An average small business owner may sometimes feel overwhelm with the plethora of existing and large corporations with deep pockets that must be compete against.
Additionally the cost of advertising, marketing, sales and public relations to acquire new customers and retaining existing ones are capital intensive for a small business owner.
However, business networking provides a sure palatable route to arrive at a profitable end. Also it 's an extremely credible, yet inexpensive strategy to acquire new customers by creating and sustaining a gradual creation of trust that hinges on mutual relationship with diverse business owners and potential clients alike.
If done well it 's proven to open their hearts to do business with you and refer others to your business.
Now, you may quickly conclude in your heart: "Yes I know about networking, I often do it and nothing comes out of it" Well, let me quickly say this: You may yet to have a full grasp of the kind of networking I'm about to show you here.
Sure, I am not talking about when you meet people, exchange pleasantries and laugh around. And it does not involve cocktail parties where you sip red wine, munch expensive 3-course meal and share business cards.
On a face value consideration, you may be deceived to think that such event us akin to MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP but you are wrong to think so. Effective business networking then, requires that you learn how to initiate and master the concept of human-to-human mutuality, via the power of expressive voice and written words.
In other words, you must be a LISTENER rather than a talker, which entail focusing on solving the problems of whoever you're talking to, rather than struggling to impress him.
Now let 's do a bit of practice. Let 's also assume you're a management consultant and one day, you find yourself seating beside someone inside an airplane. Initiate a discussion by introducing yourself this way: "Hi, I am please to meet you." Wait for his response, and then with a smile on your face, carry on: "My name is Pete Sammy, I assist companies experiencing low sales to identify hidden opportunities and make much more profits they never dreamt off!"
Believe me, even if he 's a rigid civil servant your introduction will trigger an emotional interest from him and he would want to know how you manage to assist companies this way. But don't ever be tempted to say more than that keep quiet.
Allow him to ask questions to which you systematically provide answers, and prompt him to ask more questions. Do you know what this means? Socio-psychologists discovered that when a person is allowed to ask hearty questions he feel important, wanted and gradually build up likeness toward the listener. .
Turn your conversation into ongoing contact. At this stage ask for his permission to give him a valuable gift such as booklet, free report or white paper. You may ask: "Dave, would you like to see a FREE copy of my report titled: 5 methods to spot hidden opportunities in your business and profit forever?" What do you think his response will be? YES of course. Then finish up this way, "okay can I have you email to send the report in tomorrow?"
Now look at this. You trigger his interest with a powerful headline introduction, you both had hearty discussion about how you work, and he'd given you permission to send your report to his email.
The hidden edge strength you'll get is that after sending the report, you have accessibility to call him and exchange further ideas. Even if he can't become a customer, he'll be open to refer others who'll to patronize you. But make sure you ask for referral.
Though there're other proven and successful networking methods such as joining a networking group. However, before joining any group, start by writing on a jotter if you want a strictly business oriented-group or a social group of business owners? Or, maybe you would like to form a networking group and invite others to join or simply aspire to hold an important position in existing one in your business domain?
Every small business networking strategy demand that you should do constant follow- ups on new referral and clients. Always remember to say 'thank you' for every new customer sent your way, and be careful no to burn your bridges that is, don't offend people who're introducing clients to you and treat them with respect they deserve.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Power Of Sharing
It has been said that "If you give, you shall receive". This saying is often used to refer to giving of your time, your effort, your money or other material things before you can reasonably expect to receive any of these things from others. All of these things can be very valuable, but one of the most powerful things to share, and also one of the easiest, is thoughts and ideas.
When we consider sharing something, we often think of this as parting with something. Share some of your money and you will no longer be able to spend it yourself. Share some chocolate and whoever you share it with gets to taste this delicious substance, not you. At least you won't taste all of it. Sharing, in these cases, means parting with. It means you give something away that you will no longer benefit from directly. This is not the case with thoughts and ideas.
When you share a thought or a good idea that doesn't mean you lose it. It doesn't even mean there is any less left for you. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. You can truly be enriched by the thoughts and ideas you share with other people. Share some wisdom with someone else and now two can benefit from it. Even though there was no cost involved for you in sharing it, to the person on the receiving end it could represent a huge value.
Unfortunately we often try to keep things for ourselves in order to keep a competitive advantage. To 'keep the edge' so to speak. This is understandable and can sometimes be a good strategy. Certain information can be extremely valuable and if it really gives you this 'edge' then keeping it to yourself may be the smart thing to do. In reality however most of us don't possess any information that really offers sustainable advantage over others.
The truth is that the real advantage in this day and age, with the Internet at everybody 's fingertips, is no longer in any single piece of information. The people that have been most successful have done so by combining ideas and concepts into combinations that others haven't thought of. From this perspective not sharing your ideas may actually rob you of many opportunities and as such cost you a great deal.
In business, as well as in personal life, breakthroughs often come from a combination of ideas. Rarely is one man 's creative idea completely fabricated by his own mind. The tossing back and forth of ideas and concepts usually plays a critical role in the development of new ideas. In discussing the potential application of a certain technology with a customer, this customer can come up with ideas that you would have never thought of.
After all it 's the customer 's business and he probably knows more about it than you do. Especially when you're talking to an entrepreneurial type of individual. Most entrepreneurs are always looking for new opportunities to improve their bottom line and expand their business. Now why would he share his ideas with you if you haven't shared anything with him? Good question. You could of course turn the situation around; why share anything with him if he hasn't shared anything with you?
Although this may be a fair question, it isn't really relevant. After all this is exactly the deadlock situation that hampers so much creativity. Of course there is always a risk of someone running off with one of your ideas. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect your idea or at least a part of it. You could for instance leave out some details that aren't necessary to paint the big picture but would surely be critical in bringing the idea to fruition.
The human brain makes connections based on our frame of reference. Since every persons frame of reference is unique it 's possible for a group of 1000 individuals to listen to one and the same speech, talk or idea and yet, have all of them interpret it differently. As a matter of fact, this is not just possible, it will inevitably be the case.
Since no two persons share the exact same background, body of knowledge and life experiences. These differences in interpretations could therefore lead to very different concepts and ideas a person could come up with. That is where one of the most powerful aspects of sharing comes into play. Your ideas may spark a new idea in someone else that you would never have thought of by yourself, which in turn sparks another idea in you that they would never have thought of by themselves. Of course this doesn't have to be a conscious sharing of ideas.
Most of the time it will happen without you actually being aware of it. A thought will come up that you think is your own when in fact it was initially put their by someone else. In your quest for ideas your mind dug up this idea and perhaps linked it to some other fragments in your memory banks that, put together, formed a new breakthrough idea.
Even though this is mostly unconscious, it 's still a good strategy to share more ideas on a consistent basis. Think of it like this; every time you share something a number of things happen. For starters, you deposit something into someone else 's memory bank. You never know what this little piece of information, this concept will do for the person you share it with.
Perhaps it does nothing for them but it eventually does for someone else they share it with. This person may or may not share something with you in return. But there is a universal law that states that: "If you give out, something is coming back". The law doesn't say that it 's coming back on Thursday morning at 10.00, when you might need it the most. It just says "It 's coming back".
In many cases when you share something, that person will feel obligated to share something with you. Perhaps right away, perhaps a month from now. Not necessarily out of obligation, but out of human nature. This is the law of reciprocity at work.
Whenever they share something with you, that concept will be stored inside your head. Perhaps you may not see an immediate use for it. In many cases you probably never will. However you never know when and in what situation their idea may turn out to be useful. Perhaps in combination with some other ideas that have yet to be shared with you by other people.
But guess what? If you don't share your thoughts with them, they may not share theirs with you. And because you didn't share you missed out on that one little idea that you needed to put everything in its place. Who knows how much you will miss out on because of that? It 's safe to say that not sharing could cost you infinitely more than keeping it all to yourself would ever earn you. And that is just too much of a price to pay. So whenever you have the opportunity to share some worthwhile thoughts with another person, do so. It may work wonders, for you and them, and it won't cost a thing.
When we consider sharing something, we often think of this as parting with something. Share some of your money and you will no longer be able to spend it yourself. Share some chocolate and whoever you share it with gets to taste this delicious substance, not you. At least you won't taste all of it. Sharing, in these cases, means parting with. It means you give something away that you will no longer benefit from directly. This is not the case with thoughts and ideas.
When you share a thought or a good idea that doesn't mean you lose it. It doesn't even mean there is any less left for you. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. You can truly be enriched by the thoughts and ideas you share with other people. Share some wisdom with someone else and now two can benefit from it. Even though there was no cost involved for you in sharing it, to the person on the receiving end it could represent a huge value.
Unfortunately we often try to keep things for ourselves in order to keep a competitive advantage. To 'keep the edge' so to speak. This is understandable and can sometimes be a good strategy. Certain information can be extremely valuable and if it really gives you this 'edge' then keeping it to yourself may be the smart thing to do. In reality however most of us don't possess any information that really offers sustainable advantage over others.
The truth is that the real advantage in this day and age, with the Internet at everybody 's fingertips, is no longer in any single piece of information. The people that have been most successful have done so by combining ideas and concepts into combinations that others haven't thought of. From this perspective not sharing your ideas may actually rob you of many opportunities and as such cost you a great deal.
In business, as well as in personal life, breakthroughs often come from a combination of ideas. Rarely is one man 's creative idea completely fabricated by his own mind. The tossing back and forth of ideas and concepts usually plays a critical role in the development of new ideas. In discussing the potential application of a certain technology with a customer, this customer can come up with ideas that you would have never thought of.
After all it 's the customer 's business and he probably knows more about it than you do. Especially when you're talking to an entrepreneurial type of individual. Most entrepreneurs are always looking for new opportunities to improve their bottom line and expand their business. Now why would he share his ideas with you if you haven't shared anything with him? Good question. You could of course turn the situation around; why share anything with him if he hasn't shared anything with you?
Although this may be a fair question, it isn't really relevant. After all this is exactly the deadlock situation that hampers so much creativity. Of course there is always a risk of someone running off with one of your ideas. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect your idea or at least a part of it. You could for instance leave out some details that aren't necessary to paint the big picture but would surely be critical in bringing the idea to fruition.
The human brain makes connections based on our frame of reference. Since every persons frame of reference is unique it 's possible for a group of 1000 individuals to listen to one and the same speech, talk or idea and yet, have all of them interpret it differently. As a matter of fact, this is not just possible, it will inevitably be the case.
Since no two persons share the exact same background, body of knowledge and life experiences. These differences in interpretations could therefore lead to very different concepts and ideas a person could come up with. That is where one of the most powerful aspects of sharing comes into play. Your ideas may spark a new idea in someone else that you would never have thought of by yourself, which in turn sparks another idea in you that they would never have thought of by themselves. Of course this doesn't have to be a conscious sharing of ideas.
Most of the time it will happen without you actually being aware of it. A thought will come up that you think is your own when in fact it was initially put their by someone else. In your quest for ideas your mind dug up this idea and perhaps linked it to some other fragments in your memory banks that, put together, formed a new breakthrough idea.
Even though this is mostly unconscious, it 's still a good strategy to share more ideas on a consistent basis. Think of it like this; every time you share something a number of things happen. For starters, you deposit something into someone else 's memory bank. You never know what this little piece of information, this concept will do for the person you share it with.
Perhaps it does nothing for them but it eventually does for someone else they share it with. This person may or may not share something with you in return. But there is a universal law that states that: "If you give out, something is coming back". The law doesn't say that it 's coming back on Thursday morning at 10.00, when you might need it the most. It just says "It 's coming back".
In many cases when you share something, that person will feel obligated to share something with you. Perhaps right away, perhaps a month from now. Not necessarily out of obligation, but out of human nature. This is the law of reciprocity at work.
Whenever they share something with you, that concept will be stored inside your head. Perhaps you may not see an immediate use for it. In many cases you probably never will. However you never know when and in what situation their idea may turn out to be useful. Perhaps in combination with some other ideas that have yet to be shared with you by other people.
But guess what? If you don't share your thoughts with them, they may not share theirs with you. And because you didn't share you missed out on that one little idea that you needed to put everything in its place. Who knows how much you will miss out on because of that? It 's safe to say that not sharing could cost you infinitely more than keeping it all to yourself would ever earn you. And that is just too much of a price to pay. So whenever you have the opportunity to share some worthwhile thoughts with another person, do so. It may work wonders, for you and them, and it won't cost a thing.
Get A Lift From Virtual Networking
The best form of advertising is word of mouth. There 's nothing new in that statement and few in business would disagree.
Unfortunately, what people fail to mention is that word of mouth advertising is also one of the hardest forms to get. It 's one of the few problems you can't solve simply by throwing money at it.
People buy from people; usually people they like. It follows then that to benefit from word of mouth advertising, you have to get to know plenty of people and they have to like you.
One well trodden route to expanding your network of business contacts is to join a networking group. There are a number of well established networking groups which meet early in the morning over breakfast. By joining you get to know, and get to be known by, plenty of local businesses.
The idea is not to sell the group members but to educate them about what you do and the sort of referrals you would like so that they can generate referral business for you from their existing contacts.
It 's a very powerful model. Suddenly you no longer have to rely on the yellow pages or other business directories to find suppliers and fellow members will start to pass you business referrals. In theory at least.
Having been a member of such a group for over a year I highly recommend joining a breakfast networking club if you your business is one with a geographical focus. By this I mean that if your potential customers are within a few miles of where the meetings take place, breakfast meetings are likely to work very well for you.
To give you an idea of just how well they can work, my local breakfast club generated nearly a million dollars worth of business for its members in just 6 months. Most of this was for companies in the construction sector.
Unfortunately, my companies are sell professional services and target mid to large corporates both in the UK and overseas. Hence the post code (zip code) focused nature of breakfast meetings didn't really work for me so I decided to start my own 'Virtual Networking Group' called the Ozone Business Network.
Virtual Networking sounds very high tech but all it means is that members of the group meet by phone and web as opposed to face to face. The meetings are run along similar lines to traditional breakfast groups but members can quite literally join the meetings without having to get out of bed. Since there is no need to travel, geography is irrelevant. You don't even need to be in the same country to participate.
Most of our members are based in the UK but a lady who runs a language translation company in Holland joins every week. We've even had people join when on assignment in the Yemen.
Whilst the virtual meetings are very effective, there is no substitute for face to face meetings to really get to know each other well so once a month, we hold a traditional meeting in the evening so that people can 'press the flesh' and develop business relationships over a drink or bite to eat.
So does it actually work? Well, it 's early days yet. We've only been up and running for a few months but as word gets round we are getting more and more requests experience a virtual meeting first hand. In fact, after being covered in the UK newspaper The Sunday Times, we were inundated with requests for more information.
People like the way we retain some of the best ideas from traditional breakfast meetings but remove the need to travel thereby saving time, money and helping to protect the environment. Unfortunately nobody has come up with a way of vitalizing breakfast so you have to supply your own coffee.
We are always glad to hear from people who would like to join us but, to put it delicately, we need to ensure that we restrict membership to the type of person who would most benefit from our forum. Unlike many breakfast groups, we do not want to be all things to all people.
We are only really interested in having members who are relatively senior in their organisations and entrepreneurs who are interested in growing their businesses. We normally ask that members' companies have been established for at least a year.
We chose this breakpoint to avoid what I call "Startup Syndrome". Without wishing to be unkind to people just starting out (we all have to start somewhere) I have been to many networking events where people present themselves as fully formed companies but when you dig a bit below the surface you find they are one man bands with no establish client base and therefore no contact book to share with other members.
I am convinced that as business comes more international and travel becomes more expensive and time consuming, this is the way to go. Only time will tell.
Unfortunately, what people fail to mention is that word of mouth advertising is also one of the hardest forms to get. It 's one of the few problems you can't solve simply by throwing money at it.
People buy from people; usually people they like. It follows then that to benefit from word of mouth advertising, you have to get to know plenty of people and they have to like you.
One well trodden route to expanding your network of business contacts is to join a networking group. There are a number of well established networking groups which meet early in the morning over breakfast. By joining you get to know, and get to be known by, plenty of local businesses.
The idea is not to sell the group members but to educate them about what you do and the sort of referrals you would like so that they can generate referral business for you from their existing contacts.
It 's a very powerful model. Suddenly you no longer have to rely on the yellow pages or other business directories to find suppliers and fellow members will start to pass you business referrals. In theory at least.
Having been a member of such a group for over a year I highly recommend joining a breakfast networking club if you your business is one with a geographical focus. By this I mean that if your potential customers are within a few miles of where the meetings take place, breakfast meetings are likely to work very well for you.
To give you an idea of just how well they can work, my local breakfast club generated nearly a million dollars worth of business for its members in just 6 months. Most of this was for companies in the construction sector.
Unfortunately, my companies are sell professional services and target mid to large corporates both in the UK and overseas. Hence the post code (zip code) focused nature of breakfast meetings didn't really work for me so I decided to start my own 'Virtual Networking Group' called the Ozone Business Network.
Virtual Networking sounds very high tech but all it means is that members of the group meet by phone and web as opposed to face to face. The meetings are run along similar lines to traditional breakfast groups but members can quite literally join the meetings without having to get out of bed. Since there is no need to travel, geography is irrelevant. You don't even need to be in the same country to participate.
Most of our members are based in the UK but a lady who runs a language translation company in Holland joins every week. We've even had people join when on assignment in the Yemen.
Whilst the virtual meetings are very effective, there is no substitute for face to face meetings to really get to know each other well so once a month, we hold a traditional meeting in the evening so that people can 'press the flesh' and develop business relationships over a drink or bite to eat.
So does it actually work? Well, it 's early days yet. We've only been up and running for a few months but as word gets round we are getting more and more requests experience a virtual meeting first hand. In fact, after being covered in the UK newspaper The Sunday Times, we were inundated with requests for more information.
People like the way we retain some of the best ideas from traditional breakfast meetings but remove the need to travel thereby saving time, money and helping to protect the environment. Unfortunately nobody has come up with a way of vitalizing breakfast so you have to supply your own coffee.
We are always glad to hear from people who would like to join us but, to put it delicately, we need to ensure that we restrict membership to the type of person who would most benefit from our forum. Unlike many breakfast groups, we do not want to be all things to all people.
We are only really interested in having members who are relatively senior in their organisations and entrepreneurs who are interested in growing their businesses. We normally ask that members' companies have been established for at least a year.
We chose this breakpoint to avoid what I call "Startup Syndrome". Without wishing to be unkind to people just starting out (we all have to start somewhere) I have been to many networking events where people present themselves as fully formed companies but when you dig a bit below the surface you find they are one man bands with no establish client base and therefore no contact book to share with other members.
I am convinced that as business comes more international and travel becomes more expensive and time consuming, this is the way to go. Only time will tell.
Build Your Network: A Simple Way To Stay In Touch With Business And Personal Contacts
Many people know that the secret to networking is "give and you shall receive". Every time you meet someone new, ask yourself "how can I help them"?
With this in mind, you can begin to develop a network of people who are interested in helping you, because you were nice enough to help them.
But once you have initiated contact with a new person, how do you build that into a friendship? How do you stay in touch with them, and stay in the forefront of their mind? How do you ensure that the next time they see an opportunity that would be perfect for you, they actually pick up the phone and call you?
The answer is to stay in touch, and like many keys to success it can be easier said than done. Keith Ferrazzi has an excellent book out on this subject, called "Never Eat Alone", and I recommend you read it. He refers to each contact with a person as a "ping", and mentions that it can take three to five pings with a new person to establish the relationship.
If you were to meet face-to-face with someone several times, that would certainly qualify. Or if four or five emails were exchanged over a period of time, that would be a good basis for a relationship. But periodic pings are required to stay in touch with your network.
If you're like me, you never remember to stay in touch with others until you actually need something from them, and there is nothing more insincere than a friend who only calls to ask for a favor. So I developed a system to remind myself to stay in touch, and provide value to others on a regular basis. I'm sure there are plenty of systems out there, and ultimately you'll have to adopt one that works well for you.
Personally, I resorted to a simple excel spreadsheet to keep track of my contacts. Every time I meet someone new who I want to stay in touch with, I enter their contact information in the spreadsheet and put them into one of three categories. Those in the "one" category, I'd like to stay in touch with with at at least once per month. If they are in the two category, I'd like to reach them at least once per quarter (every three months). And if they are in the three category, I try to reach them at least once per year.
Every month I go through and update the spreadsheet, catching those that I have missed.
This all may seem a bit mechanical to develop meaningful relationships with people, and I must admit that I resisted the idea at first. But what I realized is that, without a system helping me to remember, I was doing a horrible job of keeping in touch with friends. When I thought back over the years about how many wonderful people I had met, that I had lost touch with and never spoke to again, that was enough to make me change.
So what do I contact them about?
Just as when you met them, the question you should ask is "How can I help them?" Send them something of value, even if it 's small. Here are a few that I like to use:
1. Send them a link to an article you've read that they'd be interested in
2. Introduce them to someone who may be able to help them (potential customer, provider of a service, etc)
3. Send them a song they might like
4. Give them a copy of a book (or audio book) you've read and found useful
If all else fails, just call or write to say hello. Tell them you haven't talked in a while and just wanted to catch up (which is true). Ask them about their projects and how they are going.
Of course, the irony of it is that once I had a spreadsheet in place, staying in touch came to the forefront of my mind. I found myself automatically staying in touch, because I knew I'd have to do so at the end of the month anyway. It forced me to start thinking of others so that every time I read an article, I would think of someone who'd want to read it. Every time I met someone new, I'd think of someone who would love to meet them. And every time I heard a song, I'd think of someone who would love to hear it.
Do whatever is required to stay in touch friends and business contacts. Building your network and social circle is crucial to your success, so if you aren't naturally inclined to stay in touch, it 's time to put a system in place.
With this in mind, you can begin to develop a network of people who are interested in helping you, because you were nice enough to help them.
But once you have initiated contact with a new person, how do you build that into a friendship? How do you stay in touch with them, and stay in the forefront of their mind? How do you ensure that the next time they see an opportunity that would be perfect for you, they actually pick up the phone and call you?
The answer is to stay in touch, and like many keys to success it can be easier said than done. Keith Ferrazzi has an excellent book out on this subject, called "Never Eat Alone", and I recommend you read it. He refers to each contact with a person as a "ping", and mentions that it can take three to five pings with a new person to establish the relationship.
If you were to meet face-to-face with someone several times, that would certainly qualify. Or if four or five emails were exchanged over a period of time, that would be a good basis for a relationship. But periodic pings are required to stay in touch with your network.
If you're like me, you never remember to stay in touch with others until you actually need something from them, and there is nothing more insincere than a friend who only calls to ask for a favor. So I developed a system to remind myself to stay in touch, and provide value to others on a regular basis. I'm sure there are plenty of systems out there, and ultimately you'll have to adopt one that works well for you.
Personally, I resorted to a simple excel spreadsheet to keep track of my contacts. Every time I meet someone new who I want to stay in touch with, I enter their contact information in the spreadsheet and put them into one of three categories. Those in the "one" category, I'd like to stay in touch with with at at least once per month. If they are in the two category, I'd like to reach them at least once per quarter (every three months). And if they are in the three category, I try to reach them at least once per year.
Every month I go through and update the spreadsheet, catching those that I have missed.
This all may seem a bit mechanical to develop meaningful relationships with people, and I must admit that I resisted the idea at first. But what I realized is that, without a system helping me to remember, I was doing a horrible job of keeping in touch with friends. When I thought back over the years about how many wonderful people I had met, that I had lost touch with and never spoke to again, that was enough to make me change.
So what do I contact them about?
Just as when you met them, the question you should ask is "How can I help them?" Send them something of value, even if it 's small. Here are a few that I like to use:
1. Send them a link to an article you've read that they'd be interested in
2. Introduce them to someone who may be able to help them (potential customer, provider of a service, etc)
3. Send them a song they might like
4. Give them a copy of a book (or audio book) you've read and found useful
If all else fails, just call or write to say hello. Tell them you haven't talked in a while and just wanted to catch up (which is true). Ask them about their projects and how they are going.
Of course, the irony of it is that once I had a spreadsheet in place, staying in touch came to the forefront of my mind. I found myself automatically staying in touch, because I knew I'd have to do so at the end of the month anyway. It forced me to start thinking of others so that every time I read an article, I would think of someone who'd want to read it. Every time I met someone new, I'd think of someone who would love to meet them. And every time I heard a song, I'd think of someone who would love to hear it.
Do whatever is required to stay in touch friends and business contacts. Building your network and social circle is crucial to your success, so if you aren't naturally inclined to stay in touch, it 's time to put a system in place.
Six Steps To Mastering The Art Of Great Conversation
Becoming a great conversationalist takes proper planning and hard work. But, mastering the art of conversation is worth it. Outstanding conversation gets noticed and so does the person behind it.
Have you ever been to a social event and watched someone with an "Aw Shucks, I'm from a farm down home" look about them because they can't string two words together. They may be too shy or just have nothing to say. Either way, it 's not pretty. In most cases it 's not because a person can't hold a conversation, it 's because they haven't prepared for conversation. As with everything in life, great conversationalists understand this simple but important tenet: proper planning prevents poor performance (P5).
The following six steps should help you be better prepared when you next enter a room full of people.
Say something
Readers are leaders and good conversationalists. Keep up to speed with the latest events happening in your world through newspapers, television and radio. There 's always something topical happening ... make sure you know about it and that you have an opinion on it.
Ooze with confidence
Confidence is a massively attractive trait. People like talking to confident, authoritative and powerful people because it makes them feel safe. You'll attract more people to you than bees to a honey pot if you can appear confident.
Eye contact is critical
Make sure that you establish good eye contact when speaking to someone. Not the Charles Manson "thousand yard stare" kind of eye contact ... that 's just scary. Never break eye contact when you're busy making an important point. If you start looking like a sneaky, edgy Coyote, it puts doubt on your integrity and on the validity of your words. So does touching your face, nose and ears whilst speaking. This just makes you look like a fibber. This normally happens when you're not sure of yourself or your subject. Sigmund Freud once said that the body oozes deceit.
Compliments help you make friends
We all love compliments don't we? Make the compliment sincere, brief and specific. Most important of all, the compliment must be based on fact otherwise it just becomes empty flattery. For instance, if you saw someone helping an old lady carry her groceries to her car, your compliment would go something like this: "When I saw you helping that old lady with her groceries the other day, I realized that you're a kind and thoughtful person." That compliment is based on evidence.
However, if you say, "That 's a beautiful red tie you're wearing ... wow, you're a real go-getter and confident person." Well, that 's just plain old flattery, isn't it? Wearing a red tie is certainly not evidence of any kind of personality trait, is it? Of course, if someone compliments you, you should react in an appropriate way. When you receive a compliment, simply smile and say "thank you". By doing this, you do wonders for your confidence and you acknowledge the thoughtfulness (and courage) of the person who complimented you.
Become a great listener
Any conversation should follow the 80/20 rule. You do 20 percent of the talking and the rest of the time you're listening. People like to talk, so let them talk. It makes them feel important and it turns you into a friend. And, the bonus is that they think you're a great conversationalist. Sometimes its hard to get someone to open up. You can get them talking by ...
Asking great questions
Ask elaborating questions that force a person to open up. Here are some examples: "Really?" "How did that make you feel?" "That must have been exciting. Tell me more."
Try some of these tips next time you're at a cocktail party or conference and become the person people want to listen to.
Have you ever been to a social event and watched someone with an "Aw Shucks, I'm from a farm down home" look about them because they can't string two words together. They may be too shy or just have nothing to say. Either way, it 's not pretty. In most cases it 's not because a person can't hold a conversation, it 's because they haven't prepared for conversation. As with everything in life, great conversationalists understand this simple but important tenet: proper planning prevents poor performance (P5).
The following six steps should help you be better prepared when you next enter a room full of people.
Say something
Readers are leaders and good conversationalists. Keep up to speed with the latest events happening in your world through newspapers, television and radio. There 's always something topical happening ... make sure you know about it and that you have an opinion on it.
Ooze with confidence
Confidence is a massively attractive trait. People like talking to confident, authoritative and powerful people because it makes them feel safe. You'll attract more people to you than bees to a honey pot if you can appear confident.
Eye contact is critical
Make sure that you establish good eye contact when speaking to someone. Not the Charles Manson "thousand yard stare" kind of eye contact ... that 's just scary. Never break eye contact when you're busy making an important point. If you start looking like a sneaky, edgy Coyote, it puts doubt on your integrity and on the validity of your words. So does touching your face, nose and ears whilst speaking. This just makes you look like a fibber. This normally happens when you're not sure of yourself or your subject. Sigmund Freud once said that the body oozes deceit.
Compliments help you make friends
We all love compliments don't we? Make the compliment sincere, brief and specific. Most important of all, the compliment must be based on fact otherwise it just becomes empty flattery. For instance, if you saw someone helping an old lady carry her groceries to her car, your compliment would go something like this: "When I saw you helping that old lady with her groceries the other day, I realized that you're a kind and thoughtful person." That compliment is based on evidence.
However, if you say, "That 's a beautiful red tie you're wearing ... wow, you're a real go-getter and confident person." Well, that 's just plain old flattery, isn't it? Wearing a red tie is certainly not evidence of any kind of personality trait, is it? Of course, if someone compliments you, you should react in an appropriate way. When you receive a compliment, simply smile and say "thank you". By doing this, you do wonders for your confidence and you acknowledge the thoughtfulness (and courage) of the person who complimented you.
Become a great listener
Any conversation should follow the 80/20 rule. You do 20 percent of the talking and the rest of the time you're listening. People like to talk, so let them talk. It makes them feel important and it turns you into a friend. And, the bonus is that they think you're a great conversationalist. Sometimes its hard to get someone to open up. You can get them talking by ...
Asking great questions
Ask elaborating questions that force a person to open up. Here are some examples: "Really?" "How did that make you feel?" "That must have been exciting. Tell me more."
Try some of these tips next time you're at a cocktail party or conference and become the person people want to listen to.
Light Your Conversation Fire
There is a great tactic anyone can use that guarantees great conversation regardless of who you are talking to.
The top movers in the world of business and even those charming people who light up any social event know this secret and you can use it too.
This is a critical life skill and thankfully it is much easier than people think to excel at conversation skills once you know the smart way to go about it. There are three simple steps to lighting the conversation fire:
1. Complete Attention.
Give complete attention to the person you are talking to. Yes, all of your attention. Resist the temptation to scan the room, play with the loose change in your pocket or start thinking about what you need to do later in the day.
Talk and listen to the person before you as if this is the most important person you have ever met and as if this conversation is the most important discussion of you life. When you do this the other person cannot help but notice the respect you are showing him. This is flattering.
You will find whoever you are talking to will respond very positively to this attention. He will warm to you, speak more freely and pay close attention to what you say.
2. Conversation is like fishing.
Small talk is the starting point. Why? You engage in small talk to fish for great topics of conversation that appeal to you and the other person - you are looking for shared interests and passions.
For this reason, and following on from step one, pay very close attention to the non-verbal behavior of the other person as he talks. You need to spot clues that indicate his interests. And, you want to avoid those topics he finds boring, annoying or distasteful.
It is easy to spot these clues as long as you pay more attention to how someone talks than to what he says. You will still hear everything he says. You then simply look for clues as indicated by more enthusiasm in his voice and body language.
3. Follow the path of least resistance.
When you spot a topic that generates enthusiasm follow that lead and drive the conversation in that direction. This is very easy to do since people love to talk about what interests them. A few good questions to open up the topic is usually all it takes.
A spark then ignites the conversation and before you know it the conversation takes on a life of its own.
Make sure to match the enthusiasm of the other person in your voice tone and in your body language. This is important. If you fail to do this you will dampen his enthusiasm.
One important point. Some topics will get an emotional response that looks like enthusiasm but are to be avoided is meeting someone for the first time. If an issue agitates the other person the annoyance is like a negative passionate enthusiasm! This is risky ground with someone you do not know very well and is best to steer clear of.
Look for positive enthusiasm especially topics that cause someone to smile or laugh. Make it a goal to fish for topics that make people feel good and you will make friends with new people even faster that you expect.
You can light the conversation fire anytime you want to by remembering these three points: give complete attention to the other person, fish for great topics and follow the path of less resistance.
Over time you will get better and better at each step until it becomes second nature. At this point this process will run on automatic and meeting people becomes a lot of fun.
The top movers in the world of business and even those charming people who light up any social event know this secret and you can use it too.
This is a critical life skill and thankfully it is much easier than people think to excel at conversation skills once you know the smart way to go about it. There are three simple steps to lighting the conversation fire:
1. Complete Attention.
Give complete attention to the person you are talking to. Yes, all of your attention. Resist the temptation to scan the room, play with the loose change in your pocket or start thinking about what you need to do later in the day.
Talk and listen to the person before you as if this is the most important person you have ever met and as if this conversation is the most important discussion of you life. When you do this the other person cannot help but notice the respect you are showing him. This is flattering.
You will find whoever you are talking to will respond very positively to this attention. He will warm to you, speak more freely and pay close attention to what you say.
2. Conversation is like fishing.
Small talk is the starting point. Why? You engage in small talk to fish for great topics of conversation that appeal to you and the other person - you are looking for shared interests and passions.
For this reason, and following on from step one, pay very close attention to the non-verbal behavior of the other person as he talks. You need to spot clues that indicate his interests. And, you want to avoid those topics he finds boring, annoying or distasteful.
It is easy to spot these clues as long as you pay more attention to how someone talks than to what he says. You will still hear everything he says. You then simply look for clues as indicated by more enthusiasm in his voice and body language.
3. Follow the path of least resistance.
When you spot a topic that generates enthusiasm follow that lead and drive the conversation in that direction. This is very easy to do since people love to talk about what interests them. A few good questions to open up the topic is usually all it takes.
A spark then ignites the conversation and before you know it the conversation takes on a life of its own.
Make sure to match the enthusiasm of the other person in your voice tone and in your body language. This is important. If you fail to do this you will dampen his enthusiasm.
One important point. Some topics will get an emotional response that looks like enthusiasm but are to be avoided is meeting someone for the first time. If an issue agitates the other person the annoyance is like a negative passionate enthusiasm! This is risky ground with someone you do not know very well and is best to steer clear of.
Look for positive enthusiasm especially topics that cause someone to smile or laugh. Make it a goal to fish for topics that make people feel good and you will make friends with new people even faster that you expect.
You can light the conversation fire anytime you want to by remembering these three points: give complete attention to the other person, fish for great topics and follow the path of less resistance.
Over time you will get better and better at each step until it becomes second nature. At this point this process will run on automatic and meeting people becomes a lot of fun.
Four Tips For Boosting Your Profits With Business Cards
A business card may be the most overlooked advertising medium in the business world. But these simple rectangles of cardboard can be powerful tools to help any entrepreneur increase sales. Similarly, a poorly thought out or clumsily designed business card can be as much of a detriment for your sales as an "out of business" sign.
Business cards have actually been around for much longer than most people realize. The first ones, in the form of visiting cards or calling cards, were used in China about 600 years ago. They started being used in Europe approximately 200 years lager. When one aristocrat went out to visit another, the prospective guest 's servant would deliver his master 's calling card to the servant of the prospective host. An elaborate system of calling card etiquette developed and was followed by the gentry across England and France.
Today, anyone from North America or Europe who has gone on a business trip to Japan, China or other Asian countries knows there is very much a tradition of etiquette that must be followed when exchanging business cards in those countries.
But even if you are only going to be doing business in your home town, you can help boost that business by following four tips before you have your next business cards printed.
1. Legibility. It 's fine to have a creative, attractive design for your card, but do not fall for the trap of selecting a type face that is so fancy it is not legible. If people cannot decipher all the words and numbers on your card, it is useless. Also, remember that, especially in this era of aging baby boomers, type that is too small may also be difficult for some old eyes to read properly.
2. Individualize. You are a unique individual, and your business card should reflect your unique personality. One easy way to do this is to put your photograph on your card. Of, if you are an artist, crafts person or photographer, why not put an image of one of your creations on the card? If you sell unique widgets, put an illustration of them on your card.
3. Proofread. Just as a wood worker should always measure twice before he cuts, every word should be double checked for proper spelling. Every telephone number should be dialed and every web address visited to make sure they are letter perfect before your card goes to press.
4. Use the back. Your business card has two sides, and you are missing a prime opportunity if you leave the back of your card blank. Instead, utilize that space to say what is most important about you, your business, product or service. It could be as simple as "bring this card in for a 10% discount." Or you could use the back of your card to show off testimonials from some of your satisfied customers.
There are several very good internet business card companies that let you design your own cards online. In some cases, their shipping costs are less than it would cost you to drive to a local print shop and back.
Finally, if you only need a few cards, or if you want to experiment with different card designs, you can purchase perforated, blank business card stock at office supply stores and make your own cards using templates that come with many computer word processing software programs.
However your business cards are eventually printed, remember that they may leave a lasting impression of you and your business for many years to come.
Business cards have actually been around for much longer than most people realize. The first ones, in the form of visiting cards or calling cards, were used in China about 600 years ago. They started being used in Europe approximately 200 years lager. When one aristocrat went out to visit another, the prospective guest 's servant would deliver his master 's calling card to the servant of the prospective host. An elaborate system of calling card etiquette developed and was followed by the gentry across England and France.
Today, anyone from North America or Europe who has gone on a business trip to Japan, China or other Asian countries knows there is very much a tradition of etiquette that must be followed when exchanging business cards in those countries.
But even if you are only going to be doing business in your home town, you can help boost that business by following four tips before you have your next business cards printed.
1. Legibility. It 's fine to have a creative, attractive design for your card, but do not fall for the trap of selecting a type face that is so fancy it is not legible. If people cannot decipher all the words and numbers on your card, it is useless. Also, remember that, especially in this era of aging baby boomers, type that is too small may also be difficult for some old eyes to read properly.
2. Individualize. You are a unique individual, and your business card should reflect your unique personality. One easy way to do this is to put your photograph on your card. Of, if you are an artist, crafts person or photographer, why not put an image of one of your creations on the card? If you sell unique widgets, put an illustration of them on your card.
3. Proofread. Just as a wood worker should always measure twice before he cuts, every word should be double checked for proper spelling. Every telephone number should be dialed and every web address visited to make sure they are letter perfect before your card goes to press.
4. Use the back. Your business card has two sides, and you are missing a prime opportunity if you leave the back of your card blank. Instead, utilize that space to say what is most important about you, your business, product or service. It could be as simple as "bring this card in for a 10% discount." Or you could use the back of your card to show off testimonials from some of your satisfied customers.
There are several very good internet business card companies that let you design your own cards online. In some cases, their shipping costs are less than it would cost you to drive to a local print shop and back.
Finally, if you only need a few cards, or if you want to experiment with different card designs, you can purchase perforated, blank business card stock at office supply stores and make your own cards using templates that come with many computer word processing software programs.
However your business cards are eventually printed, remember that they may leave a lasting impression of you and your business for many years to come.
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