Networking is a popular buzzword these days. Every blogger seems to be talking about Networking, Buzz Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing. However, not many of them seem to be presenting specific strategies for making the most of local networking groups. This is why I decided to write this article. There are a variety of organizations that run networking groups across the country. The largest group is probably BNI, which offers members the chance to attend weekly meetings and develop new professional relationships to help them grow their business. some chambers of commerce are now organizing "leads groups" for their members as well. These groups are intended to offer members a way to connect with each other and potentially refer each other business. In most "leads groups" each group allows no more then one representative from any industry, so if the group has a mortgage broker other mortgage brokers have to join another group or wait for the seat to open up. The idea is that by restricting membership, you eliminate competition within the group. The agenda at most structured networking meetings is pretty straightforward. Each member is given an opportunity to introduce themselves, then there is a short presentation by one or two members (each member gets the chance eventually). The meeting ends with members discussing potential referrals for each other. This means that most of the members get about one minute to present who they are and teach the other members of the group how to refer to them. Most people do a great job of presenting themselves. However, most people do not think to ask for referrals. At most networking events, you are not expected to ask for a referral or explain what a good referral for you is. However, at a leads group it is not only acceptable, it is expected! I am involved in a number of networking groups and have used the simple outline below to create my elevator pitch (quick introduction). When I deliver my elevator pitch to a leads group, my goal is to educate everyone in the room about my company and what I do, as well as to teach them the best way to refer others to me. In addition, I want to make sure I actually ask for a specific referral. I will go through each piece of the outline in detail, but here are the basics. Introduction -- Name -- Position + company name -- Location of the company Overview of services Tell a story Call to action The introduction piece of your presentation should stay the same every time you give it. You might say something like, "My name is Joe Smith. I am mortgage broker at ABC mortgages in Anytown, USA. We offer a full line of residential and commercial mortgage products." You can add some additional detail, but you should really focus on keeping this short and on point. At each meeting, you will have the chance to differentiate yourself from the competition by telling a short story during your presentation. The story can be related to a specific challenge you helped a client overcome, a unique feature of your product or service, or you can simply talk about a new development at your company. Consider writing out your stories in advance so you know what you are going to say at each meeting. In addition, you can schedule the content so that the other members of your group learn more and more about you at each meeting. You need to focus on educating your group a little more each week. The "call to action" is very important and the piece that most people overlook. You need to tell the other members of your group exactly what type of referral you are looking for. For example, our mortgage broker, Joe Smith, might say, "Today a good referral for me would be a Realtor at XYZ real estate company." Joe may also say, "Today a good referral for me would be anyone who purchased their home more then 10 years ago." I alway recommend that your "call to action" is as specific as possible. If Joe stands up and says that a good referral would be anyone who needs a mortgage, the rest of the group will have a harder time thinking of people to refer. If Joe asks for an introduction to a specific person at a specific company, someone in the group may know that person or know someone at that company who can facilitate Joe's introduction. The more specific the request, the more likely it is to trigger someone else in the group's memory. A last minute hint: Keep focused on the networks of the people in the group, not on the people themselves. In other words, when you are participating in a networking or leads group, you should not focus on gaining the business of the people at the table. Instead, you should focus on gaining their trust so that they will refer you people in their network. About The Author Stephen Labuda More information about Stephen can be found on his blog at http://www.stephenlabuda.com. Stephen is also a frequent contributor and consultant to http://www.SalesBrief.com, where you can find tons of articles to help you sell more now!
December 6, 2008
Strategies For Successful Business Networking ?
December 1, 2008
Jobs in Spain – What you need to know?
You've finally decided where to live, you've found your ideal home and all you need now is a job. The problem is that it's in another country, Spain. Finding a new job is difficult and stressful enought at the best of times, but when you're trying to find work abroad from hundreds of miles away your job hunt can start to become extremely frustrating. The first thing you'll notice when looking for jobs in Spain is that there aren't many employment agencies like there are in the UK. In fact there are few and far between. Employment/ recruitment websites in Spain are still in their infancy and many companies recruit either by word of mouth or in newspaper classifieds. limited when looking for work in Spain. Here on the Costa del Sol it seems thtat the majority of English-speaking jobs tend to be for commission-only sales people, and yes, generally in the cut-throat real estate market. For most paid jobs in Spain there is fierce competition and salaries are much lower the in the UK. Yes, you won't get rich in Spain working for someone else. For example, if you have a good IT job in the UK earning say, £20K per year, you would expect the same jobs in spain (around costal regions) to pay about 12K Euros per year. Quite a come down and you'd be lucky to get it! And despite common belief, the cost of living is not that much lower that in the UK. Looking for TEFL jobs in Spain to teach English? Then join the queue. Again, although the Spanish are keen to learn English, they don't like to pay too much for it and for many of the teaching schools you don't even need to have any qualifications...just speak English! Again, pay is very poor and job vacancies are few and far between. Most people who move abroad do so to improve the quality of their lives. You have to be careful you don't get stuck in a low-paying job in spain, working long hours just to enjoy a bit of sun at the weekends. We see many people arrive in Spain and leave a few months later realising that back in the UK they could be earning much more money doing a job that they actually want to do. So what should you do? Moving abroad is a big move with an associated risk. If you've got a little money in the bank (which you should as it's crazy to move abroad without some safety money) you should seriously consider starting up your own business in Spain. It's not as crazy as it sounds! For example, on many of the coasts there are new developments giong up everywhere. Many of the properties will be bought by investors or for holiday reasons and many will need their properties looked after, e.g., cleaning, furnishing, painting, key-holding, maintenance, etc. There is a big need for good property management companies as some areas are seriously lacking in this. This is just one example of the many possibilities that you could consider, and if you us a little imagination you'll think of many more. Still want to look for jobs in Spain? Maybe think again and broaden your mind. About The Author Susan Pedalino is Masters degree qualified in Intercultural Communication and teaching English as a foreign language. Susan regularly writes for Eye on Spain (www.eyeonspain.com). Having moved to Spain to set up a business and buy property, she has gained invaluable experience in buying off plan property in Spain.
There's also the language factor to take into account. If you don't speak Spanish (Castellano in the south and Catalan in the Barcelona regions) then you'll be at a disadvantage and your options become
If you seriously want to look for employment in Spain, you'll need to be flexible and not so fussy. Jobs don't come along very often so you need to be available when the opportunities arise.
October 6, 2008
sell used books?
sell used books. If you're a college student, you're well aware that education is expensive! On top of tuition, the cost of college textbooks is not insignificant. You may spend upwards of $2,000 for books in just one year. At the end of the semester, you may want to keep some, but generally, you'll want to sell books to recoup some of your cost and put that money into next semester's books. Selling used books is a notoriously unprofitable business. Here are some tips on maximizing your return when you're selling used books. One way to minimize your losses when selling used books is to advertise on campus through their intranet. Since other students are needing your books, they're also aware that the bookstore will charge them 70 – 80% of the new book price, while only paying the seller 50%. Therefore, if you advertise a price between 60 – 65%, both you and the buyer will save. When sell used books, there are other ways to advertise besides the campus intranet. You can list all the books you're selling on a flyer, noting the condition of the book and your selling price. Hand out your flyers to friends. Word of mouth works as well. Other seeming losing propositions in sell used books occurs when you sign up for a class and decide to drop it. Now you've got a book in mid-semester that no one's looking to buy until the next semester. Not necessarily. There's always someone who signed up for the same class within the same period in which you dropped the class. Include this book in your emails and flyers and you may well find an eager buyer for your used but “clean” book at 75% of the new cost. Advertising on your website is another innovative way to get the most for your used textbooks. A blog can attract lots of readers with your interests and in your age group, particularly college students. Just put a link on your main page, labeled “My college bookstore” to lead your visitor to your online flyer. Shipping books at postal book rates is cheap. You can see that selling used books need not be such a loser!
Given that the college bookstore typically gives you half of the cost you paid, then resells to another student for anywhere from 70 – 80% of the new price, selling used books back to the bookstore makes your loss substantial, while they are making a 25% profit on a resale of the same book they first profited when they sold to you. Perhaps unfair, but that's the way it works.
When sell used books, it's important to keep that book in as new a condition as possible. Avoid writing in the margins, highlighting and try your best not to spill coffee on it. Don't let the dog chew on it or let that burger drip on the pages. A “clean” book makes selling used books easier and will command a higher price. Everyone concerned makes out in this deal.
