tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83455308153160169502024-03-09T18:46:03.239-08:00ssselenaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.comBlogger474125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-17471346587766264592013-08-28T04:23:00.001-07:002013-08-28T04:23:07.999-07:00North American Bancard<div style="text-align: justify;">
You will discover essentially three techniques to put your business up to accept credit cards: through a bank, with an independent sales business, often known as the credit card specialist, or, in the example of Find out as well as American Express, with the credit card company right.<br /><br />If you're a really small business you might first talk to the bank containing your business account and see whether they can cause you to a deal. Banks are sometimes picky regarding who they may give merchant accounts in order to, nevertheless, and you will most likely have a better deal through a completely independent sales organization.<br /><br />Costs with regard to setup as well as normal fees with regard to settlement digesting differ broadly according to the support provider along with the volume and price of sales you are making. The rate you pay per transaction is recognized as the low cost charge, also it can generally range from 1.5 percent to 3 percent, depending about precisely how the charge was made. There is certainly also any per-use fee that is certainly not often greater than 20 cents that is certainly tacked upon to each and every transaction.<br /><br />And also, since you are providing them with your hard-earned money, find out if you have everything from these people. Several companies get free equipment programs so that you can get those <a href="http://www.northamericanbancard.com/">credit card processing </a>devices free of charge, and that is certainly an gain.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-16053164020101961882013-08-26T09:32:00.001-07:002013-08-26T09:32:05.415-07:00Payment Processing<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-82814248883538576832012-08-04T12:37:00.002-07:002012-08-04T12:40:06.799-07:00Business Networking International<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9fpX3cliv3ZxlT1-rDhiDv856y23eR0eSgW2P_St9FRvI3U7c_zyDU6i9c9ny45XFfIiFgvgKMy-nniO527I4SONlui92gZp3tzSmSHT-A02Tzn1foifO3N3XSMp2SmjyBs9etsDx3iv/s1600/Business+Networking+International.jpg" title="Business Networking International"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9fpX3cliv3ZxlT1-rDhiDv856y23eR0eSgW2P_St9FRvI3U7c_zyDU6i9c9ny45XFfIiFgvgKMy-nniO527I4SONlui92gZp3tzSmSHT-A02Tzn1foifO3N3XSMp2SmjyBs9etsDx3iv/s320/Business+Networking+International.jpg" alt="Business Networking International" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772904406063226562" border="0" /></a><a href="http://ssselena.blogspot.com/2012/08/business-networking-international.html"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" title="Business Networking International">Business Networking International</span></a> is honored on becoming the world's greatest affiliate business. Chapters consist of one fellow member for each profession. Like a co-founder as well as previous us president of an BNI South Florida part, I'd like to reveal a number of our suffers from with you in order to assist you in creating any business decisions in connection with business.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">BNI was launched in the middle 1980's by Medical professional. Ivan Miner along with started in California. One of the primary ideas from the business is "givers gain". Medical professional. Miner increased the organization with a nationwide and shortly a global drive in business networking.<br /><br />What is all this concerning?<br /><br />Whether you start a whole new phase involving BNI or sign up for a per-existing one, your purpose, because it refers to your section, is two crease. The 1st important things you may be performing, is keeping the eyes and also hearing wide open with regard to business testimonials with users inside chapter. The opposite crucial operate is actually prospecting various other business professionals for regular membership.<br /><br />How can regular membership assist you?<br /><br />An individual benefit when you move testimonials and referrals for the reason that folks acquiring people recommendations will certainly really feel a responsibility to return the particular prefer. Think of it this way, how do you feel whenever you receive a gift within the holidays and also you lack someone to return to the one that offered that for your requirements? Same task costs business testimonials.<br /><br />To conclude<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" title="Business Networking International">Business Networking International</span> is an extremely properly set up as well as worthwhile corporation. A number of chapters have a problem as a consequence of an attitude regarding rigid sticking towards the bylaws, other folks benefit from all of them. Usually the one member every profession can typically be deemed a durability from the corporation.<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-43681129386311024222012-07-03T03:34:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:07.564-07:00Business Networking in 5 Simple Steps<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1&show_year=2011&show_month=02&blog=642&page=0"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGGymTM_QwekmjpxgfT5CXQKubK2C1bJ_EYsBiTjp_Bmo_vbOYJ_6bLpDsL5oSWZ4CjIx7Yf8wjNWZlyRrB1FzKpx3j23ztCUlTqQe0EhJR98JxRg3S9VBKCnRoqCE_g4XiaZ_aADTvu2/s1600/5steps.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">There are 5 essential steps to building business through business networking;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">1. Set your networking objectives</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">2. Identify your target market</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">3. Develop your proposition</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">4. Define your inner network</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">5. Build your advocates</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">Go to the full article, <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1&show_year=2011&show_month=02&blog=642&page=0">Business Networking in 5 Simple Steps</a>, for more and a complimentary ebook to help you build a plan based on these 5 steps.</div><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a><br />ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-5586685123152413082012-03-07T06:34:00.001-08:002012-03-07T06:34:23.329-08:00ssselenassselenaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-35205782708003218102012-03-04T12:40:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:42:11.057-07:00Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy for ssselena.blogspot.com<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at brakassiti@gmail.com.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At ssselena.blogspot.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. 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More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">So far, we have created ... 351,853 Privacy Policies.<br /></div><br /> <b><a href="http://www.serprank.com/privacy-policy-generator/html-policy1.php?url=ssselena.blogspot.com&emailaddress=brakassiti@gmail.com&cookie=does%20use%20cookies%20to%20store%20information%20about%20visitors%20preferences,%20record%20user-specific%20information%20on%20which%20pages%20the%20user%20access%20or%20visit,%20customize%20Web%20page%20content%20based%20on%20visitors%20browser%20type%20or%20other%20information%20that%20the%20visitor%20sends%20via%20their%20browser.&adsense=Google%20Adsense%3Cbr%3E&cj=&kontera=&adbrite=&wb=&clickbank=&azoogle=&chitika=&linkshare=&amazon=" target=""> Grab the HTML for this Privacy Policy</a></b><br /> <b><i><a href="http://www.serprank.com/privacy-policy-generator/index.php" target="_top">Create another Privacy Policy</a></i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-34699465062159990692012-03-02T06:52:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.596-07:00Making Friends in Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintQRg4MHkkuNlShcwnaj0NDya7GzAmROYS1CNVEMHunAmxsbWrGDpjvwyG7MNfJz2dqOn-mbs1ONBra0NJD_7Dbz7hTSGzm36uDPTu06R0kxkpYthiwlUcHrWI4kv91jn2bVi34EV6w_v/s1600/Netski.png" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have recently returned from a week skiing in the Swiss Alps on what is now the annual <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/NetSki/240293759388474">Netski</a> trip organised by <a href="http://www.warrencass.com/" target="_blank">Warren Cass</a>. The party was made up of 18 business people who have become friends through organised networking. This year they included leaders from <a href="http://www.angelsden.co.uk/">Angels Den</a>, <a href="http://www.business-scene.com/" target="_blank">Business-Scene</a>, <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/" target="_blank">Directors Centre</a>, <a href="http://www.ecademy.com/" target="_blank">Ecademy</a> , <a href="http://www.taxadvicenetwork.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tax Advice Network</a> and <a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com./" target="_blank">NRG-networks</a> </div><br />In the organised networks we run we help business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs to develop business through networking. This works if you focus on building relationships first with the right people. Do the right things and business follows. Nobody on the skiing trip was selling to each other yet business was done and referred. Relationships first, business second. <br /><br />I overheard a conversation between one of our party and someone else on a lift. The other person had asked what organised business networking was all about. After the reply he said, "I see, you're in the friends making business." <br /><br />Friends are people you know well and like. They show loyalty, affection and offer help and support. All things that you need in running your business! <br /><br />Friends first, business second. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a><br /><br /> ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-53935600381892342222011-09-22T07:43:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:07.625-07:00Networking is about people not numbersRecently I wrote a guest blog for Warren Cass, '<a href="http://www.warrencass.com/networking-is-not-a-numbers-game-by-dave-clarke/" target="_blank">Networking is not a numbers game</a>'. In a reply on <a href="http://twitter.com/RobertaWard" target="_blank">Twitter, Roberta Ward</a> summed it up quite neatly, "<i>No, its a people game!</i>".<br /><br />In the article I wrote about how some people approach networking as a numbers game. Meeting as many different people as possible at different events. Or collecting the maximum number of connections or friends on social networking websites.<br /><br />The people who really make networking work for them and their business build strong relationships with a smaller number of people. They don't need to go out and meet new people all the time. Their introductions to new people and opportunities come via this group.<br /><br />Constantly meeting new people all the time leaves no time for relationship building. It's like starting from scratch every time or the Networking equivalent of Groundhog Day!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>! <br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a><br /><br /> ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-62186005079589822592011-08-30T08:14:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:07.653-07:00Are you networking with the right people?I met someone recently at one of my regular networking groups. When he explained what he did I advised him that the group may not be great for him and his business. He sold cosmetics direct to consumers and was there to generate leads for his business. The group was made up of professionals and providers of business services.<br /><br />He said, rightly, that everyone there either used or knew people that used the types of products he sold. I said that was true, but they were all there because they shared the same target market. They were not selling directly to consumers of domestic products so the best network for him would be with others selling directly to the same domestic consumers.<br /><br />Successful networking for business development is all about building relationships with the right people. A good place to start when selecting a networking group for business is to find one where the other members sell to the same target market as you. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a><br /><br /> ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-85451590604999012942011-07-15T10:21:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:07.675-07:00What is a Business Networking Group?I wrote this after a dinner party when one of the other guests asked me what I do. I used the phrase 'Business Networking Group' in my reply and she said, "What's a Business Networking Group?"<br /><br />I was a little thrown at first, but realised I shouldn't be. I think we often assume that everyone knows more about whatever it is we do than they actually do. I once met someone on a Referral Institute training course who had written technical manuals. He said that the instructions included the advice to write so that an 8 year old can understand.<br /><br />Wikipedia describes Business Networking as '<i>a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity</i>'.<br /><br />A little complicated so I realised that I needed to explain a little bit more. I explained that there are now many more people running their own business than ever before. Many of them are specialists in what they do and do not have any marketing or sales people. They rely on personal recommendation or word of mouth for their business. Their main problem is that they need more of these opportunities than they currently have. Many of the older business support services in the public and private sector do not really help these business people with generating positive word of mouth. As a result specialist business networking organisations have emerged. <br /><br />Any club or group group exists because the members share and are committed to a common cause. The common cause for the members of a business networking group will usually be helping each other in business. This may be around sharing business, support and information (or all 3). It is mainly the need to generate more business by recommendation that has lead to the growth in the market of specialist business networking groups.<br /><br />A business networking group is a club where the common cause is helping each other become more successful in business.<br /><br />The most important thing in an effective business networking group is that the members don't just share the same needs. They must be in a position to really help each other. That will often mean that the members share similar target markets and provide similar value services. Success is then down to the commitment and contribution they make.<br /><br />Would an 8 year old understand how you describe what you do?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a><br /><br />ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-78991214219780246292011-07-05T12:28:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:07.699-07:00The small business advantage in the Digital AgeI wrote this on a train heading into London earlier this year and it was first published at the <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">new home of the business networking blog</a>. I was on my way to a 'Digital Mindset' workshop from Ecademy founders Penny & Thomas Power. The idea that Ecademy website was about 'Learning, networking and business development for the digital age' got me thinking about whether things have really changed. <br /><br />If we are in a 'digital age' what does this mean for the Owners, Directors and Partners of small specialist businesses and professional firms? It is mainly these people who go networking as their primary route to market. <br /><br />Most of the people I meet in this category are passionate about what they do and are open and transparent about what they do and why. It is this passion, openness & transparency that gives them an advantage in this digital age. It is exactly the right approach online.<br /><br />Contrast this with the news furore at the time about wikileaks. Whatever the rights or wrongs of leaking the information the revelations showed some of our politicians, diplomats and representatives of big business taking the opposite approach. Saying one thing in private and another thing in public. The internet has made it easier to judge openness, honesty and transparency. The very things that small business is mainly better at that big business. <br /><br />You may have heard the expression 'people buy people'. The approach for the digital age is the same as what came before. <br /><br />Be yourself!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p><br />ps Visit <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">the new home of the business networking blog</a> for the latest postsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-32894233223102788252011-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.736-07:00The Business Networking Blog is movingThe Business Networking Blog has a new home at <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1</a>. Please check the new location for new posts with <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">business networking tips, hints, advice and stories</a>.<br /><br />The full archive of posts is also available at the new site. <br /><br />For new posts go the new home of the <a href="https://www.nrg-networks.com/blogs.php?cat=1">business networking blog</a>.<br /><br />EDIT July 5, 2011<br />A number of people still visit here so I'm going to start adding posts here too. It may take a while to catch up.<br /><br />Good Networking!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-51196639515204156402011-01-04T02:12:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.759-07:00Do you know where you are starting from?Over the last week or so my inbox has been full of well meaning advice about goal setting and new year resolutions. The same topics have seemed to dominate on blogs and social media. One thing has been missing from a lot of what I have read - the importance of knowing where you are starting from. You may be a lot nearer to your goals than you think. One of the common mistakes people make when building a business network is thinking that it is all about making new contacts. Don't forget the people who already know, like, rate and trust you.<br /><br />I shared some tips on how to identify the people already in your network in a short podcast that you can listen to here:<br /><div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" id="mp3playerlightsmallv3" align="middle" height="25" width="210"> <embed src="http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://nrgnetworks.podbean.com/mf/play/v4nyn5/NRG_Podcast2.mp3&autoStart=no" quality="high" name="mp3playerlightsmallv3" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" height="25" width="210"></embed> </object> <br /><a style="border-bottom: medium none; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-left: 41px; color: rgb(45, 162, 116); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.podbean.com/">Powered by Podbean.com</a><br /></div><br />I heard someone say once that if you don't know where you are going then any road will do as you don't know which one to follow. Equally if you don't know where you are then you don't know which road to take.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-48838299075130273792010-12-23T07:35:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.779-07:00Seasons GreetingsEnjoy the Christmas story told through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, Amazon...<br /><object style="height: 260px; width: 410px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkHNNPM7pJA?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkHNNPM7pJA?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="410" height="260"></object><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Have a great Christmas</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-62392304787111176262010-12-14T23:53:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.880-07:00Are you networking with the right people?I met someone last week at one of my regular networking groups. When he explained what he did I advised him that the group may not be great for him and his business. He sold cosmetics and the group was made up of professionals and providers of business services. <br /><br />He said, rightly, that everyone there either used or knew people that used the types of products he sold. I said that was true, but they were all there because they shared the same target market. They were not selling directly to consumers of domestic products so the best network for him would be with others selling directly to the same domestic consumers.<br /><br />Successful networking is all about building relationships with the right people. A good place to start when selecting a networking group is to find one where the other members sell to the same target market as you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-50877045454211380562010-12-09T06:49:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:07.974-07:00What is a business networking group?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0D8DKSY29vf0xPtKTghoO_wpS1a8FO8gZqlwyYGT8Abxc2t9kn3q2BBNLQbBqh87gvb795euLMpfgV4mMLmp0J3_rQEgDpkdqHgjiL7bY4Al9Eyy5syOEjm3Knn9MEXM0DzEgqDUpnZd/s1600/NRG_image2_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0D8DKSY29vf0xPtKTghoO_wpS1a8FO8gZqlwyYGT8Abxc2t9kn3q2BBNLQbBqh87gvb795euLMpfgV4mMLmp0J3_rQEgDpkdqHgjiL7bY4Al9Eyy5syOEjm3Knn9MEXM0DzEgqDUpnZd/s1600/NRG_image2_small.jpg" /></a></div>At a dinner party a couple of weeks ago one of the other guests asked me what I do. I used the phrase 'Business Networking Group' in my reply and she said, "<i>What's a Business Networking Group</i>?" <br /><br />I was a little thrown at first, but realised I shouldn't be. I think we often assume that everyone knows more about whatever it is we do than they actually do. I met someone on a <a href="http://www.referralinstitute.co.uk/">Referral Institute</a> training course yesterday who had once written technical manuals. He said that the instructions included the advice to write so that an 8 year old can understand.<br /><br />Wikipedia describes Business Networking as '<i>a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity</i>'.<br /><br />I realised that I needed to explain a little bit more. <br /><br />I explained that there are now many more people running their own business than ever before. Many of them are specialists in what they do and do not have any marketing or sales people. They rely on personal recommendation or word of mouth for their business. Their main problem is that they need more of these opportunities than they currently have. Many of the older business support services in the public and private sector do not really help these business people with generating positive word of mouth. <br /><br />Any group exists because the members share and are committed to a common cause. The common cause for the members of a business networking group will usually be helping each other in business. This may be around sharing business, support and information (or all 3). It is mainly the need to generate more business by recommendation that has lead to the growth in the market of specialist business networking groups. <br /><br />A business networking group is a club where the common cause is helping each other become more successful in business.<br /><br />The most important thing in an effective business networking group is that the members don't just share the same needs. They must be in a position to really help each other. That will often mean that the members share similar target markets and provide similar value services. Success is then down to the commitment and contribution they make.<br /><br />Would an 8 year old understand how you describe what you do?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-13814711866705674032010-11-30T01:42:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:08.080-07:00The small business advantage in the Digital AgeI write this from a train heading into London. I am on my way to a 'Digital Mindset' workshop from Ecademy founders Penny & Thomas Power. The purpose of the event is billed as 'to look at why a "Digital Mindset" and Digital Coaching will grow your business.' The tag line for the Ecademy website is now 'Learning, networking and business development for the digital age'. <br /><br />If we are in a 'digital age' what does this mean for the Owners, Directors and Partners of small specialist businesses and professional firms? It is mainly these people who go networking as their primary route to market. <br /><br />Most of the people I meet in this category are passionate about what they do and are open and transparent about what they do and why. It is this passion, openness & transparency that gives them an advantage in this digital age. It is exactly the right approach online.<br /><br />Contrast this with the news furore over the last few days about wikileaks. Whatever the rights or wrongs the revelations, if true, show some of our politicians, diplomats and representatives of big business taking the opposite approach. Saying one thing in private and another thing in public. The internet has made it easier to judge openness, honesty and transparency. The very things that small business is mainly better at that big business. <br /><br />You may have heard the expression 'people buy people'. The approach for the digital age is the same as what came before. <br /><br />Be yourself!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-42100104853819843632010-11-23T07:40:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:08.184-07:00Think of networking as a system & not an eventI was at an event recently where someone said that the owners of small businesses often operate a really unstructured approach to marketing. This is often an irregular series of one off initiatives in relation to short term needs. The problem with this approach is that each new activity takes a lot of effort and does not build on the things that have been done before. It leads to a lot of wasted time and frustration.<br /><br />Many business owners and professionals adopt a similar approach to networking. Attending loads of events when new business is needed with infrequent activity when they are busy. Both marketing and networking are much more productive when done systematically.<br /><br />Instead of networking like crazy when you need something adopt a simple, straightforward, systematic approach. This means building your network rather than meeting lots of people infrequently. Take the time to build the right relationships with the right people for you and your business. Then take the time to understand what they need and help them achieve it. Don't forget to let them know what you need and how they can help you. This approach means you can invest your time effectively at fewer events and leave more time to doing what you really enjoy and get paid to do.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-54302455002136122702010-11-16T05:19:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:08.289-07:00Are you building strong ties with your network?In <a href="http://ssselena.blogspot.com/2010/09/quality-of-your-network-really-matters.html">The quality of your network really matters</a> I wrote about recent research into influencing behaviour through social networks. This research highlighted the importance of building close, strong ties to people in your network.<br /><br />In his keynote at the F5 Conference earlier this year Malcolm Gladwell is quoted as Saying,<br /><br />"<i>If social media tools are going to make a meaningful commitment to the way our world is run you have to remember to build trust, to build institutions and to build strong ties</i>."<br /><br />Mark Smiciklas of the <a href="http://www.intersectionconsulting.com/blog/">Intersection Marketing Blog</a> regularly produces some great visuals in his articles. Here are the ones he used to illustrate the Malcolm Gladwell quote in his article on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Malcolm%20Gladwell%20&%20The%20Future%20of%20Social%20Media">Malcolm Gladwell & The Future of Social Media</a> a few months ago.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM7Vne5QWxMz8fhjNmnqEQcOK6Jz7B7asLxZHo2-HW2mDPjaIkN-hi0GyZKOasRWJq2TbGmTTNget3eKh1W-A7X6arQI-UVxXz3S3cy_L1q7RCcNUQ0qInYsGk3c3LZYxoiDCRQpqdZSg/s1600/strong-ties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM7Vne5QWxMz8fhjNmnqEQcOK6Jz7B7asLxZHo2-HW2mDPjaIkN-hi0GyZKOasRWJq2TbGmTTNget3eKh1W-A7X6arQI-UVxXz3S3cy_L1q7RCcNUQ0qInYsGk3c3LZYxoiDCRQpqdZSg/s320/strong-ties.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dIlIfvidT9E2s-4-YTf3mn9F153fcm50GPHzA48K8jF7MQZliuVTjcxz4fQLo2rwq7_3YAhjIFhka1cYaLfSldwx4GUQXDQvTHloy0-8UVhMmb07pYGQfJbJ8bSNdt4bo5ArI5TsbmWt/s1600/social-media-trust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dIlIfvidT9E2s-4-YTf3mn9F153fcm50GPHzA48K8jF7MQZliuVTjcxz4fQLo2rwq7_3YAhjIFhka1cYaLfSldwx4GUQXDQvTHloy0-8UVhMmb07pYGQfJbJ8bSNdt4bo5ArI5TsbmWt/s320/social-media-trust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-6Gc6VS_3PtjDgy3ZBXVoqmipBIqEqqkbp9hZUP6Dy4PyN86Z2BYGUAM0GkbhwUuwvDbuh9Lp2VhDkiwPdp3wlUjerP0Bsaz5wc2p_6cTUqBq98ZIseTwfQmtX2ZjY7uxuykeGZ3qyjp/s1600/social-media-institutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-6Gc6VS_3PtjDgy3ZBXVoqmipBIqEqqkbp9hZUP6Dy4PyN86Z2BYGUAM0GkbhwUuwvDbuh9Lp2VhDkiwPdp3wlUjerP0Bsaz5wc2p_6cTUqBq98ZIseTwfQmtX2ZjY7uxuykeGZ3qyjp/s320/social-media-institutions.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br />As I have written before,<br /><br />"<i>Success in networking (offline and online) comes down to building a manageable number of relationships amongst people with influence amongst the right audience. Then motivating that network to advocate you</i>."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-88349751446045535542010-11-09T01:49:00.000-08:002012-08-04T12:55:08.393-07:00Building a business by referring others firstIn a recent post I suggested it was a good idea to work out <a href="http://ssselena.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-else-is-needed-when-you-do-business.html">who else is needed when you do business</a>. This simple exercise means you can work out which other businesses give you the most referral opportunities. Both for giving and receiving.<br /><br />Someone asked me a couple of days ago if I could give an example. Some years ago I was involved in an Internet start up. We provided high speed internet connectivity to business clients in City of London in the days before broadband! Before we opened for business we built relationships with other providers of services in the Internet, IT and Telecoms space. Services that would be complementary to ours and that our clients and potential clients might also need. Some of these may have been competitors in some respects, but we felt that if they were right for a client then we would not be and vice versa. <br /><br />These other businesses included providers of:<br /><ul><li>consumer ISP services - we were b2b only.</li><li>computer and computer network equipment - we did not sell this equipment.</li><li>email and internet software.</li><li>internet security.</li><li>computer cabling suppliers.</li><li>data storage.</li><li>telephony and telephony equipment.</li><li>e-commerce.</li><li>web design.</li><li>internet hosting.</li></ul><div>Most of the time when we spoke with potential clients they might not need our services at the time, but they needed one of these others and we referred them. This kept us front of mind for both our potential clients and those we referred. </div><div><br /></div><div>Over time all of our business came through referrals from these sources. The 'potential clients' became clients or referred others as a result of the help we provided for them. Those we referred then stated doing the same for us. Many of these relationships also resulted in more collaboration, but that's another story...</div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<br /><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-32213210079120597752010-11-02T04:38:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:08.526-07:00Who else is needed when you do business?Last week I was with a group of Professionals and Small Business Owners in Birmingham learning more about Referral Marketing at the Referral Institute's UK & Ireland Conference. The theme of the day was about how you can dramatically increase your referred revenue. One topic covered by Trey McAlister was about understanding 'Contact Sphere Professionals'. These people are in a position to regularly refer each other. <br /><br />It is worth spending some time identifying this group for your business. Who else is often needed when you do business? What opportunities do you uncover as you go about your work? What other opportunities could you uncover as you go about your work?<br /><br />This process of identifying them also gives you an idea of the opportunities you have for referring and building your inner network. As you do this for them you are demonstrating how they can do the same for you and others. You are advocating them and providing the motivation for them to do it for you.<br /><br />You really can get all the business you need through a close knit group of like minded business owners like this. That is provided you are all committed to the success of each other and are all in a position to regularly provide opportunities to each other. You need to meet regularly to strengthen your relationships and exchange opportunities. Why not find a convenient networking group that you can do this in?<br /><br />You are also adding value to your client relationships by showing them you have their success at heart and not just your own.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-65013584268497886732010-10-25T06:05:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:08.554-07:00Do you nurture your network like a good garden?Nurturing your network can be similar to tending your garden. In a garden different trees, plants and shrubs require differing amounts of attention to enable them to grow and thrive. It's the same with your network. Some relationships need very little maintenance, some require much more at the start and others need constant attention. <br /><br />Many people, though, think of networking as being all about connecting with as many people as possible. This approach leaves you very little time to build the right relationships. Your garden would soon be over-run with weeds if you neglected that personal care and attention. At this time of year some extra attention is required to ensure the health of your garden for the Winter and in preparation for Spring. In <a href="http://www.ft.com/mikesouthon">his column in the Financial Times on Saturday Mike Southon</a> offered some advice on networking including some "<a href="http://www.mikesouthon.com/ezine/lets-stop-networking/">radical pruning of the people in our on-line networks</a>".<br /><br />The article is worth a read and as Mike wrote, "<i>Any network is all about quality rather than quantity, the depth rather than the breadth of your connections</i>."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-1159697400188943602010-10-19T01:35:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:08.648-07:00An offline networking lesson from LinkedinMany business people are comfortable with Linkedin. The online tools seem based around the way networking has always worked offline. Used well the Linkedin tools add value to your offline networking.<br /><br />In a peer to peer boardroom session recently we were discussing how someone could get in front of good prospects for a new high value consulting service. One of the difficulties this person had was helping his network identify referral opportunities. We got the person to identify some real companies he could work with. We then searched linkedin for contacts in those companies. Linkedin showed those in our existing networks who were connected to these 'prospects'. The action the person took away from the boardroom was to try and get introductions to these prospects via his network. Linkedin makes that whole process very open & simple. <br /><br />It can be very difficult offline to know who our network knows. One way to help is to identify the the actual companies you want to work with. Then tell your network who they are, how you help and why you want to be introduced.<br /><br />Once you are in a trusted relationship it is well worth setting aside regular one to one time where you explore each others connections and the opportunies within. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-46699979624524230282010-10-15T06:12:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:08.743-07:00Who are the best introducers?I was running the NRG Bath lunch yesterday. Small group but really great people. In the morning I ran a session for the group members where we were helping each other work out who their best introducers were. They knew their target market but found it difficult, like most people, to work out who else knew that market.<br /><br />As we went round the table it became clear that there was one category of introducers that were really desirable. They are the 'trusted advisors', those business professionals who help the business owner/director with specific issues. They might be outsourced finance directors, accountants, business coaches or virtual PAs. They all share the same thing - they understand the business owner's drivers and issues and they have that person's ear.<br /><br />That's easy then. Just aim to meet those 'trusted advisors' and wait for that steady stream of referrals. Of course it doesn't work like that. It is one thing identifying these special people, it is another thing getting them to refer you. That's where relationship building comes in. Only when they know you, like you, trust you will they consider referring you. And only when they are motivated to do so. <br /><br />To start that process of building these critical advocate relationships put yourself in the shoes of John F Kennedy and, to paraphrase "ask not what they can do for you but what you can do for them".<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!<p></p><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/index.php?alias=martindavies">Martin Davies</a><p></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345530815316016950.post-69452356405041131352010-10-15T02:31:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:55:08.835-07:00You have a Linkedin profile so now what?I get asked regularly by business people and professionals about using Linkedin. Here is a short video from the clever folks at Commoncraft that explains it all in very simple language.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IzT3JVUGUzM&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IzT3JVUGUzM&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.nrg-networks.com/nrg-10tips.html">Good Networking</a>!</p><a href="http://daveclarke.tv/">Dave Clarke</a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999637639570633008noreply@blogger.com0