Month: March 2012

Have You Been Networking Face to Face Lately?

If the answer is no, it’s time to put on your best suit and attitude, and venture out to make some friends. You may be connecting with people through email or over phone, but it’s never the same thing as saying a ‘Hi’ with a great smile in person. Even today, in this time of digitally connected and savvy people, business owners are more comfortable engaging with their contacts in person than online. If you have been postponing offline networking for some time now, it’s time to get out and say a ‘Hello’! And the good news is, there are quite a few ways to do it…

face to face networking
Face to face networking in trade shows

What offline networking options do you have?

1. Let’s start with the traditional and ever-popular industry trade shows. They last a number of days, don’t cost much to participate in, and are filled with potential clients and business partners. However, in today’s times, when we are all short of time and want to make the most of it, here’s an important tip – attend only those trade show sessions that provide real value information and spend rest of the time networking with people from your industry.

2. Next, how about meeting up with local professionals from your industry over lunch or coffee? You don’t have to try too hard – you can visit sites like Meetup.com to connect with businesses, investors and business owners with common interests. You may just hit upon your next big business move or marketing plan over insightful conversations! And of course, as a bonus, you will be giving your business the visibility it so deserves.

3. You can even set the stage for networking right at your home. Chat up relatives and friends who can open up different opportunities. Once you have zeroed in on a few target contacts, ask your family/friend to introduce you to them and put in a good word for you.

4. Why limit networking to only business hours? Be social and nice all the time. Try talking to people waiting in line with you at the grocery checkout or bank – you may find a great friend or if you are lucky, even an important business contact. Start off with small talk first instead of swooping right into business chatter.

Note to self: Be pleasant company. You can make a first good impression on potential customers at a party, conference, meeting and indeed your local supermarket. Read on to find out how….

Dos and don’ts of offline networking

All of us, at one time or another, have met a rather annoying guest at a party who just wouldn’t stop talking about only his/her interests. Obviously, these are not the shoes you want to be in when you are trying to strike a good chord. Golden rule: don’t be a brand, be a person. There is no doubting the importance of brand recognition, but it’s not all what networking is about. It is more about connecting on a personal level and gradually building trust. When you strike a chord with people, they will definitely seek information about your business. So, remember to:

  • Talk about common interests
  • Share news of interest with the person
  • Be cheerful and straightforward

Besides one-on-one conversations, there are several other ways to be visible without trying too hard. For instance, you can make a point at a meeting or ask a question at a conference. Whatever you do and however you connect with people, always remember to recognize the other person and yes, have a little fun!

About the Author: Penny is a senior ebook writer and resume writer with content writing service firm Godot Media. She has interests ranging from social media, copywriting to following web technologies and trends.

Five Apps Every Small Business Owner Should Have

Gone are the days when you had to be at the office to do work. The advent of the home computer tore that whole notion to smithereens. While some would lament that they feel their office following them around wherever they bring their cell phone, many are singing the praises of mobile technology. If you’re a small business owner, you should take advantage or a few of the best apps out there. Next time you’re in line at the car wash, you can run your payroll or edit that business proposal or even check on an invoice.

GoogleDocs

The mobile version of Google’s awesome document editing application is pretty much just as cool as the original. Using the app you can view and edit documents and spreadsheets on the go and because GoogleDocs stores everything in the Cloud, you can easily share your revisions among multiple users and across multiple devices. The iOS version costs $4.99 while the Android version is free.

MiniBooks FreshBooks

MiniBooks puts all of your customer’s billing information in the palm of your hand. Need to check on an old invoice? Done. Need to pull up a client’s full contact info? Done. The app also lets you run timers for jobs that pay by the hour so you can keep an accurate count easily. Once you’ve created an estimate with the app, you can transform it into a printable invoice quickly and easily.

Evernote

Evernote is a great app for the forgetful among us. If you’ve ever needed to make a note on the fly, you can do it through Evernote and thanks to Cloud storage, that note or reminder will show up on all your devices. This is great for everything from shopping lists to keeping notes on meetings and conferences.

Square

Square is probably the best app for credit card holders. If you’re a small business owner who wants to begin accepting credit cards but you don’t want to go through the headache of setting up an account with the credit card company, you can simply sign up for a Square account. The company does not charge a flat rate for transactions (most companies charge $0.10-$0.15 across the board). They only take 2.75 percent of each transaction. Just plug the Square credit card scanner into your smartphone’s headphone jack and begin expanding your business today.

Carolyn is a guest blogger who writes about small businesses and small business solutions like BigCommerce to help optimize performance.

Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators

Critical Success Factors ( CSFs )as the name suggest are those factors in which you must excel in order to outperform your rivals your competitors. But this is not as easy as one may think about it at first. It is a detailed process expanding over several stages, which we will be discussing in detail below. Continue reading Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators

6 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs

When you’re an entrepreneur, you know you can’t do things alone. While you may have the big ideas and the willingness to put everything on the line for them, you need some help if you really want to succeed and grow your business. And when you’re just starting out, you know how invaluable good mentors and connections are. For these reasons, social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn just won’t cut it for you as an entrepreneur. When you’re looking for a place to connect with other entrepreneurs, try one of these six social networks that are specifically for you.

PartnerUp.com
PartnerUp is an excellent community for entrepreneurs. It does exactly what the name implies – helps you find people to partner with to grow your business. It also does much more. If you’re looking to get involved with a small business already in progress, you can find listings for opportunities. You can also find commercial real estate for sale, and find vendors and service providers that you may need. It’s a great place to network with other entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Biznik.com
Biznik is a social network for independent business people. It focuses on helping you make connections with other independent business people like yourself. With Biznik, you can locate people and businesses in your area and beyond that can help support you and assist you in growing your business. Biznik is a great place to converse with like-minded people and score some great advice.

Entrepreneur Connect (EConnect.Entrepreneur.com)
Entrepreneur Connect is another place to meet other entrepreneurs like you. Membership is free, and the best way to use Entrepreneur Connect is by joining some of the rich and diverse groups. In groups, you can discuss anything with other businesspeople in your niche. You can ask and answer questions, form beneficial relationships, and learn more about your industry. There is also a Marketplace with listings for everything from legal services to logo design to real estate.

Ryze.com
Ryze is a growing social network that appeals to many different types of users. From CEOs of large companies to hopeful small business entrepreneurs, you can meet a wide range of people and professionals. Ryze focuses on allowing you to grow your contact base and meet new people. There are event listings and classifieds to explore, too.

PerfectBusiness.com
PerfectBusiness allows you to connect with others, but it also offers a lot more. There is a wealth of resources, including articles, videos, and software, that will help you with the entire entrepreneurial process. When you’re just starting out, this website is a great place to begin learning about everything from writing a business plan to finding investors. And you can form some valuable relationships that will help you along the way.

TheFunded.com
TheFunded is a growing community that focuses on the financial side of entrepreneurship. It’s a place where you can connect with other entrepreneurs to discuss things like financing and investing. It also helps you learn about venture capitalists (VCs) that can help you, and members rate their experiences with different VCs and funds.

Venture Capitalist M.P. Brown loves the thrill of the start up and the challenges of running his own business. For finding new business opportunities, he stays actively involved in business networks.

Tips for Creating a Great Business Card

Creating a business card is easy. Creating a great business card requires a little more attention to detail.

Whatever the nature of your work, a business card is a great tool for networking, advertising and reminding potential customers that you’re there for them. Thanks to the rise of digital printing, it has never been easier – or cheaper – to have a set of cards run off. However, this increase in popularity has meant that many printing companies have ended up competing on price alone – something that has led to a ‘race to the bottom’ in terms of quality. And, as you’ll discover, penny pinching on your business cards is one compromise you should not make.

quality business card design

Branding 101

One of the mistakes a lot of people make with their business cards is thinking that they are simply a way of leaving their contact details with a prospective client. Whilst they certainly serve this purpose, they are far more than this. Like any piece of marketing – your website, flyers, posters and other promotional material – your business card makes a statement about you, your company, and the quality of your work. Your card gives a customer an impression about your business: perhaps their only impression. A low-quality, dog-eared, badly-designed card will not inspire confidence. A clean, sharp and professional-looking card communicates a very different impression.

For this reason, it’s worth spending a little more time and money on your cards than many others do. You don’t have to pay a fortune, as there are still plenty of digital print companies who will do good work cheaply, but you shouldn’t assume that your customers will treat all business cards the same. If you’re proud of your work, that should come across in the card you hand them.

What makes for a quality card?

One of the biggest factors is the weight of the card. Thin cards are flimsy and easily damaged; heavier cards feel more substantial and impressive, and are less likely to be thrown away. Typical printer paper is 80 gsm (grams per square metre). Postcards generally come in at around 300 gsm. A good quality business card will usually be upwards of 350 gsm. 400 is a good starting point, and plenty are heavier still.

Print quality is another major factor. This will differ markedly across companies due to the variations in printers used. Ask for samples, look at reviews and do your research. You want any logos and images to come out at photo quality, and text to be clean and crisp. Cheaper cards (you can sometimes even get freebies) tend to have low-quality print that fades quickly and looks awful.

Finally, the card’s finish will make a big difference. Although you can leave it as plain card, better business cards will have a layer of varnish on to make them more durable, help keep them clean and bring out any images. This comes in a variety of forms (matte, gloss, silk), each of which will suit different designs and feels of card. A spot-UV finish gives a brighter shine to specific images or words.

The bottom line?

All customers have to be bought in one way or another, and you get what you pay for. Clients will recognise when you’ve made an effort to reach out to them, and when you’ve cut corners.

About the Author: This article was supplied by printed.com, a supplier of quality leaflet printing and an accredited member of the Direct Marketing Association.

Image: _overanalyzer / Flickr