It’s a hard economy, what steps can you take which are not costly, benefit your business and are easy to do?

5 TIPS -

1) Start bartering with you local contacts for services. Use the bartering “topic”, as a means to network and meet more local businesses.  Take the topic out into your city or town and ask other local businesses, if they would be interested in bartering. If they don’t already, branch out and develop your bartering group. If you city or town doesn’t already have one this may be a fantastic networking opportunity for all of your contacts. Think of bartering as a way you can decrease your expenditures and still keep your business fully functional.

2) Offer you employees bartered services as bonuses. Many bartering groups use gift certificates. By offering your employees gift certificates, you form a good a working partnership with other companies. This will be a great way for you to form a new networking group. If you have more than just yourself to take advantage of bartering, you’ll spread your business name. Often your employee, will develop into a new repeat customer which is a winning situation for the other business.

3) Join as many coffee business networking groups as your time will allow. Often they are not advertised, so you may need to ask around and use the Internet to find the groups.

4) Rather than having to push yourself to always sell your business. Just invite local contacts you would possibly like to do business with to your coffee group. Let the natural friendships form.

5) Use social media to network your business. Often we use it solely for our personal use. Promote your specials, new products, bonus deals, coupons etc. with social media. You would be surprise how well it works. For those who use it regularly, no advertising compares to the reach which social media has.

I have saved all the business cards I’ve been handed. Great networking is done by having business cards of other businesses to hand out.  By doing so I have become more efficient at networking with my contacts.  When someone asks me, if I know of someone who has a product or service. I have a stack to pull from. The process of spreading the word of other businesses, in your card stack,  you yourself become more knowledgeable. You learn what others are doing with their businesses. Your learn the business concentrations people have selected to focus on. You learn what’s hot in the market place, the new  business trends, and what people are the most in need of for services.

Your card stack is a sampling of the business types and the demographics of your community.  Which in itself may get you thinking. What type of businesses are missing in your area? Can you fill a hole or niche which is needed in your area?

Saving and recycling the cards,  to others is key.

I recently took a trip to see family. During the sit and wait time at the airport, I networked as much as I could. I feel the contacts I made gave me some good business advice and leads on some of the resources, which I need. Great contacts can some from just about anywhere why not the airport talking with other travelers.  Business people are very interesting to talk with and you learn just by listening. You both have the time just to sit and talk. Be it in the airport or on the plane use the time wisely!

Often business contacts, family, friends, and neighbors are all interconnected through  you.  We all network without even thinking about networking. We’re so great at networking on a social level. We give out or friend’s business cards to other friends and say “I know someone, a friend of mine,  who does what your looking for” We’re  great at networking on a social level for our friends businesses, why not combine it all together?

Have a lunch with your friends, ask each one bring a business contact, which they have experience working with. Ask they bring a contact, they would really like others to meet. Why not take some of your own business contacts! Bring the ones you are already thinking could benefit from meeting your friends and your friends would benefit from!

A Connections Lunch!

Lunch is a wonderful setting to meet others. It’s short enough and long enough to get a feel for the group and exchange business cards. Lunch is perfect, because if you really need to get somewhere you can excuse yourself and casual enough to do so.

Those of you who sell products, could even supply door prizes, as an incentive to take time out of our busy schedules to attend a lunch. The following lunch, another person could supply the door prize that way you all learn about each others’ products. You get the idea.

I know these groups already exist. I have looked into it and most groups you pay a yearly fee or a monthly fee (a small business itself) You could do it yourself for free with separate checks!

As a small business person, I have not paid to join a contact group, for a few reasons.

1. I love connecting through my friends. If my friend  likes and trusts a contact to refer me, chances are I will like them as well. Word of mouth advertising is the best, friends have great connections to draw from.

2. Cost vs. Benefit. I have a small business and I have to think of my costs at all times in this economy. Joining a few of these groups could be costly.

Lunch anyone?

Networking WAHM

Networking is a powerful tool and an integral part of business and professional development. Some people are natural networkers, although many of us find ourselves avoiding events because we don’t know how to take advantage of them.
It’s not all hard work. With the right method it can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Here are some ideas which you can use to help you get the most out of your network.
What is networking?
As described in the Collins dictionary, a network is an interconnected group or system. Therefore networking is the process of using a network or interconnected group to your advantage.

Why network?
Networking gives you the opportunity to gain insights into other businesses and contacts, and increase your exposure. At a networking occasion you are presented with the opportunity to tap into a wealth of information and experience in one room. A great asset of networking is that you never know what treasure is around the corner.
If time allows for it become involved with a networking organisation. This will open up even more opportunities. Budget and time permitting, organise to be a guest speaker or a sponsor as this will greatly increase exposure for you and your business.
How to network
This is perhaps the most daunting part of the process. Follow these tips to make it easier:
1. Make sure you have enough business cards to hand out and make sure you swap cards; this one of the most important items you can take from the event.
2. Look professional and dress accordingly.
3. Set out objectives for the evening. Are you looking to build your contacts or are you after a certain type of contact? Try and hit your objectives early, then you can generally mingle and increase your exposure.

If you do not find it easy to start a conversation pick a couple of current news topics you can use.
5. Take a colleague or business associate if turning up to an event on your own seems tough. Alternatively it could be a good opportunity to take a new business contact.
6. Take a look around the room – if it’s not a seated event look for opportunities to enter conversations.
7. Manage your time and don’t get stuck in one conversation. The room is full of ideas, so use the time wisely. Have a general rule of 15 minutes per contact.
8. Remember that everyone is there to network, so the person you are speaking to is also after knowledge and contacts. Think about what you can provide them. Even though you might not get an immediate return you might see potential in the future for a returned favour.
9. Don’t dismiss any opportunities – you never know where conversations might lead.

10. Set up future meetings at the event – it’s much harder for people to reject you face-to-face.
What to do with the contacts
So, what happens to all those business cards? Firstly you need to categorise them. You can then enter them into an appropriate database which can be set up in Excel or Access. Your database should include information such as contact details, where you met the contact and any special interests or insights you might have gained during your conversation.
Make sure that all ideas are written down in your database and that actions are documented straight away. Networking is mentally and physically draining so notes will ensure the benefits are not lost.
You then need to work out what to do with them – do you have any immediate tasks?
Reaping the benefits
The most important part of networking is ensuring you are able to learn and grow from the experience. The more you gain the better. By setting up some tools you can make sure you don’t miss any opportunities. Eventually what once seemed like the daunting process of networking becomes second nature and an important part of growing your business.

Claire McLennan is a business analyst  writes articles for Microsoft Small Business

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Networking is something a business owner needs to do. It’s really important when you run a business solely on the internet. When you don’t have an actual store for people to come and visit, it is a little different and that’s where networking comes in to play.

Networking online is done differently than it is in a person to person, face to face event. I feel networking online is harder to do. Some people have a harder time feeling comfortable using a person online because they never talk to them over the phone or meet them face to face.

Networking online can be a little tricky. In this article you will learn some tips on how to network online successfully.

To network online you need to join networking groups. One group that I use all the time is Ryze.com. Ryze is free to join or you can pay for more options. Either way will work just fine. Ryze is full of groups that you can join that pertain to your field or business. Joining these groups and making posts is how you network.

The best way to network is to post answers to questions people ask, post your own questions and respond to those that answer, follow the daily posting guidelines and post as often as you can with regards to those guidelines, and if you write articles, post those when they fit in.

When you are a member of a network such as Ryze, you are given a page that is yours to do what you want with. I recommend you add a little about yourself and then get into your business. Make sure you give a clickable website link to your business. You can also add a button or two, but don’t get carried away.

Once you have this page in place, you are ready to visit other pages. At the bottom of each group you are apart of you will see the names of people that have recently joined that group. You can click on those to visit other pages or you can click on posts and visit the page of the people that post replies to those posts. Each page that belongs to a person that is apart of Ryze has a guestbook. One of the best ways to meet new people and find out what they are all about is to stop by and say hi in their guestbook. Do not list your business name or website. People will visit your page if they are interested in checking out what you have to offer. A lot of people will go to your page and sign your guestbook in return. You can also sign the guestbook of those that sign yours first.

When you network in person you get business cards from people. When you network online you don’t have that ability. So you make note of their site and what it is about. When you get to a point where the networking is going strong, you can ask the three questions below.

1.    What type of business do they run
2.    What type of person is an ideal customer or client
3.    How will these people benefit from their service or product

The best way to keep all of this information straight is to either create a spreadsheet or use a rolodex.

Now that you have this information, you are ready to start referring people. You do this the same way as you do in person. You can also watch the posts in the groups you are apart of. If someone is asking for a referral, go to your spreadsheet or rolodex and see if you have met someone that can help them with their need. Either send the information to the person asking directly or if you are telling the person that can help them, tell that person to tell the other person that you referred them. The other option is to tell them both.

If you continue this process on a regular basis, you will meet a lot of great people and you will start to see an increase in referrals from other people. Networking is a great thing to do, so jump in and get started today!

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant and Advertising business. She also has a free advertising tips newsletter that she creates to help others. Check out her website at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Social sites have become all the rage. One such site that is built to help other work at home Mom’s is www.MyWAHMSpace.com. Networking needs to be your focus even though there is room for more personal information as well. Join in groups and really get into the social sites. Not only do these sites have many members, but the visitor traffic is very high. Use your profile page and site blogs to get across what you are an expert in and make the best use of the traffic to your page with clickable links to your sites and blogs.

Forums have been around as long as internet marketing. I love the forums that I frequent. I have learned invaluable information and made lifelong friends on these forums. Every friend I have made is now another marketer for me because when someone asks about a subject in my area of expertise, my friends will send them to me and vice-versa. Forums are where you have to be careful of looking like a spammer. It is important to be active in the forums and make helpful posts. My favorite forum is www.MommysHelperCommunity.com. It is a friendly environment that is all about working from home with just enough personal talk to get me away from business for a few minutes a day. No one likes a spam and go poster. So find some forums that are a good fit for you and visit them weekly. It only takes a few minutes a week to get some good posts up. And don’t forget to use your signature line to it’s fullest with taglines and links.

Blogs are an easy way to work on finding networking opportunites. Find your target market and do a search for that term with the word blog added to the end. For example: women’s weight loss blog. Now I can find some blogs specifically about that topic. I’ll comment on those that I feel I can leave some good information at and a link back to my women’s wellness blog will be included in the reply post. Make sure that you are actually leaving information, not a simple, “great information, thank you for the post” comment. Those are also considered spam and many bloggers won’t approve your post without relevant information included.

These three quick networking areas can help you get a big jump on targeted traffic to your site. Use them appropriately and you will see heavier traffic to your site. Targeted traffic will bring you more sales because they knew what they were clicking to get more information about.

Map out all that you do in regular life and in business. You will be amazed at how much you know how to do. Just because it isn’t something in your field of business does not mean you can not promote your ideas and therefore promote your business link. Some of you are much better housecleaners, organizers, or cooks than the rest of us. Every time you post a recipe it leads people to your signature line on message boards or to your blog with new traffic.

Research your field of expertise. Now that you have a list of things you enjoy or are already good at, do some research. I like to set up google alerts to be sent to my inbox so that I know the latest news on topics of my interest. This in turn gives me ideas to write about or share. It may be as simple as a quick google search to get you a couple of newsletter or magazine articles to dissect with your opinion.

Write articles and post them to your forums and to article directories as much as possible. Make up a good bio line that talks about yourself and your business expertise. This will bring a ton of traffic back to your business as others use your article to add great content to their sites and blogs. This is also more targeted traffic, which is the best kind. You know if they liked your article enough to click the link in your bio then they are looking for more information in your area of expertise. Keep an eye on your stats to see which articles are bringing you the best traffic and then you know what people are hungry for.

Being an expert does not require a degree. Being an expert can happen through life experience and research. Make the most of what you know and people will look to you for more info on your favorite topics.

I’ll start with message boards because that is my biggest pet peeve. I teach people to not click on any links unless they know the user. By knowing, I mean the user has been active on the boards for a little while or you have had direct dialogue with them. Many WAHM’s are especially wary of clicking on links, so you are wasting your time if you haven’t participated in the community yet. None of us can afford the time or expense of being downed by a virus.

Don’t waste your time going from board to board and only posting in the ads forum. The majority of users that are viewing the ads forum are only there to post their own ads. They aren’t very likely to click on your ad. Instead, use your time more wisely and be active on a few boards. Build some relationships with other users and you will see better conversions from your traffic.

I have a “friend” that spams me with email periodically. I get emails about helping this family or that family. Not even people in our area usually. Or I get emails about Mary Kay sales because she is an assistant for a few of them. I was never asked if I’d like to receive these emails and quite frankly I don’t open anything from her anymore. These are unsolicited emails and while she may think they are ok, they actually aren’t. They fill up my inbox and take time out of my day to go through. So ask your friends and family if they’d like updates from you. Don’t alienate those that are closest to you.

Your email list is an iffy place. Yes, they signed up to get updates from you about a subject or company. But you have to watch that you don’t abuse that. Make sure that you are giving them the information that they signed up for and not just constant ads. If they did sign up for updates about your company, then try to put some tips in your newsletter as well. Also be wary of sending out emails too often with just an ad for a company that they did not sign up to hear about. It’s very tempting to email your list about a new company you signed up with or a new affiliate. If they start getting too many emails about subjects they didn’t ask for they are more apt to delete them without opening and unsubscribe from your list. Converting every subscriber is a big key to online business. You don’t want to tick off those that have already shown interest.

Spamming is not just those using hacker software to mass email and post to boards. Many small business owners do it every day and usually just out of ignorance. Don’t be one of them. Use your time productively and wisely. Make good business relationships from the get go and then work on turning them into sales.

Webster’s Dictionary defines networking as: the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. If you notice, nothing in this definition says that you will use communities for nothing more than links to your site.

Exchanging information with other business owners sets you up as an expert in your field. By helping others, you will put yourself and your sites at the front of their mind when they are looking for your products and services. In return, you will be picking the minds of many and getting a lot of useful information to grow your business.

The key is the exchange of information. To effectively network you will need to regularly visit the site. Stopping by only once a month will not build you business relationships. Visit the site a minimum of once a week and make sure to add forum or blog posts and comments that are useful and informative. Do not just add an “I agree” or “thanks for the info” comment so your signature line is on the post. Pull from information you have learned whether from others or through experience and pass this on. By giving useful information you will have more views.

Remember even if you haven’t been online for very long, you have useful information to share. There are others that haven’t even chosen their business yet reading or even those of us that have been on for a long time and simply forgotten some of the simpler things. Share and you shall reap the benefits!