Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Do you have any good stories?

My previous 2 posts shared some experiences during a recent seminar I gave on "How to avoid the 3 common mistakes in Getting your Message Across". During the seminar we helped 3 volunteers work on these things.

The 3rd mistake often made is not using examples. Using stories to illustrate what you do.

One of our volunteers had to think a bit & then had a really great story.
With some real time feedback we were able to turn it into something that highlighted real business benefit together with something to differentiate them. There was also a really topical feel to it in the present economic climate.

His company develops software systems for companies that have reached the stage where they need bespoke development, but cannot really afford an in house team. A recent client is an Estate Agency firm where they have helped reduce operating costs to a fifth of what they were. They have testimonials that the client really thinks of them as their in house team such is their understanding of his business. This means their client is not only surviving the current property downturn, but taking advantage of new opportunities & increasing market share.

What stories do you have where you can quickly illustrate the problems you fix?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Sunday, August 24, 2008

Does your network understand what you do?

In my previous post I mentioned the NRG seminar I presented on "How to avoid the 3 common mistakes in Getting your Message Across" before. During the seminar we helped 3 volunteers work on these 3 things.

The 2nd mistake often made is not expressing your proposition in a way that is readily understood. What you really do for your customers.

Our 3 volunteers received a lot of hard questioning on this one. One of them was having a hard job explaining how he helped companies make more money from their existing customers with better use of their data.

Someone said "Do you mean so they can use it like Amazon or Tesco?"

Our volunteer said "Yes, exactly!"

The feedback was unanimous. Use that to illustrate your message.

Is there anything you could use that would be more meaningful to your audience?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

business networking | business networking events | virtual board

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Does your network know who to refer you to?

I presented a seminar on "How to avoid the 3 common mistakes in Getting your Message Across" before an NRG lunch last week. During the seminar we helped 3 volunteers work on these 3 things.

The 1st mistake often made is not being clear about your target market. Who do you want as customers?

In a couple of cases our "guinea pigs" had data on exactly the customers they wanted. However, they were not sharing this & were talking in very general terms.
If you know who you want to talk to then share this information. Real company names mean much more then talking about types & sizes of business. Much more powerful then talking about types & sizes of business which can often mean very different things to different people.

Is there any work you could do on naming the organisations that you would like to do business with?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

business networking | business networking events | virtual board

Sunday, August 17, 2008

How to get more referrals

I was speaking with a member of NRG in a 121 meeting last week.
He asked how he could get more referrals.
I shared a story about someone else in my network.

This person had spent a lot of time networking and in follow up meetings.
The results were disappointing from the time invested.
He had set himself a target for getting referrals and was not achieving this.
Then he changed his focus and set himself a target for giving referrals.
As he stretched himself & exceeded this target he began to receive many more.

So the the answer to getting more referrals - give more!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

business networking | business networking events | virtual board

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Entrepreneurship In A Word: Part 2 – Discipline


Entrepreneurs, regardless of what industry they are in, tend to follow similar patterns as they establish and grow their businesses. If you want to be successful faster than normal or at a greater scale than normal, you will do well to understand the patterns that lead to problems and the patterns that lead to success.

 

Discipline…control gained by obedience and training…is the key to putting the knowledge of patterns into play. After all, successful development of your business depends first upon having a good strategy and then upon good implementation.

 

Many business owners approach starting a new business as though it is an instinctive skill. They think that if they know how to cook chicken, they are fully equipped to open a chicken restaurant. It is this pattern of following your instincts, flying by the seat of your pants, that causes so many people to run into the same problems.

 

The discipline of starting a business begins with the fundamental three planning questions:

 

  1. Where are you now? This is about getting oriented to your current situation. If you have never owned a business before, you have a bigger learning curve ahead of you than the person who is opening their third business. If you have vast financial resources, you face a different starting point than the person who is already in debt.

  2. Where are you going? This is where you define your objective? Do you want a solo opportunity that will grant you a few hundred dollars extra income or are you looking to be at the top of the INC 500 in five years? What is it that you want to build?

  3. How are you going to get there? You might think of this as the bridge that you must build to cross the chasm between where you are now and where you want to be. You might call this your strategy.

Slow down to act with discipline. Begin by answering these three questions. You are likely to accelerate your overall success.

 

No one embodies the concept of discipline more than Marines. Look at how their discipline inspires us to think of them as super humans.

 

Talk with a drill sergeant. Ask them about recruits getting off the bus on day 1 of Boot Camp. Do you think they achieve becoming…one of the few…one of the proud…flying by the seat of their pants? Are you ready to begin your training? Will you inspire the people who must do business with you… your employees, your vendors, your lenders, your customers?

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Entrepreneurship In A Word -- Identity

Entrepreneurial success begins with knowing who you ARE. Unfortunately, many of the success formulas that will be dangled before you will be based upon HAVE/DO/BE.

These advisors tell you that you must HAVE stuff to be able to DO the right things. And if you DO the right things, you will BE a success.

The true formula works exactly in reverse: BE/DO/HAVE. If you will BE who you are in a genuine way, you will DO the right things. If you DO the right things, you will HAVE genuine results.

The best advisors to entrepreneurs focus upon having you plan your life before planning your business.

Michael Gerber, famed author of The E-Myth Revisited, calls this finding your Primary Aim. He puts it this way:

"I doubt that by now you’d be surprised to find out that I don’t believe your
business to be the first order of business on your agenda.

You are.

Nor will you be surprised to hear that I don’t believe your business is your life, though it can play a significantly important role in your life.

But before you can determine what that role will be, you must ask these questions:

· What do I value most?

· What kind of life do I want?

· What do I want my life to look like?

· Who do I wish to be?

Your Primary Aim is the answer to all these questions."


Startup Nation has the same message: “Plan your life, then your business.”

See their excellent discussion of how to make this plan at:

http://www.startupnation.com/steps/55/
3751/1/1/create-life-plan.htm

Look for the download templates of the sample life plan and the template to create your own life plan.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up!

A few days ago I mentioned a Radio Interview about what happens after the networking meeting, the follow up. Following up is the way to build those business relationships that networking is all about.

I found a great quote from Joy Weaver that sums it up perfectly:

"Follow up! Follow up! Follow up!
This is the key to building relationships with others"


Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

business networking | business networking events | virtual board

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

A Symphony In Four Parts...The Art of Starting A New Business

Every business idea has to begin with a thought. That thought has to be developed. Regardless of the type business, there are certain universal principles that apply.

The 30 Day Challenge is designed to help an entrepreneur focus upon those principles to test the potential of a new idea. Ed Dale, the face of the 30 Day Challenge, shares the key concepts that he describes as a symphony. Like a symphony, it depends upon blending the right parts, in the right amount, in the right order, with the right timing.

Ed introduces the 30 Day Challenge and describes the four parts of the symphony:
1. Market Research
2. Traffic
3. Conversion
4. Product

A conservative estimate is that 95% of mistakes are made in the MARKET RESEARCH stage. This is because most people don't do the MARKET RESEARCH.

Following this universal pattern can't guarantee a success every time. The beauty is that it will help eliminate the stuff that will not work.

Whether you are doing a traditional business or an Internet business, the MARKET RESEARCH capability of the Internet opens new roads to success in starting a new business or growing an established business.



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Saturday, August 2, 2008

Ed Dale's Free 30 Day Challenge In Marketing Training

The past 24 hours have been amazing to me as a lifelong learner. I have added a tremendous amount of marketing wisdom due to an absolutely free resource.

Ed Dale is a marketing leader who specializes in the Internet. He is offering his 4th 30 Day Challenge. This is a way of using Internet resources to market a business that is either online or bricks and mortar. It assumes that your total level of computer skill is to be able to open a browser and to use e-mail.

As a business coach, I spend a lot of time researching marketing issues and helping my clients. In the past 24 hours, what I have learned has at least doubled my efficiency.

Though the program began officially on August 1, you can still join. There are an amazing number of resources, particularly videos, to make it easy for you to catch up and work at your pace.

To get more information, follow this link:

http://www.ThirtyDayChallenge.com/challenge/25809


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Friday, August 1, 2008

Audio Clip - What happens after the networking meeting?

I was interviewed on the radio recently by Chantal Cooke of Passion for the Planet.
The main topic was what happens after you meet someone at an event.
The follow up!

You can listen at the following link:

Dave Clarke interviewed by Chantal Cooke of Passion for the Planet

To hear more Inspiring Good Business interviews from Chantal go to PassionforthePlanet.com & look for Passion Select.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

business networking | business networking events | virtual board