Your business can be stronger and more successful if you build a strong community around, and for, it. Successful business owners know that developing a business community or network will help their business prosper. As a business owner or manager, you need to recognize that you need to be part of the right network of people, otherwise you are wasting time. Develop business social networks with people who want to connect, share, and who have specific business goals.

In today's business environment, building a network has never been easier because it is enabled by a growing number of online community groups; and by some of the best online communities (such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Ning, Open Forum, MySpace, and Flickr). These online social networks have great value in building your business relationships - if you clearly understand how to do so.

The power of business networking comes from building relationships and from gaining access to hard-to-find information, contacts or resources. The best online communities also allow you to build your brand and communicate your messages; usually at no direct cost to you.

For face-to-face (in person) or voice-to-voice (by phone) networking, consider industry or trade associations. Attending meetings is the first step, but to get the biggest return on your investment of time you need to participate in association meetings. Ensure that you participate in associations that your customers belong to; you'll be able to connect with them in a much more meaningful way if you work with them on a committee or attend a training session or program and spend time discussing the program with them.

Before you build your business group or business social networks, you need to define your stakeholder model: specify who has contact with your business (customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, bankers, your business neighbours, etc.), rank their importance to your business, and define the points of contact you want to have with them (e.g. within their organizations do you want to make contact with the customer service group, the accounting department, the purchasing group, the warehouse/inventory department, and so on).

Once you've developed your stakeholder model, assess both the offline and online community groups (in this case, we're talking about business communities that are also known as business social networks). Many business owners still feel that networking is a 'soft' activity and they don't want to invest their time in building a network. That's simply wrong thinking that leads to lost opportunities and to higher costs for marketing and sales efforts.

You do need to be real and authentic in your relationship building. It cannot be only to make a sale. You need to invest in your network to give to others in the group, as well as to receive. This sounds somewhat trite but the reality is that building a business community is like building any long-term relationship; you need to put time and sincerity into it and it cannot be all about you.

Participate in at least three or four networks or communities. Some of them are listed here:

1. Your industry trade association and your customers' trade or industry association (e.g. the insurance industry associations).
2. Business owners sometimes forget to include employees in their network building. An internal committee formed to address specific tasks or solve specific problems can be a powerful internal network.
3. Build or join a small business advisory group - this is a non-competing group of small business owners who meet regularly to discuss business issues and concerns and look to the group for input (much like an adhoc board of directors).
4. Build or join a small business peer-to-peer network. This works best if the participants in the group come from non-competing geographical regions.
5. Build a network of two - you and your business mentor. Work with a business mentor or a business coach that is highly skilled and successful in your industry.
6. Participate in online business social networks. Today's top 3 best online communities: LinkedIn has a good reputation for professional networking. Others such as Twitter and Facebook are gaining credibility as online community groups for business, on top of the high profile reputations they both have as purely social groups.

To get the most of networking, define social networks and their target audiences first and then closely align to your business objectives and stakeholder model. The network you build for you business needs to have common goals that can be obtained through the building of relationships with others.

Your business social networks will be most effective if you relate your business strategy and objectives to your stakeholder model. These associates and groups work together as a community for a common purpose: each wanting to improve their own business (or in the case of family and friends, helping you improve your business) through the support and connection with others.

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

As you are getting ready for your next convention or trade show, I think it is a good time to talk about maximizing your success at trade shows.

It is wonderful seeing friends and colleagues who I haven't seen in a while. For instance, going to an upcoming writing conference will bring me face-to-face with several people that I often converse with on the phone.

There's just no substitute for a good face-to-face meeting. We spend so much time on the phone, and communicating via e-mail and voice mail, that it's more important than ever to really connect...in person. It will be a pleasure to say a real "hello" to you all at The Global Business Café fall cruise. I'll be speaking about the newest techniques in business development - please come up and introduce yourself.

There's a good deal of material that has been written on how to maximize your trade show presence when you have a booth (e.g., Connecting with Key Decision Makers). I am also thinking that it's important to make the most of your time and energy walking around the convention floor. Here are three guidelines to help you.

1. Make a plan.
Trade shows can be expensive propositions and a well-thought out plan helps you get the most from your investment of time and money. Here is what I suggest ...

• Pick out the sessions you want to attend. Try to go to sessions that have speakers who are going to tell you something you don't already know. Expand your base of knowledge. If you always go to creative sessions, attend a database or CRM session. All you need is one good idea.

• Write letters to new prospects whose offices are in the vicinity of the show to set up meetings. Since you will be in (name of city), you may want to write letters to prospective customers in the area. I usually write something such as, "I've always wanted to work on your business and I'm going to be in Atlanta for the (name of trade show)." Then, I try to schedule drinks, dinner or breakfast. I find that breakfast works really well because people often schedule their dinners well in advance, but often can squeeze in breakfast plans.

2. Look for new creative ideas.
Because they offer unparalleled access to your competition and your potential customers, trade shows are a great opportunity to disrupt your thinking and expand your creative horizons. So, I suggest you...

• Keep your eyes wide open. Fill your bag with everything that looks interesting, everything that looks new, even if it doesn't apply directly to your area of business. I try to take a survey walk through the area and note where I want to go back and visit. At the National Radio Talk Show every spring, I pick up information on everything from show content to syndication and come up with fresh ideas for my programs.

• Check out the competition. Look at your competitor's promotional materials and their booth. Did you make the right decision by not getting a booth, or does your competitor's booth look really active? What is your competitor doing right? Where do you think your competitor is falling short?

3. Prospect for new business.

• Have information about your company on hand. While you're making your way through the convention floor picking up interesting information, it doesn't hurt to have some information about your own company. That way, when you find yourself in conversation with a potential customer, you can say, "Here's an article in XYZ Magazine profiling our company." Or, "Here's a brochure about our organization that lists some of our customers." Most of all, bring plenty of business cards.

• Make an effort to talk to a good deal of people. You never know who landed where or who knows whom - it just makes sense to try to touch base with as many people as possible. A writer at our company told me she got her very first writing assignment from someone she sat beside at a session on how to write direct mail copy.

• Review old acquaintances. Before the show starts, spend a few moments thinking about who may be attending the show who you would really love to catch up with. Try to track down former colleagues and customers you haven't seen for a while.

• Follow-up. There is nothing more important than this step. I am amazed at how many organizations spend a fortune at a show, only to collect business cards and then do nothing with them.

Here's a true story that illustrates this point: Last year, I visited a booth that I was interested in. I spoke to the representative and discussed what I needed. Then I put my card in the fishbowl for a chance to win a case of wine.

Guess what? I won the wine! I sent a letter of thanks to the representative and asked her to have someone get in touch with me. I didn't hear from anyone. This year, I saw the same representative and asked why no one had ever contacted me. She explained that she passes the leads on to the sales department and doesn't know what the sales department does with them.

The moral of the story is to follow-up. Hot leads can get cold in a New York minute.

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

Don't sabotage a business event. Master these memory tips and by the end of the day reap a valuable reward - a new contact.

Admit it. At some point you've forgotten someone's name. Acronyms, a collection of letters that spell out a word, are the most common mnemonic strategy used when committing information to memory. Remembering names can be achieved using FACE, which stands for the four essential steps in the process of name recall: Focus, Ask, Comment and Employ. These steps can spur a complex reaction in the mind that makes the recall of the person's name easier.

•FOCUS
In sports, they call it "putting on your game face." Athletes know that a large part of the battle is mental preparation, focusing on the task at hand. Athletes concentrate their attention on what they're about to do, engaging in what sports psychologists call "positive imaging." When the critical moment finally arrives - a breakaway in a hockey game, a pass into the end zone - the athlete is mentally prepared to handle it, increasing the chances of success.

Business, too, is competition. Meeting strangers is one of the critical moments when you can either score points or get shut out. Establish a connection, or you can risk lapsing into the breezy mode that most people use when meeting others for the first time.

• ASK
Even if you've focused on hearing the name and are positive that you heard it correctly, it's crucial to ask to hear it again. It's certainly better to make the confirmation while meeting someone rather than waiting until you run into the person 10 minutes later.

• COMMENT
Memory building is the forming of connections between new information and things the brain already knows. Cross-referencing helps embed the new information. One of the most crucial ties of all is what you accomplish with "Comment." This takes the name deeper into your memory by linking it to knowledge that is already rock-solid in your brain.

Sometimes the only thing that will occur to you is a single statement or fact: "My brother's name is Simon, too," or "Melissa - that's my wife's name." Commenting gives you the chance to say the name aloud again.

• EMPLOY
You've spoken the name inquisitively ("Did you say Ed?" "It's Ed?"). But you've never said the name in a way that signifies to an acquaintance that you've integrated it into memory. Now it's time to "Employ" the name.

Make the person's name the topic of your initial conversation or use it once in the course of talking. Introduce the person to others. Say goodbye to the person using their name.

About Face

• FOCUS
Mental preparation is the first step in remembering a new person's name. Concentrate on the task at hand.

• ASK
Reinforcement drives memory. After an introduction, ask a new acquaintance to repeat their name for clarification.

• COMMENT
Relate a name to something familiar, such as "My brother's name is Steve, too."

• EMPLOY
Incorporate a new name into conversation. Make sure to say goodbye by addressing a new acquaintance in the first person.

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