Networking Survival Guide | DAVE CLARKE

by Dave Clarke

Last month I attended a talk by Richard White who was speaking in the expert speaker slot at the end of a networking lunch in the City of London. The talk was entitled 'The missing piece of the networking jigsaw: how to make it easy for you to win more business'. Richard is founder of TheAccidentalSalesman.com and specializes in helping small technology companies to gain more sales from business networking. He is also author of the recently published, 'The Accidental Salesman - Networking Survival Guide'. The book is described on the cover as the essential hands on manual for winning more business and gaining new sales leads.

After the talk, I spent a few minutes chatting with Richard. He agreed to answer a few questions and share some of his insights (including his number one tip).

1.Why did you write the book?

"I have a lot of subscribers to TheAccidentalSalesman.com from around the world who kept asking if I would come and run one of my Lead Generation Master classes in their country. I was not able to do that so I decided to put the process into a book instead. I have included all the exercises and have added some extra things that such as how to maximize the sales opportunities and also how to generate sales leads from networking in a very time efficient manner."

2. What is your number one networking tip?

"There are so many small things that can impact the results you get from networking. I think you could sum them all up into an overall tip which is to make it easy for people to help you win more business.

I come across many people who are good at building up networking relationships with other people but they do not seem to get any business from their networking. The people in their network would be happy to help but for many reasons are unable or not prepared to help. Not everyone will be able to give referrals to our ideal clients but they may be able to help us in another way.

For example, they can introduce us to people they know well where there is a good opportunity for cross referral. They could introduce us to journalists or people who could provide us with PR opportunities. They could get us invitations to exclusive events where our ideal prospects will be attending.

Probably the biggest way to make it easy for others to help us is to be able to clearly articulate who we need to be connected to and why they would want be connected with us. This is not as easy as it sounds. Whilst we might think we understand our business inside out, making it easy for others to understand it is a much harder task. A key part of this is being prepared to truly specialize in our area of maximum credibility. It’s much easier for people to help us when we have a specialist niche and a proven track record."

3. What is next for Richard White?

"I am going to be bringing out a home study kit for my Advanced Lead Generation System and also develop more products and services for TheAccidentalSalesman.com. I will also be writing a sales manual for IT consultants and a range of products and services specifically for IT Consultants."

Until next time...
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get this free download to building business through networking



For more information, please visit Dave's TNNWC Bio.

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For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

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The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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Networking Survival Guide | DAVE CLARKE

GOYA2 - A Groundbreaking Look at Life, Business and Networking | DAVE CLARKE

by Dave Clarke

Towards the end of 2009 I wrote here about the then new book Get Off Your Arse (GOYA) from Brad Burton the Managing Director of the UK breakfast networking business, 4Networking. I recently spent some time with Brad and other UK Networking Leaders on the annual Netski trip where he gave me an advance copy of the now published Get Off Your Arse Too (GOYA2). I read the book on the flight to the French Alps from London and thoroughly enjoyed it. For me it reveals much more about why Brad does what he does with 4N. It's a motivational story and is well worth a read. Afterwards I asked Brad a few questions.

1. What's different from GOYA?

"I've grown up... well not really but its interesting. Some say GOYA2 should have been the first book, its still a groundbreaking look at life, business and networking. It expands on some of the key messages from the first. Think of it like a second coat of paint. Http://GetOffYourArse.bIz << will allow you to listen to a couple of audiochapters read by me for free."

2. You meet a lot of people networking so what's the biggest mistake people make?

"Selling without trust. In networking, to sell more sell less, and the book covers this off along with "Create the conditions where people buy". The networking world has moved on in my view. See, for me, its not about referals its about relationships. The nextgen of networker coming through recognises this. Business networking is not about business, its about people."

3. What's new in your world?

"Taking over the world! 4Networking has begun in Australia, and we now have 6 joined up groups successfully launched within 6 weeks. What's interesting about that is back in 2006 when we launched 4N, it took us 12 months to get 11 groups launched. 6 in 6 weeks... With 300+ linked breakfast groups in the UK now i think its fair to say we now know what we're doing!"

4. What's next?

"Next up 4N USA, but don't tell anyone its a secret. Ok?"

You heard it hear first! Brad is spot on when he says networking is about relationships. In my opinion real networking always has been.

Until next time...
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get this free download to building business through networking



For more information, please visit Dave's TNNWC Bio.

---

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

---

Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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GOYA2 - A Groundbreaking Look at Life, Business and Networking | DAVE CLARKE

15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: Hiring the Right Social Media Expert

15-Minute Media Tactics with Sue Henry

Enormous emphasis of marketing a business is placed on having a strong social media presence. So-called "experts" are popping up everywhere! But not all "experts" are created equal. It's hard to know what questions to ask when "we don't know what we don't know".

Below are 5 questions I recommend asking the person you are interviewing to manage your social media presence.

1. How much time will you be spending each day and on what activities?
Many social media consultants or managers charge a monthly fee and spend less than an hour per week marketing your business. Ask for specific sites you be marketing on, how will they know what to say, etc. What is their core strategy? If you hire them, is it a month-by-month contact or for a longer period of time? What happens if you don't see any results?

2. Show them your goals and desired outcomes.
You will need to have a written list of what you would like your social media consultant to achieve. Are you looking for new "friends", "fans", or "connections"? Do you want to drive people to free information you offer? Is your goal to improve your google and map ranking?

3. How will your social media consultant create and engage others in conversations through the status updates, blog posts, comments, etc?
The purpose of social media is to create relationships and engage others in conversation. Effective social media is a dialogue, not a monologue. You will want someone who posts directly on your site rather than relying on an aggragator such as ping.fm, hootsuite, etc. Successful social media consultants understand that social media works when people are interacting and conversing with each other.

4. How will your consultant track results and report to you?
Specify how often you want a report and how you'd like the report delivered. Email? A phone or Skype call? Set the expectations up front.

5. Ask them how much of their business comes from clients or customers that have been found through their social media marketing techniques.
Here's the BIGGIE for me! If they don't use their own social media strategies to find new clients or customers, then how will they successfully find new clients or customers for you? Don't be fooled by hype, stats, or charisma. Ask for references and follow up on them.

Outsourcing social media marketing is a great idea. When you hire the right person, your social media presence should become another income stream for your business. Ask the right questions up front and save yourself time, money, and headaches later on. Remember, you can create a strong, profitable presence in just 15 minutes a day...whether you do it yourself or hire someone to help.

For more information, please visit Sue's TNNWC Bio.

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Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC
Resources for Business Planning, Development, Capital and Growth

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15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: Hiring the Right Social Media Expert