“WOMEN…Wake Up, Smell and Drink Some Coffee…Fourteen ways to succeed through networking”Written by Francine York
Feel like you need more contacts to expand or start your business and don’t know how to make those important connections? There’s an easy answer to your dilemma…drink coffee!!! No, not in your kitchen; but at myriad networking opportunities for women in business as well as those wanting to start a business. Men: this is for you too. So, what is all hullabaloo about Networking? The most important thing you should know about concept is…it works! All those business cards floating around can sometimes find their way to a person/business that needs you! Some examples from my limited sphere: 1- I networked with a person who sells insurance; after talking with her, I decided to ask her to give me quotes on my homeowners and auto insurance. She saved me $500.00 per year! And she got a new client. That’s great thing about networking…there’s a give and take, a Yin and Yang…you get a new client; and sometimes, you become a new client. Another person I networked with had products I was interested in buying and I had advertising opportunities she needed…voila…a perfect match! And on and on. Morals of story: 1.Always have plenty of business cards with you 2.Make sure your biz cards reflect who you are and what you can offer others; if not, make up new ones! 3.Make sure cards are up to date and have your current email address, web site and phone #. 4.If you can afford it, there are many inexpensive promotional items you can have imprinted to give out at these events. (Such as: magnets, pens, pencils, key chains etc. 5.Attend as many networking events as you can; many are free or low cost and take place either during day or in evening. 6.Try to utilize services / products of those representatives you have met; remember, they might do same for you.
| | 5 Tips For Running A Successful Online BusinessWritten by Ron Swerdfiger
5 Tips For Running A Successful Online BusinessBy Ron Swerdfiger http://www.hostingforum.ca There are a couple of key things to look at when starting an online business. I’m not here to give you “hidden secrets,” just a few fundamental tips to get you started. Basically there are five major factors to look at provided you have products and/or resources. 1. Enjoy what you are doing! It will make all difference in world if you actually enjoy what you are offering your customers. A large number of online businesses are started purely for profit and nothing else. This is usually shown in their business practice. The quality of your work will be much greater provided you enjoy subject. Online or on a street, your business should be run with an underlying interest in product or service. 2. Site design is first thing a prospective customer sees!! I have seen some horrible designs. If you think putting some text up, a couple links and a logo on a page is enough, you will likely fail before you even realize. You will also notice a lot of companies have a generic template that can be found online at templetemonster or any other template site. Avoid these. It is very hard to develop a company image when you look like 134,000 other companies. I suggest you put a bit of effort and creativity into a well designed "professional" looking home page for your company. The bottom line is a new customer will not even consider buying anything from you, if they feel you are an armature no matter how great your services are or how cheap your products might be. 3. Develop your website as a total package to your customers. Don't just present your products and leave it at that. Offer tutorials, articles, support forums etc. These additional services not only provide additional content for you customers, but if developed correctly, will bring additional traffic to your site which will potentially lead to more sales.
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