At a recent Business Expo a vendor was giving away Bazooka Joe® bubble gum at her booth.  Later that night as I sat at my computer, entering in all the new SDNG subscribers (Over 30!), I unwrapped a piece, popped it in my mouth and relished the nostalgic taste from my youth. However, reality caught up to me when I found I could not read the comic without my reading glasses! 

At the bottom of the comic was this fortune: Don’t Waffle; You’ll Get Pancaked.  Of course…I usually find myself relating everything to marketing, and this is a common theme in coaching. We all have marketing ideas & strategies that are “on the back burner” or, in effect that we are “waffling” on. In today’s crowded market we need every advantage working for us to keep our competitive edge sharp & cutting.  Or you will, indeed, get “Pancaked” by your competition.  What might you be “waffling” on?  Try some of these out:

1. Writing out a marketing plan for the next 6 months 
2.  Developing “back end” products or services to offer     existing clients.
3.  Joining a networking group.
4.  Writing that article for your local Chamber or other organization.
5. Starting a joint-venture campaign with someone with your same target market.
6. Marketing to clients you’ve not heard from in a while.
7. Entering that stack of business cards into your database.
8. Exploring different advertising avenues.
9.  Developing 2 or 3 “signature speeches” and address groups on your area of expertise.
10.  Publishing a newsletter to stay in contact with your prospects.

Ok…did any of these ideas hit home? Would you like some help? Email me for a complimentary coaching session to get you jump-started on your next endeavor. There is no time like NOW to get started…no waffling or pancaking allowed… except at your local IHOP!

© 2007 Mindy Selinger, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com E-zine or blog in whole or in part,as long as you include complete attribution, including live website link and email link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read: 

By Mindy Selinger of PowerPartner Connections. Please visit Mindy’s web Sites: http://SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com and http://TheLinkSystem.com for more information on her other material.  MindyS@SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com

First there was speed dating – now speed networking – it’s all about the numbers, right? Maybe yes, maybe no. If you have an ineffective approach, all the numbers in the world won’t help! (On either front!) I recently attended my first speed event and I learned that to fully utilize this format, preparation is in order.

Speed networking is gaining in popularity and it works like this:  half of the participants are seated for the entire event and the other half move from seat to seat at regular intervals.  Each participant has a couple of minutes to “pitch” to the other before moving on.

No matter what industry you are in, the odds dictate that there will be very few people at any given event actively looking for the solution you provide with your product or service. Whether or not you believe they “need” your solution is another issue. I am always dismayed when I encounter someone trying to convince another, at a networking event, that they are in need of whatever product or service they are selling. No one likes to be on the receiving end of an unwanted sales pitch.  Here are some guidelines when attending a speed-networking event:

When they are pitching and you are listening:

• Ask relevant questions about their business. Who is their best type of client? Who is their best referral partner? What type of connections do they need to further their business? Take notes on the back of their card and get back to them with any connections you can make. When you connect them with someone who can be of value to them, you will have a business friend for life (if they are smart!).

When you are pitching: (When possible, I let the other person go first. The more I know about them, the better I can tailor what I say so that it is relevant to them)

• The most important point to get across is the solution you offer and who you offer it to. Minor details do not matter – not how long you have been in business, not your dedication to customer service or your location.
• Tell them your best type of client, your best referral partner and who you need to meet to further your business.
• Have something of value to give them. It doesn’t even have to be related to your industry; as long as it is something they can use to increase their business.  I have free resources on my TheLinkSystem.com and SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com websites – articles on networking skills, networking event calendars, and lots of contacts to hook them up with.
• DO NOT add them to your mailing list without their explicit permission. I am very careful to get permission to send something to them.  I tell them the name of the publication and when they can expect it.

Preparation is the key…know exactly who you need to meet, the information that you need to build your business, then ask for those contacts.  Being vague, general, or trying too hard to sell your services to everyone one you talk to, will not produce the results you want.  Offering to help others find the contacts they need will be an approach that will get their attention. You will be the only one asking these questions…AND the only one who did not try to sell to them in two minutes or less! 

©2007 All rights reserved. Mindy Selinger publishes The San Diego Networking Guide and is an authorized Link System Trainer.  She is available for speaking and can be reached at 760 788-9524.  For free networking tips, please visit her on the web at http://TheLinkSystem.com

This is a constant challenge for those of us who work from home. For the most part I have this under control (after years of practice) but sometimes I slip a little.  This week’s “Enemy of Progress”?  Time Snatchers! 

After a little episode last week, I knew what I needed to write.  See if anything like this has ever happened to you.

I sat down at my computer to start a project and looking at my hands I noticed something… “Oh my,…look at that hangnail” and off I trotted to the bathroom to get the cuticle clippers to take care of this urgent condition. In the bathroom I noticed the towels and decided to throw them in the wash. As I was getting out more dirty clothes from the hamper in my closet, I straightened up a couple of items that had fallen off the hangers and rearranged my shoes.

Out in the laundry room I cleaned out the lint trap and took it to the trash. Seeing that the trash can was full, I took out the bag, replaced it with a fresh one, then got the trash from the bathroom and my office to add to it. I took the garbage bag outside and passing my yard I stopped to admire the new buds on my favorite cactus…and spotted some new weeds, so I spent a few minutes and pulled them. As I came back through the patio I saw that the potato bush was thirsty, so I filled up the watering can to give it some water. Well, if it’s thirsty, so must be the others. Four watering cans later, I start to head back into the kitchen, when I see the mail truck out on the highway telling me that the mail has come. I go inside to change my shoes and get my sunglasses for the walk down the road. I could not find my sunglasses and look everywhere for them. I finally found them out in the truck, and while I was there, cleaned out all of the junk mail that I usually will not bring into the house.

It was a nice walk out to the highway, to the line of rickety rural mailboxes. On the way back I stopped and visited with a neighbor.

Once back at the house, I sat at the computer and realized… that danged hangnail had cost me over an hour!!  Here’s how to avoid such distractions:

• Start by examining your work-at-home (or office) habits.  Where are your time wasters? (we all have them)
• Make a list of tasks that you must accomplish each day.
• Block out time for each task, or look at the clock when you start and tell yourself, “I will work on this…and only this… for the next hour. (My favorite).
• Have rules & “business hours” to lessen family interruptions.

Challenge: If you succeed in finding a “time waster” and figuring out a way to “refocus” and stay on track, let me know.  Anyone who submits hints or tips will be mentioned in the next post (OK…and maybe a little plug as well) .

© 2007 Mindy Selinger, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com E-zine or blog in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live website link and email link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read: 

By Mindy Selinger of PowerPartner Connections. Please visit Mindy’s web Sites: http://SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com and http://TheLinkSystem.com for more information on her other material.  Mindy@SanDiegoNetworkingGuide.com

The number one question I get asked is “What networking group should I join?” That is an impossible question to answer, for there are many factors to take into consideration. I hope to provide a little guidance here.

If you are just getting started, I suggest a mix of groups. If you have been in business for a while and want to get some new energy happening, take into consideration exactly what you need in order to elevate your business to the next level and choose your group(s) accordingly.

A note about Chambers of Commerce: Each chamber has their own rules about who can attend. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is the only chamber in San Diego County whose regular events, After 5 Mixers, are closed to non-members, including guests accompanied by members. However, if you contact Keith Woolgar, Business Development Manager, (tell him I sent you),  you may attend one of the popular Get Connected Breakfasts.  Their events are very large, and it is easy to understand that having unlimited guests would be difficult to accommodate.

Generally, all other chamber evening cocktail mixers are open to the public with no restriction (other than paying more than the members, which is to be expected). Many may require that you be invited to a breakfast or lunch. Please call the organization you wish to attend first, rather than dropping in unannounced.  My personal networking philosophy that I teach with The Link System, is to attend an event knowing that you are a guest, and to honor that privilege by providing value to as many people you connect with as possible. Too many “networkers” hit an event like a heat-seeking missile, out to find their next big account. They walk around with a fistful of business cards, handing them to everyone they meet.

• Chambers of Commerce
  If you want to establish yourself on a local level…there is nothing better than joining the Chamber of Commerce. However, as with anything you do in life, you get back what you put in. Joining a chamber does not automatically entitle you to start receiving referrals. Get involved…join a committee that matches your interests or abilities. I like the Ambassadors, (meet & greet), new member services or fundraising (meet people with money). Some chambers are more politically oriented than others…a great place to meet “movers & shakers” of the community.
• Monthly Groups
  These are normally membership-based but not necessarily exclusive in industry. There is a common bond, women, industry, philosophy, etc.
• Weekly Groups
  When considering joining either a weekly or a monthly group (or both), use these guidelines to determine which group is right for you:
  • Diversity. The membership should be diverse enough to put you in front of a variety of people so you are not running into the same people everywhere you go. (You can capitalize on that scenario as well, though).
  • Who do you want to target? Is your product or service targeted to businesses or consumers? Someone who sells personal care products will want a different focus than a commercial printer. The majority of the members should have a customer base similar to yours.
  • Where do you want to target?
    If your target is strictly local, you will not be needing an organization that has chapters in other cities (countries?). However, if you travel, for work or for pleasure, having a chapter to drop into when you are traveling can be a huge advantage.
  • Did they make you feel welcome?
    Oddly enough, I have had readers report back about groups that barely acknowledged their presence. Everyone was too busy talking among themselves. They hardly felt inspired to join. Personal chemistry with the individual members of a group will make or break your success. Choose a group that wants you.
  • Are you willing to commit enough time to networking?
    Do not join any networking organization expecting to get immediate results. (This bears repeating.) The members need to get to know you and trust you. Most organization will advise you that it will take up to three months to start the flow of referrals. There are exceptions. My first visit to Leads Club netted enough business to pay for my membership…I was hooked! (in case you are curious…my first business was – The Home Phone Jack Company – I installed and repaired residential telephone jacks. Honest!) In today’s hectic work scene, weekly meetings may seem at first, like an impossible amount of time to commit to. However, once committed, and made a habit, it has the potential to be a turning point in your business. I saw it happen with many, many members during the first 10 years of my self-employment. Wednesday Leads Club Lunch in Mission Bay…it was written in stone on my calendar. It served me very, very well. (That group, a women’s chapter, is still going strong 15 years later…with at least two of the original members)
• Professional Industry Groups
  Many people overlook the power of networking within their own industry. Limited thinking can cause a person to consider anyone in the same business simply as competition. But who better to learn from? Not everyone will have your specific target market or geographical territory. Networking within your own industry will keep you in touch with what is current, new & happening in your field. You want to be able to refer out the clients that are not quite right for you. When you do, you have made two people happy and that will come back to you!
• Civic or Philanthropic Organizations
  All leaders give back to the community in which they make their millions. You will never know who will be volunteering beside you to at the next event. However, do not join an organization in order to conduct business. Choose an organization for the passion you have for it…not for the membership roster. If you join for the wrong reasons, your motives will be very transparent.

Mel Kaufmann, author of The Millionaire’s Handbook, and founder of THE LINK SYSTEM says, “Networking is not a quick fix, like penicillin. Networking is more like taking your vitamins daily. It has a cumulative effect. Over time you will be financially healthy.”

Go forth and Network!