Posts Tagged ‘networking’
Sta.rtUp.Biz: A Promising New Social Network
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
Move over Facebook. Watch out MySpace. There’s a new kid in town.
Aside from the less than convenient domain name, Sta.rtUp.Biz appears to be a social network above the rest (as far as small businesses should be concerned). With a slick and stylized presentation this social network seems to have it all. From creating your own profile and connecting with other business owners to an impressive resource offering, this site is bound to give it’s members everything they could possibly want all in one place. Their articles section traverses the top business magazines online including Fortune, BusinessWeek, and Entreprenuer. They’ve got forums, blogs and videos as well as free business tools and free advice from experts.
Check it out. And if you are a member please let us know what you think about it. Does it live up to it’s flashy presentation?
Tags: E-Commerce and E-Business, networking, Rebecca Button, small business, social network, social networking, Starting a Business, startups
Posted in News & Articles | 1 Comment »
Using Alumni Networks to Grow Your Business - Dos and Don’ts for Contacting Old Classmates
Friday, March 28th, 2008
One of the best ways to grow your business network is by building relationships with fellow alumni from your undergraduate or graduate school. Having that common bond immediately bridges the gap from stranger to acquaintance and helps open the lines of communication. You may have had the same friends, shared the same dormitory, had the same teacher, loved the same restaurant, etc. You’d be surprised how much in common you have with your fellow classmates, whether or not you even knew them back in your student days. Many startup companies are formed with fellow alumni, and today colleges and universities are making it easy with online alumni forums. There are even websites, like AffinityCircles.com , that help alumni build their own networking circles.
Networking with alumni can help you build your company, gain clients or get helpful information. However, it’s crucial that you think of your alumni contacts as relationships and not a pool of potential clients, investors or buyers. In other words, build the relationships first before asking for something in return. True, this may be months in the making, but having this common background can really help to take business to the next level - whether that be in becoming business partners, asking about potential investors or talking about a list of possible clients.
When joining an alumni network, it’s important not to abuse your membership by say, only logging on when you have a question or favor to ask, or sending a mass request for investment money. Think of your alumni network as your friends, and treat them accordingly. You can begin building relationships by getting involved in the forums and answering questions, fulfilling requests and doing favors. Try to keep your name in the postings regularly so that others will begin to see your name as familiar.
Once you have built some relationships and you have a relevant request or favor then consider sending a personal message to your alumni contacts, rather than a mass posting to anyone and everyone. A personal message is more likely to get answered and it makes your request seem more important because it was a specific request to someone who you thought would be most qualified to help you out.
Alumni classmates can prove to be truly powerful contacts. And as a new class graduates every year, your tappable market just keeps growing and growing. While sites like Myspace and Facebook are more for socializing, alumni networking sites are known for building and maintaining business contacts - after all, after college, that’s where most alumni end up - in the business world. So, whether you’re working on putting together a management team for your new company, building your client list, gaining private investors for your start up, or just improving your marketing programs, joining an alumni network can help you do all that plus make some life-long friends in the process!
Tags: affinitycircles.com, Carrie Hinkel, contacting alumni, facebook, myspace, networking, online networking, social networking
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
Networking Outside Your Industry
Monday, March 17th, 2008
Your business is in a specific industry, so naturally you belong to the industry-related associations, and receive the monthly e-newsletters. In doing this, you receive pertinent information that is vital to your business and future success. So why would you network outside of your industry? Networking outside your industry will make you a very well-rounded individual which will help your business. The most successful business entrepreneurs have made a point to network outside of their primary industry, and particularly within their customers’ industries.
Why is this important? If it is important to your customers, it should be important to you. Additionally, you can learn a great deal about trends from other industries, even if they don’t parallel with yours. You can gain synergy from benchmarking and learning about different industries and even different markets than your own, giving you additional platforms from which your business can grow.
Below are a few suggestions to help you take your business to the next level by networking within other industries. By gaining knowledge about your customers’ areas of interest, you’ll be able to provide better service to your customers based on their needs, helping to align with your needs and goals for the organization. You can also gain valuable insight into other areas that hold growth potential for your business.
Get involved in community groups. Networking happens here very naturally and what better way to help out while talking about “what you do”? Not-for-profit organizations such as the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and your local YMCA are good places to start.
Joining different groups is a positive way to increase your network, not to mention the fun you will have in participating, such as through a hobby group. These can be a community basketball team, or joining a book club. One additional though on joining a hobby group-they tend to be loyal to others who enjoy the same pastime, which will increase your chances for new customers.
Become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce. This is a great place to network with every business in your municipality and neighboring cities as well. Often times your Chamber will have new member orientations, lists of member businesses, and different committees you can join to get involved and meet other business people.
Take continuing education classes. Not only will you gain new skills, but you will meet like-minded individuals who become part of your network, who also have their own networks.
Volunteer for a worthwhile cause. This is also a great way to increase your network. You help out in your community by making a difference, and possibly create more business for yourself as well. Of course, you do not want to volunteer only for this purpose - you have to want to help out. This would just be a benefit of doing so, not to mention what you will be giving to that organization.
Tags: community involvement, Growing Your Business, larry Slusser, networking, volunteering
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
Making Trade Shows Work for You
Monday, March 10th, 2008
One of the best ways to increase your company’s profile is via trade shows. Whether you’re a visitor looking for some new products or suppliers, or an exhibitor looking to show your own products off, trade shows are an excellent way to get your name and product out to the general public. However, it’s not as simple as just turning up and letting the public come to you, or you wandering around hoping to find what you’re looking for - trade shows need to be worked properly to make them effective.
Trade Shows for Exhibitors
Offering an often cost effective and time saving opportunity for you to connect with potential new customers or clients, exhibiting at a trade show is a great way for companies to show early examples of new and existing products. Yet it can also backfire if the exhibit is poorly planned - therefore make sure to follow some of these key tips:
* Make sure you choose a trade show relevant to your product and company.
* Take advantage of any early-bird offers that you may be eligible for. This can save on everything from hotel costs to car rentals, if needed.
* Make sure you read all the materials sent to you carefully. You need to know if there are any special by-laws that you should be aware of, since each state usually has its own. This includes labor laws if you’re using local workmen and working hours.
* Make sure you have an affordable budget (and stay within that budget).
* Advertise your attendance with promotional material such as a press kit or press release. Ensure this goes out to the media team of the trade show itself and local news and trade papers.
* Let your customers and website visitors know you’ll be exhibiting by posting an announcement on your website and sending an email to your newsletter list.
* Use small free gifts to give to visitors to your booth. These can have your company name and website on it and will act as instant reminders to visit your site. Also, offer discounted prices for show visitors who then make a purchase from you.
Trade Shows for Attendees
It’s not just exhibitors that need to manage a trade show properly, though. Just as important is to know what you’re looking for if you’re attending as a visitor. After all, your company’s time is money and you don’t want to be wasting time with exhibitors that aren’t relevant.
* Make sure you try and attend relevant seminars and networking or group meetings. This will get you talking to the people that matter to you.
* Collect business cards instead of brochures - not only will this save you having to carry too much, it’s also an easier way to keep contacts.
* Speak to people outside of the main hall if you can - this will make it easier to hear what each other is saying.
* Chat to people at dinner, or when you’re getting food from the buffet. This is an excellent opportunity to strike up a conversation in a relaxed setting.
Although trade shows can be disconcerting and hard work, as long as you’re prepared for both angles (visiting and displaying), you can make them work to your advantage and increase your company’s profile for potentially less than an advertising campaign.
Tags: advice, danny brown, Growing Your Business, Marketing, Marketing Your Business, networking, tips, Trade Shows
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
Top 5 Bummers Of Online Social Networking
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
You’ve heard the countless praises of online social networking, but as with anything, there is some bad that comes with all the good. And so I give you the five biggest bummers of participating in online social networking.
5. Scams
This one is pretty easy to understand but very important to consider. There is plenty of white-collar crime that goes down on the internet and social networking sites are not exempt. The anonymity the internet provides opens the door to con-artists and scammers so you have to beware.
4. There’s so many - How do you keep up?
Since the explosion of Myspace and Facebook (personal oriented) and LinkedIn (business oriented), social networking sites have been springing up everywhere. So which ones do you join? If you join too many, it could become a full time job keeping up with all those different networks. If you don’t join enough, you could be missing out on valuable networking opportunities. Where do you draw the line?
3. The stereotype of joining for self-interested reasons
Let’s be honest. Most people (who are not Gen Yers) are going to be joining these networks to promote their business. And if you are one of these people that’s fine. BUT, you’re not the only one who knows that. So you are going to have to fight, or rather work that much harder to get people to believe that you are truly interested in them/their business.
2. Time and resources
Whether you join many or few networking communities, you will have to commit time and resources to the task of creating and maintaining any relationships you might form. And even after all of this work it’s possible you may not even glean any postitive results! While the relationships you can form can be good (or dare I say, great) for business, you’ll have to weigh the return on investment here.
1. It’s impersonal
There’s no two ways about it. Networking the ‘old fashioned’ way allowed people to read body language, watch immediate reactions and learn first hand what others’ businesses do and what problems they are facing. While the internet is quite "instant" it has enabled delays between personal communication and this has damaging effects on business. There’s really nothing that compares to face to face interaction.
I would like to state here that I personally believe online social networking is crucial to e-commerce/business. There is a whole wide world (literally) of opportunity with this avenue and I recommend exploring it. Just keep in mind the other side of the coin as you make your decision! 
Tags: advice, E-Commerce and E-Business, Marketing Your Business, networking, Rebecca Button, social networking, tips
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
When is enough, enough?
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
I’m all for instant access–to everything from entertainment news to directions from my TomTom. I mean, if I could have instant access to being showered and dressed every morning by pressing a few buttons, believe me, I WOULD. However, in this increasingly "instant" world we now live in, is there going to be a point when everything is so readily available that it just becomes too much?
Allow me to illustrate using a brand new business networking technique called "workstreaming." You’ve heard of blogging as a means of keeping customers, clients and visitors up to date on different goings on, and perhaps you’ve also heard of micro-blogging tools such as Twitter. Workstreaming combines these tools to give people INSTANT instant access to what you are doing. Web Worker Daily describes it as:
"the publishing of work-related activities and events to your remote colleagues, usually via RSS but sometimes in other formats and ways.”
Another description from the AnyWired blog :
"A workstream is a live updated record of work you’ve completed. When doing group work with remote colleagues, it allows you to keep track of what everyone else is doing. When working solo, it helps you keep track of your own productivity."
Now, if you’re using it in the context of keeping co-workers up to date on accomplishments on a group project, fine. But otherwise, it begs the question: Who cares?
What do you think?
When you’ve already got plenty of virtual responsibilites (email, blog, myspace and/or facebook pages, etc) do you want to tie yourself down to posting up to the minute tidbits? And do you think there are enough people out there that would read them enough to make it worth your while? What about if you did this strictly for your business website involving store promotions, job openings…..?
Talk to me. Tell me how this is productive.
Tags: micro-blogging, networking, Rebecca Button, social networking, twitter, workstreaming
Posted in Blog | No Comments »
Networking Your Way to Success
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Take a look at your business, and ask yourself why it’s successful. Depending on the size, it could be a myriad of things - the sales team, the service backup, most certainly the customers. Yet if you take all these into consideration, they’ve all got one thing in common - they’re part of your company’s network.
From the sales team providing your customer their order to the service team looking after their account once the sale has been made, it’s all one big network working towards your company’s success. To ensure this success continues, you need to be taking that network and expanding it.
The Importance of Networking
Not only will a good and expansive network offer you the opportunity to promote your business, it’s also an excellent way to meet people that can make a difference to your company.
For instance, many directors, managers and owners of companies attend specially arranged networking meetings. This is an ideal environment for like-minded businesspeople to exchange details and information. Indeed, many of a company’s business deals come from the result of making an acquaintance at a networking event.
Additionally, it’s also a good way to spot a potential employee for your business, which can save you money and time advertising, or using a recruitment agency. Couple that with the sheer amount of information and contacts you can come away with, and a networking event is definitely something you should be looking at attending. Or, if you wish, arrange one yourself.
How to Network Effectively
The key to effective networking is to attend the right events, therefore enabling you to speak to the right people. There are many ways you can do this, and taking the time to research a little beforehand can make all the difference to how successful your next networking event is.
One of the best ways to network is the traditional face-to-face method. This could be at an informal lunch event, or a specially arranged networking gathering at a hotel or conference center. This allows you to exchange business cards, get a feel for what a person is like in the flesh, and generally introduce both you and your business to a wider audience.
Another way is to network online, using social networking sites. These can range from the standard websites such as Facebook or MySpace . However, there are also specialist networking sites aimed more at businesses - LinkedIn.com and Ecademy.com are particularly good examples. You can search for contacts specific to your industry, which ensures that you’re not meeting people who are networking just for the sake of it.
Whichever way you decide to go, the important thing is keeping up to date afterwards. Make sure that you send a complimentary email now and again, and if your address or phone number details change, make sure to update everyone in your network. Once you have a solid, up-to-date networking contact list, you may be surprised how much a positive difference it will make to your business.
Tags: danny brown, ecademy.com, facebook, Growing Your Business, linkedin.com, myspace, networking, online networking, social networking
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
Networking Your Way to Success
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Take a look at your business, and ask yourself why it’s successful. Depending on the size, it could be a myriad of things - the sales team, the service backup, most certainly the customers. Yet if you take all these into consideration, they’ve all got one thing in common - they’re part of your company’s network.
From the sales team providing your customer their order to the service team looking after their account once the sale has been made, it’s all one big network working towards your company’s success. To ensure this success continues, you need to be taking that network and expanding it.
The Importance of Networking
Not only will a good and expansive network offer you the opportunity to promote your business, it’s also an excellent way to meet people that can make a difference to your company.
For instance, many directors, managers and owners of companies attend specially arranged networking meetings. This is an ideal environment for like-minded businesspeople to exchange details and information. Indeed, many of a company’s business deals come from the result of making an acquaintance at a networking event.
Additionally, it’s also a good way to spot a potential employee for your business, which can save you money and time advertising, or using a recruitment agency. Couple that with the sheer amount of information and contacts you can come away with, and a networking event is definitely something you should be looking at attending. Or, if you wish, arrange one yourself.
How to Network Effectively
The key to effective networking is to attend the right events, therefore enabling you to speak to the right people. There are many ways you can do this, and taking the time to research a little beforehand can make all the difference to how successful your next networking event is.
One of the best ways to network is the traditional face-to-face method. This could be at an informal lunch event, or a specially arranged networking gathering at a hotel or conference center. This allows you to exchange business cards, get a feel for what a person is like in the flesh, and generally introduce both you and your business to a wider audience.
Another way is to network online, using social networking sites. These can range from the standard websites such as Facebook or MySpace . However, there are also specialist networking sites aimed more at businesses - LinkedIn.com and Ecademy.com are particularly good examples. You can search for contacts specific to your industry, which ensures that you’re not meeting people who are networking just for the sake of it.
Whichever way you decide to go, the important thing is keeping up to date afterwards. Make sure that you send a complimentary email now and again, and if your address or phone number details change, make sure to update everyone in your network. Once you have a solid, up-to-date networking contact list, you may be surprised how much a positive difference it will make to your business.
Tags: ecademy.com, facebook, linkedin.com, myspace, networking, online networking, Rebecca Button, social networking
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »