Business Tips Guides

The most often misguided perception of networking is you need to be outgoing and a real talker, to be good at networking and meeting potential referral partners. However this isn’t the case, because normally the person who is shy (yet very good at what they do) are often the ones who benefit the most from referral marketing and are normally not in sales or outgoing work.

You’d be very surprised at how many people are actually introverted and yet developed a system to depend on direct sales between them and others. Yet the way the sale is initiated isn’t by the introvert going out and doing sales calls, but rather on meaningful relationships, key strategic partners and good communication.

If you’re shy, I urge you to please don’t take yourself out of the networking picture, because you’re not good at making conversation. Normally it’s this kind of person who excels at the networking part which is more important in relationship building anyway.

Business networking face-to-face is a two part process, and it involves meeting, introducing, talking and listening about you and the other party. What happens if you’re shy is you tend to be quite and therefore if you meet a more outgoing counterpart, it will be tremendously easy for you to listen to them as they love expanding about themselves. All along you can be taking notes and ask more questions to draw them out.

You see, in a low-pressure and even stealth sales environment the introvert excels, because they can quietly sneak up and gain the inside information that the extroverted personality so readily gives out to everyone. This then arms the shy person with all the ammunition they need to help “solve a problem” for them, while they haven’t really drawn the quiet person out.

If you’re very intimidated about meeting people, all you need to do is quietly go up to someone where a group of people are standing around, usually an extrovert who is the centre of attention. It’s on the outskirts of these groups of conversation that you’re likely to meet other shy people and in turn you’ll feel more comfortable in discussing the ideas that the louder personalities are talking about, and it’s more natural also.

Don’t think that you only need to network at local business chambers, you can gain referrals and potential new leads by doing voluntary work, possibly attending a toastmasters meeting or rotary club (it would need to be a business themed club though).

Business networking is something you can learn to get progressively better at over time, and less shy from. If you still don’t take well to mixing business meetings, try and take advantage of a smaller, more intimate networking group, where you might only have a few others have a chat and exchange of ideas over a coffee initially. By taking the situation out of an office environment or formal surroundings it can be less intimidating also, especially when you have a good strong group leader who is sensitive to the needs of each individual in the group.

So as you do more and more mixing, even on a smaller level, you’ll learn to adapt your own special style of meeting people, even if it’s drawing them to you, rather than you going up to them. Please remember that even though you might feel extremely shy, if you smile at someone and come across as friendly, you don’t even have to talk, the louder networkers will be attracted to you and you’ll find yourself in a conversation before you know it.

Adam Price is a master at the art of online networking and internet marketing in business. He challenges business owners to grow their offline business by harnessing the power of the internet. He’s also the co-founder of SynergyBizNet, find out more at: www.Synergy-Biz-Net.com

What is PC telephony? This is a system where you can make calls from your computer and connect all over the world. This type of technology is used by businesses that need to contact a large number of people by telephone, either through telemarketing, generating sales leads, setting appointments, sending out messages, etc. The calls are made through the computer using software that is specifically targeted for their type of calls. Businesses can use their own telephone lines to use this technology as well as service providers like Skype.

The internet has changed the way that many businesses operate today, especially with the introduction of the high speed internet services. Today, businesses can reach out to people all over the world through their computers. They can even have agents and call centers in other countries that may allow them to save time and money.

One way that your business can take advantage of this type of service is to use what is called a predictive auto dialer, or agent dialer. The way that this type of system works is that the computer dials the phone number for you and, if a machine answers, it either leaves a message or just hangs up. If a person answers the phone, however, it will automatically transfer them to an agent at your call center within seconds, even if your agent is halfway across the world.

Churches, schools and other large institutions often need to send out mass messages. For example, schools often sent out bulletins to parents. This can be done right through the computer by using broadcast by phone dialer software. You program the message that you want to send and allow the computer to make the calls. This is the best way to get the word out quickly to thousands of people at a time. It can also be used to generate sales leads for your own marketing campaign and is often used in political campaigns.

You can even use text speech to voice software that can convert your text that you type out on your computer to a voice message that sounds very human and very clear. This can be a way that you can send a personalized message to potential clients.

If you have a business that relies on humans making calls, you can save quite a bit of time and money by using PC telephony. If you have a business where you set up appointments, you can send people a reminder to cut down on the number of no shows or people who come late or early because they forgot their appointment time.

You no longer have to hire someone to make calls for you or use expensive telecom equipment to places calls through your phone line. Using PC telephony, you can place any type of call that you want through your computer. This type of service can automatically delete calls from the Do Not Call list and works on your regular phone line, VOIP and Skype. The only thing you need is broadband internet service and the software and you are set to go.

Ron Subs is a consultant who works with http://www.voicent.com

The volume of calls received by a business every day has increase an enormous amount. For business today to keep up with the large number of calls, businesses need to invest in good automatic phone software. Software, which will eliminate some of the time consuming duties of their employees, such as listening the phone ring or a disconnect notice on the line. Businesses are moving to work smarter not harder.

One way to work smarter instead of harder is with the AgentDialer. This automatic phone software is a predictive dialer. This software will automatically dial the next number on the phone list, leave messages on voice mail and answering machines, and deal with the disconnects and the no answer phone calls. If a live human answers the phone the dial will automatically transfer the call to a live agent. Your agents will no longer have to sit and manually make 100 calls in order to talk to 25 or 30 people. If your agents are working at home or even in another country, the predictive dialer can still transfer phone calls to them. The only requirement is a broadband Internet connection for the agent. The AgentDialer require no additional hardware to function. It is easy to install, user friendly, adaptable and inexpensive to own.

Another solution is the IVR, which is short of Interactive Voice Response. The IVR will offer you a point and click flow design, handle all inbound and outbound phone calls, and by gathering information from the caller will transfer the caller to the most appropriate agent to handle the request of the caller. Your customer service department will be able to remain functioning 24/7 because IVR will transfer phone calls to your cell phone. If a customer is looking for information, the IVR can convert text to speech in order to give the caller the information they are looking for, such as movie time schedules. This software is inexpensive to own, easy to install and user friendly.

Another solution is the Telephony CRM, or customer relationship management. This software is designed specifically to manage all telephone conversations with customers. The CRM allows you to create a clear picture of customers in order for your business to be more productive and more profitable. This software is automatic, user friendly and inexpensive to own. The Telephony CRM allows agents to access customer information quickly on any inbound or outbound calls. Any calls received with caller ID are automatically saved, so if that customer calls back the Telephony CRM will immediately bring up the customers information onto the agents computer screen.

These are just some of the business solutions offered to increase business production and bottom line. If your business could use the help, you might want to look into the available automatic phone software to see what is right for your business. There are several websites on the Internet who have these softwares and will be happy to explain their functions and how they can help your business.

Ron Subs works with Voicent.com as a public relations consultant, more information about Voicent.com can be found at http://www.voicent.com

Communication these days is all too often via the 2D method of email and text messages (also blogs and chat). While not ideal, they provide a quick and easy way to connect and keep in touch but be careful what you say and how you say it.

You might think you know what you’ve said, but have you? The message you write isn’t necessarily the message that gets read. What you intended to say it isn’t necessarily what comes across.

A simple statement can be interpreted in a number of different ways just by changing the emphasis on a particular word. Using a different tone would give it a totally different meaning. We make assumptions based on our own perspective and may not take into account what the other person may be feeling or thinking.

Basic Email etiquette.

Some simple guidelines for making the most of your email.

Use email for simple, short communication. Long emails are hard to read and more likely to be ignored.

Be clear if you are expecting a response or specific action from your email.

Don’t use complex formatting which will be unreadable. Not everyone receives HTML email - some people only receive plain text messages.

DON’T SHOUT - using capitals is seen as shouting in the online world.

Be as professional in your 2D communication as you are in any area of your business, don’t use inappropriate language, shortening acronyms like BTW (by the way) or emoticons.

Read through the message before you send it to make sure it makes sense and check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Read it with fresh eyes not reading what you think you wrote.

When replying to a message - only include the relevant part of the previous message if it’s useful to the flow of the communication. Don’t automatically tag on all of the previous messages if they’re not needed.

When sending a mailing to multiple users - use the bcc field - this way the email addresses aren’t automatically viewable by others on the list or could be forwarded to third parties.

Only cc relevant people on emails. Don’t blanket copy everyone unless they really need to see what you’ve said.

Not everyone has high-speed connections or endless space in their mail systems - keep attachments as small as possible.

NEVER forward virus warnings and chain-letters however convincing they are - check the Break The Chain website if you’re not sure.

If something important needs to be communicated - don’t leave it just to email. With spam filters getting more and more rigorous an important email can easily be missed or never arrive. Even if you request a ‘read receipt’, don’t assume that just because you’ve hit the send button the email is going to end up in someone’s Inbox.

You can’t communicate feelings or humour in an email or a text. You need to know someone reasonably well to know whether a comment they’ve made is genuine, sarcastic or insulting. I’ve seen many an email or text discussion being totally misinterpreted because it’s been taken out of context and without the underlying feelings being known.

Avoid using email or text for a topic or discussion where emotion is an important part of the communication or where it’s likely to stir up a strong reaction. Pick up the phone or arrange for a face-to-face discussion.

Clare writes on several topics to help busy, stressed individuals and small business owners organise their lives more effectively.

She is the author of Time Management For Dummies. Read more articles and get free Time Tips from www.clareevans.co.uk.

We are in the business of relationship building. How can you develop a relationship with anyone if you don’t send, speak, write or communicate with them frequently? The easiest way to start to do that is to collect e-mails addresses, physical mailing addresses and or phone numbers. Today everyone is afraid of spam, and to be blasted by offers in their e-mail or at their home or office. They are already conditioned to dismiss an uninvited person as a pest or nuisance.

You have to get past their guard. One of the ways to do that is to make it feel harmless. Would you like to receive a copy of my Free newsletter or catalogue of the many unique products we offer? No obligation to buy. They may give you the mailing address or the PO Box address. Send them what you told them you would.

If you see them on a daily or weekly basis, you could have a sign up sheet, where you get their phone
numbers and or e-mails addresses in case of an emergency. Again use their information for just that. If you need to cancel a class or session, call or e-mail them. That is building a trusting relationship with them.

When you e-mail them make sure in the subject line it says your name and re: schedule change or cancellation of meeting. They would be sure to open it. Same if you call. Hi so and so this is Michelle, I’m calling to tell you about a cancellation. Sorry about that can you make it at this new time?

Another way to get the clients e-mail or physical address is to ask. Would you like to receive updates from me from time to time? I’m planning a newsletter would you like to be updated when that occurs? Then you have permission to send them updates of what you are doing. A new product comes out, or you wrote a book. Let your clients know about it. That is a legitimate reason to contact them.

Another reason that they would like to give out the e-mail address or physical address is a contest or raffle of some sort. We are giving away an hour coaching session please fill out your contact information.

Still another way to ensure that they may want to give their e-mail address is to give something away for free. No strings attached. You gave your e-mail address, and I’m going to reward you with a free downloadable report. Yours to keep.

Once you have the e-mails or physical addresses don’t abuse it. Let them know that you will be sending them information of importance to them. Don’t send them all sorts of offers. If they want to leave your list take them off immediately. Make it easy for them to get off. Send something to them at least once per month. But whenever possible keep collecting those addresses. Your list is vital to building your business.

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When you are interviewing a prospective employee, you must show them some of the same traits that you want to see in your ideal candidate for the position. For instance, why should your employee be passionate and enthusiastic about working for you, if you do not show enthusiasm about your business? Be open about your company and the position your applicant is striving for. You can explain how much progress your business has made and tell them how and why the position is an important role in your company. Show them that you value and care about the position they’re applying for, otherwise what reason do they have to give the job their best?

Regularly scheduled evaluations to discuss performance and goals with employees are something you often find in large corporations, but with a smaller business you can do this much less formally. In your small business, you may have the opportunity to interact with all of your employees on a one-on-one basis and this can be an advantage of running a smaller, personal business!

If you get to work closely with your subordinates on a day-to-day basis, you don’t have to conduct formal evaluations every 6 months, rather you can create a more open professional relationship with your employees by offering your feedback, discussing goals, and also asking if they have any suggestions for you about how your office operates.

Generously praise them for a job well done, so your employees will understand that you appreciate and value the work they are doing. Not only will this encourage sustained quality performance, but it can make it easier to give negative feedback if need be. Never avoid confronting your subordinates and hope an issue will just correct itself. You cannot logically expect a situation to improve by not being addressed, avoiding a problem you have with an employee will cause it to escalate, increasing your stress to an extreme, such as exploding and losing an employee that may have performed well in the past.

Of course, you need to ask a lot of questions, but don’t concentrate only on their qualifications for the job you’re offering. Be friendly and draw them out, this can enable you to find out what sort of employee they will be. Will he or she take this job seriously? Are they enthusiastic about working for you and will they care about the progress of your company? If you find something unusual about their resume, start there. If the applicant has worked in a foreign country, ask them about that experience; not only the job experience, but their personal experience of living abroad. You can put them more at ease about the interview and encourage them to be open with you, enabling you to move on smoothly to more pertinent topics.

A Personal Assistant is altogether a different sort of employee and probably the most vital to any business person. The tasks of this person can range from answering the phone and getting coffee, to negotiating with another assistant to schedule an appointment for you with an influential contact. This role can require the most unique skills and talents, and let’s be honest here: it can be difficult to find an assistant who will exceed your expectations.

More than any other employee, the performance of your assistant depends on his or her morale and level of belief in and enthusiasm about you and your business. If your assistant feels appreciated and respected, they will truly go above and beyond to help you. However, there can be several adverse effects of a disgruntled assistant. This employee, more than any other, can impact your relationship with clients, customers, sponsors, vendors, partners, in general anyone who contacts your office.

The professional relationship you create with your assistant can be the most important relationship you build for your business, so make sure your interactions with him or her are respectful, appreciative, and open, but not too friendly or personal as this is also the employee who must respect you the most.

Heather has been in business for over twenty five years and understands the importance of delivering quality informative products and services in order to build good relationships. Share some of her wide range of interests, for FREE Health & Fitness Videos or for a wide range of topics of interest to women, Heather and her expert Team Explains at www.WomensInfoProducts.com