The American Club
Level 14, 131 Macquarie Street
Sydney
ce:
FREE
Keywords:
social networking drinks
Organization:
Business Networking Academy
We invite you to join us for drinks to celebrate the month that was and to catch up on all your news! Feel free to invite friends and colleagues too.
RSVP on Linkedin – that way we all know who we will be socialising with. Please also add to your diary now as we know you get lots of emails so won’t send a reminder:)
Remember there are no games, no awkward moments, just great conversations overlooking a great view, sipping cocktails.
Drop by between 5.30-7.30pm to Level 14, 131 Macquarie Street Sydney
The event is FREE to attend
Contribute $5 each and we will get platters of nibbles to share. Drinks have been heavily discounted for the function with International beers $6, Wine by the glass $7 + all cocktails $10!
July had a great Buzz! Thanks to all that attended.
LinkedIn Groups: South African Business Network in Sydney
Subject: You are what you negotiate!
July Meeting (Monday 25th July 2011) – First meeting of FY12!
It has been said that you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate! Come along and hear international speaker Mark Bernberg and learn how to engage and activate your 5 senses … and a practical hands on session as well for all who want to participate!!!!
This will be an event to remember! An inspirational presenter, great lucky draw prizes, 100 seconds of Fame and informal networking – bring your fellow Saffers and some friends and enjoy a fun filled evening combining business, recreation and networking! The theme of the evening is “Engage your senses to create innovative change in your business”.
Venue: Level 47, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney Time: 5:30pm for 6pm (Monday 25th July 2011)
Please confirm your attendance (and number of people attending with you) by not later than Monday 25 July 2011 10am for venue and catering arrangements.
At the Oxford Art Factory on Tuesday, 11th October.
Registrations will open soon, but for now please save the date in your diaries.
They want to hear from you
Right now they’re taking presentation proposals. You can talk about anything you like, as long as it’s interesting and you can tell in 20 slides and 5 minutes.
Use our Networking Tips to Increase Your Visibility, Credibility – and Profitability.
Work Your Networking Muscles – And They Will Get You Work in Return
Our Networking Tips:
Arrive early – and leave late
Work the room – spot the connectors, open groups and “lost” people. Don’t barge into closed groups deep in conversation
Sit next to or talk to someone you don’t know
Bring a lot of business cards, and any marketing materials. If you think you are taking enough, take 20% more
Act like the host and not the guest – welcome new people, be warm and open
Book a meeting at your meeting, if you get the opportunity
Listen – givers do gain, hard sellers that talk only about themselves are perceived as rude and pushy
Have focus and an objective – what are you networking for?
Be visible, build trust – and reap the rewards. Trust takes time to develop: network regularily
Follow up, Follow Up, Follow Up after your networking event
These networking tips are of course not all there is to successful, profitable and fun networking. But with practice these first steps will get you a long way in establishing a good network and building trust – essential to getting referrals, making lasting connections and growing your business.
Much has been written about what to do when starting your own business -
and much valuable advice has been given.
One of my favourite books is “The Ten Truths for Raising a Healthy Bouncy Business” by Roland Hanekroot (www.thetentruths.com.au). It’s straightforward talk, no tome, yet gives many great insights, resources and examples. In short, it’s extremely useful. In places, Roland touches on the human element which often is a no-no in a society where not being busy is poo-pooed.
But without taking the needs of the small business owner as a human being into consideration, new starters and old hands alike are prone to exhaustion, lack of creativity and even overall business failure.
So, here are my own tips for small business owners, anyone employed – and any other hard working people.
From a perspective of the owner/worker as a human being.
1. Balance:
Look after yourself – if you are mentally and physically exhausted you cannot function, and get overwhelmed or frustrated too easily. And being a new business owner may suddenly seem too daunting. Good food, rest, exercise and, very importantly, regularly connecting with what you love (a hobby, the outdoors, etc.) and people close to you, as well making new contacts, is important. You will feel less pressured and isolated.
2. Flexibility / Openness:
If you started out with one idea, but it does not work out as you hoped or you are not happy with it in the real world – that’s ok. No need for guilt or feeling of failure. Business, as life, is constantly evolving and changing. Be agile, adapt, and you will grow that way (your business and personally). Too many new starters (and long term owners) have battled with one fixed idea, trying to make it work against all instincts and odds, to the detriment of the new business. Only flexibility, and the will and ability to adapt, be creative and to trust your gut will keep you going as a happy business owner in the long run.
3. Networking:
Getting out there to network serves many a purpose, and is good for both the owner and the business: You can exchange ideas, get referrals, find affiliates, grow your knowledge, stimulate the mind with new impressions, develop new angles and ideas, evolve your “elevator pitch” short description of what you do, how, and – most importantly – why. People buy the emotive “why” of your service, your passion and your conviction that you are offering something unique and worth having. For more on this topic check out http://thetentruths.com.au/resources/purpose/, especially the Simon Sinek video on “why”.
What are your 3 Tips to a successful and healthy relationship with your work?
Leave your comment below – looking forward to reading your ideas!
Nothing is worse than a long, drawn-out meeting that feels like a trip to the dentist. The last place you want to find yourself is leading a snooze fest or a presentation that has people checking their watches every other minute. To be an effective salesperson, it’s important to master your presentation skills and learn to engage your audience effectively with highly targeted information that gets results in the shortest period of time.
1. Be prepared. Always be ready for the people you’re meeting. Never make anyone wait for you.
2. Sell the jockey before the horse. Every sale begins with your first impression. Demeanor matters. Be likeable, down-to-earth, and confident. Attract people with your enthusiasm, energy, and passion.
3. Say it in 30 seconds or less. Get to the point. Your prospects and potential partners have other things to do, so get them to say yes as quickly as possible. The more you say, the more you’re giving people to consider. Make it easy for them: Say what needs to be said, and not a single word more.
4. Fit the pitch to the person. Create the right presentation, not “your” presentation. Do research before any pitch to customize applicable portions and ensure that you have all of the necessary and correct information as it pertains to the person sitting across the table—or on the other side of the Internet.
5. Show, don’t tell. Whenever possible, keep your presentations interactive. Demonstrate your product or service firsthand to show off your results rather than just talk about them.
6. Make it visual. Don’t kill people with excessive text. Keep slides or videos simple and clean. Focus on creating visually appealing presentations using photos, videos, audio, and graphics with minimal body text.
7. The best presentations are conversations. Talk with prospects; never lecture them, put forth mandates, or tout ultimatums. Engage and interact with the people in the room. Always encourage discussion and questions as you go.
8. Speak plainly. You’re speaking to people, not robots. Don’t use jargon or clichés to make your points. Eliminate terms such as these from your vocabulary: innovative or innovate, out of the box, Web 2.0, next generation, original, and world’s greatest. Use the tools on gobbledygook.grader.com to keep your pitches in check and jargon-free.
9. Back up or shut up. You are asking someone else to invest his or her time and money into your product or service. Show them that you deserve it by supporting your expertise with relevant experience and real results. Avoid hypothetical arguments or unsubstantiated claims. If you can’t do or promise something, then find another way to sell your services until you can.
10. Know what you are talking about. Don’t say things to try to look smart or claim anything that sounds too good to be true to close a sale. Less is not only more—it also keeps you out of trouble. Remember, you’re accountable for every word that comes from your company. The smartest thing to do when you don’t know something is to admit that you don’t know—then figure it out within 24 hours and get back to the individual with an answer.
How many regular or one-off networking functions have you been to this year?
And how many of those have led to referrals, leads – and additional sales?
Connecting, building trust and relationships with other professionals, industry contacts and other referral sources – not to mention direct potential clients – is the backbone of any business. Especially sole traders and small to medium businesses.
Making it Worth Your While – Return on Investment
To get the best return for your time spent business networking, you have to create a few new habits and bolster your existing networking strengths. It is important to be able to get your “elevator pitch” – a succinct, easy to remember description of what you and your business stand for – down pat. It can vary with the person you talk to, of course. But be clear about your identity, about the voice and vision of your company.
Here are the tongue-in-cheek named “Ten Commandments” aka 10 Top Tips to successful networking.
Armed with them, you will be ready to go, and get amongst it in the networking jungle!
“The Ten Commandments of Networking” *
Thou shalt drop the “what is in it for me?”.
Thou shalt listen.
Thou shalt build a relationship.
Thou shalt give the first referral.
Thou shalt not tell others of the referral you require; thou shalt “show them” with a story.
Thou shalt be specific of the type of referral.
Thou shalt reciprocate when appropriate.
Thou shalt participate in the network executive, functions, and network time.
Thou shalt thank the person who gave a referral.
Thou shalt follow up on the referral within 24 hours.
1. Blog – A blog (a shortening of the term “web log”) is an easy-to-use type of website that also offers social and SEO benefits. Blogs are usually a series of more or less regular entries of commentary, news items, and other material such as videos. As most blogs are interactive, you can easily use this medium to interact and engage with your customers, existing and potential.
2. Newsletters & Email Marketing– Email newsletters are great ways to connect directly with prospective customers and stay connected to current customers. Newsletters provide a way to offer useful and targeted information to nurture leads and provide opportunities to find out more on products and services.
3. Media Coverage & Contributed Articles- Word of mouth is priceless for all businesses, especially small businesses. Getting mentioned in the local business media and trade publications can boost awareness, credibility and directly generate new business.
4. Resource Center - One way small businesses are often beating their larger competitors in search and in building authority, is to be more personable and quicker to react. And they are perceived to be a better resource for customers through useful content. Common formats for helpful information about buying, using and related information on products and services can include articles, videos and podcasts.
5. Social Networks & Media – In the way that customers expect a toll free number, website and blog, they’re beginning to expect the brands they buy from to be social. That means having a presence in the social networks that are most relevant to customers. A small amount of time consistently spent on interaction and relationship building can go a long way at developing a community.
6. Events– Networking for small businesses is as old as word of mouth marketing itself. Events are a great way to connect with prospective customers, marketing partners, new employees and influentials in your industry.
Based on an article by Lee Odden
“How Small Business Can Get BIG Online with Content Marketing”
Now where did 2010 disappear to so fast, hm? With another new year upon us (in the best possible sense), many of us take a look back at all the good, challenging, rewarding and inspiring things we encountered over the past 12 months. And many are planning ahead, making new year resolutions. So what will be happening here at Cavalletti Communications? And what does 2011 have in store for you and me as small business owners out there, I wonder?
2010 was an eventful year on all fronts
Cavalletti Communications celebrated its 1st official birthday, our team of talented experts has been growing steadily, friendships and collaborations have been formed across the net and at networking events. I have had the honour of meeting many business owners and thought leaders who shared their expertise and knowledge. You, my clients and connections have been kind and generous in passing on referrals to me, and thus help my business grow. Thank you!
Running an expanding business has also thrown challenges my way, of course: How do you do it all in only so many hours in the day? When do I find the time to put all those fantastic (I think) ideas into practice? Surely I can do that myself? We have to learn the hard way at times, and so have I here and there.
On a personal note, 2010 saw me getting married and meet the huge gaggle of what is now my new, significantly larger (but equally lovingly boisterous and fun) family. So, 2010 certainly held a lot of changes for me, on all fronts.
Starting off a successful 2011
So far so good: January of this new year is already over, and has been a good month for most of us. Like many of you, I have made plans and set goals on various fronts. On where, how and when to grow my business. And personal ones (hello, fitness & balance!).
2010 will see a new range of Cavalletti Communications writing & marketing services developed. I am already in exciting conversations with a number of very talented people regarding affiliations and working with us. And Cavalletti Communications will get another boost via our about-to-be-signed-off membership at the Artisans chapter of BNI.
But as business owners we also are people. And as people we need personal challenges – and time to relax. I was lucky to be able to combine the two on a recent camping trip in the beautiful Snowy River and Snowy Mountains regions. If you like a glimpse of the stunning view from Australia’s highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko, below is a little video for you. I scaled my first mountain for 2011. : )
So, what are your challenges and inspirations for 2011?
Looking forward to reading your take on the new year!
