Do you go to networking events to promote your business or make new contacts? Do you ever get frustrated when you take a couple hours out of your day to go to an event, but don’t make meaningful connections? Here’s a step by step strategy that has helped me make great business connections:
1. At the event make sure to meet as many people as possible. Have a short but meaningful conversation with each person you meet there. The goal is not to get a sale, the goal is to get key information.
2. Build rapport, ask questions, and gather information. Your goal is not to talk about yourself, although you’ll have to do this a little bit. Be an active listener.
3. If you don’t have a great memory, have a pen with you and jot down a few notes on each business card you pick up. Note specifically what you spoke about.
4. If you find someone clinging onto you and dominating your time, interrupt politely and say, “excuse me, I want to hear more about this. I have a couple more people I need to meet. Let’s agree to meet later to finish this conversation.” This is a great way to get follow up appointments by the way.
Now the real magic begins after the meeting.
5. Take all your business cards with notes and go back to your office. Put everybody into your database, and as you do so- send each one of them a personalized greeting card. You do not need to write a novel, just mention what you spoke about. “Dear Bob, it was nice meeting you at the xyz meeting Thursday. It’s great to meet someone who has been going to the meetings for over 5 years - you can really help me make the best contacts.”
6. Close with a call to action, “Bob, I’d really like to sit down with you next week to talk about how we might be able to do business together. Could you call me at 555-555-1212 so we can set up a time.”
7. Mail your cards with a live stamp as opposed to metering them - this helps ensure they’ll get opened.
After a recent networking meeting I got 2/3rds of the people I met with to call me to schedule a follow-up meeting. The biggest drawbacks to this strategy are #1 the time it takes and #2 the expense. Fortunately I have found a solution to both of these problems.
There’s a new web service at http://www.sendoutcards.com/6690 that allows you to upload or enter your database, address, personalize and send cards online. The cards are sent with a live stamp and go out immediately. You can even set up whole mailing campaigns where people get a series of cards - a great marketing tool.
The most cost effective accounts are wholesale or distributor accounts. You can send cards for under one dollar, including postage. It beats the heck out of Hallmark for cost, ease of use, and time savings.
I send cards all the time and have people calling and emailing me to say thanks. The amount of good will you can generate from a single card beats almost any other direct marketing you can do, and probably costs a lot less.
Give it a try at your next networking event.
Copyright 2005 Marketing Comet
J D Moore - Marketing Comet
http://www.marketingcomet.com
http://marketingcomet.typepad.com
http://www.sendoutcards.com/6690
Several people have asked me about setting up a forum on their website recently, so I thought it might be helpful to cover this topic for the benefit of all my readers.
But before I explain how to set up a forum, let me cover some of the reasons as to why you might want a forum in the first place…
For those that don’t know, a forum is simply a web page which allows visitors to interact with each other by leaving messages and responding to messages made by other users. To see a superb 
example of this, check out my own forum at: http://www.traderonlineforum.com
Ok, so why might you want to put a forum on your website?
1. A forum helps to build a sense of community. People, by their very nature, like to be a part of something and if your website makes them feel like this, then they will come back time and time again and of course, the more times someone comes back, the more chance there is that they might buy something from you
2. It can save you time. I get emails everyday asking for advice on many different aspects of running a business and I simply don’t have time to answer them all. If I am a bit pushed for time, I often direct the sender of the email to my forum since I know that their question has either been answered before or because I know that another member may be able to help them.
3. A good forum can get your customers/subscribers to love you! Ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration BUT if your customers are able to ask questions, get help, build relationships with other people with similar interests and even advertise their own businesses on your forum, it won’t do you any harm especially if you offer all of this for free.
4. Free search engine traffic. Search engines love regularly updated websites with relevant content. If you have an active forum with a specific topic of discussion, then you may well find that your forum postings are soon appearing in the free search engine results on Google and other popular engines.
5. An excellent source of new ideas. Forums are a superb resource when you are trying to think of new ideas for products to sell or create or new services to provide. They also give members the opportunity to brainstorm their own ideas with other, like-minded individuals. I have personally obtained numerous ideas for newsletters and other articles from posts made within my forum.
6. Forums can earn you (and your fellow members) money! Forums are like any other web page in that you can advertise products that may be relevant to your visitors, such as your own products or services or those that you are affiliated with. In addition, if you wish, you can allow your members to advertise their products and services either by way of a ’signature file’ at the bottom of each post they make or within a specific forum board provided for the purpose of advertising.
7. Finally, owning or participating in a forum is FUN Discussing and debating the topics that are close to your heart with other people that share the same interest is fun and it is amazing how you can pick up on an individual’s personality simply by the messages that they write. In the impersonal world of the Internet, forums are an excellent way to get some ‘real’ human contact.
So how do you install a forum on your site?
There are countless scripts available that you can simply install on your web hosting server and that will set up and run a forum for you. All have step by step instructions and the scripts are often available free of charge (you can usually upgrade to a more advanced version if you pay a license fee). I will detail a few useful links in a moment.
However, if you are not comfortable installing scripts or would just prefer to take the easy option, then you should consider buying an ‘all-in-one’ hosting and forum package.
As I say, there are numerous forum scripts available but here are a few of the more popular ones that you may like to consider: http://www.invisionboard.com, http://www.phpbb.com, http://awsd.com/scripts/webbbs/index.shtml, http://www.vbulletin.com.
Copyright 2004 Richard Grady
About The Author
Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html.
What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.
- Herbert Simon
Online forums, message boards, and newsgroups are now ubiquitous. These powerful communication tools offer many strong benefits. However, forum participation can also become a destructive addiction, where the benefits are overshadowed by negative side effects.
Here are some potential benefits of regular online forum participation:
* Intellectual exchange
* Learning new ideas and refining old ones
* Enjoying community membership
* Influencing the forum’s evolution
* Contributing to others
* Making new friends and contacts
* New business leads
* Keeping up with current events
* Learning about new opportunities
Here are some potential negative effects of excessive forum usage:
* Reduced concentration and focus
* Reduced productivity
* Chronic procrastination
* Increased pessimism and/or apathy
* Being distracted by endless debates and idle gossip
* Gradually substituting tribal group think for your own intelligence
* Impaired social skills, neglected relationships, and a weakened social circle (a consequence of substituting online socialization for face-to-face conversations)
* Reduced energy (forum participation is sedentary compared to more active social outlets)
* Reduced self-esteem
* Career and income may suffer (including loss of employment)
* Forum addiction
Since the early 1990s, I’ve participated in many different online forums, message boards, and newsgroups and have experienced many of these positive and negative effects at various times. I ran a popular game developer forum for almost two years, so I’ve had experience both as a participant and a forum operator. On the positive side, I’ve learned many great ideas, made valuable new business contacts, and even met my wife on a local computer bulletin board system. On the negative side, I found excess participation to be a huge time drain (and very addicting as well).
Here are some suggestions for using forums effectively and avoiding the negative side effects:
1. Take a Forum Fast
First, if you’re currently active in any forums, go on a forum fast. Stop visiting all forums for a while; don’t even lurk. I recommend a fasting period of 30 days, with a bare minimum of 14 days. This will help you break any unconscious habits and regain your perspective, so you can intelligently evaluate the role forums should play in your life. Otherwise, you may be coming from a place of unconscious habit and will likely overestimate the value of continued participation. If you’re currently a forum moderator, take a forum vacation, and enlist someone to temporarily assume your moderation duties. Redirect the time you would have spent in online forums to something positive like exercising or reading books. If you don’t think you have the discipline to do this, simply make a post in each forum explaining that you’ll be taking the next 30 days off, and if any forum member catches you online, you’ll pay the first person that emails you about it $100. This should give you enough leverage to stick with your fast.
2. Reassess Your Forum Usage Habits
Once you’ve completed the initial fasting period (and not before), take a fresh look at your forum participation habits. Imagine that you just discovered each forum today for the first time. What are the pros and cons of participation? Is this the best use of your time, or can you imagine something better? If you’re using forums to get specific information, would it be better to simply read books, articles, or blogs? If you’re using them as a social outlet, would it be better to join a local club and meet people face-to-face? Looking back on your previous pattern of behavior, would you say you were addicted? Did your usage pattern become unconscious? If so, how do you intend to prevent that from happening again?
3. Clarify Your Expectations
If you decide to participate in online forums, clarify your expectations. Whether you intend to use forums for market research, to make new contacts, or as an outlet for your humorous wit, get clear on why you’re there.
4. Establish Reasonable Boundaries
To limit the risk of forum addiction, set clear boundaries for yourself and write them down. You can limit the number of times per week you check each forum, the total amount of time you spend participating, or the number of posts you’ll allow yourself to make each week. Track your weekly usage on a scrap of paper to keep yourself consciously aware of your participation habits. Don’t go dark and succumb to unconscious habituation. Establish clear boundaries such that if you cross them, you know you’re at risk of falling into a pattern of addiction. And if that ever happens, it’s time to immediately begin a new fasting period.
5. Let It Go
If you find yourself repeatedly succumbing to forum addiction or other negative usage patterns, you may decide it’s best to simply do without. At the time of this writing, I no longer regularly participate in any online forums or message boards. When I clarified my intentions, I realized my #1 reason for participation was to contribute and to help people. But using forums as a contribution outlet was inefficient, since it would too often lead to lengthy (and mostly unproductive) debates. I found that sticking with one-to-many outlets like writing articles and maintaining a blog were a much better use of my time. Blog comments still allow some interactivity, but the time required to manage them is reasonable and the personal relevance of most blog comments is extremely high.
6. Replace Online Socialization With Face-to-Face Contact
Regarding the social aspect, online forums are a poor substitute for meeting people in person. While there’s certainly some social benefit to forums - many people have met their spouses in online forums, including me - it’s important to physically spend time with human beings instead of via a computer screen. If you need a new social outlet, join a local club or association, especially one that meets weekly. I found that when I joined Toastmasters International and began attending meetings and competing in speech contests, my interest in socializing via online forums fell dramatically. Even the best online communication pales in comparison to face-to-face, belly-to-belly contact.
7. Be a Dabbler, Not a Fixture
Another tip is to treat forum participation as temporary. If your goal is to make new business contacts, then dive in and participate actively for a while, maybe 30-90 days. Make new friends and contacts, collect private contact info, and then abandon the forums. Continue to develop your new relationships via one-to-one communication like email, phone calls, and if possible, face-to-face meetings (such as at industry conferences). Temporarily dabbling in many different forums is a more effective way to build contacts than pushing a single forum far beyond its usefulness.
You can also use the dabbling method to gather general information on a subject. Seek out a number of relevant forums and bookmark them. Then spend a few hours scanning each forum once every six months to soak up the current wisdom. Whenever you have a specific question, pop in and search the forum archives. If searching turns up a blank, feel free to post a new message, harvest the answers, and disappear.
8. Avoid Addiction
Online forums are tricky beasts. At the time of this writing, my feeling is that ongoing daily participation in any single forum for more than a few months is almost invariably unproductive. Eventually the initial benefits like gaining knowledge and making new contacts produce diminishing returns. And then the negative effects like forum addiction set in. Regular participation (even from unconscious habituation) will still provide some benefits, but the longer you participate, the less efficiently those benefits are realized.
Close cousins of forum addiction include online gaming addiction, web surfing addiction, blog addiction, email addiction, and news addiction. The common pattern is that unconscious habituation overrides conscious, clear-headed decision-making. If you ever find yourself with such an unproductive habit, take steps to reassert conscious control. Use a period of fasting to regain your perspective, reexamine your motives, set clear boundaries, and find alternative outlets. Manage your forum usage consciously to serve your goals, and avoid the trap of addiction.
Online forums can be a powerful productivity tool, but self-awareness and discipline are required to prevent them from becoming a pitfall of procrastination.
Copyright © Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)
Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.
Forums can be a useful tool if you`re doing business online. You can learn a lot by reading the content and actively taking part in the discussions. Reading a forum’s archives can be a great way to get a basic knowledge about a topic, and it can also give you pointers about the changes in trends and opinions through time.
It is always very important to read the terms and conditions of each particular forum for a basic guideline as to what is acceptable. It`s also a good idea to read archived posts in order to see the guidelines in action. If you don`t, you could end up doing something wrong, like spamming the forum, and that could seriously hurt both your name and your business.
Taking an active part in forums can help you gain recognition in topics you show some knowledge of, and may even result in some great business leads and contacts. Read through posts, and answer any questions you are able to in a polite, friendly and helpful manner. It`s a brilliant way to get your name and services known, but you have to be aware that different forums have different rules in regards to self-promotion.
Some won`t allow any hint of self-promotion, some are specifically aimed at self-promotion, and a lot of them fall somewhere in between, allowing either signature files or URL’s to an off-the-page member profile. The in-between ones are the best ones to use for marketing yourself, especially as the ones aimed at promoting usually end up more like “spam boards” than anything else.
See if you can choose forums that allow a sig file, which is basically a short block of text about you and/or your services which can be automatically attached to the end of every post you make. No matter what you do, never EVER post a reply to a ‘legitimate’ topic with nothing but spam in the body of your post. This will annoy forum members who are seeking valid answers, and kill your credibility as an online marketer almost instantly.
“Netiquette” is a must-have if you`re planning to use forums. What is netiquette, you ask? Basically the same as offline etiquette. It is essential to have a good understanding of acceptable ways to communicate with other forum members. That`s why it`s so important to do a LOT of reading in the forums before you start posting messages yourself.
This is where good moderators come into play. They check the forums for inappropriate posts and spam, they keep the boards clean, and make sure everybody plays by the rules. Forums without moderators tend to turn into ghost-towns, with nothing but spam bots visiting them. A nice clean board needs good moderators to keep it that way.
In the worst-case scenario, if you break the rules in a forum, by maybe spamming, or using inappropriate language or behaviour, either the administrators or moderators may well end up banning you from that particular forum. If that happens, they will most likely delete each and every post you`ve made, whether it`s good or bad.
Happy Visiting and Posting.
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