#7 on our list is all about The Introduction

Ok here is a great tip that is very important but many people will overlook, or haven’t even thought of.

Do some homework before the event! Find out whom you want to meet ahead of time, keep it simple, and focus on two ideal people to meet and your next networking event.

So many times at networking events people will try to meet everyone by saying quick hellos and dropping their business cards into as many hands as possible (that never works) you are forgotten immediately!

Why, if you’ve taken the time away from your family or business to attend a networking event, would you leave without one or two quality connections?

One more thing, if you have a mutual connection, have them introduce you. There’s nothing better than an introduction from a past customer, friend or colleague. This is as simple as saying “Hey Lisa, I noticed you talking to Joe over there and I’d really like to meet him. Can you introduce us?”

So remember this at your next networking event - You are there to build relationships and NOT make a sale. Choose your event wisely; focus on one or two people to make a meaningful
connection with. Start the conversation off on a positive note and listen carefully to what they have to say. Ask the right questions, repeat their name and make sure you are sincere so they remember you. After the event follow up with a referral if possible or a well written letter discussing a topic from your conversation. Think about how you can be of service to this person and what you can give.

This my friends is the first step to building a positive and long lasting, mutually beneficial business relationship – and that’s really why we network!

Please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback below. I would LOVE to hear what networking tips have worked for you!

A good friend of mine Curt shares his perspective on fear and what he did to overcome it.

Do you remember when you were a little kid, riding your bike all over town? I sure do.

I remember when my bicycle was my key to freedom. I used it to escape the constant hostage of Saturday chores. In fact, sometimes I finished my homework before the sun went down I would sometimes just ride around until I couldn’t see the street anymore because of how dark it was.I’m not sure if it was a consequence or if it was in spite of it, but I was bitten by the bicycling bug. There was a time in my life just a mere 10 years ago, that I wondered if I could make a living just riding my bike.

The funny thing is, that it was only about that time when I was in my 20′s that I realized how to break the psychological trap that we’ve all experienced which is where the bike pull this off the curb even though were fighting with all of our might to stay up.

Perhaps I’m not explaining it very well, imagine writing down the sidewalk on your bicycle and inching closer and closer to the drop-off of the curb. You’re riding parallel to that 3 inch drop off and inching closer and closer to it. About the time your tire crosses the line that positions you within 4 inches or so to the edge, the curb becomes very magnetic––dare I say as if it was a black hole sucking you off and into the asphalt. You remember how funny you looked as you fought to keep your bike upright. But invariably, you end up either crashing, almost crashing, or just looking silly but no matter what you came off of the curb.

It wasn’t your fault.

In fact, even when I was beginning racing mountain bikes through the deserts of Arizona I was plagued with this terrible psychological pummeling when I tried to right along the curb.

Would you like to learn the secret?

I’ll share with you, but you have to promise that you won’t laugh when you hear how simple it is.
It’s sometimes simplicity that makes us shrug off some of the most valuable pieces of information we’re ever given.
So: with that understanding I now share with you how to ride a bike along the curb without falling off.
Look where you want to go. Do not become distracted by staring at where you do not want to go.

See, I told you it was simple.

Go try it, get on your bike fix your vision exactly on the path you want to ride along. And you will be astonished. It’s that simple.

So what’s the meaning of me telling you this? It’s the irony that this is exactly how we as business owners are. If we stare full of fear at all of the terrible things that could happen to us, and allow our minds to be filled in clouded with all those fears and worries we will find that our focus is exactly where we don’t want it to be. That misguided focus will act as a tractor beam pulling us into exactly what it is we are trying to stay away from.

Do you believe that?

Do you spend your time focusing on what you want your business to become, who you want to become, or moving towards the goals you’ve set for yourself? Or do you just have some abstract idea of what you’re trying to stay away from and spend your entire day trying to keep that from happening?

Kind of interesting isn’t it? I can’t say I’m perfect, but I’ve learned to ride along the curb with about 90% success

Did this resonate with you? Share your comments below, what are the things that you are avoiding and what are the things you’re focused on?

About the author Curt Kempton owner of Five Star Window Care and creator of the Responsibid a revolutionary way to bid window cleaning jobs over the internet.

Or how about: “There are no good people out there!” or “If I only had two of Jane or one more of John, things would be so much better!”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the most valuable asset in a company is its people. We are, after all, only as good as our employees. So, why is this issue such a great problem in today’s business world? In this economy, isn’t there a lot of people job hunting right about now? Shouldn’t there be an abundance of good ones instead of a shortage?

Well, the truth is that really good people do exist and they are out there. We just have to have a little more patience and be a little more selective in our employee hunting. What I have come to realize over the years is that the true problem lies within our own inability to hire as employers. What I mean by this, is that at times, I believe we settle out of convenience. I’m including myself in this statement. I’ve noticed that every time I need a new employee its right after I’ve had to let someone go or just after someone quit. I’m sure you’ve experienced this same situation yourself… the phones are ringing off the hook and the business is coming in but you just lost a key employee! And our biggest mistake, as employers, is to search for somebody to fill his or her shoes as quickly as possible just to maintain the operation going – Bad idea! In my personal experience, every time I rushed to hire someone it led to bad results.

In this type of predicament, what we really need to do is take a step back, slow down and take a deep breath.

Here are five great tips to consider when hiring a new employee:

• Don’t wait until you have to hire somebody, plan ahead. Even if it means being overstaffed with a part-time employee that can easily step up if a position opens.

• Make note of the qualities you like most about your key employees and search for those qualities in a new hire.

• Create a MUST HAVE list of the essential skills and abilities that you require in a new employee and do not stray from that list.

• Always go with your first instinct, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the interview process and picked out one or two good qualities of that person and thought I could help them change the bad qualities – WRONG! It never works out the way you visualize it in your mind.

• Recruit from within. Talk to your main employees and find out if they have any friends that want a job. Great people usually surround themselves with other great people and having a referral from someone on the inside is always a good thing.

I hope these hiring tips are helpful to you search for good employees. I know that especially right now, with the economy the way it is, there are so many great people out there needing work. We just have to find the one that matches!

Just a few months ago I had to let go of one of my key employees that had been with me for five years. It took me a while to realize that I had been holding on to him out of convenience. The week after I let them go was a little bit hectic, but since that day I have never questioned my decision. I had to come to the realization that he was the cancer in our crew and once I got rid of him everybody else stepped up and did an even better job.

So take a long look at your employees is there a cancer in your crew? Remember, one bad apple ban easily spoil the bunch. If you have any suggestions on hiring or would like to share one of your stories please comment below.

We all need them and we all love them. And guess what, it’s no mistake that this person knows everyone in town. Because it’s most likely from years of networking and getting to know people on a personal level that they have this endless rolodex of useful contacts and connections.

They’ve spent years cultivating relationships and that’s where the real trust and loyalty come into play.

The reason why I’m sharing this fact with you is that I feel that our success as business people is directly related to the relationships we build in the community.  It really is through networking and passing referrals that people grow to appreciate us more and value our friendship. And hey, let’s face it, nothing builds friendships in business faster than someone saying “Hey, I just referred you to my neighbor who needs to remodel his kitchen” or “Mrs. Jones should be calling you soon, she wants her backyard landscaped”.

So, do you want to pass more referrals? The answer is become a resource to people! Here are five great tips on becoming a great resource.

1. Let your customers know that you know everyone in town and that you have created great relationships over the years with quality companies you can trust with good values.
2. On your business cards put the tagline “need a referral call me, I’m happy to help”
3. Become very active in social networking, this a great way not only to meet great companies but to pass many referrals.
4. When you are talking with your customers or friends ask them the following question “is there anyone servicing your home that you are not happy with?  This is a great way to give out a quick referral, and your neighbor, customer or friend will appreciate it!
5. Follow up on your referrals, show them you really care, they will appreciate it and spread the word to their friends that you are the first person they should call when looking for a new service company.

Follow these steps and I guarantee you will see some great results!!!

The gun fires suddenly and now you’re off and running fast, amazingly it’s the perfect start! You come around the first turn and you have a three person lead. “This is it”

you think to yourself, all the training is finally going to pay off…. If you can just keep this momentum going and the race is yours to win. The excitement is overwhelming, you’re on a high…

Then suddenly something unexpected happens, wait a minute – what’s going on? You start to hear the footsteps slowing down behind you. The crowd’s cheers slowly turn to whispers and you don’t understand. You look ahead and realize that the unthinkable has happened. Somewhere, somehow, someone forgot to put up the finish line. How can this be? Now what?

Who can keep up this momentum with no goal in sight? You already know the people behind you are quitting. It’s just a matter of time before you quit as well right? RIGHT!

Remember this story the next time you set a goal for yourself or your business without a finish line. You and your team will most likely lose your momentum after a while. Its easy coming out of the gate with enthusiasm and excitement the hard part is maintaining it. Usually what keeps us going is the vision of accomplishing our goals.

By Definition:  Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire.

This goal setting definition emphasizes that goal setting is a two part process. For effective goal setting, you need to do more than just decide what you want to do; you also have to work at accomplishing whatever goal you have set for yourself with the end result in mind.

For many people, it’s the second part of the goal setting definition that’s problematic. They know what they want to do but have trouble creating a plan to get there. Goals without action plans are just words. If you are not setting goals with clear action plans for yourself and your company now I suggest you start today.

After you have defined your goals and decided on a plan to get there, remember to always walk in the direction of your goals. You can’t get to California if you’re facing towards New York and going in that direction. Every now and then review your goal list and action plan. When it comes time to making an important decision ask yourself, will this take me closer to my goal or further away?

From a study done at Yale University in 1953 in which the graduating class were asked if they had clear, written goals. 3% of the students said they had written goals, 13% had goals they had not written down and 84% had no clear goals.

At the class reunion 20 years later, further investigation is said to have discovered that the 3% with written goals were worth more than the other 97% put together!

Yah! I think I’m setting some goals.

Simply go to your apps and search for QR Code reader, I’ll wait…….. got it?

Hold it over the QR Code below.

Nowadays you couldn’t pay me to swim in those lakes. But what I did back then was take all the golf balls I could find, clean them up, sort them, and put them into egg cartons. I would then sell them for $5.00 per dozen to the passing golfers. Not a bad gig considering I was my own boss at such an early age.

The reason for me sharing this story is not just to let you know how crazy I was to swim at night with alligators and snakes but to also let you know of a simple lesson I learned back then. That valuable lesson was to never overlook the obvious.

Here’s how I learned it: One afternoon, my buddies and I were hitting all the old golf balls into our neighborhood lake. This was a common thing we did after selling off all the good balls. Just then, a neighbor came out and curiously asked what are you doing?  We explained that we had no use for the weathered golf balls and figured we could at least work on hitting our irons and polish up on some lacking golf skills. After pondering for a second or two he suggested I take the golf balls to a friend of his who owned a driving rage in town. He said he was sure his buddy would pay me for the extra golf balls.

He was correct! I got an extra 15 cents a ball to be exact and well from that day forward my profits soared! Ok, maybe not exactly soared - but it sure is fun to exaggerate when strolling down memory lane. To be honest my profits didn’t soar but it was an extra $150.00 bucks for every 1000 balls I sold. Now granted these were balls I was normally discarding and not making a profit on at all. This extra cash gave me the buying power to acquire a lot of music tapes or better yet go see Romance in the Stone or Ghost Busters one more time before leaving the theatre’s.

So the Great Small Business Tip of the day is: Don’t overlook the obvious! There are always revenue streams in every business. Think about what you are discarding at this moment. Maybe you are an air duct cleaning company and just throw out the waste… maybe it could be resold for furniture stuffing? Or what about a flooring company… what are you doing with all the carpet you pull up? Is there a way that you can use that waste? Maybe it can be ground up and re-purposed? I hear auto mechanics are taking old tires and having them grounded down for mulch.

In this day and age of a GREEN awareness movement where recycling is IN and the economy is tight… it might be a good idea to take a moment and think about it. You just may have another revenue stream right under your nose and you didn’t even know it.

 let me know what kind of extra revenue you bring in with any new business that you discover. As always, I love to hear from you!