Sunday, May 13, 2007

Networking Success Tip - Develop a Business Networking Plan

Most business people don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan. This scenario is especially true when it comes to business networking. Is a networking plan really that important? This article might help you decide. This is another in the series of Success Tips articles by speaker and mentor Ike Krieger.
You’ve made your choice. You’ve decided to use business networking as a way of "getting" more clients, more referrals and more sales.

What are you "getting" yourself into?You’re getting yourself into a process where relationship building comes first and business building follows.

Networking is the most effective face-to-face business building tool in existence.

Business networking is all about establishing and maintaining relationships that foster trust, friendship and referrals.

A referral is the act of introducing someone you trust to someone you care about.

People buy from people that they like and trust. People give referrals to people they like and they trust.

Those who are ready, willing, and able to give referral leads want to know that you can be counted upon, and that you can be trusted to “deliver as promised.

”Now you know everything about networking there is to know.

You’re ready to jump in. You’re ready to make the most of every business and social networking opportunity.

You load yourself up with your business cards. You create flyers and brochures to serve as handouts. You practice your introductory “elevator” speech.

You get in your car. You drive to the meeting location. You enter the gathering. You begin to follow your predetermined networking plan.

What is your business networking plan? What goals are included in your plan?Whether you network to promote your business, get referrals or build a database, you must have goals. You must have a plan.

What is your networking plan? Is it written out?You may ask, “Why do I need a written plan?"After all---you may want to go to the event and just “schmooze.” (Schmooze is a technical term for friendly communication in a group setting).

The “all I want to do is schmooze a little” mindset is the companion piece to the selling strategy entitled, “I’ll just go into the appointment and see what happens.”Effective business networking, and effective selling, can certainly include some “schmoozing.” However, any expectation of consistent networking or sales results without a well-defined strategy falls into the category of wishful thinking.

Your networking goals should be clearly defined within your overall marketing strategy.

If you’re like most business people, you don’t have a marketing strategy. Most business people “wing it.”

Your networking strategy is clarified in your marketing plan. A written business plan includes a marketing plan component.

A well written business plan contains the goals and fully researched projections for your business. It is against these goals and projections that you measure your business successes and shortcomings.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

I believe that every business should have a written business plan. If you’ve not yet gotten around to the task of developing a full business plan, you can still develop a simple, stand-alone marketing plan, one that places the spotlight on business networking, on a single sheet of paper in an hour or less.

Decide on your networking strategy. Make the strategy simple, e.g. collecting names for your newsletter database.

Decide on your networking goals. An example of a networking goal might be, “Out of the people I talk to at the networking event, I will find three who have an interest in receiving my newsletter.”

Please keep in mind that a well conceived marketing strategy does not equate to a business “quick fix.” As with any marketing or advertising plan you must have patience. Effective marketing is a process, not an outcome.

If you don’t have a networking plan, you’re not alone. 9 out of 10 of my clients ask for some assistance in formulating both a “do-able” networking strategy and an effective introductory “elevator” speech.

If you are interested in receiving a set of questions that will make it easier to complete your simple marketing plan projectComputer Technology Articles, please go to the resources section of the BusinessSuccessBuilder.com website and download your complimentary copy of “A Simple Plan.”

Networking Success Tip from Ike - Write out your networking plan. Make your goals accomplishable. Commit to your plan and follow it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ike Krieger is business mentor, author and speaker. His company, BusinessSuccessBuilder.com, provides tips, tools, ideas, resources and training that will help you produce more clients, more referrals and more sales. Ike has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, executives, salespeople and professionals develop their skills, expand their business and achieve peak performance, especially in the areas of businss networking and sales. Subscribe to Ike's newsletter at http://www.BusinessSuccessBuilder.com

Writers Block - 5 Breakthrough Ideas

Article writing is one of the most effective forms of viral marketing today. To be successful at creating a steady stream of traffic, however, you must continue to write and submit articles on a regular basis. If this flow of article writing and submission has been interrupted by writer's block, use these five ideas to break through the block and put your viral marketing efforts back on the fast track.

Congratulations! You have begun your viral marketing campaign by writing and submitting articles that have been spread throughout the world through ezines, blogs, and other online publications as others picked up your articles and posted them on their own pages. Two or three times a week you sat down to write and hardly knew how much time had passed from the moment you began writing until you finished. The time went quickly and you remembered how much you enjoyed writing. The ideas flowed and there seemed to be no end to the number of thoughts you could put in print.

You watched your stats for each article, did a Google search for your own name and articles, and were excited by the results you found. Even your "expert" status gave you a high and made you feel good about this new venture you were on. And each day the adventure continued.

Then suddenly one day you sat down to write and nothing came to your mind or you started writing but your thoughts were disjointed and jumbled. The ticking of the clock was there to remind you that hours had passed and the piece of paper or the computer screen before you was half empty. In an effort to complete the article, panic set in and then there were no words, no ideas, no third point to support the main theme (and everyone knows you have to have at least three points to support your theme, don't they?).

If writer's block has stopped your article writing campaign in its tracks, choose one or more of these five ideas to break through the block and get your viral marketing efforts back on track.

Move away from the computer

If you have been sitting at your computer, staring at a blank screen, pulling your hair out to get a new idea to write about, get up and move a little. The mere movement away from your computer to get some blood flowing will help to jumpstart your creative juices. If you haven't come up with an idea to write about just by staring at the screen, continued staring will not change anything for you, except to give you a headache.

Read today's headlines or your favorite blog

By reading today's headlines or your favorite blog, your mind will reconnect with words and ideas again. It might take just one sentence or one article for your mind to come up with a new idea, but if you don't come up with a new idea after the first headline or the first blog, try, try again. If still nothing comes to your mind, at least you have kept up with the news and seeds have been planted in your brain that might surface hours or days later.

Read through your previous articles

Read through some of your own articles to find an article that was written from a broad angle and pick it apart to come up with more articles on narrower topics.

In a typical article, as you were taught in school, you probably made three points that supported your main point. You can write an article on one of these three points and support it with three more points that can be used in later articles, then these three points can be used in three more articles and so on. See where I'm going? Until you get down to the article that tells about the "molecular structure" of whatever your topic is, you can write articles for days based on solely on one of your previous articles.

Make a list of words

Start with just a list of words associated with your business or area of interest that could become the topic of your article. If your business is about decorating on a budget, list the rooms in your house or the techniques, such as paint, wallpaper, stenciling, etc., that can be used to spruce up your walls. Start with just words then move up to phrases as those come to mind.

From this list you can choose one of the words or topics and write an article about that, or you can choose one area, such as walls, and write a series of articles on the different ways to change the look of a room just by changing the walls.

Write a post for your blog

When you have an idea to work with, write a post for your blog. Most blogs are written in a less formal, conversational tone than that used for articles for publication; often you feel as though you are writing to a friend rather than to an audience. Choose a topic or word from the headlines, a previous article, or your list of words and phrases start and writing a short post to your blog.

After writing this less formal, probably smaller, article for your blog, use the main ideas therein to turn it into an article for submission. You can then direct your blog readers to the full article and ask them to rate the article, which will in turn boost your author status, which will likely boost your morale and thus your creativity.

As in Newton's 1st Law of Motion: a body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. If the ideas you need to get your writing campaign back on track have come to a sudden stop, use one of these outside forces to get in motion again: move away from the computer, read today's headlines or your favorite blog, read through your previous articles, make a list of words and phrasesComputer Technology Articles, or write a post for your blog. You will find the words flowing from your fingertips in no time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Claudia Pate is the owner of Common Sense Ebiz, your source for online and work-at-home business opportunities, and The Anniversary Shop, an online store for modern and traditional anniversary gifts and gifts for all occasions.
Learn more about article writing at Common Sense Ebiz.

Auburn: A Beautiful Blend of Antiques and Modern Articles

City of Auburn New York enjoys a great reputation for its commercial aspect and old heritages. This place of USA grew terrifically from a small city to big one especially after it became the most favorite spot for laying shoe factories. Several such factories begot this city a special recognition and annexation of lands from Poland, Minot and Danville transformed it into one of the largest cities in USA.

Business people from France and Canada chose this place to establish more factories that added to the city’s thriving economy. Natural surroundings, modern factories and many historical and cultural heritages are what you find at every few strides in the city. Banking on the Androscoggin River, Auburn possesses some attractive destinations for the visitors. Knight House Museum, Androscoggin Historical Society are some of them to name. Auburn Fire Department Museum is another attraction that features interesting fire equipments for the tourists. Androscoggin Historical Society is a good place to make oneself familiar with the local history and Civil War memorabilia. The collection of farming tools and bird also interest people a lot. The unique blend of modern article and antiques invite thousands of tourists from all across the globe. For shopping freaks it is a shopping paradise. Antique lovers invade the city for buying as many of them as possible. Because of its opulence in antiquesComputer Technology Articles, it is famous as Antique Capital of Southeast Nebraska. All the stores feature articles of both latest and old fashions and welcome the visitors with great Midwestern hospitality.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Working in Bsl

Installing Retrofit & Replacement Vinyl Windows

In previous articles i explained to you how to determine whether your windows are candidates for vinyl replacement style frames or retrofit style frames. This week i'm going to explain the installation techniques for both frame styles. Let's start with the retrofit frame.

Retrofit window installation is really the easiest of all. The retrofit window already comes with an exterior trim attached. That's the flush fin that goes against the outside surface, usually stucco. Prepare the window by drilling 3/8" holes in the areas of the frame where you want to screw it in place. Normally, there will be 3 holes on each side and 3 more across the top. Don't drill any holes in the bottom track. After removing the old panels, you want to run a heavy bead of caulk on the face of the old aluminum frame that you left in place. Then you and a helper set the bottom of the vinyl window onto the old aluminum bottom track and raise it into position. The flush fin or retrofit lip will act as a "stop" to hold the window in place. Have your helper hold the window while you go inside.

Once inside, you want to center the window in the opening. Slide the vent panel open and closed to make sure the window is plumb and level. To adjust for out of square conditions, shim the bottom right or left corner by placing a shimming material between the sill and bottom of the window frame. Once square, drive a 3" deck screw through the 3/8" holes and into the wood studs.Just seat the screw, don't overtighten. After you get the screws into the sides and top, remove the sliding panel. The bottom track should lift out. Look for drainage holes in the track and insert a thin screwdriver and lift up. Drive one screw in the bottom center, caulk around the screw head, then put the track back in place and re-install the sliding panel. Now, you want to go back outside and caulk the gap where the retrofit fin meets the exterior surface of the house. You want to have a double barrier of protection against water infiltration. Remember, you already applied a generous bead of caulk before inserting the new frame into the opening. The rest of the job is done on the inside.

First, you want to plug the 3/8" screw holes to hide the heads of the screws. We sell the hole plugs on the website. Just click on the "shop" tab to see a picture. The plugs will pop into place in the hole. The next step is to fill the gap around the new frame with R-13 Insulation. Do not use the foam insulation that comes in a can. Many manufacturers will not honor the warranty if the foam is used. Even the non expanding foams can cause the frame to distort, causing problems. Pack the insulation in tight. You might want to wear a dust mask during this procedure. Many people, myself included, are very sensitive to insulation. After the insulation is in place, you want to install trim around the inside to finish the job. You can use wood trim from the hardware store, or some other product. But in my experience, the best product is a vinyl flat trim that matches the window frame. The flat trim can also be purchased on the website under the "shop" tab, or you could try to find it from a local window contractor. Ours comes in 3 different widths, although the 1 3/4" wide piece is by far the most common. The trim has a double sided adhesive tape on the back. You cut the top and bottom first, stick them on the vinyl frame, making sure the trim goes to the drywall. This covers all the insulation and the old metal frame. Do the side pieces next. The final step is to caulk where the trim meets the walls.

Much of the installation process for a replacement frame is the same as the retrofit frame. But, there are a few differences. When you put the new window into the opening using a replacement frame, you don't have the flush fin holding the frame in place. You and your helper have to hold the frame in place while you put a screw in the top center to support the frame. Then, you can do your adjusting for a square condition. All of the procedures on the inside will be exactly the same, from hole plugs, to insulation, to trim and caulk. The outside is different. You have to apply the trim that was part of the retrofit frame. Again, i prefer the flat trim. Once again, you apply a bead of caulk to the old frame,then measure and cut the top and bottom trim pieces. Apply the adhesive part of the trim to the vinyl frame, and let the other part contact the bead of caulk. Trim all four sides, then caulk again where the trim meets the exterior material.

As you can see, it really doesn't matter if the exterior of your home is brick, stone, sidingPsychology Articles, or stucco. You can install vinyl windows without having to damage the surrounding structure. We have step by step instructional videos for sale on the website at how-to-install-windows.com. Next week we are going to start discussing sliding glass door replacement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Rocco has been installing
replacement windows since 1978.
To learn more, visit http://www.how-to-install-windows.com

Installing Retrofit & Replacement Vinyl Windows

Dream of operating your own business out of your home but want to make sure you are in a best rated home based business? While some articles may tell you that you have to come up with an original idea, there is something to be said for going with a best rated home based business that is not only hot right now, but also has the potential for future growth. Here are some of the new concepts that are quickly becoming great home based business ideas:

Best Rated Home Based Business #1: Online Auction Seller

Do you make a product? Are you interested in sales, but not in the market for a typical “sales” job? Then you may want to consider becoming a professional seller on eBay, Amazon, or Yahoo. These companies allow you to market and sell your product online. You can purchase wholesale products like jewelry, DVDs, CDs, and more to resell. You can even make your own items and sell them on the sites.

Best Rated Home Based Business #2: Tutor

If you have a degree or expertise in a specific area you could consider becoming a tutor. Many students have problems putting together ideas for their papers or have trouble understanding long division. If you have patience and an aptitude for explaining concepts, then tutoring can be a rewarding experience.

Best Rated Home Based Business #3: Life Coach

Why is this on the list as a best rated home based business? A life coach helps people put parts of their life together. Some life coaches help people date while others help people learn to organize their lives. It is an easy business to run out of your home while you help people get their lives together.

Best Rated Home Based Business #4: Personal Concierge

In today’s busy world, having a personal concierge can be a benefit to a number of people. You would spend your day running errands, shopping, even picking up children or pets. Some personal concierges have specific roles like doing the grocery shopping, while others perform a variety of tasks.

Best Rated Home Based Business #5: Money Manager

If you hav

Best Rated Home Based Business

Dream of operating your own business out of your home but want to make sure you are in a best rated home based business? While some articles may tell you that you have to come up with an original idea, there is something to be said for going with a best rated home based business that is not only hot right now, but also has the potential for future growth. Here are some of the new concepts that are quickly becoming great home based business ideas:

Best Rated Home Based Business #1: Online Auction Seller

Do you make a product? Are you interested in sales, but not in the market for a typical “sales” job? Then you may want to consider becoming a professional seller on eBay, Amazon, or Yahoo. These companies allow you to market and sell your product online. You can purchase wholesale products like jewelry, DVDs, CDs, and more to resell. You can even make your own items and sell them on the sites.

Best Rated Home Based Business #2: Tutor

If you have a degree or expertise in a specific area you could consider becoming a tutor. Many students have problems putting together ideas for their papers or have trouble understanding long division. If you have patience and an aptitude for explaining concepts, then tutoring can be a rewarding experience.

Best Rated Home Based Business #3: Life Coach

Why is this on the list as a best rated home based business? A life coach helps people put parts of their life together. Some life coaches help people date while others help people learn to organize their lives. It is an easy business to run out of your home while you help people get their lives together.

Best Rated Home Based Business #4: Personal Concierge

In today’s busy world, having a personal concierge can be a benefit to a number of people. You would spend your day running errands, shopping, even picking up children or pets. Some personal concierges have specific roles like doing the grocery shopping, while others perform a variety of tasks.

Best Rated Home Based Business #5: Money Manager

If you have a way with numbers and finances, then this could be a great option for you. You would help people manage their budgets and make sure they are able to stay on top of their finances. Sometimes people do not have time to balance the checkbook or pay the bills, and you would do that for them. Other times, older individuals have problems completing these tasksScience Articles, and you would be doing them a great service by allowing them to still live independently.

Read the rest of the article here - Best Rated Home Based Business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Six-Figure Income Earner Charles Fuchs Shows How to Explode your Income and Make Huge Amounts of Money, even with no experience. Visit our Home Based Business Blog and receive the Best MLM Leads online, valuable tips, strategies, and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.

How to Effectively Hire a Ghost Writer

In today’s busy world, whether your business is large or small, it is easy to become over whelmed with day-to-day tasks. Suddenly you realize that you need to update your web presence content or you need to have a processes and procedures manual on-hand in case of key personnel being out. It just becomes too much to handle! Or perhaps you need to produce articles to promote your business, but writing simply isn’t your forte. What do you do? It’s simple; hire a ghost writer to assist you in performing your writing tasks.

Professional, well-qualified ghost writers can be contacted via any number of freelance project posting sites such as www.guru.com or www.elance.com, and others. These freelance project posting sites permit a buyer who needs writing projects completed, while maintaining all rights to the material upon payment, to post a project description and allow “Work for Hire” freelance writers to bid on your project. You can set the time length during which bidding is permitted and even request samples of the writers’ work for review.

When posting a freelance writing project for bid on any project posting site, you should strive to communicate facts clearly so that service providers can bid accurately on your project.

* Establish exactly what length, in number of words or pages, you are requesting to be written for you.
* Define exactly the content and purpose of your requested project. Some examples of content types are web content, search engine optimized web content, magazine article, resume, processes and procedures manual, how-to report, ebook, or white paper. The type of writer that will bid on one type of job may not be well suited to another type of project.
* Define format requirement. These requirements include exactly what format you want the data should be delivered to you as a final product such as MS Word, plain text, or rich text format.
* Determine precisely the deadline for delivery of your final products. If you have an exact need date for your material, state that date in your project description. Those writers who can not meet your deadline will simply not waste your time reading their bids.
* Communicate any other requirements. You may want content to have bulleted points, or to have margins of 1.5 inches on every side. Any requirements that you desire in your final product should be stated in your project description. Most freelance writers, upon accepting your project award, copy your exact project description into their information files to ensure they are working to your specifications.

The online freelance project posting systems allow you to review the portfolios of the writers who are members of that system. You can select based on criteria such as previous feedback, length of time on the system and other factors to view a selection of service providers’ information. You can then select a few service providers which appear to fit your needs and invite them to bid on your project, if you wish.

Keep in mind when reviewing service providers’ feedback reports that no one makes everyone happy all of the time. If a 5.0 is a perfect rating, and a writer has over 20 projects on which they have received feedback, you can expect at least one client to have not given even an exceptional writer a perfect score. Be realistic and look for service providers with a feedback rating near the top as well as those at the top of the ratings.

Once bids have been placed on your project, review those bids. It is wise to identify which service providers bidding on the project included in their response your exact project requirements. If you stated that you desire 30 articles written and the bid stated the provider will write 15 articles for you, it is clear that they did not read the project description. That kind of inattention to detail when bidding can indicate a general lack of attention and your project deserves to be treated with care. A good service provider will tell you in their bid exactly what services they will provide for how much money and within what timeframe. If those key items are not contained in the bid, move on and review the ones that have clearly responded to your request.

If you request samples of work from the service providers bidding on your project, you can expect to receive anywhere from one to two articles per bid to as many as ten articles attached to bids. Read at least one sample from each bid to learn about that writer’s style and tone. If the sample style fits with what you have in mind and their bid reflected care and precision in bidding, you should add that writer to your “short list”.

As soon as you have honed the respondents down to three or four bids that are from reliable providers, choose based on price and turnaround time that best suits your personal needs. There are manyPsychology Articles, many wonderful freelance writers working in the global marketplace of the Internet today. Let them relieve you from some of your job stress by writing documentation and content for you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours.
Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories.
Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com