Networking – Do we still need face-to-face?

Nowadays, we have many different ways of getting in touch with each other and meeting new people. The social media takeover means we can keep up with what our peers are doing at the touch of a button but face-to-face networking is a valuable skill, and not many people still have it. Networking and marketing [...]

Using events to promote what you do

Do you use events to promote your business? You probably go to networking meetings, to connect with new prospects, but have you thought where else you can go, or what else you can do? Attending workshops. If you’re attending a workshop as a delegate, you can also use it as a networking opportunity. There will [...]

How not to do newsletters

There are three secrets to publishing a great newsletter, that gets read and that will bring you business. 1. Planning – don’t do any. Just make it up as you go along, because otherwise you’ll waste lots of time. Write when you feel like it and publish whenever you want to. There’s no best time [...]

So what?

“We’ve got 100 years of providing accountancy services.” “We’ve worked with hundreds of satisfied clients.” “Our products are the cheapest and best.” “We listen to what our clients want and provide a tailored service.” These are all phrases I hear at networking meetings, when people stand up and tell the room what they do. My [...]

Putting ‘you’ into your business

How do you make your business stand out from the crowd when it’s just you? How do you show people what’s different about your business when your business is, well, you? The answer is: to put your personality into your business. When you started your own business, you probably did it because you were passionate [...]

Is tweeting a waste of time?

To the uninitiated Twitter may be considered a useless pursuit. The idea of reading these little ‘messages’ that rapidly zip past your eyes, all seemingly unconnected with each other, blathering on about nothing in particular, would seem like a waste of time. Until you analyse why people do twitter. Social networking is about being sociable, [...]

When you speak, does the room listen?

Do you go to networking meetings and leave not remembering what many of other people said they do? Do you go to presentations and stop listening after the first five minutes? If you answered yes to either of these questions, it’s because the people talking didn’t do enough for you to listen them. Does the [...]

What makes you different?

On 1 September 2010 we took over running Ladies That Lunch … And Men Too.  This networking group has been running for about 7 years and I was a member when it first started. We’re now looking to grow the business, opening new venues and increasing the membership. To do this we need to know [...]

The give and take of networking

Networking meetings are  a great place to get advice and help from other people. It’s also a great place to give help and share your expertise and experience… but only if someone else asks for your help! Just because someone tells you they’re struggling to motivate their staff, that doesn’t mean you (if you’re an [...]

When not to network

Is there a time not to go networking? Yesterday we had a really busy day in the office, with some tricky issues to sort out. By 5pm I was ready for the TV and a glass of wine. Before I left the office I checked my diary for today and realised that I’d booked to [...]