Good Networking
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Social Media in Plain English
Another great video by Lee LeFever of Commoncraft.com explaining 'Social Media in Plain English'.
Good Networking
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Good Networking
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Asking better questions
I have just read 'At your fingertips, A guide to successful online business networking' by William Buist. It is full of really practical stuff on the effective use of online networks.
The section on asking better questions brought to mind a discussion at a recent NRG-networks seminar on effective 121 meetings. The consensus in the discussion was that questions were really important in demonstrating that you are listening attentively. They help you build trust as you show a genuine interest in the other person and their goals. As the other person shares more in their answers you can really find out how to help and who to introduce them to.
In the book William suggests asking "What is your expertise?" rather than the standard "What do you do?". A better question will make the other person think more about the answer and will lead to a better conversation.
Good Networking
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
The section on asking better questions brought to mind a discussion at a recent NRG-networks seminar on effective 121 meetings. The consensus in the discussion was that questions were really important in demonstrating that you are listening attentively. They help you build trust as you show a genuine interest in the other person and their goals. As the other person shares more in their answers you can really find out how to help and who to introduce them to.
In the book William suggests asking "What is your expertise?" rather than the standard "What do you do?". A better question will make the other person think more about the answer and will lead to a better conversation.
Good Networking
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Monday, March 30, 2009
What should you blog about?
At a recent seminar after the monthly NRG-networks lunch at Marble Arch in London Internet Psychologist, Graham Jones, was talking about 2 simple ways to double your website traffic. One of the questions he posed was what was common to the websites we all visit regularly? The answer being content, content and more content.
In my recent article 'top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' tip 7 is that your blog is the cornerstone of your online presence & you build your reputation by sharing your expertise. The important thing is that you are sharing content that is relevant to your intended audience.
I was talking about this last week with the owner of a printing company and he asked me what he should blog about. I asked him about the problems that his customers are looking to solve when they use his services. All of the examples he gave me were about how his business customers were looking to improve the ways they communicated their marketing messages. As a marketer he had a clear understanding of their issues and many practical examples of where he had helped. My reply to him was that those were the things to blog about. The stories, hints, tips, & insights from his clients' issues and problems are great content to add value to others with similar issues.
If he regularly generates that content and communicates that through his network he will build an audience of interested readers. Many of them will know people with the issues and problems that need an expert like him.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
In my recent article 'top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' tip 7 is that your blog is the cornerstone of your online presence & you build your reputation by sharing your expertise. The important thing is that you are sharing content that is relevant to your intended audience.
I was talking about this last week with the owner of a printing company and he asked me what he should blog about. I asked him about the problems that his customers are looking to solve when they use his services. All of the examples he gave me were about how his business customers were looking to improve the ways they communicated their marketing messages. As a marketer he had a clear understanding of their issues and many practical examples of where he had helped. My reply to him was that those were the things to blog about. The stories, hints, tips, & insights from his clients' issues and problems are great content to add value to others with similar issues.
If he regularly generates that content and communicates that through his network he will build an audience of interested readers. Many of them will know people with the issues and problems that need an expert like him.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Baby Boomer Entrepreneurs, What Is The Right Size For Your Business?
If your goal for being an entrepreneur is to enjoy the life style you want without having to fully retire, how big should your business be? What are some of the things you should think about?
Seth Godin recently commented that he had been doing a lot of thinking about issues of scale and units of measure. He concluded: “Many businesses that are in trouble are in trouble for a simple reason: they’re the wrong size”.
If you are the typical Baby Boomer Entrepreneur, looking for a business as an alternative to full retirement, what size fits your life goals? What are the units of measure you should consider? Here are a few to start:
- How much of your time should your business consume?
- How much of your financial resources should be invested in the business?
- How much personal cash flow should your business produce for you?
- When do you need that cash flow?
- How big a geographic scope should you serve?
- How many employees do you need to deliver on the promises you are going to make to your marketplace?
- Are you delivering a full scale system solution to your customer’s problem or a piece of the entire system?
- If you are successful, can you scale the business up and still enjoy the quality of life that is your goal?
The folks at Small Business Labs continued the discussion by commenting in their blog and sharing some of their research.
They observed that most industries are moving towards a barbell shaped industrial structure with a few global giants on one end and lots of small businesses on the other. Mid sized firms are being acquired by the larger firms or squeezed out.
Their second major observation was that variable cost business models allow small firms to be competitive with large firms in an increasing number of market spaces. New technologies have reduced the cost of starting and operating a business.
So, baby boomer entrepreneur, what is the answer for you? What combination of size and agility will allow you to compete in your market while still allowing you to live your desired lifestyle?
Shallie Bey
Back track URL to Seth’s post:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b31569e2011279821f8d28a4
Back track URL to SmallBusiness Labs:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8345675df69e201156f52f46c970b
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
How do I use Twitter & Social Networks?
Quite a few people have asked me recently about using Social Media & Social Networking sites to promote their business. As I result I wrote an article for our website on my top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks. I have also developed a seminar on this to present at our NRG monthly networking lunch groups in the UK.
Social media and social networks provide great tools to help build your profile and develop relationships alongside your offline activities. It is important that you consider this strategically otherwise you may waste a lot of your precious time.
To help on deciding where to invest your time and effort strategically ask yourself a question.
"On which social media & social networks will I find those people with access & influence in my market?"
Once you decide which are right for you then you can then share the stories, hints, tips, & insights that you blog about. As I say in my top 10 tips article your blog is the cornerstone of your online presence & is the place you build your reputation.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Social media and social networks provide great tools to help build your profile and develop relationships alongside your offline activities. It is important that you consider this strategically otherwise you may waste a lot of your precious time.
To help on deciding where to invest your time and effort strategically ask yourself a question.
"On which social media & social networks will I find those people with access & influence in my market?"
Once you decide which are right for you then you can then share the stories, hints, tips, & insights that you blog about. As I say in my top 10 tips article your blog is the cornerstone of your online presence & is the place you build your reputation.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Monday, March 23, 2009
Networking Groups are a great route to market
I meet many owners, directors and partners of small specialist businesses and professional firms. They all tell me they get their best business via word of mouth and recommendation. The problem they have is that their existing client base is not large enough to generate enough of it.
That is where networking groups come into their own. If your existing network is not big enough to generate enough word of mouth to achieve your plan then find a couple of networks to join. Ask yourself who else is likely to have access to and influence with your target market. Then find where they network, join those groups and build relationships with others like you. Over time your return on the investment you make in those relationships will far outweigh your initial money & time investment.
A combination of existing clients and appropriate networking groups should be enough of a route to market for most of these owners, directors and partners of small specialist businesses and professional firms.
When you join first join a group take the time to get to know the members and the ways you can help. How you can support, provide information & introductions. How you can help them achieve their goals. Over time as you help the other members achieve their goals they do the same for you. Especially if they know how to help you. So when asked present your proposition confidently & consistently - your target market, the problems you solve and your stories.
In one of my podcasts on this same topic, 'Why join a networking group?', I explain how one networking group saved me 3 years in business development activity.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
That is where networking groups come into their own. If your existing network is not big enough to generate enough word of mouth to achieve your plan then find a couple of networks to join. Ask yourself who else is likely to have access to and influence with your target market. Then find where they network, join those groups and build relationships with others like you. Over time your return on the investment you make in those relationships will far outweigh your initial money & time investment.
A combination of existing clients and appropriate networking groups should be enough of a route to market for most of these owners, directors and partners of small specialist businesses and professional firms.
When you join first join a group take the time to get to know the members and the ways you can help. How you can support, provide information & introductions. How you can help them achieve their goals. Over time as you help the other members achieve their goals they do the same for you. Especially if they know how to help you. So when asked present your proposition confidently & consistently - your target market, the problems you solve and your stories.
In one of my podcasts on this same topic, 'Why join a networking group?', I explain how one networking group saved me 3 years in business development activity.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Baby Boomer Entrepreneurs, Would You Like A Free Pass to the Classrooms of the Top Scholars In Your Field?
Could you benefit from hearing the key issues in astronomy, biology, chemistry, or our beloved topic of entrepreneurship? Would that help you find and develop your business ideas?
In our topic of entrepreneurship, there are 737 free guest lectures on such issues as why you need a business plan -- to The 5 Essential Skills that Entrepreneurs Need.
This is the work of Richard Ludlow. Richard is a 22 year old Yale University student. He is also a finalist in Business Week’s 2008 competition for America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs.
Richard felt that many people could not have access to the top lecturers in fields of interest to them. The barriers might be money, location, or time. So he found a way to bring Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale to the students. As a Baby Boomer Entrepreneur, you get to benefit by being a fly on the wall. You can look for business opportunities, build your knowledge, or simply increase your skills in entrepreneurship, all for free.
Thanks to young entrepreneurs Xavier Lur for bringing this to our attention. Xavier blogs at
Go visit Academic Earth at : http://academicearth.org/ . I recommend to you Five Critical Skills That Entrepreneurs Need by Jerry Kaplan: http://academicearth.org/lectures/five-critical-skills-that-entrepreneurs-need . If you want an alternative view to Jerry Kaplan, you might want to see http://www.slate.com/id/2712/ .
Shallie Bey
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How much business do you want to generate from your networking?
One of the questions in a previous post, 'Developing a networking plan', was 'how much business are you looking to generate via word of mouth?'.
Here are some things you can look at to help calculate this;
1. Revenue Target for year:
(What is the amount of business you want to generate?)
2. Average Transaction size:
(What is your average deal size?)
3. Number of deals required (1/2) =
(Divide the amount of business by average deal size)
4. How many prospects do you need for a sale =
(What is your closing ratio?)
5. Total prospects needed (4 X 3) =
(Multiply the number of deals by the number of prospects)
6. How many referrals per prospect =
(Not every referral will be a prospect)
7. Referrals required (5 X 6) =
(Multiply the number of prospects with referrals)
Now for the really important part. The number of referrals you need is the amount you need to be generating first for other people in your network. This will give you a good idea of the amount of time you need to invest in your networking activity.
As I have said previously the best way to generate referrals is to give them first.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Here are some things you can look at to help calculate this;
1. Revenue Target for year:
(What is the amount of business you want to generate?)
2. Average Transaction size:
(What is your average deal size?)
3. Number of deals required (1/2) =
(Divide the amount of business by average deal size)
4. How many prospects do you need for a sale =
(What is your closing ratio?)
5. Total prospects needed (4 X 3) =
(Multiply the number of deals by the number of prospects)
6. How many referrals per prospect =
(Not every referral will be a prospect)
7. Referrals required (5 X 6) =
(Multiply the number of prospects with referrals)
Now for the really important part. The number of referrals you need is the amount you need to be generating first for other people in your network. This will give you a good idea of the amount of time you need to invest in your networking activity.
As I have said previously the best way to generate referrals is to give them first.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Developing a networking plan
"It pays to plan ahead it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark"
Somewhere in your office you may well have a business plan.
Even better, you may have a marketing plan!
If you do does it include your networking activity?
If you don’t know where you are going with your networking how can others help you?
The second of our '10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' is develop a plan.
Answer the following:
- what is your target market?
- what are the problems you solve for them?
- how much business are you looking to generate via word of mouth?
- how much time can you devote to your networking activities?
Identify others likely to have access to your target market
- how do you get to know them?
- how can you help them achieve their goals?
When you can answer these questions you are have the basis of a networking plan which you can begin acting on right away.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Somewhere in your office you may well have a business plan.
Even better, you may have a marketing plan!
If you do does it include your networking activity?
If you don’t know where you are going with your networking how can others help you?
The second of our '10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' is develop a plan.
Answer the following:
- what is your target market?
- what are the problems you solve for them?
- how much business are you looking to generate via word of mouth?
- how much time can you devote to your networking activities?
Identify others likely to have access to your target market
- how do you get to know them?
- how can you help them achieve their goals?
When you can answer these questions you are have the basis of a networking plan which you can begin acting on right away.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
Friday, March 6, 2009
Getting comfortable with how networking works
I had a One2One meeting with an NRG-networks member earlier this week. He wanted to update me on a new business he was involved in and get my views. When I first met him four years ago he had just bought a franchise. That was his first foray into the small business or SME world. He explained that in his first year he had beaten the previous best first year by more than double.
We explored how he had managed to do that. He explained that NRG-networks were the first network he joined and then others followed. He attended regularly and helped everyone he met by offering them some valuable input in their marketing communications. He didn't sell to anyone, but referrals and business flowed his way.
In yesterday's post, 'The same networking rules apply in the real world & the online world', I featured Seth Godin talking about networking and explaining that "Networking is all about helping people achieve their goals reliably and repeatedly then guess what? They start to do the same for you!"
Tip 1 in my '10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' is get comfortable with how networking works. It's not about meeting people once and moving on. It is all about building relationships first and may require a different approach to the one you are used to.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
We explored how he had managed to do that. He explained that NRG-networks were the first network he joined and then others followed. He attended regularly and helped everyone he met by offering them some valuable input in their marketing communications. He didn't sell to anyone, but referrals and business flowed his way.
In yesterday's post, 'The same networking rules apply in the real world & the online world', I featured Seth Godin talking about networking and explaining that "Networking is all about helping people achieve their goals reliably and repeatedly then guess what? They start to do the same for you!"
Tip 1 in my '10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks' is get comfortable with how networking works. It's not about meeting people once and moving on. It is all about building relationships first and may require a different approach to the one you are used to.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success
business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast
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