and also as a means to expand their business contacts.

Providing a detailed profile (business information and photos) is the best way to expand your network of contacts through LinkedIn.

You can include a link to your website or blog for those people looking to access more information about you and your business. Interaction is key and you can do this by answering questions that provide valuable and interesting information.

YouTube

YouTube is a phenomenal success in terms of video sharing on the internet. This social networking site has become the Number 2 search engine, behind Google.

If you have not tried live video streaming as a marketing tool for your business yet, it is time to jump in front of the camera.  Videos are very powerful tools in drawing online traffic.

Create a short but clear video featuring yourself talking about your business and how you started out.  Tell them about your journey, provide them with success stories and share your passion about your business.

Create several short videos (perhaps video seminars you conduct, presentations you make, or other business projects) and upload them on YouTube.  Make sure that you post your videos in the category relevant to your business to draw the right target audience.

In using social media to market and improve your business, building trust with your audience is essential. You can only do this by being honest and providing consistently interesting, useful and valuable information. What matters most is that you share your experiences and knowledge.  Doing so can influence people’s lives and encourage them to take action.

By Wendy Moore Copyright 2009 Savvy Web Women Pty Ltd

For many entrepreneurs networking is a must to build your contact list the fastest way possible. After all, networking is one of the least expensive, most effective forms of marketing that you can do!

Besides if you have no customers yet and nothing to do – you have to do something! Networking is also the best way to build relationships; no other form of marketing or advertising can do this for you. People buy from people they like and connect with.

I’ve been self employed for five years and I’m still networking; I’m just more selective now on where and who I network with. When I first started out I joined four local chambers, a women’s organization and a leads group and I was at every event all the time.

As my business started picking up, I reduced the number of groups I was involved in and remained in only those that were the best fit for me and that brought me the most clients. I was extremely active in those that I stayed in so that I would be well known; basically I became the Go-to-Gal for my industry and associations.

This is what you want. You want for others to see you as the expert in your field. The key is though to be selfless, generous and knowledgeable in the process.

These days I’m networking even online through various social networking sites like MySpace, business networking sites like LinkedIn and FastPitch and other membership sites that I belong to too but this all takes time and finesse as well.

Rarely do I see very many really good networkers though so I urge you to learn more, practice your skills, focus on giving to others and really work at becoming the best networker you can because it will pay off with more customers and bigger profits.

Here are a few habits that a good networker typically exudes; they will:

* Go with a goal

* Be prepared, mentally and with materials

* Arrive early and stay late

* Work the room

* Master their ‘commercials’ and alter them as needed

* Introduce others around

* Pass people off nicely and move on

* Ask questions of the other person

* Know to listen more than they talk

* Take notes on cards

* Quickly and repeatedly follow up

So, how to you match up? What are you doing?

One thing I want to remind you of is that no matter which ones you are doing if you are NOT doing the very last one listed – the FOLLOW UP – then I can tell you right now that you are absolutely wasting your time (and money) doing the networking in the first place!!

I can’t stress to you enough that if you find yourself not being able to get your follow up done – then figure out someone to delegate this to. It’s worth whatever it costs to pay someone to do this for you because it could mean the difference between one sale and fourteen sales!