10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks

You could be forgiven for thinking there was a battle being fought between offline & online networks with some of the messages from organisations in both camps. The reality is that the online networks give us a really effective tool for supporting our offline business networking activities. They only do that, however, if we go about both activities strategically.

Dave Clarke from NRG Business Networks has been an active member of online networks since he discovered them in 2003. Here are his top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks...

1. Get comfortable with how networking works

"All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to those people they know, like and trust." (Bob Burg).

Business Networking is about finding other business people who operate in similar markets to you. Then helping them and building relationships to earn that trust so don’t expect instant results. Like anything worthwhile, networking takes time and application. Take the time to develop relationships and create a network. Don’t expect to walk into a room of strangers or simply post a profile online and come away with business – it just doesn’t work like that!

2. Develop a plan

"It pays to plan ahead it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark"

If you don’t know where you are going with your networking how can others help you?
Answer the following:
- what is your target market?
- what are the problems you solve for them?
- how much business are you looking to generate via word of mouth?
- how much time can you devote to your networking activities?
Identify others likely to have access to your target market
- how do you get to know them?
- how can you help them achieve their goals?

When you can answer these questions you are have the basis of a networking plan which you can begin acting on right away.

3. Identify the people you already know, like & trust

The cornerstone of your networking activities should be the people you have already done business with. Colleagues, Customers and Suppliers. Invest time in these important relationships. Meet up with them and find out if there is anything you can do to support them.

4. Identify the offline networks to join

If your existing network is not big enough to generate enough word of mouth to achieve your plan then find a couple of networks to join. Ask yourself who else is likely to have access to and influence with your target market. Then find where they network and join those groups. Take the time to get to know the members and the ways you can help - support, information & introductions. When asked present your proposition confidently & consistently - your target market, the problems you solve and your stories.

5. Show a genuine interest in other people

"You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you." So said Dale Carnegie – and it’s true.

Become an active listener and see how you can help the people you meet. By being aware of their needs you can connect them to people in your network. This will involve asking open questions. People usually find the most interesting subject is themselves! Make it easy for them to expand their answers rather than just replying with a “Yes” or “No”. For example “That’s interesting, how do you do that?” They will remember you for listening attentively to them! Be prepared to talk to strangers and have an interesting story.

6. Always follow up contacts

When you meet someone at an event follow up with a simple e-mail or telephone call confirming where you met and what action, if any, was agreed. Connect them to others & any helpful information. Prompt follow ups are essential! Find out which online networks they use and connect with them if you are also a member.

7. Identify the online networks to join and start a blog.

Your blog is the cornerstone of your online presence & is the place you build your reputation. It can be on your website or a free service like blogger, wordpress or similar. Use your blog to share your stories, hints, tips, & insights and use twitter to share these too. Find out which online networks your influencers and target market use and join a couple. Use the network tools to find the people you already know and connect with them online. Post a profile that is consistent with your personal brand and contribute.

8. Make online contacts and build relationships first

Contribute to online conversations and share your knowledge and connections. Make contact with like minded professionals. Networking is not about selling – it’s about building relationships. The best business is developed when both parties know, like and trust each other. So take the time to get to know them and establish rapport.

9. Arrange contact meetings

You’ve established rapport with someone you’ve met at a networking meeting or had good online interactions. It looks as though they might know your target market. How do you take things forward? Simple, meet with them for a coffee and start getting to know them. What makes them tick, what are their successes, their aspirations, their skills and experiences. what they are looking for? See if you can connect them to one of your contacts?

10. Develop Networking Advocates

A networking advocate goes out of their way to recommend your goods and services without being asked or expecting anything in return. Take time to develop the relationships with key members of your network. Go out of your way to connect them to key members of your network and introduce them to people who might benefit from their services. Become an advocate for them. And, guess what? What goes round comes round. People will eventually become advocates for you – and this is where the networking dividend really pays out!

Finally, in the immortal words of Woody Allen: “80% of success is showing up!”

Good Networking!



Dave Clarke is a Director of NRG Business Networks.

You can hear Dave talking about more ways to get the most of out of networking on PASSION for the PLANET

Taking ideas out of the dream box & onto the path to success

We all have dreams. Things that we would like to do or have in our lives; from losing weight, to buying our dream house or setting up our own business.

As children we spent hours every day dreaming about all the things that we would be, do and see. Maybe you wanted to play football for England, become a film star or travel the world. The possibilities were endless, what happened to those dreams?

As an adult you start to think that if those childhood dreams didn't become a reality, then why should the ones you have today? Cynicism takes over. The gulf between the pictures in your head and the routine of everyday life seems too large to cross. So the ideas flowing through your mind like an endless river of potential happiness are halted abruptly by the daily 6am alarm clock and the bridge to possibilities is never crossed.

Turning a mental picture of your goal into the physical reality, whatever your desire, is made more difficult by believing that the transformation needs to happen overnight. When the results are not immediate we tend to put the idea safely back in the dream box and tell ourselves that we have failed.

To turn your dreams into reality you must think of them as goals that are there for you to achieve, just waiting for you to successfully harness them. Your goals do not need to be achieved in one blind leap; instead imagine a series of carefully positioned stepping stones.

The Stepping Stones

Step 1) Know your goal: Lenin said "The people who will win are those with a clear idea of where they want to go". Have a clear understanding of what you want and why.

Ask yourself “What will this goal bring to my life? What will happen if I don't achieve this goal? What has stopped me from achieving this goal so far?”

Write it all down! It's important to have a record of your thought process so that you can remind yourself of where you're heading and what you've achieved so far.

Step 2) Sanity check: Your goals may be hard to achieve and involve a lot of effort, so before you set about trying to reach them you need to sanity check how much you want them in your life.

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you want to reach this goal? If it's less than a 9, you're going to struggle to find the motivation to complete the steps.

Question your motivations, “If I could have it today would I take it? If my goal involves a move of location or job who else will be impacted? Do my parents/partner/children need to be in agreement?”

Step 3) Be self aware: Does this goal suit you?

This may sound ridiculous but if the goal does not meet with your own values and beliefs, your internal conflict will prevent you from completing the path to success.

Does this goal fit in with who you are fundamentally? Does it fit with your core beliefs? What personal needs are at the root of wanting this goal, for example flexibility, security or respect etc?

The core need could be achieved by something else which is simpler.

Step 4) Plan to make it a priority: Treat achieving your personal goals as a priority.

Just as you meet deadlines for work, paying the bills, etc. so should you meet your personal deadlines. Put it in your diary! Plan the steps that you need to take by a specific date and check up on yourself. Set yourself up to succeed.

Perhaps it's a few pounds that you want to lose or a new job that you're looking for. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do to make this happen?” Make a note of the date that you want to achieve it by, list all the steps that need to happen before then and put a deadline next to each step. Remember to plan time to plan!

Step 5) Build your support network: No man is an island!

You have to accept that you will sometimes need the support of some trusted advisors to keep you on track. Who do you know that can help you? Who can you learn from? Who has achieved something similar? How did they do it?

The key focus with your support network is to find people who really understand what you want to achieve and are prepared to be there for you. Sometimes your partner or closest friends can be those who can unwittingly sabotage your success. Pick your confidants wisely.

Step 6) Overcome obstacles: You may have to accept that you won't meet every deadline, or that busy times at work or a hectic social life may prevent you from hitting every milestone date in the diary.

This is not an excuse to give up, throw in the towel and exclaim that the goal is impossible.

Gather your thoughts and then go back to Step 1 in the Stepping Stones and follow the process again. The goal may be delayed but by following the course, you will get to the finish line.

Step 7) Enjoy the journey: Sometimes we're so focused on the end destination that we forget how enjoyable the road trip can be.

You will face challenges that you will overcome, you will discover much about yourself and those closest to you and you will grow with the process. So have fun on your journey to success.

Let's face it, when you realise that you've achieved the first goal, you'll just keep setting yourself more!





Jo Geraghty is managing Director of “Beyond the Ladder” and is one of the UK’s leading coaches for executives and entrepreneurs.

You can hear more interviews on PASSION for the PLANET

The 7 mistakes people make that kill their business

As a business starts to grow, it’s crucial that your actions don’t strangle it in its infancy.

By avoiding the mistakes that so many business owners make you have a far greater chance of succeeding beyond the first 2 years.Hilary Briggs is a management consultant with over 15 years of industrial experience having held senior management positions at Rover Group, Whirlpool Corporation and The Laird Group plc. For the last 10 years, she’s worked with SME’s to improve their performance. Hilary is also chairman of the Central London group of the Academy for Chief Executives.In her experience working with business owners from a variety of sectors she’s identified seven key mistakes that business owners make again and again and that often lead to the death of their company;

1. Doing Too Much Yourself
Many business owners fall into this trap as they attempt to keep costs down. But it can mean you get bogged down in day-to-day issues and fire-fighting. There’s less time to step back, plan for the future and anticipate problems.

If the cracks are beginning to show it may already be too late, so get additional help early on.

2. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Many businesses are founded because the owner is good at something and enjoys it. What they forget that is that a business also needs many other skills from sales to book-keeping.

Learn to recognise where your skills and knowledge fall short and take action to remedy this gap.

3. Growing Too Quickly Before Your Model Is Proven
As sales increase the business owner expands staff and premises – only to have to cut back as the sales increase turned out to be a blip. Also, if your working capital is tied up in stock or covering debtors then the company runs the risk of running out of cash.

Plan for expansion and meet your Bank Manager to discuss funding in advance. In addition put appropriate systems in place, so you don’t end up being sucked into more and more areas as the business grows.

4. No One To Bounce Ideas Off
Many new businesses are too small for a Board or Non Executive Director. Some issues are not appropriate to talk to staff about, often partners and friends just don’t “get it”, and advisors may have a narrow focus or worse still have their own agenda. So business owners end up in a silo on their own.

This can be very damaging. Talking things though with others is important as it may yield new perspectives. Develop a small network of people you can trust and be sure to talk things through and get their views.

5. Bringing In The Wrong People
Many business owners hire in their own image – so gaps are not actually filled. Often recruitment is left until the last minute (to save costs) and so a rush decision is made. It’s easy to rely on friends and family but in the longer term they can be a constraint, and a tricky problem to deal with.

Remember, no matter how good someone is, if there’s a difference in values, then all that matters is “When will the row happen?” and “On what subject will it be?”

If you’re considering using a consultant/mentor find out; how much real world, relevant experience do they have? Are their skills complimentary to yours? Do you have mutual respect? How important will you be to them? Do they know their own limits? What networks and contacts do they bring? Will they let you talk to their clients to get a feel of how they work? Make sure you are comfortable with them before committing yourself.

6. Lack of self awareness
Many business owners refuse to face their insecurities, often because they don’t want to appear stupid. They want to hold on to everything themselves because they believe no one can do it as well as they can. They have a lack of awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on others. Ultimately this means they are less able to build a strong team.

This then reinforces their view that “you can’t trust others to do anything...” So be honest about yourself – if necessary ask a trusted friend for feedback.

7. Staying in the comfort zone
It’s easy to stick with people you understand – but who is testing your thinking?

Whilst it may be uncomfortable, it’s better than experiencing the discomfort of a major problem because no one had the courage to challenge you.

Mixing with others increases your chances of developing new ideas and solutions. The more diverse your contacts, the more you’ll also be able to “narrow the angles” on potential problems. It’s better to learn from others’ mistakes than get extra battle scars yourself!


By avoiding, at least to some degree, these seven common mistakes your business has a far greater chance of not just surviving but thriving! Take a look at each area, ask yourself some tough questions, and be honest! Your answers and the actions you take could make all the difference to your future wealth and happiness.




Hilary Briggs, chairman of the Central London group for the Academy for Chief Executives, is passionate about helping businesses grow. Contact Hilary

You can hear interviews with Hilary on PASSION for the PLANET

£5,000 Prize Available to Transform an Ethical Business

Great news for Ethical Businesses – there’s £5000 up for grab!

The “Pledging For Change Ethical Business Advantage Award 2009” is a new competition to win £5,000 worth of business image development from the brand image experts, Creatively Minded Design.

Pledging For Change is an ethical community interest company promoting networking in the spirit of harmony with the planet and together with sponsors The SME Brand News, Creatively Minded design, Passion for the Planet and YouCanOnline they want to help small ethical businesses grow.

The organisers are looking for young or struggling ethical businesses which will really benefit from the transformation in image, online presence, marketing strategy and potential revenue this prize can open up.

They are looking for a business owner who is forward driven, ambitious and passionate about their ethical product or service. Someone who doesn't have the budget for brand development or the knowledge to ensure they exploit their business image at every given opportunity both online and offline. Someone who will really benefit from expert advice to help them STAND OUT and attract many new customers.

This Award also has a wider aim; to gather real life stories from ethical entrepreneurs, which can then be shared with other budding entrepreneurs to help them build their businesses. For example, how to get from a having a great idea to business launch and development, tips on overcoming typical business challenges, how to develop a brand on a shoe string budget, how to communicate a clear ethical message on social media, how to stay true to your ethical principles, how to market your business and grow your customer base and the practicalities of managing a positive business while keeping a work-family life balance.

The winning business owner will receive a bespoke prize package designed to help their business grow, plus there will be continued support from those backing the award. The prize package will help the winner to re-establish a niche, create the right business image, build credibility, put forward a clear business message, a consistent brand image and engage in marketing and social media promotion activities. The prize will include a website and training support. The prize is designed to help transform their business and give them a hand up towards a sustainable future.

To enter please join www.pledgingforchange.com (it is free to join) you can then sign up to the Business Image Advantage Group and complete the online entry form. Last date for submitting entries is Friday 11th December 2009.

Happiness starts at work.

So we’ve all heard the expression ‘happiness starts at home’. However, for a lot of people most of their waking lives are actually spent outside the home and in the office. So why then, don’t we make as much effort to improve our lives, and environmental efforts at work?

I know many people who spend hours cooking delicious organic dishes for dinner, are oh so sustainable on the weekends - recycling almost everything, composting food waste and tea bags, re-using yoghurt pots for labeling pot plants, walking their kids to the park saving an unnecessary car journey, and many other fantastic ways to be green.

But then during the week they end up having a supermarket BLT for lunch (or at best a packaged salad which probably contains more salt than it’s equivalent in sea water), produce tonnes of administrative waste that ends up in landfills rather than being recycled, have the company spend money on expensive paper and packaging while the offices pay electricity bills for vending machines that are filled with chocolate and crisps. Remember, even if you are a carnivore with a sweet tooth with no interest in reducing your carbon footprint – the money alone that’s being wasted here could be coming straight out of your pay cheque!

So what can you do about the harm being done environmentally, to your health and to your pocket?


Here’s a list of things you as an individual can change:

• Next to the printer have a pile of clean paper and scrap paper – print on the back of the scrap paper if it’s for internal use
• Have a stationary box for stationary you get given free at events. Okay – so I accept this might not be enough to supply your whole office but it will certainly cut down annual spending and reduce waste
• Re-use jiffy bags when you get sent a package. We keep ours in a filing cabinet drawer and have the right size bag for virtually anything we want to send out
• Re-use the piece of paper in between business cards that the printers use to stop them smudging and don’t throw away out-of-date business cards – both can be used instead of post-it notes
• Bring a homemade vegetarian lunch in – that extra vegetarian meal per day will make all the difference to your carbon footprint, be cheaper and hopefully improve your health [for some recipes see Munch Less Meat]
• If you drive to work, take public transport once a week. Friday is often a good day to do this as it also means you can have a sneaky drink on the way home!
• Don’t throw yesterdays water down the drain (kettle or bottled) – water the plants in the office instead when you go to refill
• Walk rather than taking the lift which will also have positive health implications
• Don’t overfill the kettle you only need to put in it what will be used when making everyone some tea
• Bring in chocolates / biscuits you receive for everyone to share – so technically this isn’t any more environmentally friendly but it’s a nice gesture which will cheer everyone up around you, save your waistline and in turn cut down the nations health bills (I could go on about the importance healthy eating habits at work here but I won’t…)

And here are some things that you can suggest that your office changes:

• Ask them to buy stationery only from sustainable office suppliers [such as The Green Stationery Company] and always choose recycled paper.
• Have recycling for paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, etc (label one pile as ‘to be shredded’ if you’re worried about confidential information being passed on)
• Suggest that staff bring in their own bottle to use for water rather than using polystyrene or plastic cups next to a water machine. For clients offer them a glass of water that you can wash up (this also looks smarter)
• If you have a canteen suggest they offer at least two nutritionally balanced vegetarian options
• Ask the offices to take out vending machines and replace them with better cooking facilities. If people want chocolate they can always bring it in rather than your offices paying for the electricity that a vending machine uses and adding to their carbon footprint

Could being grateful make you weak?

“I guess I'm just lucky to have a job at the moment.”

This is the most common response that clients give me when I ask how things are going at work. With so many redundancies, people feel grateful to still be in gainful employment and relieved that it's their salary rather than savings that will feed the family and pay the school fees for another month.

The problem with feeling grateful, whether it’s towards an employer or the markets at large, is that it can leave you feeling trapped and powerless. Any plans you had to advance your career, change role, start a new business venture or move house have been put on hold, and when our power to make decisions for ourselves has been diminished, dissatisfaction and unhappiness are sure to follow..

And it's not just your work life that suffers; the reverberations can be felt in your relationships and your health. Even if you still enjoy the content of your work, the fear of loss of income or lack of flexibility tends to reduce your motivation levels. Professional insecurity leads to low personal morale which in turn does nothing to improve the atmosphere in the workplace or the faith of the people you manage. Whether you are aware of it or not, it's your own sense of vulnerability which will prevent you from progressing in these volatile times.

As with most situations that are out of your direct control, the best course of action is to change your attitude towards them. Adapting your mindset won't fix the situation but it will make you feel like choices, and thus power, are still yours.

Here are a few tips on how to regain control and feel the reins firmly in your hands again:

Act as if: Work as if you think this year will bring you the largest success of your career....after all, it may be a reality as soon as next year. There is a fine line separating constructive optimism and blind delusion. Use your common sense – you know the difference. Draw that fine line and decide to tread on the right side of it. You know the risks involved, you are happy to take them. Conviction is key.

Fight the fear: If you want to move job roles – ask if you can. It’s business as usual. The fear isn’t real – its just in your head. Still being engaged in your career progression will help you feel in control and show Management that you haven't tuned out and you won’t accept excuses. You’re displaying personal traits of confidence and resolve – the traits of a true leader. By taking action and leading you feel more in control, positive and powerful.

Know your market value: There may not be much movement in the job market but firms are still hiring, especially for more senior positions. Making some enquiries will at least let you know your current worth, help you gauge what your next move might be and identify the skill gaps that you should be working on now. It will help you and others reassert your conviction to the job at hand. Opportunity never disappears, it's form merely changes over time. Not everyone can see this. You can.

Have a life: Easier to say than do when you have picked up the workload of everyone who's departed over the last few months, but spending time with friends and family doing sport and relaxing will all help you cope better with the stress in the long run. Striking the right work/life balance should never become secondary. Your life engagements need to be prioritised correctly much like your work one's are. An unhappy personal life will ultimately reflect on the quality of your work.

Author
Jo Geraghty is managing Director of “Beyond the Ladder” and is one of the UK’s leading coaches for executives and entrepreneurs.