2.Try and make sure you talk to at least one new person at each event you go to - don’t just stick with people you already know.

3.Don’t expect that you will walk into a networking event and come out of it with a job or a new client. Networking takes time and patience.

4.Sticking your business card under nose of everyone you Meet is guaranteed to annoy them. Don’t go into your sales pitch straight away and always try to talk with someone rather than at them.

5.Show a genuine interest in other people and what they do and get to know them as people rather than as business opportunities.

6.Don’t disregard someone who doesn’t seem to be of immediate ‘use’ to you. You never know who they know or how they might help you.

7.Manners cost nothing so treat everyone as you would wish to be treated yourself. People buy from – and recommend! – people they like.

8.Be natural, be yourself and enjoy opportunity to meet and learn from other business people.

9.Don’t be afraid to walk up to someone and start talking. They are there for same reasons as you are and will probably be grateful that they didn’t have to make first move.

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! By Dr Kem Thompson

I should just leave this tip at that, shouldn't I?:)

But seriously, writing is a cost- effective way of promoting your business. It exposes you to potential customers in a way that few other marketing vehicles do.

Writing and submitting your work to online sites gives you fr*ee marketing opportunities. It also increases your credibility in eyes of potential customers.

Have you taken advantage of this very effective marketing strategy?

If not, why not?

~*~'What If I Can't Write?'~*~ Common question, common excuse with a simple answer: if you can talk, you can write.

You don't need to be a professional writer before you can write as a way of marketing your business.

All you do need to do is . Want to write . Decide to write . Write

~*~'What Should I Write~*~ A few ideas are:

. Articles . Tips (eg top ten or top five ways to....) . Letters to editors . Reports (yes, reports!)

think of some more and add them to this list.

~*~What Topics Should I Write About?~*~ Here, your only limitation is in your imagination. So be creative and let these questions serve as guidelines in helping you decide what to write about:

. What information will potential customers find useful?

. What are you interested in? Find a way to make it relevant to your business and write about it.

. If you were in your potential customers' shoes, what topics (related to your business) would interest you?

. In what ways have you solved problems for people in past? Write them down. Chances are, other people would benefit from solution you provided.

. What are your experiences as a business owner? Write about them.

. Fill in blanks : a) How To ....... b) Top 5 Ways to...... c) What Many People Don't Know About...... d) My Favourite Pastime is....

What you've got now is a bunch of potential headings for your articles, tips, reports or whatever. If you think about it, there's a lot for you to write about.

All you have to do now is actually put pen to paper (hand to computer).

~*~What Should I Do With What I've Written?~*~

Submit, submit, submit!

Newsletter editors and webmasters all over 'net are looking for fr*ee content for their subscribers and visitors.

Imagine exposure you get by submitting an article to an ezine with thousands of opt-in subscribers. Fr*ee of charge, too! It'd be more expensive (and not always as effective in pulling in prospects) to advertise in same publication.