WBN Roundtable Discussions- Notes
March 8th, 2007
The March meeting is our annual roundtable workshops and networking meeting. Each round table addresses a topic and had a facilitator. Participants share ideas and learn from each other. Each group’s summary is presented to the entire audience at the end of the evening. Here are this year’s notes:
NETWORKING
- What is networking?
- Connecting with people
- Forcing oneself outside one’s comfort zone
- Establishing relationships
- Where do you network?
- Chamber meetings
- Internet
- Home parties
- Newbo, church, Boy Scouts, PTA, Center for Women in Enterprise…….
- What is the best way to network with someone?
- Ask the person questions about themselves
- Establish a connection
- Follow-up’s very important within 24 hours
- How do we get business?
- Referrals
- Create a large enough network to generate business (funnel idea)
- Ongoing contact, e.g. regular email basis
- Books?
- Sales Prospecting for Dummies – Tom Hopkins
- Million Dollar a Year – Paul McCord
- Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferazzi
- Book Yourself Solid – Michael Port
- Networking Survival Guide – Diane Darling.com
- Endless Referrals – Bob Berg
- Tradeshows: Share a booth to offset expense
- Referrals: offer discounts
- Share ideas: similar target audience
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS/GOAL SETTNG/ TIME MANAGEMENT
What: Don’t you have enough time to do.
Timing:
- Time yourself on things.
- Website: Flylady.com 15 minute work intervals
- How do you stop? Use a timer
Staying organized
- To do list
- Filing System/place for everything/putting away/clean up
- Match it to your personality
- Simplify – weeding out
- Scheduled on/off time – do productive work
- Throw away/place for everything/ like things live together
- Time pie sleep, eat, shopping, exercise, fit it the rest
Book to read, The Scanner by Barbara Sher
Time - Some quotables read to us by Clare Harlow:
1. Time is like air. Nobody has any of it. It's just there.
2. You'll die not having finished something.
3. "I have too much to do" is an editorial comment, not a statement of fact.
4. Everything doesn't have to be done.
5. You're never gonna read it all. And it's okay. You know a lot already.
MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS
It’s as easy as 1-2-3 (&4)!
- Marketing Basics
- Your Marketing Plan defines your P’s and C’s
- Company/Products/Customers/Price/Competition/Promotion
- Involve other brainpower in your planning process
- Step 1: Step business goals and support them with marketing
- Sample goals that are Attainable, Specific, Measurable
- Your Business Goals can be adding more customers, selling more products/services, increasing repeat customers, launch a new product…..
- Step 2: Know your Company
- In one sentences define how you benefit customers/satisfy a need/solve a problem, achieve a goal
- Identify your products/services
- List and briefly describe your customer groups
- Where is your competition- not always where you think
- Price- are you selling what is profitable
- What are you doing to promote your business?
- Step 3: Learn how to market
- Minimum requirements include name, identity, card, website written materials
- Marketing on a shoestring budget using lower cost strategies
- Marketing possibilities include web, print, advertising, direct mail, PR, networking which may be appropriate depending on the situation
- Step 4: Reach your goals!
- Budget each goal and identify strategy to achieve
- Action Plan translates strategy into programs and specific tactics
- Reference materials
- Entrepreneur Magazine’s Small Business Marketing Guide
- Marketing for Dummies and Marketing Kit for Dummies
- Idiot’s Guide to Marketing
Thanks to Diane Basile, Clare Harlow, and Celeste Versoi for typing the notes!