Networking is an essential skill for most business people, but especially for entrepreneurs. The strong association between the entrepreneur as a person and his or her business demands that entrepreneurs get out into the world and create and maintain business relationships. Here are some tips and resources to help you improve your networking skills and extend your reach.
Online Networking (12)
The Importance of Being Memorable
Have you ever attended a networking event, collected a bunch of business cards, and when you go through them the next day, you can't remember who many of them are? Well, you certainly don't want to be one of those that other people can't remember, do you? Here are five tips on how to make yourself memorable when meeting other people.
A Pocket Full of Business Cards
Timely and consistent follow-up is the key to successful marketing. Meeting someone once is rarely enough to bring you business -- repeated contacts are what do the trick. You always want to follow up with prospective customers, of course, but you should also follow up with potential referral sources.
How to Profit From Networking
Sales are frequently developed through the relationships we have created with other people. Networking functions provide the opportunity to expand our contact list, particularly when we create and nurture quality relationships. Here are five strategies to make networking profitable.
Effective Networking for Busy People
With all the demands on our time made by our business, professional and personal lives, it's tempting to assign a lower priority to networking as an activity designed to meet new people. That would be a mistake.
Do You Make Your First Impression Your Best Impression?
The first impression process occurs in every new situation. Within the first few seconds, people pass judgment on you – looking for common surface clues. Once the first impression is made, it is virtually irreversible. Guest author image consultant Michelle Sterling offers tips to make sure your first impression is your best impression.
Networking Like a Pro: Make a Lasting Impression
Networking is less about meeting new people than having them remember you after the fact. So how do get someone to remember you from the other ten people he met that very same night? Try these three simple questions to make a lasting impression.
How to Cultivate a Network of Endless Referrals
Instead of thinking of "networking" as something you go to "networking events" to do, make it an integral part of your everyday contacts. Develop win-win relationships and let the referrals come to you.
Understanding The Law of Successful Giving And Successful Receiving
In this excerpt from the newly updated Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Bob Burg explains how giving a great use value for a small cash value is the fundamental key to creating wealth for yourself.
The Grand Paradox: “Real-World” Giving and Receiving
In this excerpt from the newly updated Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Bob Burg explains how giving a great use value for a small cash value is the fundamental key to creating wealth for yourself.
Real-World Examples of The Law of Successful Giving and Successful Receiving
In this third excerpt from the newly updated Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Bob Burg shares some shining real-world examples of The Law of Successful Giving and Successful Receiving in action.
Giving First: A Personal Experience
In this fourth excerpt from the newly updated Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Bob Burg shares his personal experience of The Law of Successful Giving and Successful Receiving in action.
Why I Network
Ecademy founder and marketing guru Thomas Power shares his thoughts on the importance of networking. Ecademy is certainly one of the largest (if not the largest) online business networks, with over 13,000 members around the world.
Business Network International
BNI is one of the oldest and certainly the world's largest business networking and referral organization. Over 2,700 chapters around the world offer their members an environment in which to develop personal relationships with other, non-competing businesspeople.
Ask the Networking Expert - Dr. Ivan Misner
Dr. Misner, the founder of BNI, answers questions for Entrepreneur Magazine readers about networking. Topics include the six types of networking groups, how to network with a large group, the ROI of networking, and networking with confidence.
Network Moves
This free monthly newsletter includes interviews with top networkers, networking group spotlights, and networking tips. The current issue and selected items from past issues are available on the website.
Effective Networking
Diane Darling's free monthly newsletter, "The Net Effect", covers such diverse and creative topics as "What Dogs Can Teach Us About Networking", "What I Learned at MIT Charm School", "Holiday Party Networking Techniques", and "The Rolling Stones Know How to Network, Do You?". Archives of past newsletters are on the Web site.
Networking Articles from Susan RoAne
The best-selling author of "How to Work a Room", et al., offers more than twenty free articles and tips on networking, with a particular emphasis on the social skills - how to converse with contentious people, mingling, schmoozing, and how to avoid being a sleaze.
Networking Articles from Donna Fisher
The internationally renowned speaker and best-selling author ("Power Networking", "People Power", "Professional Networking for Dummies") offers full articles and excerpts on networking, word-of-mouth marketing, and breaking out of your comfort zone.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Key tools to get your business name out there! medical billing news!
When networking and marketing your business can be a challenge, especially in the very beginning.
There are TWO things that WILL help you get your name out there.
1. Join networking groups in your area.
2. Get your company a web site.
Both will help you and establish your business in the market.
Good luck!
There are TWO things that WILL help you get your name out there.
1. Join networking groups in your area.
2. Get your company a web site.
Both will help you and establish your business in the market.
Good luck!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
ALWAYS be networking! medical billing news.
Similar to "ABC's" of sales (Always be closing), you should ALWAYS network with whoever you can to get your name OUT.
Let family, friends, associates, old work colleagues, members of church, and ANYONE else that you can think of about your new business.
Be agressive and be persistent and ASK for help.
Let family, friends, associates, old work colleagues, members of church, and ANYONE else that you can think of about your new business.
Be agressive and be persistent and ASK for help.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Six degrees of separation - medical billing news!
This article is relevent to our own individual networking efforts. Imagine if the people in our lives were connected in this way, what we could do for our businesses!
Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. The theory was first proposed in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called "Chains."
In the 1950's, Ithiel de Sola Pool (MIT) and Manfred Kochen (IBM) set out to prove the theory mathematically. Although they were able to phrase the question (given a set N of people, what is the probability that each member of N is connected to another member via k_1, k_2, k_3...k_n links?), after twenty years they were still unable to solve the problem to their own satisfaction. In 1967, American sociologist Stanley Milgram devised a new way to test the theory, which he called "the small-world problem." He randomly selected people in the mid-West to send packages to a stranger located in Massachusetts. The senders knew the recipient's name, occupation, and general location. They were instructed to send the package to a person they knew on a first-name basis who they thought was most likely, out of all their friends, to know the target personally. That person would do the same, and so on, until the package was personally delivered to its target recipient.
Although the participants expected the chain to include at least a hundred intermediaries, it only took (on average) between five and seven intermediaries to get each package delivered. Milgram's findings were published in Psychology Today and inspired the phrase "six degrees of separation." Playwright John Guare popularized the phrase when he chose it as the title for his 1990 play of the same name. Although Milgram's findings were discounted after it was discovered that he based his conclusion on a very small number of packages, six degrees of separation became an accepted notion in pop culture after Brett C. Tjaden published a computer game on the University of Virginia's Web site based on the small-world problem. Tjaden used the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) to document connections between different actors. Time Magazine called his site, The Oracle of Bacon at Virginia, one of the "Ten Best Web Sites of 1996."
In 2001, Duncan Watts, a professor at Columbia University, continued his own earlier research into the phenomenon and recreated Milgram's experiment on the Internet. Watts used an e-mail message as the "package" that needed to be delivered, and surprisingly, after reviewing the data collected by 48,000 senders and 19 targets (in 157 countries), Watts found that the average number of intermediaries was indeed, six. Watts' research, and the advent of the computer age, has opened up new areas of inquiry related to six degrees of separation in diverse areas of network theory such as as power grid analysis, disease transmission, graph theory, corporate communication, and computer circuitry.
Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. The theory was first proposed in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called "Chains."
In the 1950's, Ithiel de Sola Pool (MIT) and Manfred Kochen (IBM) set out to prove the theory mathematically. Although they were able to phrase the question (given a set N of people, what is the probability that each member of N is connected to another member via k_1, k_2, k_3...k_n links?), after twenty years they were still unable to solve the problem to their own satisfaction. In 1967, American sociologist Stanley Milgram devised a new way to test the theory, which he called "the small-world problem." He randomly selected people in the mid-West to send packages to a stranger located in Massachusetts. The senders knew the recipient's name, occupation, and general location. They were instructed to send the package to a person they knew on a first-name basis who they thought was most likely, out of all their friends, to know the target personally. That person would do the same, and so on, until the package was personally delivered to its target recipient.
Although the participants expected the chain to include at least a hundred intermediaries, it only took (on average) between five and seven intermediaries to get each package delivered. Milgram's findings were published in Psychology Today and inspired the phrase "six degrees of separation." Playwright John Guare popularized the phrase when he chose it as the title for his 1990 play of the same name. Although Milgram's findings were discounted after it was discovered that he based his conclusion on a very small number of packages, six degrees of separation became an accepted notion in pop culture after Brett C. Tjaden published a computer game on the University of Virginia's Web site based on the small-world problem. Tjaden used the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) to document connections between different actors. Time Magazine called his site, The Oracle of Bacon at Virginia, one of the "Ten Best Web Sites of 1996."
In 2001, Duncan Watts, a professor at Columbia University, continued his own earlier research into the phenomenon and recreated Milgram's experiment on the Internet. Watts used an e-mail message as the "package" that needed to be delivered, and surprisingly, after reviewing the data collected by 48,000 senders and 19 targets (in 157 countries), Watts found that the average number of intermediaries was indeed, six. Watts' research, and the advent of the computer age, has opened up new areas of inquiry related to six degrees of separation in diverse areas of network theory such as as power grid analysis, disease transmission, graph theory, corporate communication, and computer circuitry.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sales + Networking tips - medical billing news!
Another very important skill in selling YOURSELF and your services is one that very few people who start their companies really understand. It is the ability to identify, recruit and leverage politically powerful people to influence buying decisions.
In many companies, most decisions are informed by the personal and business agendas of a few powerful and influential people, rather than a system whereby everybody involved gets an equal vote.
People who learn how to find the really powerful people within medical clinics, hospitals and other organisations, who really understand what those people are looking to gain out of an initiative, a project, or some type of a new business direction, and who can then appeal to their personal and business goals, are usually the ones who can turn buying decisions in their favour.
This is a pretty advanced selling capability. To consistently pull it off requires a lot of experience and plenty of insight into how organisations really work and how people think. Those who have figured out how to do this generally tend to win more business and grow at a significantly quick rate.
In many companies, most decisions are informed by the personal and business agendas of a few powerful and influential people, rather than a system whereby everybody involved gets an equal vote.
People who learn how to find the really powerful people within medical clinics, hospitals and other organisations, who really understand what those people are looking to gain out of an initiative, a project, or some type of a new business direction, and who can then appeal to their personal and business goals, are usually the ones who can turn buying decisions in their favour.
This is a pretty advanced selling capability. To consistently pull it off requires a lot of experience and plenty of insight into how organisations really work and how people think. Those who have figured out how to do this generally tend to win more business and grow at a significantly quick rate.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Small busines networking at work for you! Medical Billing News!
Small business networking is a vital component of a prosperous solo business. However, there are many myths and misconceptions regarding solo or small business networking. The Medical Billing Business Start Up Manual at www.MedicalBillingFoundation.com cuts through all of those misconceptions. They offer a cutting edge and affective approach to market your business on many levels. Visit for more information.
You’ll find articles and opinions that clarify the role of networking, the secrets of effective and painless business networking, how networking can help banish feelings of work isolation and can create a stream of business referrals.
Whether business networking has you hiding under the desk or is something you actively embrace and practice, this section will help you and your business evolve and prosper.
You’ll find articles and opinions that clarify the role of networking, the secrets of effective and painless business networking, how networking can help banish feelings of work isolation and can create a stream of business referrals.
Whether business networking has you hiding under the desk or is something you actively embrace and practice, this section will help you and your business evolve and prosper.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Market yourself for CHEAP! Medical billing news!
Probably the cheapest way of marketing is 'viral marketing' (word of mouth) so it is important to supply a good and consistent service to ensure that the viral marketing is a good one
Timely market research, will keep you updated on what the demands are for your product. It will let you know if you need to make any changes to your product or price to keep you one step ahead of your competitors
Use the best form of promotion for your product, which in most cases is not necessarily the obvious or the cheapest
Market research is best conducted with a pen, paper and your legs: plus, calling potential buyers for their views not only gets you market research but a great opportunity to make contacts - you will not get a better opportunity to pre-sell.
Timely market research, will keep you updated on what the demands are for your product. It will let you know if you need to make any changes to your product or price to keep you one step ahead of your competitors
Use the best form of promotion for your product, which in most cases is not necessarily the obvious or the cheapest
Market research is best conducted with a pen, paper and your legs: plus, calling potential buyers for their views not only gets you market research but a great opportunity to make contacts - you will not get a better opportunity to pre-sell.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
You are a sales person - GET USED TO IT! Medical Billing News!
A great Sales Leader recognizes that knowledge is power and that his or her leverage in the marketplace is founded on the ability to know the business details of customers and prospects. Many salespeople will proudly boast of their ability to remember personal information about prospects such as hobbies, birthdays, and spouses' names, but they fail to recognize that it is more important to understand the business issues such as fine customers' market challenges, operational methods, and their decision-making processes.
You need to build a database that includes a separate record for each prospect and customer (database record, profile sheet, index card, or whatever system you use) to highlight both personal and business information, plus basic information, including name, company name, address, phone numbers, etc.
Database methodology must become a priority in your career. Your filing system should be updated daily and it should include prospects and customers hi the same physical location or computer file. Most importantly, you must use only one database method. I've seen salespeople create multiple databases, keeping business cards wrapped in rubber bands (eventually to be entered into the database when procrastination is overcome), while using a computer database for customers and a folder with prospect information written on beverage napkins. A system like this is doomed to create confusion and inefficiency. Thus, create one database that you update daily.
You need to build a database that includes a separate record for each prospect and customer (database record, profile sheet, index card, or whatever system you use) to highlight both personal and business information, plus basic information, including name, company name, address, phone numbers, etc.
Database methodology must become a priority in your career. Your filing system should be updated daily and it should include prospects and customers hi the same physical location or computer file. Most importantly, you must use only one database method. I've seen salespeople create multiple databases, keeping business cards wrapped in rubber bands (eventually to be entered into the database when procrastination is overcome), while using a computer database for customers and a folder with prospect information written on beverage napkins. A system like this is doomed to create confusion and inefficiency. Thus, create one database that you update daily.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The three parts of a business announcement - medical billing news!
When you have the opportunity to make an announcement or to give a quick commercial about what you do, you should always leave room for a question from the person that you are speaking with.
For example...
"My name is Bill and I assist private practitioners increase their cash flow and streamline their internal processes, improving their efficiency, overall."
This leaves room for the person to ask for more details...
"How do you accomplish this, Bill?"
"I am a professional medical billing business owner and we help reduce the health insurance rejection rate, which traditionally is quite high - over 40% - to less than ______ . We also file claims electronically which speeds up payment turn around time."
From there the conversation could go many ways, but YOUR point is to get an introduction to a doc or practice owner. Feel confident, dress professionally, attend networking events to get your name out there. And, stay local, especially at first. GOOD LUCK
For example...
"My name is Bill and I assist private practitioners increase their cash flow and streamline their internal processes, improving their efficiency, overall."
This leaves room for the person to ask for more details...
"How do you accomplish this, Bill?"
"I am a professional medical billing business owner and we help reduce the health insurance rejection rate, which traditionally is quite high - over 40% - to less than ______ . We also file claims electronically which speeds up payment turn around time."
From there the conversation could go many ways, but YOUR point is to get an introduction to a doc or practice owner. Feel confident, dress professionally, attend networking events to get your name out there. And, stay local, especially at first. GOOD LUCK
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Marketing electronically - medical billing news!
There are several ways to market yourself in today's world of techonology.
It is so important to attempt to stand out above the rest AND to demonstrate that you are technologically savvy.
Why not try an email marketing campaign, where each time that you meet someone or present to a prospect you add them to a list and continuously "touch" these people so that should a business need open up, you are the first on their mind!
Try Constant Contact or Exact Target or SOC, which can be found at www.MedicalBillingFoundation.com.
GOOD LUCK and never forget the importance of that continuous prospecting touch.
It is so important to attempt to stand out above the rest AND to demonstrate that you are technologically savvy.
Why not try an email marketing campaign, where each time that you meet someone or present to a prospect you add them to a list and continuously "touch" these people so that should a business need open up, you are the first on their mind!
Try Constant Contact or Exact Target or SOC, which can be found at www.MedicalBillingFoundation.com.
GOOD LUCK and never forget the importance of that continuous prospecting touch.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Networking 101 - medical billing news
How do you begin to inexpensively advertize your business beginning day one?
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK.
If you have taken the empowering, exciting adventure of starting your own business, letting people know that you exist can be a challenge.
The best thing to do is to network - join groups, whether online or otherwise and get your name OUT THERE!
Don't go alone--Networking is a contact sport and a team sport. Bring a colleague, friend, relative. Be a tag team. It would better if your tag team member knows at least one person at the event. You head directly to the one person you know and the the dance begins. Find out who they know and who you do not know or if they know the person you want to meet. If the person is one of the hosts of the event, then you are in luck because you can find out who is at this thing, how she knows them and then ask to be introduced. The key here is go to a hub of the event or create one by figuring out the connections of your connection! The deal you have with your tag team member is anyone who your team meets individually gets introduced to the other, and you find out who they know and the beat goes on.
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK.
If you have taken the empowering, exciting adventure of starting your own business, letting people know that you exist can be a challenge.
The best thing to do is to network - join groups, whether online or otherwise and get your name OUT THERE!
Don't go alone--Networking is a contact sport and a team sport. Bring a colleague, friend, relative. Be a tag team. It would better if your tag team member knows at least one person at the event. You head directly to the one person you know and the the dance begins. Find out who they know and who you do not know or if they know the person you want to meet. If the person is one of the hosts of the event, then you are in luck because you can find out who is at this thing, how she knows them and then ask to be introduced. The key here is go to a hub of the event or create one by figuring out the connections of your connection! The deal you have with your tag team member is anyone who your team meets individually gets introduced to the other, and you find out who they know and the beat goes on.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
TEN TIPS FOR MARKETING - medical billing news
TOP TEN TIPS FOR NETWORKING
1. Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.
2. Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.
3. Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.
4. Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.
5. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.
6. Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.
7. Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.
8. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, "How may I help you?" and no immediate answer comes to mind.
9. Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.
10. Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.
1. Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.
2. Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.
3. Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.
4. Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.
5. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.
6. Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.
7. Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.
8. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, "How may I help you?" and no immediate answer comes to mind.
9. Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.
10. Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Networking like Bill Gates - and medical billing
It is said that Bill Gates’ rise to the top may have resulted from an act of networking. Apparently his mother sat on the same Board of Directors as an IBM president, and that contact led to IBM purchasing the MS DOS operating system from Bill. Think about that! As timeworn as the word networking is, it is through this process that approximately 65% to 80% of available jobs or opportunities are discovered. Networking opens the doors to the hidden job market, and if you’ve not learned this art, many opportunities may be passing you by.
Daisy Wright, Knowledge Level: All Levels, Keywords: networking
Daisy Wright, Knowledge Level: All Levels, Keywords: networking
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Networking is so critical - medical billing news
Looking good naked - HUH. perhaps we could take this a step further by having naked networking? It would have numerous advantages:
Accelerated networking - you'd certainly get to know people quickly
There's no worrying about getting the dress code right
Your first impressions would not be based on material worth or the person's fashion sense
If you spill egg down your front you can just wipe it off
It could create business for local tanning salons
Accelerated networking - you'd certainly get to know people quickly
There's no worrying about getting the dress code right
Your first impressions would not be based on material worth or the person's fashion sense
If you spill egg down your front you can just wipe it off
It could create business for local tanning salons
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