Connecting With Customers

by: Paul Lemberg

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine. Business is up he said, but he didn't know why. I asked him a few questions, but the more we spoke about it the more concerned I became.

"What do you mean, you don't know why they're purchaseing?"

"We never know why they purchase," he told me.

"Never?"

"Nope. They just do."

My friend thinks he knows what is great about his product. They believe they understand it's applications, they just don't understand what drives sales.

And there's something else - it has to do with pricing and profits.

Since they don't really know why customers purchase from them, it follows that they don't understand the full value customers get from their products. So they don't know what to charge! They discount to make sales - since they don't fully understand the customer's pain points - and that means - they always leave lots of money on the table.

When times are tough - and many people are feeling squeezed these days - there is tendency to panic. Who wouldn't? The economy, the financial markets, and now - terrorism. I read where a group of psychiatrists saying the country was on the brink of a nervous breakdown!

That's certainly not what I want for my customers! Is that what you want for yours?

I think this question can be a profitable one. What do you want for your customers? I started thinking about this and came up with a few others for you to ask yourself.

Why do you want to serve your customers? What do you love about your particular customers? Are they perfect customers? If not, who would be? Describe them.

Case Studies and the Value Proposition

So I began thinking about my friend's sales problem - which brought me to thinking about a favorite topic of mine - the value proposition. Not in the sense of your USP, but in the sense of - what is the value of your product (or service) to your customer?

In other words, what is your product worth? How much - in money terms - does your customer save or earn when they use whatever it is you sell? Can you quantify that?

If you can't, well - you need to. It will make it much easier to sell.

But it's too complicated - we can't really say what they get from it.

No wonder you have trouble selling when times get tough. If you knew what it was worth, and it was worth more than you were selling it for, you'd have customers lining up pounding on your door for it.

You have to go out and do case studies. Exactly why did they purchase. Exactly what is the application. Exactly how much more did they earn because of it and how did they earn it. Or, exactly how much did they save because of it and how did they save it. Get five or six of those and you'll be able to build a return-on-investment case for any prospect, and damn the economy. Which brings me to one last thing - the holy trinity of repeat sales.

Up-sell, Re-sell and Cross-sell What is your best possible source of revenue right now, bar none?

Your existing customers, right? Of course - they always are. Which means you should have a regular program to stay in contact.

What are you doing about repeat customer sales? When was the last time you contacted each customer, and made them an offer of some kind? What - you're waiting for them to call you?

Conclusion: You've got to contact your customers. Under any pretext, for any reason.

Why?

To solidify and maintain your relationships, and reconfirm why you want to do business with them. To understand your value from their perspective. And lastly, to make sure they are being served properly and to sell them everything they need.

Internet Home Business Opportunity

by: Suzanne Arthur

Find an and start making money almost immediately. Getting started will not take a lot of time or money. You won't be sending out spam. Start making money as soon as you apply the techniques you learn. An Internet home business opportunity is a great way to earn extra money, or start a full-time business if you wish. This new field is wide open and expanding every day.

One thing to keep in mind when seeking new money-making opportunities is low start-up costs. An Internet home business opportunity does not require a huge investment of either time or money. Start with $10. and put in a couple of hours a week. Make big returns for very little start-up. In the recent past you would have had to spend at least six months getting into this niche but now you don't even have to spend time building a web site. You don't even need a web site. Internet home business opportunities are the low-hanging fruit of the Internet.

You won't need to send out spam. If you have a computer and an Internet connection you can start working immediately. An Internet home business opportunity will help you redefine what work means. Work where you want, when you want. Are you a late night-owl? Like working at the local Internet cafe? You decide. Maybe you want to put in a concentrated amount of effort in the evenings and be free during the day. Schedule your own time. An Internet home business opportunity is brilliant for people who want to be in charge of their own income, set their own hours and define their own professional goals.

There's no long down time before you start bringing in good money. You can be in operation and be making money within a very short frame of time. In the recent past it took six months to build a site and persistent work to get it noticed by the Search Engines. Making commissions didn't happen right away. Now those lengthy processes are unnecessary. If you have a computer and the Internet and you apply these techniques to an Internet home business opportunity, you can start bringing in cash now.

New products and services are constantly being added to the Internet. The number of products and services available far exceeds the number of advertisers for them. More products are added every day. This is where the unlimited opportunities are in business today. If you are a resourceful and creative thinker, even better. Whereas those personality traits that mark you as independent may not have worked for you in someone else's company, with an Internet home business opportunity they'll benefit you. Be your own boss. The more you learn about how these techniques work, the more fun it will be for you. You'll be able to expand your business as much as you want.

The Internet is the new frontier. Start an Internet home business opportunity and be a pioneer.

Interviewing Job Applicants Can Be Hazardous to Your Wealth

by: Michael Mercer

1st Fact: Interviewing applicants is the most common way companies decide whom to hire.

2nd Fact: Research proves most interviewers do lousy at predicting if an applicant will
succeed – or flop – if hired.

3rd Fact: Research shows that customized pre-employment tests do great at predicting if an applicant may succeed or fail on-the-job.

4th Fact: Since you must interview applicants, even if you use tests, you need to make better predictions based on interviews.

If you do not learn how to do this, it will prove hazardous to your wealth! When you hire the wrong person, you will pay a huge price. Your business financially suffers, and you can destroy your management career.

WHY MANAGERS DO ROTTEN INTERVIEWS
Unfortunately, most managers base hiring decisions on interviewing job applicants. But, most managers do not know what they are doing. They often do not know
1. talents the applicant needs to succeed on-the-job
2. questions to ask
3. how to take useful notes
4. ways to stop applicants from lying about work experience or skills

CUSTOMIZE INTERVIEWS FOR EACH JOB
Since you still must interview applicants, let’s pinpoint how you can conduct useful interviews. Start by listing key talents a productive employee needs in the job. I use a 35-item checklist to help managers identify crucial talents.
For example, one company desired to hire better salespeople. Using my checklist, the sales executives chose crucial seven talents their salespeople need to succeed:
1. Mental Abilities
2. Friendliness
3. Persuasiveness
4. Flexible about Following Rules &
Procedures
5. Optimism
6. Desire to Make Lots of Money
7. Desire to Control Sales
Situations

INTERVIEWING MADE VASTLY EASIER
With the job talents list, make a customized interview guide form. This helps you conduct an insightful interview. It includes these parts, as shown in the accompanying example:
1. Job-related talents, such as Friendliness and Desire to Make Lots of Money
2. Place to insert test scores, e.g., scores on the Forecaster™ test’s Money Motivation scale
3. Actions to look for in the interview. Example: Craves pay linked to his/her productivity
4. Questions to ask. Example: "What inspires you to do a good job?"
5. Note-taking space
6. Ratings:
Up arrow = positive rating
Sideways arrow = moderate rating
Downward arrow = negative rating

The accompanying example shows how the interview guide form section for one of the seven job talents: Desire To Make Lots of Money.

Example: Section of Interview Guide Form
DESIRE TO MAKE LOTS OF MONEY
___ Score on Forecaster™ test’s “Money Motivation” scale = _____
Note: Benchmark scores on Forecaster™ test: 7 - 11 = Up Arrow
___ Enthusiastic about earning commissions or incentive pay
___ Craves pay linked to his/her productivity
"When you work each day, what ingredient of your job that you feel most enthusiastic about?"

"What inspires you to do a good job?"

Rating:
Up arrow = positive rating
Sideways arrow = moderate rating
Downward arrow = negative rating
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

OPEN PANDORA’S BOX
Your goal is to ask questions that force the applicant to reveal how he or she would perform on-the-job.

But, most interviewers ask questions that elicit little worthwhile information. Why? Most interviewers ask closed-ended questions, like “Did you like your last job?” or “Can you do creative problem-solving?” Any applicant with an IQ above room temperature knows the ‘correct’ answer to closed-ended questions. For example, if you ask, “Can you do creative problem-solving?”, applicants will answer “Yes” – even if they have the creativity of a dead insect. Closed-ended questions start with words like “Do,” “Can,” “Would,” or “Is.”

In contrast, skilled interviewers ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions do not give away the ‘correct’ answers. Plus, they force applicants to reveal their thoughts, feelings, goals, and experiences. That juicy information enables the interviewer to predict if the applicant may succeed if hired. Open-ended questions start with “How,” “What,” “Describe,” and “Tell me.”

SECRET TIP
Few managers know it proves best for two people to simultaneously interview each applicant. This boosts the likelihood of making accurate predictions about the applicant. One interviewer asks 99% of the questions while the second interviewer takes notes on the interview guide form. Both interviewers discuss the applicant after the interview. You will be amazed at how this approach improves interview results.

2 WAYS TO HIRE THE BEST
When you purchase expensive clothing, like a fine dress or suit, you take it to a tailor who makes the clothing fit perfectly. The same principle holds true when you hire employees. You increase your odds of hiring winners by custom-tailoring your two key prediction methods: (1) tests and (2) interviews. First, do a test “benchmarking study” on behavior tests and mental ability tests by having your superstar employees take the behavior tests and mental abilities tests. For instance, to hire
profitable salespeople, first have your superstar salespeople take the tests. Their scores are “benchmarks” which you compare against applicants’ test scores.

Second, devise a customized interview guide form for each job. If you are hiring salespeople, customize the interview guide form for your company’s salesperson job. Interviewers use the form to ask questions, take notes, and link test scores to interview observations.
Remember: Research proves you probably will not hire the best if you only interview applicants. So, customize your tests and interviews and – most importantly – only hire applicants who rate high on your interviews and tests.

Creating a Business Strategy

by: Hans Hasselfors

On a scale of one to ten, having a good business strategy rates about a fifteen! No matter what kind of business you have -- whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, then you're really planning to fail." Creating a strategy can mean the difference between you working 60 to 80 hours a week all year long -- and then breaking even, or worse, losing money. On the other hand, many successful entrepreneurs who have a strategy work fewer hours and make piles of money -- and they usually attribute their success to having a strategic plan and following it. So what is strategic business management? Very simply, it's the process of defining the goals and objectives for your business, creating an action plan so you can reach them and then following the plan. How do you create a strategic plan for you business? 1. First, know what your vision for your company is. If there were no barriers, nothing stopping you from taking your company as far as you could -- what would that look like? 2. Next, what are your company's core operating values? What are its guiding principles? In other words, why are you in business and how do you do business? 3. Now create a 3 to 5 year plan. Your long-term plan is based on the broad objectives that will help you get from where you are now, to where you want to be. 4. Develop a plan for this year. These are the specific objectives you plan to accomplish this year that will lead you closer to your long-term goals. Remember to be "SMART" when setting your annual goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-oriented). Include a list of the barriers that are stopping you from getting where you want to go. Figure out what resources you've already got, and what resources you need to get you past those barriers. And then create an action plan that clearly lays out how you will achieve your goals. Involve key employees with this part of the planning process. 5. Create a set of milestones or benchmarks. This is very important, so that you can measure your progress. 6. Share the plan with your employees, and anyone else who will be involved in the process. Your annual strategy is the roadmap that will make sure everyone ends up at the same destination -- but to be effective, everyone needs the same map! 7. Put the plan into action. Now that you have the roadmap, it's time to begin the journey. 8. Check your progress. Just like any trip, you need to check the map every now and then; to be sure you're still on the right road. If something isn't working, the sooner you figure it out and make the necessary adjustments, the sooner you'll be back on track. 9. Follow the same cycle next year. (Dream, Plan, Act, Check). Creating a business strategy and following it will ensure that you enjoy the journey as much as getting to your final destination.

MLM Training - Don't Sell Your MLM Business Opportunity Short, Sort Your Way To MLM Success!

by: Richard Knight

Copyright 2005 Richard Knight

Have you ever fallen into the trap of trying to "sell" your MLM business opportunity to everyone you call? Or dread calling leads because you're wondering, how you're going to sell "all these" people on your MLM business opportunity?

I know alot of MLM Business Owners do this when they first start out!

In my early MLM days my goal at that time was to tell (sell) my prospects on what my opportunity could offer them if they joined or signed up.

But as I later learned, all I should be worrying about was what they (my prospects) could offer "MY" business if I decided to enroll them. Which should be your mindset as well. Because as you'll soon realize. . .

It's 10x Easier To "Sort" Than To Sell Prospects On Your MLM Business Opportunity.

And that's because, your job as an MLM prospector is not to sell your prospects anything. Your job is to simply weed out the "Looky lous" and "Tire Kickers" from your list.

And let's face it, not everyone is a Prime candidate for your MLM business opportunity. Because if that were the case, we'd all be making Six Figure Incomes lightning quick.

In fact, it's been said that more than 50% of the population are not fit to be in business for themselves. And what's even more frightening is that the majority of these people, "Don't Even Know It".

See, when you try to "sell" these types of people, they'll simply string you along, waste your time, your energy, plus your valuable effort simply for the both of you to "Painstakingly" find out later on down the line that they weren't fit to be in your MLM business opportunity or ANY Home Business Opportunity, for that matter.

But when you "sort", you weed these people out from the get-go. No guesswork, no wasted time, no wasted energy, and best of all no one to waste your time. And that's because when you sort these people out of your list, what you have left is worth it's weight in Gold. People who are ready to change their lives, not just some curious on looker who filled out a form.

So needless to say, the sooner you know how to "Sort" prospects, the easier your job as a prospector will be.

5 Key Attributes Your Prospect MUST HAVE Before You Show Them Your MLM Business Opportunity

1 .Desire - They must have some type of "Passion" for making a better life for themselves. They need to possess the drive to do "whatever it takes" in order to reach their goals. In other words, they have to want to be successful because no one else can force them.

2. Money - Money usually follows desire. If there is enough desire, money is typically not an issue. But let's face it, they need the money or be able to come up with the money in order to purchase your business kit or enroll in your MLM business opportunity.

3. Critical Thinking - Did your prospect review and understand the information? Did the information generate questions? If so, that's a good sign.

4. Decision Making - Can your prospect make the decision to get started if all her questions are answered properly? - If they can't make a Yes or No decision after evaluating your opportunity and getting their questions answered, they're just wasting your time.

5. Instructions - If your prospect has done what you've instructed, then it's fair to say that he or she can follow instructions. And if they can't follow simple instructions now, it'll be a big "Waste of time" working with these people later on.

Keep these 5 attributes in mind as you go through your monthly lead list. They'll save you a whole lot of time and will help you find MLM Business Owners that are less likely to be pulled and more likely to be motivated along the way.

When you prospect in this manner, you lead in with strength. It's not about you or your MLM business opportunity... its not about what the prospect said or didn't say in her survey form or pre-screen call... it's not about any of that. It's simply about whether the person is "wired" to be in business for themselves or not. If they are, then help them get the information that will allow them to make an educated decision.

It's as simple as that!

We're all looking for Heavy-Hitter MLM strategies that the Big Boys and Big Girls use. Well this is one of them. They don't waste their time trying to pull "everyone" into their business. They know who's right and they know who's wrong for their business.

They know all you have to do is find a few "Right" ones and they're business will kick off to a flying start.

So remember, "Don't Sell Your MLM Business Opportunity Short, Sort Your Way To MLM Success!". Your job isn't to "show" everyone your opportunity; it's to "sort" everyone who's right for your opportunity from those who are not.

What Goes Around Comes Around

by: Dave Lindbeck

I’ve spent a lifetime committed to helping others. It’s what gives me the greatest joy, fulfillment and satisfaction in life. I’m also a true believer in the old adage - “What goes around comes around.”

This is reinforced on many occasions when I encounter an old co-worker, friend or acquaintance who reminds me of how I inspired them, gave them guidance or helped them through a difficult time. These kinds of experiences always motivate me to keep putting good things out into the world.

We never know in advance what good may come from the gestures we put out there. Maybe it will inspire, encourage, educate, motivate or actually change someone’s life. In any event, people will always come away knowing that they matter to you.

In business, as in life, it all comes down to people. People are your customers, co-workers, employees, leaders, managers, investors and vendors. Success in your business depends on the people you encounter. How you treat those people will have a significant impact on your bottom line.

Here are some ways to help people in your business and show them that they matter:

1. Deliver incredible customer service.
2. Give a single parent the afternoon off.
3. Pay someone more than you need to.
4. Send a hand-written note to an employee acknowledging a job well done.
5. Loan a subordinate a book that you’ve found to be helpful.
6. Tell someone struggling “I want to help you succeed,” and mean it.
7. Stop by and talk, without an agenda.
8. Share a resource that you’ve found useful.
9. Create a safe space for openness and honesty.
10. Let people tell you how they feel, and listen without interrupting.

I encourage you to think about the people that you impact, the lives that you touch and the positive changes that you can make. These are the true signs of leadership and in my opinion are more important than the money that you make, the position that you hold or the size of your office.

You can do good while you’re doing well. It may require you to think of new ways to do it, but when you focus on helping others, you’ll succeed in ways beyond measure.

Checklist for starting a business

by: Matt Bacak

Use this comprehensive checklist to plan each step of your new business and transform your dream of entrepreneurship into reality. These steps may not necessarily be completed in the order listed; however, you can use them as a guideline for completing all of the necessary business startup tasks.
- Determine what kind of business you want to start.
- Learn about the industry for your business.
- Analyze the market for your business.
- Study your competition.
- Educate yourself on running a business.
- Join trade associations.
- Name your business.
- Perform a trademark search.
- Register a domain name.
- Design a website.
- Obtain a logo.
- Determine business structure (sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation).
- Evaluate your personal budget.
- Write a business plan.
- Write a marketing plan.
- Locate financing.
- Create a list of start-up supplies with budget.
- Set up a system for accounting and payroll.
- Apply for business license, fed tax ID, fictitious business name.
- Select a location and set up shop.
- Order signage.
- Obtain business tools (computer, printer, fax, postage, office supplies, and fixtures).
- Order business stationery (business cards, letterhead, brochures).
- Obtain inventory.
- Create an operations and employee manual.
- Hire employees.
- Set a launch date.
- Plan a grand opening event.
- Send announcements to everyone you know.
- Send press releases.
- Turn on the OPEN sign!
- Revisit your business plan and update often.
- Evaluate your marketing strategy often.
- Prepare a realistic business plan.
Think of this as your business road map. Define exactly where you want to get to with your business and then you can effectively map out your path towards achieving your goals!
By creating a detailed business plan you should cover all options and eventualities and have a clear future vision that will guide you through the rest of the start-up processes.
- Your business plan should encompass the financial considerations of starting your small or home based business:-
Do you have the capital required?
Do you need to raise additional funds?
Who are you going to approach for finance?
Who do you trust for advice?
And don't forget to open a business bank account…
- Consider the legal implications of becoming a business owner and proprietor.
Are you better off as a sole trader, a limited company or are you considering a partnership?
Make sure you consider all the angles and protect yourself and your assets personally from the outset.
Anything you bring to the business has to be itemized, valued…even if you're a sole trader.
And make sure you are professionally covered with the appropriate business indemnity insurances.
- Get your family and friends behind you from the get-go.
Make sure your family and friends are fully understanding and supportive of your ideas to venture into small business start-up.
Do they understand the level of commitment you will have to show for on-going and long term success?
Their belief in you and continued support of you will work wonders towards your on-going success, so don't forget to look out for them too.
- Protect your family, protect your business.
If, God forbid, something were to happen to your health, how would your business survive, how would your family cope?
Consider insurances - from health, critical illness and income protection insurance to life insurance - and consider your pension and long term financial security.
- Face those 'taxing' questions from the start.
Your small or home based business has to consider its taxation situation.
Do you need to register your business for sales tax purposes; have you informed your tax office of your business's inauguration?
Do you have a good tax professional lined up to guide and assist you?
The bottom line when it comes to taxation is that from the outset you need to make sure your papers and books are in order, this will save you time, money and heart ache in the long run.
- Prepare realistic and achievable goals and targets for your first year.
Do not expect to conquer the world with your first year's business returns.
Starting a business is a life changing undertaking and one you must be patient with. The rewards are there, but make sure you set yourself achievable targets - when you reach them they will give you the confidence and satisfaction to set new goals and to continue building your business' success.

Think Positive - Care for your Customers

by: Abe Cherian

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on
your web site as long as the byline is included and the
article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you
activate any html links found in the article and in the
byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you
publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com


Think Positive - Care for your Customers
By Abe Cherian
Copyright ? 2005


Operating a business on a daily basis dealing with
customers can actually be frustrating and they often don't
make it easy for you and your employees to treat them
nicely.

You need to remember where all your revenue and sales come
from for your business. Every dollar in sales that your
business gets comes from these customers that can sometimes
be frustrating. You want to treat them well and hope that
maybe they'll return another day happy and satisfied and
bring family and mends.

The old saying, "The customer is always right", is really
not true. One unhappy customer, through word of mouth, can
translate into a lot of lost customers. Just because
customers aren't telling you how good you are, often times
you think, "Everything must be okay." They may not come to
you and say, "That was a horrible experience, but they
might tell their family and friends that." Silence is not
golden.

Each person really has different theories on this, but they
have the potential to tell just one or many other people
positive or negative things about your business. Look at a
happy customer as free advertising. You might already know
how much it costs for advertising.

It's been said that an unhappy customer will tell a minimum
of 1-10 people their negative experience. Think about that.
1-10 people automatically not doing business with you. That
might change the way you respond to someone. Just maybe a
receptionist having a bad day and being rude on the phone -
that person telling 1-10 people about that and they will
never do business with you.

The first step to a better relationship is to realize
customers aren't different from anyone else. They are
people with feelings, reactions, wants and desires. They've
been studied for the last 50 years and during that time,
more than any other time in history. It's your job to
understand human drive, passions, emotions, fears and
target those emotions.

You want to always be looking for a response from them good
and bad. Every bad response you get from a customer is an
opportunity to improve.

The second step is to reverse your "Money Plan" that is
always thinking of them as money machines. You want to
think, "How can you get them more - better - faster -
easier - less expensive - higher quality - longer service-
better benefits - more options - and more desirable things
that they want?"

In order for this to work you must think of your profit
will come as long as you are running the business properly.
You can't think like this for long without ending up with
more value in your business or product or service. A
greater number of customers that are doing more business
with you, doing it more frequently, and they're doing it
more often for a longer term and they're giving you
referrals. Treat your customers like you want to be treated.

Brochures. Are yours helping or hurting your company?

by: J K Inwood

Web Design Graphics Copywriting Kirwood Inc., Web Design, Graphics, Copywriting
website repair Home | Search | Contents | Email | Web Design | Search Engines | Contact | Job Board
brochure design
Corporate Brochures:
Are Yours Helping or Hurting Your Company?
Please contact us at (519) 439-8884 or Email to discuss your particular brochure or copy writing requirement.
How Good Are Your Company's Brochures?
Desk Top Publishing software does not solve your copywriting and professional design/layout problems any more than owning a wrench makes you a qualified mechanic.

Do you find yourself reluctant or even a tad apologetic when you hand out your company's brochure? Are you unhappy with it, but not sure why? If so, chances are you need a new brochure. But before you leap into that project, consider some of the points that follow. A little thought and planning now will go a long way in the creation of a brochure which both projects your corporate identity and image positively and is a brochure of which you can be proud.

Why Do You Even Need a Brochure?
First and foremost, a brochure is just as important and basic a tool as your business card. However, where your business card simply introduces you as an individual, your company brochure introduces your entire company. It is like an executive summary of your operation and offerings. It is an important marketing and sales tool, one in which you can do a little bragging and shamelessly present your credentials in the most favourable light. It is your opportunity to create a lasting impression. Make sure that it is a good one.

A Good Brochure
is essential to the success of your business. It must be brief. It must effectively communicate the most important fundamentals about your business and your products or services. It must communicate with, reach and move a prospective customer who, you must assume, knows nothing about your company. That is a tall order.

A Good Brochure
must leave the reader with the impression that yours is a solid, reliable company and therefore its products must be equally as good, solid and reliable. It is a corner stone in building trust with your prospective customers. It must leave the reader wanting to learn more about your company, but not necessarily today.

A Good Brochure
will introduce your company and give the prospect a visual feel for who you are and what you do. It should function well as both a door opener before a sales call and a reminder afterwards to which prospective clients may refer. While your brochure will seldom actually get you a sale, it will make getting the order so much easier

Does Your Current Brochure Do All That?
No? Well, Change It.
A Bad Brochure Is Like Bad Breath.
No one will tell you what is wrong, but they will avoid you, or in this case, your company. Your brochure, along with your phone number, will simply go right to the trash.

When that happens, you will find you have done more than just waste your money and time. You have turned a prospect into a permanent no sale without even getting a chance to get in the door. If you saved a few hundred dollars on producing your brochure, was it worth it?

A badly done or cheap looking brochure reflects badly on you, your company and your products. Do not scrimp. A company which economizes on a brochure may also be seen as scrimping on its products.

Your Brochure Should Not
attempt to be a comprehensive technical manual detailing all your product specs. It should not be a price sheet listing special sales items and the like. These are sales sheets and have completely different requirements in look, design, and purpose.

When companies try to combine these functions in a one piece all things to all people brochure, they often end up with a confusing, disorganized mess. You can be absolutely certain that if your brochure is difficult to read, it won't be. This could reflect a confused company to a prospect. Remember K.I.S.S.?

An acceptable combination of both types is often seen in a presentation folder. One pocket holds your corporate brochure, the other pocket holds special deals, sales sheets, price lists and the like.

Brochures Are Usually Used In Three Ways:

* Initially: as an introductory mailer. You may mass mail the brochure to sales leads and follow up later by phone.
* Secondarily: Your brochure should always be used as a leave behind at initial sales calls. Even when you have mailed out a copy in advance of a meeting, it is always a good idea to leave another copy as you finish up your sales call. It serves as a reminder that there is a solid, respectable company behind the sales rep who just left. And it certainly never hurts to have several copies of your brochure circulating in your prospect's office(s).
* Thirdly: A corporate brochure is essential to fulfil requests from potential clients for literature, either in response to an ad or a phone enquiry.

Do NOT Do This....
A major Canadian Bank produced a series of "Advice to Small Business" booklets to hand out to prospects. Each branch manager was supplied with a quantity of these brochures. However under the bank's accounting system they were only charged if they actually gave out the brochures. The result? You guessed it. Many of these branch managers stashed the brochures in the vaults and refused to give them out to avoid being charged.

Brochures and advertising material are wasted sitting in your mail room. Get this material into your prospects' hands.

CHECK THE TRUNKS OF YOUR SALES REPS' CARS
More then once we have seen expensive sales material only get as far as the sales rep's car trunk and no further. Make sure they are giving it out as intended.

How Do You Develop a Good Brochure?
The easiest way is to contact us today for a free discussion and proposal. No obligation. Telephone us at (519) 439-8884, Fax us at (519) 439-9491or EMAIL us right now. You probably get dozens of brochures, flyers and general junk every week. Pay attention to what you do with them and why. Some you probably scan quickly and file for later reference. Others, you toss straight in the garbage. A very few you will actually read. Why? Take a second look and see what attracts and sells you . . . and what repels you.

1. Learn from your competition. Before you start to develop a brochure for your company, review all your competitions' brochures. You'll be surprised at what you learn. Pick out the points and techniques that attract and sell you. It is easier to point to a brochure with the type of image you like than to verbalize it in briefing a creative person.

The best way to learn about your industry is from your competition. You do you have their brochures, price sheets, promotional material, samples of their products, don't you? This is the first step.

2. Involve your Creative person from the start. Bring in a creative services person for a preliminary chat. Show him your competitors' material. Give him an idea of what you are trying to accomplish and a little company background.

A skilled, creative person should be able to elicit from you all he needs to develop an initial rough concept, copy and layout. Work together to develop the brochure you need.

We usually (but not always) will develop a rough at no charge on the understanding that we produce the work if it is accepted. We find this is actually very productive for all concerned.

3. Determine how much you can spend on your brochure? It's no good just telling your designer to develop some ideas unless you provide a realistic budget within which to work. You do not want to waste money, but neither do you want to produce some schlock just to save a little. That's penny wise and pound foolish. A good bench mark you could use is that your brochure should match or better the quality of the best competitive brochures.

Set a budget that tends to hurt and than add 10%.Your brochure must reflect the quality your company sells. There is seldom profit in looking second rate.

4. Printing Budgets Setting up a reasonable printing budget is easy, if not painless. Call up a couple of printers and ask them, in general terms, what it will cost to print the type of brochure you have in mind, based on all artwork supplied. Usually they will be glad to assist. After all it could mean an order.

5. Pre-Press Budgets As a rule of thumb, use about 50% of the printing cost as a budget for your copy, design, type and final artwork. This percentage will be lower on larger printing jobs of course. Take heart. There is some consolation in the fact that your pre press costs are a one time item.

After you get over the initial shock, fire up your spread sheet and set a realistic budget.

For the best results, let your printer print but have your creative person do all the copy, design and related pre press work. Do NOT have your printer designing brochures. And no matter how good your receptionist is with her paint program, do not have amateurs creating your corporate material, unless of course you want to look amateur.

Failing At Your Network Marketing Business?

by: Daegan Smith

Readers read this! Do you know that Network Marketing whether online or offline has been a good source of income for young business establishers nowadays? Well, Network Marketing is not a simple business topic. This form of business does not just demand a debiting and a crediting knowledge background. Leave the task of computing among accountants.

This type of marketing may double or even triple your business budget easily, provided you will not fall in either one of the common mistakes done by error-prone Network Marketing producers and distributors.

1. Avoid Network Marketing groups that offer commission-based compensation among distributors. There is a big possibility that it is an illegal pyramid.

The act of alluring people or business finders to enter a business group has been an ordinary day-to-day street transaction among business-minded people. There are those people who will explain first the benefits that you can get from their group. But the reality is that they will just reverse what they had said. Believe me, it may not always be the case but beware. BEWARE the dogs suck! Metaphorically speaking, the dogs are those Network Marketing groups that offer commission- based compensation. The only assurance you got here is your having a job. But your assurance of getting paid evenly or squarely is diminishing. You can be paid still, but until when? That is a question that needs no more answer.

2. Avoid groups that oblige the new distributors to purchase expensive products or any materials that the group offers. This might be another sign of potential danger.

It always pays to be nice. But some nice people are sometimes not all nice. It is not always the case. The truth behind is that there are pyramid groups that force their newly-entered distributors to purchase the expensive products or materials. Fake pyramid groups always have at the back of their minds the amount they could get. Sometimes it turns to be something from nothing. Take this friendly advice, right in front of your face I’m telling you, find ways to quit to the group.

Allow them to use you with just compensation. Do not allow anyone to use you as a distributor in which nothing’s left for you. Speak and think.

3. Do not heed to what the pyramid promoter is promising if he or she said that you can have more money through continued help in recruiting more distributors.


This is another clear sign of your being a victim of illegal network marketing. The bottom line here is work with just compensation. If the scenario is like the one stated above, quit now or be sorry. They might just be using you for their personal interest.

4. Some distributors don’t give ample time or attention to their network marketing group.

Don’t miss it. It is important. Some people are joining the group half-heartedly. But take note, it will count days or months to build an elevating career in network marketing.

5. Some network marketing operators take the business reluctantly as if its status will not able to decline in time.

Each member of the network marketing group must work hand-in-hand to sustain the set objectives of the group. This practice is not just recommended. It is a must to follow. But doing the otherwise will lead the path towards business failure.


6. Not realizing why you are operating the network marketing business.

It may sound stupid if after how many days of marketing operations you realized that you don’t have a definite target or objective in your business. But no matter how stupid it may be, it might be a reality that some are born as invalid plan setter. Early from the birth of your network marketing business, you should have already realized the reasons why you are driving the business. Recovery from money problems of the business is not like reading the A, B, and C. Setting your business objectives is the keyword.

7. Have a well-established commitment to work and duty.

There is no better time to start moving than NOW. Product distributors must attend to their respective assignments. One cannot make his or her business grow by just merely looking at it. Be committed to you work. Have time to pinpoint your business weaknesses so you can catch-up for the committed mistake if any.

As you reach the end of this article, I am hoping you are ending, too, the failing of your networking marketing business. Start rising now, young entrepreneur!

Why Is Small Business Health Insurance Worth It?

by: Jeff Schuman

If you’re looking for a guide to how to get health insurance and
what kind of health insurance is best for your small business,
then this is the article for you. Your business qualifies for
small business health insurance if you have anywhere between two
and fifty employees in it. If you are self employed then you’ll
want to look into getting self employed health insurance.

There are many benefits to getting small business health
insurance. A small business health insurance plan will help
spread the financial risk around to everyone and not just
yourself. As this is the case, this generally will bring lower
premiums and more extensive coverage. Along with this, the
health insurance provides medical care for you and all other
employees as well.

With a small business health insurance people often get group
insurance. This too has its advantages on several different
aspects. All contributions from the employers are 100% tax
deductible, and you’ll save on payroll taxes as well. Small
businesses will be eligible for group insurance just as long as
you have two or more full time employees working.

When setting up a group insurance plan for your small business,
all members will be set up with a coverage plan with rates
calculated using the group and individuals. After that it is up
to the separate employees themselves if they wish to add riders
and additional coverage to satisfy their needs. Keep in mind
that not all employees in the small business have to join the
group plan. Just as long as there is no fewer then two
employees in the business that have the group insurance plan,
then you will be fine.

The cost of the group insurance plan varies based on several
different characteristics. Some of these include age, health
status, business and/or residential location and so on. Like
everything in this world it’s not going to be cheap, but it will
be cheaper then having a bunch of separate health insurance
plans.

Most health plans are going to require employees to pay at least
half of the premium cost for covered employees. Some employees
will offer to pay 100% of the cost, white now there is a new
health plan giving employees the option to pay as little as 25%
of the cost. Just know that typically most types of coverage
will cost employees a minimum of $1,600-$2,500 per year per
employee. By clicking on the link below you can begin getting
quotes for your small business health insurance.


http://www.purchaseerzone.com/benefits/health_insurance/qz_questions_2.jhtml

Just remember that many times medical services are needed
unexpectedly. If you or other employees do not have health
insurance this could be a devastating blow to the wallet. The
cost of a hospital visit, depending on the circumstance, will
many times be much higher then the cost of health insurance.
You want to be able to live life knowing that you’re insured
just in case the unexpected happens. Nothing hurts to at least
look at some quotes and talk it over with other employees, but
you have the power to make the decision.

How to Create Your Own Information Product Even If You Are a Hopeless Writer!

by: Jinger Jarrett

You have been longing to have your own information product in your own name. However, you learn that you are just plain hopeless when it comes to writing that you are ready to resign to accept the fact that you just don’t have the flair for writing!

Maybe writing is not your forte. Or maybe English is not your first language. Perhaps, you’ve been living the life of a jack of all trades; you have almost every skill but for once, you wish you were a master of something.

Whatever the reason is, creating your own information product is a plain mission impossible. Or is it? What if I tell you that you can still create your own information product even if you are NOT an expert of any kind and above all, you DON’T have to write?

No, I’m not talking about being an affiliate or reseller here. We are going to get you an information product with YOUR name on it. Comforting to know there is a door to possibility all wide open now?

Great! And I’m just about to tell you how you can do just that! Here are three fantastic ways you can have your own quality information product WITHOUT having to write and in some cases, not even a single word!

The first two ways cost money. The last way can be done free.

[1] Hire a ghostwriter.

Quite simply, you hire a ghostwriter to create the information product on a subject or topic of your choice (or more accurately, on demand!) but it the product would appear under your name. Normally, ghostwriters don’t take any credit at all and hence the term “ghostwriting”.

Hiring a ghostwriter to write for you can be costly. However, if you have the money to compensate your inability to write a good report, this is for you.

You can go to http://www.elance.com/ and search for a writer who can help with creating your own information product.

[2] purchase Private Label Rights to a collection of articles or product.

Quite simply, you purchase raw contents (which can come in the form of articles or .doc files which you can edit in Word program) from the original authors or authorized resellers. You can then edit them anyway you like and most importantly, put your name on them and claim authorship!

Private Label Rights seem to be the “in-thing” in Internet Marketing now, though Private Label Rights, in nature, has been on Earth for a very long time, which I suspect dates way back to very long time ago.

This method costs money, too, but it does not cost near as much as hiring your own ghostwriter to get the task done in most cases.

The drawback however, is that if the Private Label Rights to the products or articles are being sold in large numbers, it can dilute the value and quality of the same products or articles as there would literally be many purchasers using the same content at the same time.

If you have limited writing skills, you can still make substantial changes to the raw contents. You will do well to also choose Private Label Right to articles or products on sale with limited copies on sale.

[3] Get someone else to write for you… through an interview!

The above two methods cost money on your part. Now, here’s the third and free method. You get someone else to create the product for you.

Sounds hard? No, it sounds impossible! Not only are you going to get other people to write for you, you are also not going to pay them! How? Easy. Conduct an interview. It’s free, and it puts your interviewees in the limelight. More often than not, people are glad to be interviewed, even if it’s free.

If you are planning to create an information product on copywriting, you can approach practicing copywriters for an interview. You can remind them that it won’t take much of their time and you may name some benefits from working with you on this project.

If you know of any experts offline, you can arrange for a verbal interview in person or by phone and sell your information product in BOTH text and audio format!

In return, you can thank your interview candidates for participating by giving them some free valuable gifts. Maybe you can get your interview candidates to strike up a Joint Venture with you in selling the complete information product created by everyone with you being the compiler and facilitator. Perhaps you can convey special Resell Rights to the information product just for your candidates if they are marketers.

At least and above all, you’d better be successful with marketing your product!

With three powerful methods to choose from, creating your own information product without having to write on your part is now possible, even for a hopeless writer like you!

When you make your first bucks from your Internet Business, you may want to take me out for a meal if we happen to be nearby.

Five Reasons to Incorporate a Company Offshore

by: Rhiannon Williamson

When it comes to the term ‘offshore’ used in conjunction with company incorporation, the term ‘offshore’ generally refers to any jurisdiction other than one in which the company incorporated will conduct the majority of its activities.

Usually such a jurisdiction has some degree of taxation or reporting benefit attached that makes it attractive to the company owner, and the concept of incorporating a company offshore will bring at least one of the following five benefits to a business owner: -

1) Ease of Operations – depending on the jurisdiction and the type of business activity to be conducted under the company name to be incorporated, the operating restrictions, auditing and accounting requirements and standards to which the business and its employees and directors must adhere are often far less restrictive offshore than onshore.

Exceptions to this rule are financial services based companies in many jurisdictions for example, who have to comply with extra regulatory legislation for the protection of the company’s clientele.

The advantage of easing operations particularly for a small or start up company is a reduction in operating costs and in the amount of time a company’s directors have to dedicate to form filling and report filing.

2) Reporting Simplification – this ties in with the first benefit; in the majority of offshore jurisdictions favoured for company incorporation the company activity reporting requirements are often far fewer and simpler as the business activities entered into by the company are conducted outside of the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated.

Furthermore personal information relating to the company’s directors and shareholders need not be declared in all cases or the extent to which personal information is required is far less intrusive.

3) Taxation Reduction/Negation – the reduction in taxation liability is one of the main benefits associated with investing offshore, opening an offshore bank account or incorporating a company offshore.

If you set up your company in a low or no tax jurisdiction you could potentially save yourself substantial amounts of money legally. Often the rules are that if the company incorporated in a particular jurisdiction never derives an income from the local economy it can operate tax free.

It’s therefore possible to use an offshore company in an overall international business structure and ensure profits are posted in the offshore jurisdiction and so no tax is liable! Many international corporations operate in this way and actually negate their tax liability fully.

4) Asset Protection – by operating a company offshore, i.e., outside the jurisdiction in which the company operates, it is sometimes possible to position assets away from the reach of any potential litigious action and also to shield business transactions from the eyes’ of the competition.

5) Personal Privacy Protection – the level to which a director or shareholder’s personal information is required, held, visible or investigated offshore is likely to be far less invasive and intrusive than onshore. It is also possible to appoint nominee directors and secretaries for offshore companies in many jurisdictions thus keeping the true company owner’s identity shielded.

The information contained in this article cannot constitute advice. Each individual’s circumstances are unique and whether or not offshore company incorporation is something that could benefit your business can only be determined with personal advice.

Succeed with your own Home Based Internet Business

by: Hans Hasselfors

Running your own home based internet business is a piece of cake. Right?

You've probably heard how easy it is to rake in tens of thousands of dollars practically over night, and how you can have all kinds of "free time" and extra cash for traveling and shopping at your favorite store...

Just throw up a web site, add a few affiliate links, post to some forums and presto - you're in the money!

But the reality is this. If you want to succeed in your own home based internet business, whether it's affiliate marketing or selling your own products, you will have to work at making it successful. You have to make it your job to succeed. You must treat it as your job, not as your hobby.

It's great to think that with just a few easy strokes you'll be running on auto-pilot, bringing in loads of cash and then on to the next venture. But without some simple planning and consistent effort you're setting yourself up for failure.

Here are a few tips to help you get started.

STAY ORGANIZED

Set up folders in your email client.

You should set up a folder for each contact and keep important correspondence while deleting what you don't need. If you belong to membership sites that require passwords, keep the "welcome" letters where you can find them.

Set up folders on your desktop.

If you download a lot of software, ebooks or PDF books from specific individuals simply name a folder on your desktop after the author or site owner. Then when you download something you can place it in their folder.

Make your own HTML home page.

For quick and easy access to all your important sites make up an HTML page with hyperlinks to your most frequently used sites along with a brief explanation of each site. Keep it on your desktop for easy access.

STAY FOCUSED

Set aside a specific time for work.

It could be from 7pm-9pm every day or whatever time's good for you. During this time do not get distracted from doing only what needs to be accomplished for your business. Try to use the same time slot every day so you get into a routine and get used to the working mindset. Save the surfing for another time.

Set aside a work space.

Make sure that all your friends and family know that when you're in your work area you're off limits! No one's to bother you.

Finish one task before starting another.

As the old saying goes, "Put one foot in front of the other." Don't start working on something new until the first task is completely finished.

BE CONSISTENT

Work the ideas that "work."

When you find something that works well for you work it hard and get as much out of it as possible. If you're submitting articles to a certain site and they're paying dividends, keep feeding the cycle.

Learn from failure.

Don't get discouraged. Each failure's just a learning process. Use any failure to your advantage by taking the lesson and applying it to your next venture.

Test, test, and more test.

Always test headlines and ad copy. A small change can reap huge rewards.

With these few simple steps you will stay organized, stay focused, be consistent in your efforts and build a solid foundation on which you can build your internet empire!

After all, you are the one who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your business!

The Value Of Safety Videos

by: Leon Chaddock

Safety videos can provide many excellent resources for you and for your employees. What are they and how can they help your organization? First, realize that safety videos are full of valuable information. They can teach and provide that information on just about any safety related topic quite simply. And more importantly, effectively. If you have problems with workmen's compensation or employees following state and local safety regulations, consider the purchase and installation of various safety videos.

For example, one of the most common workmen's compensation claims has to do with back pain. Most of the time, people do not realize that there is a good and a bad way to lift heavy items. So, they just bend down and lift. But, lifting from your back can cause a number of problems including painful tears, stretches and even problems with the spine. If employees are taught to lift with their legs instead, they can help reduce the injuries that could happen. Providing safety videos to help bring this issue to the front would not only allow them to hear what you need them to do, but to see it too.

Safety videos are much more complex than this though. Teaching employees how to handle hazardous chemicals as well as helping them learn the right way to wash their hands before touching food are also available. While you may be thinking that these are common sense things that people should know, many people unfortunately need to be told. So, investing the time and money into safety videos can do this for you quite effectively.

You can find a wide range of safety videos available on the web. You'll find them for just about any type of need that you may have. And, you will find that they provide exceptional quality options for teaching your employees about how to remain safe on the job. Not only will this help protect them, it will keep you and your business safe too.

Thinking about Free or Cheap Web Hosting? Think Again! It could cost you more than you think!

by: Anthony Lee Smith

A host is a server which provides a home for your website on the World Wide Web. Just as your computer contains all your files, so a host contains all the files needed to run your website. Why can't you just keep all those files on your own computer? Because that would mean users would have to connect directly to your computer to see your website. Not a good idea--it wouldn't be secure and it would make your machine run like a tired snail. With a host, you can simply upload everything you need to the server and your users can then connect there to see your site. It lets the site run faster and allows it to have all the security and extras it needs.

Selecting a host is the first important step towards building your Internet business.

Hosting services and companies vary from totally free, shared servers to large-scale dedicated machines. You'll have to decide which is right for you and your business. To help you make that decision, study the following:

Free Servers:

Advantages: *No Cost *You manage the server software and network

Disadvantages: *Search engines view free hosting services as inferior and sometimes do not include them in their index. *Some free hosting services do not allow you to use a custom domain name *The bandwidth is restricted and may cause difficulty for visitors attempting to access your site. *Because the service is free, some providers do not strive for 100% uptime which could result in your site being frequently inaccessible. *Software availability is limited, and free hosts do not generally provide database options. *Disk space is sometimes limited; ensure that you are getting all the room you need. *Poor response time for support. *Very limited support.

Cheap Web Hosting:

Advantages: *Server, software and network is managed and supported for you. *You can select a custom domain name. *Search engines don't view you as second class if you have your own domain name. *Improved response time for support. *Uptime is improved. *Technical support is provided, generally 24 hours a day

Disadvantages: *Bandwidth restrictions *Shared processing power *Limited software *Potentially limited disk space


Mid-Priced Web Hosting--Shared Servers:


*Server, software and network is managed and supported for you. *You can select a custom domain name. *Search engines don't view you as second class if you have your own domain name. *Improved response time for support. *Uptime is improved and generally guaranteed *Technical support is provided, generally 24 hours a day. *Generally offer a wide range of software options and configurable bundles, *Improved bandwidth.

Disadvantages: *Shared processing power,
*Expensive, *Dedicated Servers:

Advantages: *Server, software and network is managed and supported for you. *You can select a custom domain name. *Search engines don't view you as second class. *Improved response time for support. *Uptime is improved and generally guaranteed. *Technical support is provided, generally 24 hours a day. *Generally offer a wide range of software options and configurable bundles. *Improved bandwidth. *Processing power is not shared

Disadvantages: *The cost is higher than any other options, but well worth it if you choose wisely.

Your choice of server will depend on how much money you have available at the beginning and how much you plan to grow in the future. In my opinion, for commercial sites, free hosting is a waste of time. Your users are going to get blasted with annoying pop-ups every time they surf to your page, it's going to be impossible to get a decent position in a search engine, and you don't even get a real business URL. No one's going to remember your Web address if they have to type . Also, you won't have to worry about down servers, which can happen frequently with free hosting. But it is possible to choose a cheap host at the beginning and move up as your business begins to bring in money, but I don't recommend it.

If you are serious about your on-line business, then go for the gusto right away and get the best. You can get good, professional hosting for an average of $25 per month. It might seem like a lot, especially if you are just starting out, but it will save you loads of headaches down the road. Here is a first-class, high-quality site that offers professional web hosting: ThirdSphereHosting.com You will find that all my recommendations are of the highest quality. I have been through the mill probably like you have and now my standards are high. Anyway, it doesn't cost to have a look.

Networking: Beyond the Elevator Speech

by: Mark Dembo

Copyright 2005 Lexien Management Consultants, Inc

“Networking” has become one the sales bywords in recent years. Many will tell you that the key to building your sales is to “network” effectively. There is no question that building a strong network can be incredibly helpful to your sales efforts. Nevertheless, many people in sales face the same difficulties in networking that they face in cold-calling. It sounds great, yet for some reason they just don’t seem to be able to do it effectively. Let’s look at some of the factors and see if we can debunk some of this.

Exactly what is “networking?” The first thing comes to mind for many salespeople is that networking about finding customers without having to make cold calls! A common perception is that networking means going to a lot of events, meeting as many people as you can (also called “working the room”), handing out your business cards to “qualified” prospects, and then waiting for them to call you. Once you’ve met all these qualified people at an event, the thinking goes, you can call them up the following day or week to instantly secure an appointment to do business with them. When this doesn’t happen, our erstwhile networker gets discouraged, concluding that she is just not a good networker, and that the people she needs to sell to just aren’t going to the same “networking” events she is.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a network is a “fabric or structure of cords or wires that cross at regular intervals and are knotted or secure at the crossings.” If we rewrite that definition a bit for sales purposes, we could say that a network is a “structure of people and contacts that cross at regular intervals and are secure at the crossings.”

Notice that this definition does not say anything about handing out business cards, giving elevator speeches, or closing business. Does that mean that networking is a waste of time or that you shouldn’t be doing these things?

Not at all. However, to reap the rewards, you do need to rethink your approach and expectations from your networking efforts. Building an effective network means making an ongoing investment in other people, without an expectation of anything in return.

“What”, you say? “That’s blasphemy! How can I spend time networking without getting anything in return?”

No – that’s not what I said. I said not to EXPECT anything in return. Your only goal for networking should be having other people view you as a valuable resource and as a part of THEIR network. Wow – when you start thinking of it this way, you can begin to see and reap the benefits of a strong network. Networks take time to build and nurture. In addition, just as in a direct selling situation, the most effective networkers focus on what they can do for the people they meet without focusing on what the other person can do for them. Over time, you build credibility as someone who truly cares about other people, is trustworthy, reliable, and a good person to know. That’s when the benefits begin to come back to you.

The real power in networking comes from understanding a simple fact; everyone you know and each person you meet knows on average 250 people. Your goal in networking should not be to get the people you meet to become your customers – it should be to become a part of THEIR network, and for them to become a part of yours. Every contact you make puts you at the reach of potentially another 250 people. Think of it as weaving an intricate web with many crossings. Every positive impression you make strengthens that web. As author Bob Burg puts it: “the true strength really comes though when we realize that all the people in our network are also parts of other people’s networks that we ourselves don’t personally know. And that, indirectly, makes each of those people part of our network too.”

So, how do you get started?

Here are some tips:

- Don’t approach networking with the expectation of immediate gratification; your goal is to meet people and to understand as much about them as you can.

- Don’t give people you meet for the first time a “sales pitch.”

- Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see things happen right away; true networks take time to build.

- Do ask questions about the other person.

- Do ask if you can stay in touch.

- Do send a follow-up note, and touch on a few things you discussed.

- Do take active steps on a regular basis to strengthen your network by both staying in touch with people you’ve connected with, and by finding ways to connect with new people.

- Do use networking as one of many tools in your arsenal for effective prospecting.

- Do actively find ways to make connections between members of your network – remember making more and more connections is what it’s all about.

- Do offer to do things for others in your network, even if there’s no immediate promise of reward or reciprocation.

Start changing the way you think about networking and before long you will start to see the positive impact it can have.