What to do at an Event…

First Scan the room for a warm and friendly looking group that is not having an intense conversation. If you can’t find a group look for a person on their own and get warmed up saying hello to them. This is no different to an athlete warming up before a race. Make Eye Contact…. Read the rest of this entry »

Succeeding in business takes a great deal more than merely having the best ideas or the best products.

What good is having a great product if people can’t find it? Or what if you have the answer to a problem that has plagued society for years, but no one knows about it?, There is a simple solution to this dilemma - Tell Them!

Find a way to let them know who you are and what you’re doing. Word of Mouth is a wonderful way to get the word in the streets, but only after the ball has already started rolling.

Do you know the secret to getting that proverbial ball rolling?

It’s Netwoking & Social Networking!

Studies from Harvard, Stanford Research Institute and the Carnegie Foundation all indicate that success in your business or  job depends around 85% on your people skills: ‘People buy people.’

At our events influence people & business, focus on that 85%.  Help people to be successful and get experienced people to help you raise your & their level of influence so they can both share ideas and services more effectively.

As human beings, we communicate best when we are relaxed. But as soon as we come under pressure, much of what makes us naturally good seems to disappear. We often cease to engage; we talk at people; we talk too much and we fail to listen. Use your skills without looking trained.

You know what these situations are, so you choose the right context when promote your goods & services.

More  Business comes from ?Networking

For many people a networking event is the time to ‘sell, sell, sell’. As a result they wonder why they get cold-shouldered.

If you’re new to networking, you’ll want to know the most effective way to make the most of your opportunity at such events. 

“ I do not do any cold calling - all my business comes from networking and referrals. Networking is not about selling - it’s about building relationships ”

Networking is, in fact, counter-intuitive but is a skill that can be learnt once you know the rules and understand the process.

The most successful networkers don’t sell at all! People simply gravitate to them, and pass them business from their circle of business contacts.

How does this work? 

Effective business networking is meeting more people who can help each other develop their business’s. 

Networking is becoming increasingly important in the development of new business. Research from Harvard University found that in 1978

“ Word of mouth” was important in 61% of purchasing decisions. That figure is now 91%! Over 41% of people are now self employed in the US and the UK economy is following the same trends.

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Why Business people Network  …

When 1000 people who do attend network meetings gave feedback , It was that they were : 

• Worried about where new business is coming from and hate cold calling
• Feeling isolated in business
• Concerned about skills 

The first reason is the main one.  So often business people, especially in small businesses find that traditional way of marketing, namely:

• Cold calling
• Cirect selling
• Mailshots
• Advertising

The above, don’t  seem to work for them. 

So… Networking is probably the most cost-effective way of getting new business. 

There is only one proviso – You need to work at it!

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Learning Through Live Networking Events : 

Recent Meetup Group comments

• 

  “ If you’d like your Higher Self edified, your intellect exercised and your imagination illuminated, then this is a wonderful nurturing venture to undertake. ”

  Durand the Life Coach, Jan 22, 2009The QUANTUM LEAP! Atlanta Chapter

• 

  “ Friendly folks and interesting presos. ”

  Dan Tripp, Jan 22, 2009Flex 3 & Adobe AIR Junkies

• 

  “ I would say to join if you are interested in being a vendor, or if you have a venue, or are wanting to break into the business. The people there have so much information, and they dont mind answering questions. The meetings are so fun. Its good to spend time with people that are positive and intelligent. ”

  patricia sanchez, Jan 23, 2009The DFW Event Planning Meetup Group

• 

  “ Great people and fun conversation. ”

  Keith Westrum, Jan 23, 2009West Side Singles and Friends

• 

  “ I love this group, Chris is an awesome organizer who finds gr8 80’s funtions to meet out at. ”

  Kenway, Jan 22, 2009Generation X: The 80’s Support Group

• 

  “ To learn more about what makes relationships work or not work (important for next time if you want one). To help you move on from this unfortunate event. To discover that this is a chance to grow and you can be happy and more fulfilled than before. I approach this from a Christian perspective and it is brought up in class (Jeff is a former pastor). Others will still get a lot from this material. ”

  Mike, Jan 22, 2009THRIVE AGAIN! (Tulsa Divorce Adjustment & Dating Meetup)

• 

  “ The musical talent booked is fantastic! ”

  Nelson, Jan 21, 2009JAYE AND MONICA …START 2009 WITH SMOOTH JAZZ

• 

  “ Friendly, interesting people with wonderful travel stories to share. ”

  Carol , Jan 23, 2009Savvy Travelers Mid-OC Meetup

• 

  “ This was my first time in the group and didn’t have time to meet and greet so i will answer that question next time. ”

  Bill, Jan 22, 2009The Houston Bible Study Meetup Group

• 

  “ Knoxville has amazing times ahead for the LGBT/Marriage Equality movement. 

  This group is not only great to meet people and socialize, but to get involved politically. ”

  Jen Crawford, Jan 22, 2009The Knoxville Human Rights Group

Learning through networking with others,

Introduction,

Most businesses recognise the benefits of developing their employees’ knowledge and understanding of the industry and markets they work in.,

Networking with others allows smaller businesses to share experiences and ideas and to improve in-house knowledge.

Businesses can network with educational establishments, trade organisations and other businesses.

Businesses that actively participate in networks generally find the partnerships more effective than passive participants.,

This guide explains the workings and benefits of networking, the forms networking can take and how to make the most of active participation.

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Networking can provide a lifeline of support and business generation.

Networking can help you improve your business performance, products and skills.

It can also help you develop knowledge and skills, by providing opportunities to:

* Participate in benchmarking, which can help you identify areas where you can improve your business performance.

*  Establish staff exchanges and secondments. For example, an outside expert may join your business to oversee a specific project or you may second a graduate joiner to a supplier to learn about the supply process.

* Benefit from economies of scale by involving employees in joint skills development programmes for staff in your business sector.

You can use networking to boost your reputation and gather new leads. You can:

*raise your business profile by becoming an established and regular networking member, getting your face and the business known

*meet new people and build mutually beneficial business relationships

*expand your markets by generating new business contacts with potential customers, suppliers and partners

*establish overseas partnerships, eg through international exhibitions and conferences

Networks can also be a key source of information and support.

You can:

*compare and discuss issues of common interest, eg legal and regulatory developments, staff retention, supplier networks, customer service and computerisation
*develop and share ideas, innovation and knowledge of best practice

The extent to which you benefit will depend on the events and services the network partnership offers and how actively you become involved. Some businesses are reluctant to seek advice or get help for fear of being embarrassed or giving a competitor an opportunity to take advantage. However, for most businesses, the benefits of taking an active role in a network usually outweigh any potential concerns or reasons not to network…

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In The Morning of the Networking Event

An Example of a Positive Aspects Morning Process

As you awaken the next morning, you will be in that positive, good-feeling place, and your first thoughts will be something like: Ah, I am awake. I have re-emerged back into the physical….Lie there for a little while and bask in the comfort of your bed, and then offer a thought such as: Today, no matter where I am going, no matter what I am doing, no matter who I’m doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for things that feel good. When I feel good, I am vibrating with my higher power. When I feel good, I am in harmony with that which I consider to be good. When I feel good, I am in the mode of attracting that which will please me once it gets here. And when I feel good- I feel good! (It is good just to feel good if the only thing it ever brought to you is the way you feel in the moment- but it brings ever so much more beyond that.)
We would lie in the bed for two or three minutes (that is enough), and we would look for positive aspects of our surroundings. And then, as we move into the day, we would begin to acknowledge more positive aspects, looking for reasons to feel good no matter what the object of our attention is.
In the first moment of any negative emotion- which very likely will occur even though you have begun your day looking for reasons to feel good because there is, upon some subjects, some negative momentum already in motion- upon the first inclination of any negative emotion, we would stop and say, I want to feel good. I’m feeling some negative emotion, which means that I’m focused upon something I do not want. What is it that I want? And we would turn our attention immediately to that which we want, staying focused upon the new thought, or the positive thought, long enough that we would feel the positive Energy again beginning to flow through our apparatus.
As you move through your day, look for more reasons to laugh and more reasons to have fun. When you want to feel good, you do not take things so seriously; and when you are not taking things so seriously, you are not as likely to notice the lack of things wanted; and when you are not focusing upon the lack of what you desire, you feel better- and when you feel better, you attract more of what you do want… and your life just gets better and better.
And then, that night, as you lie in your bed, you will have many wonderful things to ponder as you drift off into your restful, refreshing sleep; and then you will awaken into an even better-feeling new day tomorrow.

Now Your Ready for anything

Being Positive

Sleep well the night be for Atttending Your Networking

Your action orientation in life causes you to believe that it takes hard work to make things happen, but as you learn to deliberately direct your thoughts, you will discover that there is tremendous leverage and power in thought. As you focus more consistently only in the direction of what you desire rather than diluting the power of your thought by thinking of the wanted, and then the unwanted, you will understand, from your personal experience, what we mean. Because of your action orientation, you often try too hard and work too hard. And as a result of that, most of you bring yourselves more to the attention of what is wrong (or more to the attention of what needs to be fixed) than you do to the attention of what you desire.
Here is a good way to apply the Process of Positive Aspects at bedtime: Once you are in your bed, try to recall some of the most pleasant things that happened during the day. Since many things have undoubtedly happened during this day, you may have to ponder for a little while, and you may remember some less-than-pleasant things that happened- but stick to your intention of finding something pleasing, and when you find it, ponder it.
Prime your positive pump by saying things such as: The thing I liked about that was…. My favourite part of that was….Follow any positive thread that you find, thinking about the best parts of your day; and then, once you are feeling the effect of your positive thoughts, focus on your dominant intention right now: getting a good night’s sleep and awakening refreshed in the morning.
Say to yourself, I’m going to sleep now; and while I am sleeping, because my thoughts will be inactive, attraction will stop and my physical body will be completely refreshed at every level. Turn your attention to the immediate things around you, like the comfort of your bed, the softness of your pillow, the Well-Being of your moment. And then softly set forth the intention: I will sleep well, and I will awaken refreshed with another new, good-feeling, positive point of attraction.

And then, off to sleep Before Networking….