Veronicle Blog

Google’s newest offering, Google Buzz, which was launched recently, has managed to attract a lot of negative attention to itself. The service was supposed to be a platform for social networking where people could share their status updates, social media streams and multimedia content via Gmail. The initial launch even had some saying that it was the next biggest thing in social media probably because “Google” had launched this application. Google, however, has learnt the hard way that it is not above making errors of judgment.

Like most of Google’s other web applications, Google Buzz was automatically rolled out to its 176 million Gmail users. Google Buzz gave all its users automatic permission to view status updates of all contacts in their Gmail list. Users were offended, feeling that their privacy had been violated. Despite a public apology by Google, a leading US privacy group has even requested for regulators to examine if Buzz violates consumer protection laws. Electronic Privacy Information Centre (Epic) has demanded that the FTC ban Google from using Gmail address books to create networking lists. They have also demanded that Google display an appropriate notice which requests for the users consent before any changes can be made to their account, or to the company’s privacy policy which directly affects users.

Analysts claim that Google’s launch of Buzz was not well thought out or well-planned. Facebook had violated consumer rights by changing their privacy settings without informing their customers. This incident had happened just last year and it would have been better for Google if it would have learnt from Facebook’s mistake.

Whether you’re concerned about internet safety or just the safety of your download limits getting the broadband deal that is right for you can be a juggling act. If you choose your broadband provider through Broadband Genie, you’ll be given all the information you need about each supplier on their easy to use comparison table to help you decide which of the broadband providers is the best suited for you.

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Have you taken note of how fundamentally computerization has dramatically changed air travel and hospitality as we have known them recently? The man to thank is New Jersey’s own Nicholas Bredimus. His resume covers time-saving computer software, air safety advancements, and he’s even involved in designing high-value houses. And whatever his focus turns to, you can bet he will commit every last bit of his energy to it. Examining Nicholas Bredimus‘ family tree it’s easy to discern he was sure to reach distinction. Bringing elements together from many nationalities, his kindred traces to the time of ancient Rome, with his mother’s branch primarily German and Scottish. His father’s family, by contrast, hailed from England and Luxembourg, where they subsequently emigrated from toward the end of the 1800s. Naturally, after arrival in the United States of America, they retained their uncompromising work ethic and zeal to make their way in the world. Nicholas, together with his sisters and brothers, was a child of a father who earned his living as a mechanical design engineer and a mother who was working as a practicing nurse. His residences over the course of several years ranged across several states.

For more tips, you are advised to hop over to our great webpage for Mr. Nicholas Bredimus products…

Nicholas has worked in high-powered jobs with businesses throughout the air travel sector — most of them huge names. These included the Vice Presidential position for Republic Airlines, Trans World Airlines (TWA), and Hughes Airwest. Most celebrated, though, was his work as a productive programmer for the airlines. His creation of airplane maintenance management programs, now employed throughout the airline sector although initially programmed for one specific business, ultimately resulted in what is even now his most used program. He would look next at making and recording bookings. For both flight and room reservations he produced programs to handle the bulk of the work that had been involved before automation. Following that came QuikTix, an online, networked approach to ticket sales that was an industry first. He has also served in a number of capacities entirely outside of software development, it should be mentioned. Responsible roles with American Airlines and American Express followed, and in the biggest move of all he established a business of his own seventeen years ago. Is he still active? Most definitely — his abilities are ready to answer the call regardless his having left former interests in the past. Currently, his innovation can be on display in superior condos that feature some of the newest technology on the market. It’s stunning how far drive will bring you…

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The volunteers’ spirit of companionship can tie their community together more closely, and of course it will fulfill the volunteers’ goal of giving charity to their local poor. But organizing this kind of event can be time consumung in its own right, and before you know it you don’t have as long left to actually do some good. Of course volunteering can be more fun with your friends from work pitching in right along with you. This is a call for companies to look to the example of firms like Connecticut’s Adaptive Marketing LLC. In addition to shopping programs including Privacy Matters 1-2-3 intended to benefit consumers, Adaptive Marketing handles the organizational duties to give its employees the time to reach out to the local community.

Such initiatives used to be annual activities — but this has come to be seen as the minimum of effort. Tennis shoe recycling programs and more active work like tree planting weekends — these and other activities have been arranged for its staff by Adaptive Marketing. By centralizing the organization individual initiatives became larger events, with specific dates, locations and times publicized in advance to help volunteers with their time management. Naturally, it’s essential to let volunteers find programs in line with their own interests. Staff members from Adaptive Marketing can choose from many local initiatives. Prior projects have ranged between areas as diverse as education for children and young adults, green programs, and events supporting arts and culture. The result is that Adaptive Marketing volunteers have the chance to use their time in meaningful, important ways and have fun joining in the process.

Generally, when businesses urge staff to get involved at homeless shelters, it tends to be to help with a specific event or a regularly scheduled, ongoing job. Members of staff may well say they have no time to give, but usually even they can often set aside the hours to lend a hand with some smaller one-day event. Providing a helping hand is a practice with a long history at many businesses. Goodwill builds from the actions of Adaptive Marketing’s members of staff, and the members of staff of companies like it, over the course of company-supported programs like those touched on in this article. Assisting others makes you feel better about yourself — which is just the sort of feeling to make stafrf motivated both in their volunteer work and back behind their desks.

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Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded in the 1970’s and back then the firm’s specialty was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. Lately in an uncommon attempt to make the businesses they acquire more ecologically friendly, KKR have established a novel green project that has fundamentally transformed the way businesses and environmental activists carry on their day-to-day business.

Green business procedures became a hot topic in 2008 when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Their corporate mission is to encourage their associated businesses to oppose environmental menaces like hazardous emissions as well as any reckless consumption of water resources. Eco-efficiency (a phrase first endorsed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD) is the procedure deployed to achieve these aims, by employing policies such as fuel economy, maximum use of renewable resources and recycling programs. Although the project was an enormous success, managment simply did not realize how incredible the results truly were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, finished the review of the first twelve months.

Beating everyone’s expectations, Ken saw that eco-efficiency not only assisted in proctecting the local environment, but was also increasing the profitability of all their companies too. These days, KKR and Ken Mehlman have virtually every last firm in their portfolio actively engaged in eco-efficiency. Still, with a current portfolio with an estimated worth of 86,000,000,000 dollars, you can be certain this was no easy accomplishment.

The initial project has grown far beyond its original purpose and nowadays encompasses new opportunities. The Climate Corps Program founded by the Environmental Defense Fund is just one of these, it campaigns for environmentally friendly techniques to students taking a Master’s in Business Administration. In addition, Ken Mehlman has been in close collaboration with KKR to produce metrics that companies can employ to measure and manage resources. Programs such as these can evaluate an organization’s progress and identify any areas which might need improvement.

Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are visionaries in the business community. Their developments have set a benchmark for companies in every sector and illustrated that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.

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If you haven’t come across the story of Steve Schwarzman, you will want to give this your full attention. Forbes Magazine named him the fifty third most wealthy person in America recently, yet it is his generosity to society and his outstanding achivements that make him such a magnetic person. Steve’s life story has motivated individuals globally additionally it serves as a reminder that no matter what your circumstances are you may be a success through hard work and dedication. In the ’80s Steve and his co-founder established their company offering sound financial advice. Of course, the Blackstone Group is nowadays one of the world’s foremost m&a companies.

Steve spent his early years in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He graduated from Abington Senior High School, and, pushing on from there, obtained his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1969. Harvard Business School was the next stop on his fast-track to success, where he received his MBA in 1972. Then Steve began his career in earnest at Lehman Brothers investment bank, situated in New York, NY. Before reaching his thirty-second birthday he was already on the board of directors. Stephen A. Schwarzman served as an assistant professor at the widely esteemed Yale School of Management in addition to donating to many charities, educational programs, and the arts. Furthermore, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in NYC. On top of all that, Steve recently presented to the New York Public Library 100 million dollars to fund their recent expansion program. They also called one of their new buildings after him.

So you won’t be surprised to learn, American high society looks at Steve for encouragement - Times Magazine in 2008 named Steve as one of the one hundred most influential people on the planet. His supremacy in the business and financial communities has been nothing short of stunning, and no doubt his willingness to donate to the community has provided business tycoons with a different, loftier benchmark to live up to.

So the world awaits Steve’s next project. Steve Schwarzman is without a doubt a fascinating businessman who has made his mark on the USA and the business and financial community that serves it.

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In these times capable philanthopy is probably even more important than ever before in human history. You’ll probably have encountered Mr. Naveen Jain the co-founder and CEO of Intelius, Inc. the celebrated company offering background checks and public records services. On top of having made the Forbes list “400 Richest in America” in 2000, this maverick business leader has collected a whole range of prestigious awards, foremost the WSA Industry Achievement Award, the Albert Einstein Technology Medal, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. But that is definitely not where it ends. Because Naveen Jain and his relations are just as impassioned about philanthropy and will endeavor to help others whenever they are able to. The young of today are genuinely humanity’s greatest aspiration or the future. This enterprising man views and treats children as the pivotal focus of his philanthropy projects and he tries to make the best of every occasion he encounters to assist them. This of course, is the chief reason why he is always meticulously using every opening available to offer assistance wherever it seems doable. In consequence, Naveen Jain, his family and the staff at Intelius dedicate their time to a great range of charities as, for example, the Indian American Education Foundation, the Children’s Hospital, and Hopelink. Of course they give ample financial aid, but most importantly they dedicate their time and attention to the most needy and danger prone children. What’s more, he backs the Children’s Hospital, endeavoring to advance children’s health.

With Naveen Jain being a former student of XLRI Jamshedpur and the Indian Institute of Technology, it’s no surprise that teaching holds an exceedingly important rank within his humanitarian works. This incorporates deserving causes and aid organizations that are local, state, and nationwide. Accordingly, Intelius and its head are actively sponsoring charitable organizations and establishments such as the Overlake Service League, the University Preparatory Academy and Child Rights and You (CRY). Getting foodstuffs over to the underdogs of the world is another crucial objective to Jain and those around him and to him, it makes not one iota of difference. While he is intensely conscious that the aim of feeding every starving person in the world can seem like an overwhelming task, he also knows that the impossible can really turn out to be realistic if everybody toils in concert. If this entrepreneur obtains his objectives, there will come a final cessation to hardship and famine everywhere at some point. One would think that as the man in charge of a very thriving market leading company and a committed husband and family man to boot would leave him no spare time for charitable works. Nonetheless, Naveen Jain ensures that every one of his benevolent endeavors obtains all the help he can conceivably marshal. Indeed this intently altruistic businessman is undeniably much more than just a business leader. He is, moreover, a unique personality and an authentic pillar of his community.

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Yeah, I know. The title’s not that original, but maybe it made somebody click thru and read at least this far.

That’s the idea, isn’t it? To get somebody interested enough to wander in and look around?

What this is really about is the value of forums to the internet marketing process.

You see, internet marketing CAN be what Ford, or GE, or Verizon does. They have a lot of money and build these big, beeeeooootiful webpages, as Trader Jon would have said. However, I’m talking about you and me. Our budgets are a little bit smaller. Some of us have actually had to go to the extremes of learning a little basic html coding so that we could build our first webpages ourselves because we didn’t have the money to hire somebody to do it for us.

How could somebody like that compete against major corporations?

Obvious answer….They (we) can’t.

There are, however, ways to make your product or service of interest to a large enough audience so as to generate some sales. Using forums is one of these ways. Not only is it an effective way of attracting interested visitors to your website, it falls under the heading of network marketing (here I suggest reading my article, “Network Marketing In Its Purest Form”), which, lo and behold is essentially the easiest way for most of us common internet marketers to attract potential customers. Notice how I snuck that plug in for my other article? That’s actually something you might be able to do in a forum.

In the other article, by the way, I hinted that one of the benefits of network marketing was that you got to make friends. Well, that’s what often happens in forums. You meet people who share your interests. While those interests can be as serious as you want them to be, many forums also give you the opportunity to have a little fun. As I write this article, a forum I belong to has a story being written three words at a time by members who wander by and feel the urge to be creative. I have copied a list of one-liners from one post and sent them to my sister-in-law who cracked up when she read them. From the same forum, I have gathered information on how to use traffic exchanges to generate traffic to my website, I have learned how to use RSS feeds to enhance the value of my website to my visitors, and how to create splash pages to build my email list, just to name a few topics.

I have corresponded with members from Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and Malyasia. I have watched as other forum members jumped in, one after the other, to explain and clarify a point which confused a member who was having trouble getting a web page set up properly.

I have had the pleasure of seeing articles, comments, jokes, and encouraging remarks of mine appear on the forums I am a member of, as well as reading the articles of others, their comments, jokes, and encouraging remarks as well.

I have gained a lot from being a member of these forums, both as an internet marketer, and as an idividual.

And you know what else? At the bottom of every comment, article, or joke I post, there are links to my websites. That’s another great thing about forums. No matter whether I post a joke, a serious comment, or a thoughtfully crafted and written work of art such as this article, there will be links to one or more of my websites either in the article itself, or in a signature which the moderators of the forum allow me to add to my comments. The search engines pick up these links and follow them back to my website(s). The readers of the comments follow them back to my website.

Talk about free traffic! I get to interact with friends, maybe offer something of value to them, get something of value from them, learn some new techniques, and maybe a few new jokes. Can’t beat that!

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. To learn more about improving your marketing performance, please visit http://marketingsecrets.xtramoney4me.net You may read “Network Marketing In Its Purest Form” at http://xtramoney4me.net/internet_marketing_links/articles/network_marketing.html

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In a previous article we discussed the basics of what a router did. We’re now going to get into a more detailed, and yes technical, explanation of how packets are transmitted as well as a few other tech specs of how routers work. So put on your learning caps because you’re in for a real mind bender.

Internet data, whether it be in the form of a web page, a downloaded file or an email message, travels over what is called a packet switching network. Basically what happens is that the data is broken up into individual packets because there is only so much data that can be transmitted at one time. Each packet is about 1500 bytes long. Each packet contains quite a bit of information including the sender’s address, the receiver’s address and of course the information being sent which includes the order of each packet how it should be put back together so that the end user can make sense of the data. The packet is sent off to its destination based on what the router believes to be the best route to follow, which is usually the route with the least amount of traffic and if possible, the shortest route. Each packet may actually given a different route depending on conditions at the time, which in a high traffic network can change every second. By doing this, the router can balance the load across the network so that no one segment gets overloaded. Also, if there is a problem with one piece of equipment in the network, the router can bypass this piece of equipment and send the packet along another route. This way if there is a problem, the entire message will still arrive intact.

In conducting this process, routers have to speak to each other. They tell each other about any problems on the network and make recommendations on routes to take. This way, paths can be reconfigured if they have to be. However, not all routers do all jobs as routers come in different sizes and have different functions.

There are what we call simple routers. A simple router is usually used in a simple small network. Simple routers simply look to see where the data packet needs to go and sends it there. It doesn’t do much else.

Slightly larger routers, which are used for slightly larger networks, do a little bit more. These routers will also enforce security for the network, protecting the network from outside attacks. They are able to do a good enough job of this that additional security software is not needed.

The largest routers are used to handle data at major points on the Internet. These routers handle millions of packets of information per second. They work very hard to configure the network as efficiently as possible. These are stand alone systems and actually have more in common with supercomputers than with a simple server one might have in a small office.

In our next instalment we’ll look at how to actually trace the path that a message has taken and some examples of transmitting packets.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Routers

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Ever use someone else to get your message out?

For example, big, multi-location companies sometimes make important announcements through local plant or office managers, rather than at head office. Another example: advocacy groups that ask their members to individually write or call politicians.

Both examples illustrate what’s called a two-step communication strategy - getting extra mileage out of communication by selectively using other people to pass on messages.

It’s so common we often don’t think of it as a distinct strategy. But, it is, and offers many benefits, including: borrowed legitimacy, extended networks, speedy distribution, and unofficial status. Let’s review those benefits in more detail, and as we do so, ask yourself how you could apply them.

Borrowed legitimacy: The example of the advocacy group illustrates how you can use third parties (in this case individual voters/members) to give greater credence to a message.

It also explains the testimonials you see and hear in advertising. And, book publishers commonly use several forms of two-step communication, including testimonials, prefaces by well-known or well-respected persons, and book reviews.

In your workplace, some people probably have more influence than others. If you send out a message to the people with influence and ask them to pass it on to others in the organization, the message may carry more weight.

If you’re a sales person, you know the value of referrals. Again, this applies the two-step process to borrow legitimacy.

Extended networks: The two-step process can extend personal reach. It’s like an old-boys’ network that allows us to greatly expand the number of people we ‘know’.

Some publishers of free electronic newsletters ask subscribers to pass on copies to friends and colleagues. It’s a way for publishers to reach potential subscribers, with an implied or explicit endorsement.

Speed of distribution: Some messages can’t be sent out in mass, they need to be delivered individually and personally, but still need to go out quickly. The two-step process can do that.

For example, some associations use phoning trees. Simply sending written notices of meetings may not be enough to get a good turnout. So, one person phones three other members, and those members each phone three other members and so on. If everyone cooperates, phone trees are very effective (in my experience, though, ‘if’ is the key word here).

Unofficial status: Sometimes, organizations use what politicians call trial balloons, which is to say, they want reaction to an initiative before officially announcing it.

For example, a politician might test the feasibility of an idea by leaking it to the media. If a news story refers to ‘unnamed sources,’ you may be seeing the two-step strategy at work. It allows the politician to get a reading on the public’s mood without making a commitment.

In summary, the two-step process refers to the idea of using third parties to pass on important messages. Conscious, creative use of the process can extend your reach and give your message more impact. That makes it a useful addition to your communication toolbox.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

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First step - Plan Ahead.

The biggest investment you make into networking is your time. And most people don’t budget it adequately to maximize their results. They show up late and leave early. Reverse this - show up early and leave late - and give yourself enough time to connect with people before and after meetings officially start.

Here is a little secret I’m going to share with you that very few people do. Plan and block time to evaluate your results after the meeting.

Was that group a good match for you?
Look through the business cards you collected - did you have an opportunity to really connect with those people?
How will you follow up?

These are just a few questions you should be asking yourself after each meeting. This is just as important as showing up in the first place. Most people skip this step and end up frustrated and overwhelmed because they don’t take the time to “get organized.”

Step number two. Choose wisely where and who you network with.

Again and again people ask me, “There are so many different groups, what are the basic groups and where can I get the biggest bang for a buck?”

First, you have to know that there are no right and wrong groups in general -they are just right or wrong for you.

There are basically four main categories of groups out there:
Professional associations. Most every larger city will have local chapters of organizations that bring together professionals involved in the same trade. Attorneys, Consultants, Contractors, Manufacturers, and so on - all like to hang out together. With a bit of research you can easily find such groups near you.

Non-profit organizations. Personally, I think everyone should be involved in some organization that allows them to give back to community. And there are a lot of good causes to get involved in. This gives you good visibility, and access to other local leaders you might find hard to meet otherwise. Plus - it’s just a good habit to contribute time and money to help others.

While you shouldn’t count on getting business from these groups right away, when you do - it will be worth your while many times over - trust me.

Professional networking meetings. Like those organized by your local Chamber of Commerce or other, privately owned groups. While probably the most popular, these can often be a “total mixed bag”, and unless you have a solid plan to “penetrate” the group fast and position yourself as a highly visible COI (more on that later) you’ll be terribly disappointed with results you get from such groups.

Lead Exchange Groups. These typically allow only one person in each profession and meet regularly only for the sole purpose of exchanging leads with each other. While groups composed of well established professionals can be really effective in cross promoting each other’s businesses, in most lead-exchange groups there just two or three people that end up giving and getting most referrals - and everyone else just isn’t getting it.

Frankly, I think that unless you find a group with really savvy, well-established professionals in it - these groups are totally ineffective for the amount of time and money that you are asked to invest in them. (OK, I can just see the flood of emails on this one from people determined to prove otherwise!)

Finally, remember that depending on your business and who your clients are, your best place to network could be a golf-club membership and weekly round of golf. Or a monthly first class flight from one major city to another. And don’t overlook people who already have you as a client. Hey, I stumbled upon an entirely new niche, simply because my daughters needed braces!

Step number three is to prepare your ABC - and that stands for Audio Business Card.

People judge you by their first impressions of you. And if what you say to them in the first few seconds isn’t clear, compelling and memorable - well, you’ll just slip into oblivion like dozens of others we run into every day and then quickly forget them.

I bet you took at least a few hours, if not a few days, to design your printed business card. But did you take at least 15 minutes to develop and practice your ABC?! I bet not!

Teaching you how to develop a good ABC is a subject for whole new lesson, but here is just the gist of what works and what doesn’t.

Don’t say:
Your title, like “I’m the president of Blah, Blah, and Blah, Inc” - boring!
Your label, like “I’m a consultant” - OK, good for you, now tell me “what do you do”?
Where you live and work - I’ve never met anyone who’s hired me because of my street address!
How long you’ve been in business - people really don’t care if I stepped off the boat yesterday, or if I’ve lived here my entire life. All they want to know is - if and how I can help them.

Do say:

Who your ideal clients are.
What are their biggest problems you solve for your clients.
How your clients are better off as a result of working with you.
How to best start benefiting from your services right away (more on that in a moment)

This is really a critical skill. If you don’t know how to create magnetic first impressions and don’t have an effective Audio Business Card - don’t bother leaving your office. Your getting any business from networking will be purely accidental, and your chances for landing a new client or referral are as good as those of being struck by a lightning - if you catch my drift.

Step number four is positioning. Simply put, most people in the networking environment are prospecting - looking for potential clients. Positioning is about reversing this process - allowing potential clients to FIND YOU. It’s a big difference when you have people coming to you versus you chasing them.

There is an entire process I teach my clients around this concept. And it starts long before you even show up for any meeting. It’s not hard to do. With a bit of cleverness, and some advanced planning, anyone can do it.

Step number five is about preparing bait. You must have Attraction Tools in place. Finding clients is a bit like going fishing. You may love strawberries, but you would never put a strawberry on a fishing hook and throw it in the water because fish don’t like strawberries. So you have to think about what kind of bait your audience likes and prepare that bait.

When I first got started I quickly build a database of over two thousand subscribers to my newsletter, simply by offering an attractive bait, and promoting it effectively by turning my printed business card into an advertising billboard.

Step number six is about meeting COI and becoming a COI - or a Center of Influence!

Every group has a number of core members - a higher echelon reserved for top movers and shakers. These few savvy entrepreneurs likely exchange more business amongst each other than the rest of the group combined.

Your job is to become part of this group as quickly as possible. Effective networking is not only about who you know, but even more importantly about who knows you. So becoming one of the big fish in a small pond is like hitting a lottery jackpot - new business will just keep coming in!

Step number seven is about delivering immediate value. One of the easiest ways to build relationships and deliver value is by being interested in other people. We all love to talk about ourselves. But when you network, if you are able to temporarily suspend your own need to blabber on about yourself - you’ll instantly be better off than 99% of other people in the room.

Next, keep in mind that people are naturally lazy communicators and lazy thinkers. They tend to say the same thing to everyone they meet. So even a slight variation from their typical pattern makes the moment of meeting you more memorable.

Actually it’s not that hard to say memorable things in an environment where most everyone else is trying to sell something. Dimply DON’T ASK FOR THE BUSINESS! Be curious, ask engaging, challenging questions. Or you can develop a Polish accent (OK, so this one may not work for you as well as it works for me - but it’s worth a try, right?)

Step number eight is about getting maximum visibility. Once you’ve invested your money and time into actually getting together with other people, you might as well get the biggest bang for your buck out of it, right?

Most people are simply invisible! Even if you meet them, they seem to work so hard on making any impression on you, that you likely forget them right as you turn around to “Hi” to the next person.

Getting visibility is easy - if you know how. Here are just a few simple tips:
- Volunteer to run the registration table.
- Appoint yourself an official greeter and meet everyone as they walk into the room.
- Stand up and share a great resource with everyone in the room
- Ask the speaker a question that will allow everyone else to see your expertise in certain subjects.

Step number nine is simple - Follow up. Follow up. Follow up…

In the last five years I can probably think of less than a dozen people who have actually followed up with me as they promised! Even fewer followed up with me more than once or twice. This is terrible. Some of those people I really wanted to do business with - but they frankly let me down by disappearing.

Aren’t you concerned about how much business you lose by “disappearing” on people after you’ve invested so much of your efforts into connecting with them in the first place?

I learned my ultimate lesson about following up when I was courting my wife. I might have thought I was prince charming, but it took me two years, and multiple “irresistible offers” before she thought that too and bought into the deal. I’ve been now married for fourteen years and have two gorgeous daughters. It would’ve never happened if I didn’t follow-up, and follow-up, and follow-up - for two long years!

Bottom line, you must have a system in place that will allow you to effortlessly and automatically keep in touch with potential clients - “till they buy or die!”

“© 2006 Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.

The author, Adam Urbanski, teaches service professionals and business owners how to develop marketing strategies that increase sales and profits. His website offers more how-to articles and free tips to create a winning marketing action plan at http://www.themarketingmentors.com.“

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