Promotional materials such as flyers and handouts are useful tools to distribute when at a networking event. They give others more information about what you do and last longer than your verbal self-introduction. Here are five rules to follow when distributing handouts at networking events.

1. Be certain that distributing handouts is appropriate for the meeting you are attending. Every meeting and host has different rules. Just ask the host if you may hand out your flyer or promotional piece. This way you won't appear to have been pushy or overly sales focused.

2. Have enough for every attendee. This means that you will likely need to plan for double the number of attendees just to be safe. Do not put a date on your promotional piece unless you are promoting a time-sensitive event or sale. This way you can reuse those that are not distributed next time.

3. Have the best possible quality promotional piece. Remember that the flyer, brochure, postcard, or promotional marketing piece will remain as a reminder of the quality and service you and your company will provide. That can be good news for you if your piece is quality. If at all possible print in color. Have them printed by a professional printer instead of running copies on a copier or printing them on your desktop printer. The difference in quality and the time you will save will more than pay for the slightly higher cost of printing.

4. Arrive early and distribute your promotional piece(s) at each place setting prior to guest arrival. This way you are free to meet and greet when the other attendees arrive without the cumbersome task of carrying and distributing promotional pieces. And remember that promotional pieces should be distributed only at events that provide seating unless you or your venue provide a bag for the attendees to conveniently carry items distributed. You may wish to consider distributing your materials at the door as attendees are departing. Be certain your piece is easily carried or provide a bag containing your promotional item.

5. Pick up any materials that were not retained by the attendees. You can be certain nearly fifty-percent of the attendees will leave your materials on the table. Don't fret, these folks were not interested in what you were offering and they did you a favor by not taking the materials and just throwing them away elsewhere. These folks actually saved you money! Picking up the leftover pieces sends a message that the little things are important to you. If you won't waste your own money you won't waste your clients either. This will tell others a lot about you.

Using quality promotional flyers and materials will increase your success in networking. People hesitate to discard good quality pieces and therefore you will remain top-of-mind with those who retain your pieces. But don't attempt to be too clever. Each of us has a drawer in our desk full of promotional items that we did not want to throw away but we never use either. Keep it simple. Start with a full color post card or flyer on good quality stock and you will begin to see more people calling you. And getting warm calls instead of making cold calls is what separates the marginally successful from the ultra-successful.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Gould

The holiday season is the perfect time to take sometime out to thank your employees for their hard work. A great way to do that is to throw a party where your employees can kick back and celebrate together. They will have the opportunity to get to know each other and you better, and that will help you create the teamwork that you need to have in a great work force. However, it can be tough to come up with a party that will please everyone. When planning your party you will want to keep in mind Christmas party ideas that would involve the whole office and that would entertain the whole office equally.

A traditional office Christmas party idea is to have a sit down dinner at your home. Sometimes it is great to invite your employees into your home where you can drop the boss act, and simply enjoy some time with your coworkers. You will want to make sure that you chat with everyone and have fun!

Another great Christmas party idea is to rent out a room at a restaurant to host your employees. Having a private room will give you an intimate and cozy feel while not having to invite everyone into your home. Perhaps your home is not large enough, or you simply do not have the time to get everything cleaned the way that you need to. Whatever the reason, hosting a night out at a great restaurant can be an easy solution to your holiday party dilemma.

If you are looking to create a great experience for your staff to enjoy then you might want to look at taking your office staff and their spouses to a local dinner theater to take in an evening of culture. Most theaters have some sort of holiday themed show running during the Christmas season. It can be a great night out that will encourage conversation and entertainment.

Another great office Christmas party idea is to take your staff to an amusement park, or mini golf course. Getting your workers out there having fun doing something together can be great. They will have the opportunity to blow off steam and simply laugh together. In fact, what is better than laughter during the holidays?

A traditional part of any office Christmas party is a gift exchange. What you can do to make it really fun is to first set a price limit. You do not want your employees to feel like they need to break the bank on a gift. Secondly, it would be great to set a theme for the gift exchange. It can be as simple as a gag gift theme, or you could do something more difficult like "the one thing you need if you are stranded on a desert island." That will encourage a sense of fun for all of your employees.

Planning an office Christmas party is work, but it is worth it. With some great Christmas party ideas, you can be sure that your employees will have a fantastic time at your next gathering!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_M._Earl

When the term was first popularized in the 1980s, "networking" was something that sales representatives and insurance agents did at 6:30am at the local diner, swapping leads and war stories over coffee and toast. Some 20 years later, the term has worked its way into the common vocabulary, and simply means "staying connected"-as well as "checking the connections regularly."

No matter what you do for work or play, there is a way that networking can help. If you need a kickstart in your new career, check the calendar listings in the business section of the newspaper and drop in on a few meetings of people in your line of work. If you have a home-based business, of any kind, there are groups of local entrepreneurs at whose networking meetings you can learn about all the aspects of running yours.

Lots of ways to play

Even stay-at-home moms (and dads) can add some dimension to their lives by seeking out people with common interests. From athletes and hobbyists to students and business people, everyone has something to gain, as well as their own experience and hope to share, through networking. It leads to free advice, new contacts, increased business and, sometimes, to lasting partnerships and even romance.

Although the "virtual" world seems to be expanding and the "real" one contracting, there are good reasons to network in both domains. You can have productive relationships with people around the world in many ways, but you can't get together for a softball game with your cyberpals in Singapore. Having a balance of virtual and physical friends, so to speak, will help you balance your own mental, physical and emotional needs. There are lots of ways to play (and work) with your networking partners today.

The "net" in "networking"

Again, the Internet is a tremendous resource, along with the local newspapers and business groups, for locating people of similar interests. And the housebound-invalids, the chronically ill, etc.-can even make the most of "virtual networking" without ever leaving the house. In addition to staying in touch with email, of course, one can add a "web camera" to a computer and have videoconferences with one, two, or half a dozen people, right from the comfort of home.

Networking is really just a high-tech term for "making the rounds" and "talking shop," human activities that go back to the dawn of civilization. With the tools available today-computers, modems, webcams, wireless Internet, all the rest-there may be additional opportunities for networking and new ways of communicating, but it still comes down to the age-old human desire to connect with others. In the last analysis, then, networking is just connecting with others, to help and be helped.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_McQuarrie