Networking Imposters

Okay it seems like time to raise an issue that's been on the periphery forever but never seems to be brought into clear focus or get a mention. Networking is about more than just following people, or getting on their mailing list or showing up as a connection.

Networking - For What Purpose?

There is really only one reason that people network. To enhance their business opportunities. Yet the reality is that a lot of what passes for networking is about swapping cards and telling people about what we do. Often... and I might say most often... to people who are not there to advance your opportunities, only their own.

You see the problem.


Without a willingness to be of value to others, we are pretending to be networking. If we are not genuinely interested and willing to find some way to add value to those with whom we are networking, then we are really impersonating networkers and that leads us to being little more than networking imposters.

Imagine a network or an event for networkers... where 90% of the people have no plan or strategy for helping other members present.

What would you call that? I call it a waste of time. And it is happening at network after network, at event after event.

Lots of glad-handling. Lots of talking big. Precious little actual energy going into taking some proactive steps to advance the relationship in a practical way.

I don't know the reason for this lack of action but I have a hunch that for many, the reason is that there is no clear strategy for people to take to do something useful to advance their networking relationships.

Even in highly structured networking groups, where we are called to remember to "give first" this can often play out as "You give first" and that's really not the intention.

There are some myths that get trotted out too, from time to time.



A favourite Grand Myth, is that of "The Big Opportunity"

People love to tell you about their wonderful plans and how you can be involved, and you can be part of it too... Just spend your time getting involved in helping them to bring their grand plan to life and you'll be there in the thick of it when it comes to fruition.

Guess what?

No you won't.

And the chances are neither will they.

There will probably be nothing come of this and in the meantime you'll have wasted untold hours putting effort in to someone else's dream for nothing.

If what you do is valuable, then it is worth getting paid for. Something.

There is no business that you need to support above your own business.

That's the first rule to set for yourself.


Business Or Charity?

If they have nothing to pay you, in money or in kind that is valuable to you, then consider this a donation to charity.

It will be your donation to charity, and if you think this worthy to donate to, then go ahead, but don't for a moment confuse it with business.

Or expect a return on your investment.

And of course, this applies to you too. Don't expect people to work for you on a promise. Be better than that. If your business or your idea needs help to get going, pay the money. That's just a cost of doing business.


Of course I would... BUT

Perhaps the greatest networking myth of all is this one.


"I have to get to know you before I can refer business to you."

While that is true to a point, we don't want to refer people to known crooks, it is also a great excuse to do nothing.

How do you really get to know how good someone is?

You do some business with them or introduce them to someone who might be a good connection for them or might need their services.

Until you do that, it doesn't matter what you know about them, you won't know how they handle that situation, till you give them one to handle.

Until you do that, nothing happens.


When you collaborate effectively and with full intention, and actions to match and when you all do that... nothing can stop you.

What strategy will you use?





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Lindy Asimus
Business Coach & Social Media Development
Design Business Engineering
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Social Media For Business Survey

Social Media and the way the online world works is a hot topic right now but for many business owners it remains a bit of a mystery and can seem like an overwhelming proposition for a small business to start to use as a regular part of their operating strategy.

Is it good for business?

Do you know if your website is working for you, as well as it might?

What do you believe about how social media will affect your business?

Rather than guess what business owners are thinking, I've set up a survey so you can tell me what you think about social media and your local business, and more importantly, have your say about what worries you or excites you or has you a bit confused about the whole thing.

I welcome your feedback and I will be posting the results when I have a good sample of responses. Please pass this link to any business owners you know who have expressed an interest or are confused about social media and business so they can air those concerns too.


 Go To Social Media For Business Survey

To thank you for participating, I've included a section where you can request my
7 Steps To A Healthy Growing Business as a gift. Just check the box for that and I'll send you details on how to download this report.






Talk To A Business Coach.

Lindy Asimus
Business Coach & Social Media Development
Design Business Engineering
Enquiries
Online Coaching Available All Locations!
Follow Lindy At These Social Networks

Contact Me

 Need to get marketing?
Download your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook!

Building Your Mailing List For Business

Have you ever thought "I must do that!" and yet never get around to it?


I find that has been the case for me with things like sending out cards to people I've met to thank them for their time when I've enjoyed meeting them, or just to say 'hi' to someone I have not seen for a while. Definitely I should have sent more cards to my mother, in between my visits to see her, when she was in aged care before she died. (People in care are so bored and a regular card would be like a miracle to many).


Keeping in touch with clients and customers is often overlooked in the rush to keep up with the 'urgent stuff' that comes up in a business on any day. And yet this attitude to how we keep in touch with our customers is a key to letting them know that we appreciate their business and we care to keep a relationship with them.


Using Email

Newsletters are one way that we can keep our clients informed of topics that will interest them around the business we are in, and additionally, to make available special promotions just for them. Too often, businesses create promotions to reward people who have never supported them, and yet do nothing for the customers who come back time and again and show their loyalty and support for the business. Sending a newsletter is a relatively easy thing to do and to send it professionally means that you need to use a service that is geared to proper distribution and has all the elements necessary to make it easy to keep on the good side of regulation aimed at stopping spam. This means amongst other things, that there is an opt-in, an easy way for people to opt-out or unsubscribe and that you have tools available to be able to monitor how many of the newsletters are opened, what links they click on and ensure that your list is always clean and up to date. As well as keeping in touch with clients, an opt-in box (special code to add to your website and emails) lets others know about your business and offers and lets you spread word of your business even further.


Some Email Tips:

Don't use Outlook for mailing your newsletter.
Don't send your email as a .pdf file or attachment
Do have an easy way for people to opt-in
Do start building your mailing list
Do collect email contact details from customers as a way to reach them
Never automatically put people on your mailing list without permission
Create a template so you can easily fill the different section for a consistent look
Make it easy to read, and not too long! Consider a short summary and links to more detail.


Building Your Mailing List

Building a list is an important step for any business, and it is a big deal to have a list of subscribers who have opted-in to agree to receive your newsletter. This should be valued as it is an asset to your business and one that you can build over time, and can be a combination of customers as well as people who have never bought from you yet but may in the future. You can build a mailing list if you have a retail business, a manufacturing or service business, or even if you are a work-from-home-mom. What matters is that you build your list and people with an interest in what you do are able to find you and be kept up-to-date.


Using Snail Mail

While many people are taking up computers and social media... or perhaps because so many people are now using technology... something tangible that we can hold in our hand and read from paper suddenly has a new novelty. Not everyone is using online communication so remember to consider those people in your business network, customer database and personal relationships who would like to get something from you in a way they can touch. A quality piece of mail, written to the individual has the potential to be a very compelling item. It is also - if crafted with care - something that WILL get opened and something that will often be kept. Sometimes for an amazing length of time.


The Greeting Card Is In The Mail

Even though I have known for years this is a good thing to do, I have still been bad at getting to the shops to buy a card... finding a card I liked enough to want to send, then getting to the post office to send it out in good time. Just too many hoops to jump through and why I prefer to use an online service to send out cards via the post. I can personalise them to suit me, and make sure the message is completely on target and I don't have to bother going to the post office to send them out, or be limited to doing it in business hours. It is not uncommon for me to be sending out cards at 2am for mailing. ;-)


Some people who send Christmas cards and birthday cards to clients have told me what response is like when they speak to someone who may have received a card on their birthday - and it was the only one they got! But don't just stick to the Usual times for cards. Send a message 'Just Because' or to welcome a new customer or to thank them for something. Or just because you know they are having a hard time with something. They will appreciate it and you will too.


Your connection with your marketplace is a vital component your business needs to market effectively. And since marketing is to your business, like breathing is to your body, it is worth spending some time to create a strategy for doing this well, and with intention.


And it's a lot of fun too!


Your marketing plan should include actions and strategy for your communications with customers and prospective customers.

ACTION: What do you need to do now to get your mailing list up and enrolling people?

Get started!



Send Your First Email Newsletter Today - AWeber Communications



PS. Let me declare I have an interest here, but if you are looking for solutions, you can test drive Aweber here for email marketing and this great greeting card service for sending cards. This one has option for retail or wholesale. And if you need to get cracking with your marketing plan download your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook!

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus

Lindy Asimus
Business Coach
Mobile: 0403 365855
lindyasimus@gmail.com
www.lindyasimus.com
www.designbusinessengineering.com

If you'd like to know more about me, visit

Contact Me

Actionbites Blog The Power Of A Story

--- @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now

The Power Of A Story

A story has the abililty to convey a complex array of concepts and really has the power to affect those who experience it, if it is well constructed and aimed well.

Presentation is also important, so that the message can get through with the least amount of resistence.

Here's a nice visual on the topic from Prezi.com

Power of storytelling on Prezi

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?Lindy AsimusDesign Business EngineeringGet Help For Your BusinessDownload your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook! Subscribe to Actionbites Blog

What A Business Coach Isn't - Or Shouldn't Be

It can be hard to know how others see the things that we see. This is particularly so when the topic is something we are close to, like our work.

Over some time I have heard it said more than once, that it is hard to refer a business coach to another business. I'm not sure why. From my own perspective, it should be the single most easy business to which one can refer. So when I heard this said yesterday by someone I just met, a member of a different BNI chapter than that to which I belong, I was intrigued, and asked him what he thought the reason was for that difficulty. His response was quite brilliant, and heartfelt, and I thank him very much for sharing this with me, because it would not have occurred to me in a lifetime. He said "It's like your wife telling you what to do in your business..."

My initial thought when I heard that was bewilderment. As I thought about it more I realised I was not entirely surprised, because it forms part of that great misunderstanding around coaching (well deserved, probably), that some have, which goes something like "If I need a coach... then I must be bad at what I do and that means that getting a coach would mean I am a failure." Of course this is utter nonsense and the most likely business owner who will hire a coach to help them in their business, is very good at what they do, have - or will have - a very successful business and are clear and determined enough to do so. They are able to see very well what they do well,and importantly, what they don't do so well. Unlike "the wife telling you what to do" a good business coach will find out what it is that you want... and help you determine how to get that, and support you on the journey.

But it brings me back to the same problem that coaches face, namely identifying those people who are in a place where they know they have issues in their business they would like to improve, but don't know where to find the help they need to do so.

Friends, colleagues and business aquaintances who know them are in the prime position to help them to access the help they need. A referral to a business coach is one step toward that. Will the business owner hire the coach? Well that should depend on the result of any meeting they have with that coach. Coaching is a profession that requires some close work with clients and not all people are a match. Not all coaches are the same, and the help that the client is seeking needs to be a fit with the skills and knowlege and areas of experience of the coach in question. This fit is only something that the client (and the coach) can know when it is right. Referring a business owner for a meeting to find out if this is the match that is right for them, is a great gift to bestow on a friend.




Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?

Lindy Asimus
Business Coach
Mobile: 0403 365855
lindyasimus@gmail.com
www.lindyasimus.com
www.designbusinessengineering.com
If you'd like to know more about me, visit

Contact Me

Actionbites Blog Documents To Download - Great For Business

Documents To Download - Great For Business

Lots of businesses often have limited access to good quality documents when it comes to creating a new contract, or even knowing how to work through a process, particularly one that needs to be binding. I've seen clients billed thousands of dollars for a lawyer to draft them a document and then turn up with something that is obvioiusly a template they pulled off the shelf and didn't even bother to personalise to the needs of the business. Outrageous, and it happens.

So I was really impressed when I met Steve Irons and saw the depth of material available easily and quickly for download. While there may be cases where you still want a lawyer to sign-off on a contract, this is a great resource for you to access documents and tailor them to your need, and then if necessary, just get the lawyer to vet them before finalising (a lot cheaper!).

There are lots of free documents too and not all are of a legal nature, but many are on topics that you may not have considered, but really do need to have covered off in your business.

You can check out the vast array of documents for individuals, business, and even Non-Profits at www.docdownload.com.au As a special deal for my readers, I've affiliated with DocDownload and arranged a discount for you which you'll get if you use the Promo Code: dbemem5

All documents are professionally written and are extremely comprehensive in their scope. This is a great service and well worth checking out. Oh and if you represent an Association, contact me about the special rate I've brokered for large groups.


Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?Lindy AsimusDesign Business EngineeringGet Help For Your BusinessDownload your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook! Subscribe to Actionbites Blog

Local Talent: Doug Hall - Glossy FX

We have some very talented photographers in Newcastle and I had the pleasure yesterday of learning more about Doug Hall who is a man passionate about catching the essential element of a moment.

Doug works with clients to elicit and capture exactly what they’re looking for from the photographic session that will be meaningful for them and express their unique qualities.

Interestingly, Doug Hall is all about his work being an expression of his own desire to create magic and his decision to follow that passion informs all the decisions that he makes in his business. He works hard to make it easy for clients to have their moments exquisitely rendered forever and insists on the highest production values in printing and processing.

An example of special work that Doug does is a case where he took some beautiful candid shots of a young woman, as well as an unusual and lovely black and white classic art-style portrait. What a great gift for a teenage daughter to keep for life.

What I love about Doug’s business model is that he is generous in his approach and makes that simple by charging for his time shooting and making negatives available for clients. This makes it easy to budget and spend our photography dollars in the most practical way – getting great professional products and wonderful affordable prints for family.

Whether it is for family portraits, or business, Doug can capture a moment and bring it to life in a way that you can share with others.

You should call and speak with Doug if you know someone thinking about getting a lovely portrait of themselves, or for a child who might be having a birthday soon, or updating your professional portrait.

And for business owners, ask about the business profile movies that can be created for your business.

You can reach Glossy FX on 0411962288

Lindy Asimus
Business Coach
Mobile: 0403 365855
lindyasimus@gmail.com
www.lindyasimus.com
www.designbusinessengineering.com
If you'd like to know more about me, visit

Contact Me

Actionbites Blog Why Coaching Is Great For Business