Times change. "Green is the new black." Who could have imagined that two clashing forces - the Fashion Media and Birkenstockers - would stand united by this simple phrase? Surpassing its creators' wildest dreams, "green is the new black," has brought these disparate groups together. No doubt about it, the environment is on everyone's lips and minds.

But in the corporate world, there is another trend ready to make the jump from fringe to mainstream. We're not talking about a life-changing phenomenon. Not another Kyoto Accord, but a milestone, nonetheless. "Coffee is the new lunch." There, you have it. A simple concept, but one charged with implications.

Blame it on the economy, or clever Starbucks marketing or scientific research on coffee's antioxidant properties. Or maybe cappuccino has been waiting in the wings ever since martini glasses disappeared from Power Lunch tables? The point is, everyone's going for coffee. Not as in "break," but for networking and deal making and sharing information - the business of doing business.

Lunch itself is still around - in food courts, cafeterias and even park benches at this time of year. But when it comes to one-to-one meetings, "coffee" is at the forefront. There are some practical reasons for this shift to coffee shops. Compared to sorting out a lunch menu, ordering coffee is a breeze; a coffee shop is also neutral territory. When you consider the distractions of lunch at a restaurant, plus the time factor and the cost - this change of venue makes sense. Especially when you're just getting to know someone - rather like a first date.
What took us so long to make the transition?

The time is ripe to establish a few coffee-culture guidelines:

• Location counts. Pick a spot near a potential client's office, not across town.
• Plan on one hour, tops.
• Be Prepared. Not in the official Baden-Powell sense, but notebook, pen, your company brochure, some conversation starters and background on the person you're meeting.
• Punctuality reigns. There is no excuse, short of a tsunami, that is acceptable. But just in case, be sure to exchange cell phone numbers.
• Business attire mandatory. Whether you've just left your home-office or are on the way to meet your trainer, jogging suits are for the gym. Period.
• Dedicated tea drinker? No worries - plenty of choices from Earl Grey to chamomile. If you're the host, be certain to suggest a top-of-the-line Mochaccino, or one of its relatives, to your guest before placing your own modest order.
• Frappuccino, mocha latte, or macchiato - frazzled by all that barista lingo? Check this out for confidence building: www.coffee-illuminated.com/how-to-order-coffee.html
• The protocol of who pays is simple. If you extend the invitation, you pick up the cheque - or in this case, pay the cashier. And remember the tip jar.
• Turn off your cell phone and forget about it. Off limits. Same for texting. Nothing goes on the table except your cup. The one and only one exception - you're a doctor on call.
• Follow-up. Acknowledge the meeting and send an e-mail within a day or two.

So, when you realize you've just said; "Nice to meet you," and you meant it - the next step is simple. "How about coffee next week?" That's it. Nice and easy, in less than five minutes, you've made a cappuccino-connection.

Diane Craig
Image and Etiquette Expert
http://www.corporateclassinc.com

Diane Craig, President of Corporate Class Inc., is a leading image and etiquette consultant. For over 20 years she has provided corporate consultations, helping hundreds of men and women realize their professional and personal goals. She is a sought after speaker at national business meetings, regularly gives comprehensive workshops to corporate groups, and offers private consultations on business etiquette, dress and dining.


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

As we all know, cold calling can be a very un-productive way to build your contacts and generate sales leads - especially if you're one of the many people who are not comfortable pitching to strangers on the phone or with one foot jammed in their door. Prospects pick up on this lack of confidence and immediately get on the defensive.

A far more quantifiable and productive way to generate leads and convert prospects to clients is through networking.

Networking is more than just laughing at bad jokes

Networking is not about turning up at events, shaking hands, passing out business cards and laughing at bad jokes. And it's not just an action you take when you want something. It's a life skill.

Of course, events are a major part of networking. But networking also encompasses many other acts. For example, a spontaneous phone call, fax, email, thank you card or small gift to someone. It's a kind word to a fellow worker or neighbour, even a good morning greeting to a complete stranger. And you can do anywhere, anytime.

To be a great networker you need to:

* give without expectation
* do things for others - not wanting something back
* have an abundance mentality and with this alone anything is possible
* believe in making the pie bigger for everyone. They cross-network with competitors and regularly give referrals.
* know that having a poverty mentality - where people come from fear of sharing ideas of giving information away freely - is a negative way to live.
* believe in the universal law of reciprocity - what you give out comes back ten fold in the future.

And you should consciously put it into practice at least fifteen minutes a day.

Business events are a more traditional type of networking. For many people business networking events can be an uneasy experience. But they shouldn't be. If you really believe in your product or service, networking events offer a great opportunity to share your enthusiasm, meet others, learn more what's going on outside your own little world and make some fantastic contacts along the way.

11 tips for feeling comfortable at networking events

1. On the receipt of the invitation write "Why am I going?" and come up with an answer before you arrive. It will help you focus on the job at hand.
2. Work out your logistics. Can you get there in time; do you have another function?
3. What to wear - ask what the appropriate dress code is when you book.
4. Arrive early and leave late.
5. Be in a positive frame of mind.
6. Ask if you can help at the desk- so the people who know all the right people get to know you.
7. Keep your name tag on the right - it's easier for people to glance at.
8. Identify speakers of influence and ask "Do you mind if I join you?"
9. Say that you specialise in (insert your unique selling proposition)
10. Commit to being present - listen to the people you speak with
11. Maintain eye contact with each person you talk to - don't go looking over shoulders for more interesting targets.

If you want to generate good quality leads in a highly productive way, then brush up on your networking skills. You'll be surprised how many more of your prospects soon become clients.



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

January is already over. Time goes so fast that we usually don't have enough time to do everything we would like. I am sure you probably have your to do list in the morning and when the evening comes you still have a lot to accomplish from it. You got distracted during the day, something happened and you are late.

Well, it is the same thing with new year resolution, we have a lot in mind in December, but by the end of January the priorities we set up are gone for X, Y, Z reasons.

What were your networking strategies in 2008. Did you check the results at the end of the year?

- How many networking events did you attend?
- How many groups did you join?
- How many new contacts did you make, per month, and during the year?
- How many of these new contacts became paying clients?
- How many of your current clients reorder from you?
- How many referrals did you get from your clients or contacts?
- What is your conversion rate?

Did you ever ask yourself all of those questions?

If you didn't ask yourself all of those questions at the end of 2008, it is an emergency to do it right now. The economy has been pretty bad the past months, so if you don't change your strategies to get better results, you can expect 2009 to be a very bad year for you.

So take a moment, and write down everything you did to promote your business: networking, marketing, communication, etc.

Whatever you did, did you do it only once or multiple times? For example, if you did a postcard mailing, did you send only one card per contact or a series of cards?

Same if you put an ad in a newspaper or on internet. After how many times did you noticed a result?
Statistic show that we need to hear or see a message at least seven times before we even notice it, so make sure you don't give up after a couple of tests.

How did you follow up with people? Do you have a follow up system in place to make sure that you always know what to do when you meet somebody new, either at a networking event or any place else?

Did you send them an email and eventually call a few days later, and stop there, like most people do and claim that networking is not working?

Did you create a free report, or a free CD to send to people to let them know more about your business?

Did you update your website, and mention all of your new services or products, and inform everybody that you created new services during the year?

Did you organize teleclasses to reach more people in one time instead of meeting persons one at a time?

Did you create partnerships with other entrepreneurs to offer more services to your clients?

What worked the best for you? What did you do to change the way you were doing business before? What didn't work, and did you analyze why?

With all of your answers, create an action plan to do more of what worked in 2008 and how you could even double this result in 2009.

To make sure these strategies will be in place for the entire year, schedule a meeting with yourself every week, no less than that, to test, track and analyze everything you do. So you will not spend months wondering how you should grow you business. This meeting with yourself should be your most important meeting of the week. You are your most important client. All the time you will spend working on your business instead of working in your business will generate more and more clients for you and obviously more money for your business.

Create an Excel document with your networking goals for the year and report all of your results and update per date, so you will not forget and put every positive result in red, so each time you will look at it, you will know exactly where you are and where you are going.

(c) 2009 Biba F. Pédron

Biba F. Pédron, Marketing Consultant, founder of Biba4Network, also knows as "The Connection Queen", helps solo-entrepreneurs to maximize their networking results and reveal proven strategies to attract more clients and double their business with simple but effective networking system.

Biba is the author of "Start Your Dream Business Today! The Proven 11 Steps to Start and Grow Your Own Business". And "Power of Networking Secrets" a 5 step Program to maximize your networking results"



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

Networking is a great way to meet people within a non-selling environment. Just be your friendly self and relax. Have fun and get to know the people you are with.

Here are a few things you can do when you are networking:

1. Set a time each week to network. Pick specific meetings and events that you think your typical clientele would be attending. Make this a regular part of your business schedule. By attending these networking events your face will become familiar and will show more credibility.

2. If you are new to networking then an easy way to start is the local Chamber of Commerce (COC). Go as a guest and see if this is the right crowd for your product or service. Some COC's are very strong and have a heavy involvement in the business community. This will give you a chance to check them out. In addition the COC are always looking for speakers so dust off your microphone and provide the members with some material to help them grow their business.

3. Before you attend an event, understand why you are going. Remember no hard sell here. Bring with you the knowledge that you can help others. Don't rush. Your goal is to get the OTHER person's business card. Of course if they ask you for yours give it to them.

4. By focusing your attention of THEM you will learn what is important to them. Maybe their business is struggling and you have a solution to a particular problem. By asking the right questions you can find the pain or fears that a business owner might have. The more questions you ask the better you can hone your skills that will bare fruit.

5. You must make at least a mental note of something significant your potential client has said. When you have a chance jot down this information. This could be an upcoming event, birthday, graduation etc. now these become icebreakers the next time you communicate with them.

6. You will find very few people that will network the way we are discussing. When you are asked go ahead and give your best "30 second commercial". Then stop and see what kind of reactions you will get. You're there to gather information and to meet people, period.

7. People love people who are interested in them. Ask questions and then listen. Rinse and repeat. Your goal is to get these folks engaged in conversation, build rapport and determine quickly if they are you target market.

8. Offer a referral. The best way to start a relationship is by giving someone something that can help him or her. In doing so you are setting up the expectation they will give you a reciprocal referral. Not always, but you have a better chance of getting a referral.

Networking is a great way to build long lasting relationships. Remember people do business with people they like. If you network every chance you have you will have a steady stream of new clients.

I challenge you to meet one new person everyday and by the end of the month you would have meet and talked to 28 - 31 new prospective clients!

It is a numbers game ... getting more customers is easy when you put yourself out there and give back to the business community.



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