Business networking has been a core part of all types of businesses and with the introduction of internet business in its various types and forms; it is almost inevitable for any person doing any kind of business not to become a networker.

First of all, we would like to know, what business networking is all about. Business networking is the establishing of relationship with other business people, and potential customers and clients. This relationship has to be mutually beneficial for business networking to work. It is a way of pulling your connections, both personal and business in order to have steady supply of new businesses. It is all about relationship building.

Business networking is not an easy venture because you have to be focused; you have to take a meaningful step each day to ensure that your networking is making a positive impact in your business. It must be strategic and proactive.

Here are five principles you should apply, to become a better networker.

1. Drop the "What is in for me attitude"?: We all know that the main aim of business networking is to get more people interested in your product and service but that should not be the main focus whenever you are in a networking meeting or forum. As I said earlier, the relationship has to be mutually beneficial, meaning that just as you want something from someone, that person also wants something from you, and as the Good Book says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" so your main focus should be what I have to give before I receive.

2. Participate fully in all network activities: It is very common to see in a meeting or organization where some people criticize anything their leaders do, but when you call on then to lead they refuse and they hardly volunteer whenever the need arises. This is a very bad attitude for a business networker. A much as possible, you should participate in all activities and functions. It is not all relationships that you will benefit from but you have a lot more to gain from developing relationships that you loose from being on your own.

3. Build relationships: Sometime we make mistakes thinking that networking is all about meeting people, exchanging business cards and after the event, the cards end up in your drawers or worse, in the trash. This is not business networking. You have to get to know people, make friends with them, complement them when necessary and call them up to know how they are doing from time to time. This will help to build relationships between you and your clients.

4. Be the first to give referrals: Still on the point of giving before receiving. Be the first to give referrals before expecting to receive. When you give, you inspire that person to want to give also and like they say, what goes around comes around. I can assure you, it would come around.

5. Listen: Communicating is not a one way street. To be a good communicator, you have to be good in both talking and listening, one cannot work without the other. Imagine you ask someone how the expansion of his business is going and he tells you all about what he is doing and blabs a whole lot more and before you know it, he asks your opinion on a particular issue. You are dumbfounded, not because you don't understand but because you were not listening to what he was saying not even a bit. Imagine how hurt such a person will feel and this can actually destroy your relationship with that person and you never know how many people he can tell about the terrible listener you are.

With this few facts, I hope you will start thinking about being a good business networker, it is not easy, because it pays.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Etuokwu

Do you remember the days when it was a daily occurrence to get spammed on MySpace? I was frequented by at least two sex bots, four bands and an empty profile almost every day. These are issues that made Facebook what it is today. Facebook has stronger filtering systems and a more difficult registering process that help to remove computer programs that create random profiles for God knows what purposes. As both of these sites matured, a new service arrived that is most commonly known as Twitter.

Twitter emerged from an age where Facebook was eating the MySpace footprint but it still seemed as if the percentage of people who logged on and stayed on continued to drop. What do people visit these pages for anyways? A recent study indicated that a whopping 81% of people that have a profile on MySpace or Facebook primarily log on to check for new messages, update their status and browse recent bulletins (or wall posts if you are a Facebook user). Twitter targeted the most common reasons for visiting these sites - updating your status. It seems, though, that spam bots are at it again and targeting people by simply 'following' them. So, what sort of harm could this do to you? After all, it only adds to the number of followers you have, right?

As social networking grows to be one of the first source employers are turning to for information on potential hires, business to consumer connection and personal branding, it is incredibly important to maintain your 'Big Three' on a daily basis. When I say maintain, I don't mean to just check for new messages or tweets, I mean to actually maintain your profile. Now more then ever, it is imperative to ensure you are not what I like to call a 'follower whore'. Younger generations love to build their number of followers and do whatever it takes to have more 'friends' than the next person, regardless if it is a real person with valuable input or not.

I suggest that with every new follower; take the time to do the following:

1 - Review their profile.

2 - Read recent tweets and consider there value to you.

3 - Look for how often they tweet.

4 - Check the number of followers vs. following.

5 - Decide to follow them or not.

6 - If necessary, delete.

Let's break that down. If you cannot take the time to review someone's profile who took the time to follow you, you are not considering what others could bring to the table that may improve whatever it is that you are doing. Take a look at their recent tweets and if they post things that are interesting, compelling or even funny - follow them! By looking at their tweets you can also tell if they are spamming advertisements, are a real human or not and even see how often they tweet. You do NOT want to follow someone who tweets every two minutes! This will only make it more difficult to filter your tweets whenever it is you login and if you have every tweet texted to your mobile device, I sure hope you have unlimited texting! After that, quickly take a peak at how many followers they have versus how many people they are following. If they are following 10,000,000 people and have only 9 followers.... there's a problem - they obviously don't have anything valuable to offer anyone.

At this point, you should be able to properly determine if you should or shouldn't follow them.

"So, why would I delete someone?"

If someone (or something) is following you and you don't see a relationship there or you aren't Ashton Kutcher, delete them. I know that it may seem really neat to have a large number of followers displayed on your Twitter homepage but what isn't cool is when someone of importance (future employer, business partner, investor or client) decides to browse your followers to see what type of people felt your updates were of value and sees nothing but spam/porn bots. There are three points here. First, don't accumulate followers who do nothing but follow and second, don't be the follower that gets deleted. Offer value in your tweets, have fun with them and add personality. If used properly, Twitter can be a great place to meet new people, learn new things and promote you and/or your business. Finally, maintain what I call your online portfolio. Log into these websites daily and update your content, create something fresh for other people to enjoy. After all, networking requires more than just yourself - that's why it's called Social Networking.

If all else fails and you love bots, do yourself a favor and mark your profile and tweets as private.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Hays

One fun and easy way to build your business and expand your network is to simply stay in touch. Many people overlook this simple, yet very effective way of staying connected with people and growing their business.

Here are a few ways you can expand your network, create raving fans, and have fun (isn't that what it's all about anyways!).

1. Follow up with people that you meet. Whether you send a card, make a phone call, or pass along a resource - the best way to create fans and have people remember you is for you to stand out and do something different. So I want to encourage you to follow AT&T's famous slogan "reach out and touch someone." (And perhaps, not just by email)

2. Thank people. Yep, that's right - do what mom always said and say thank you when someone does something nice for you. Be sure to do this in both your personal and professional life, from attending dinners and social gatherings, or from receiving referrals or getting a new client.

3. Contact someone for absolutely no reason, ask for nothing, but say I was thinking of you and wanted to see how you were doing. This time think Stevie Wonder "I just called to say...."

4. Remember their birthdays, anniversaries, children's birthdays and so on. Holidays work well too! Have you read Mr. Schmooze? This is a great short read on building relationships by paying attention to what really matters in people's lives. I highly recommend this for building your network.

Staying connected means setting yourself apart from the rest. Do something that stands out, makes a difference, and brightens someone's day and you will be sure to create a massive following of raving fans.

If you are wondering how you can stay connected and manage all of these things with a simple click of a button I highly suggest this program - Send Out Cards. You can even send a FREE card out on me! Visit my website for details.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Costantine

There was a time when most of us got a lot of reinforcement at home as we were growing up on how important it is to get along with others. Our parents, and later teachers and even coaches and ministers, pushed us beyond our comfort zone to give speeches, apologize for our mistakes and show good sportsmanship. Sometimes we hated it; later we admitted we needed it. Now with so many other issues drowning parents and teachers the development of social skills has fallen off the radar. The same situation exists in adult education, where the focus on being "job ready" has become so intense that many basics are being ignored.

No matter how sophisticated we believe we are, and no matter how focused on technology the research tells us that those old fashioned lessons on getting along still matter. Studies show us over and over again that people would rather work with someone they like, even if that person is incompetent. And by now we have all heard that "people quit bosses, not jobs". So understanding what makes you likable and being able to get along matters, even after we grow up and leave the play ground. Below are a few tips for those who have trouble getting started on this journey.

Do:
• Face the fact that social skills matter even in business. You may think it's not fair; you may be introverted and wish people would just leave you alone, but the society we live in values the ability to "work and play well with others".
• Pay attention when people talk to you. Look up from your desk or computer screen and make eye contact. Listen and respond to questions.
• Smile and show interest in your coworkers and colleagues. You don't have to engage in all day gab fests. Just put aside a few minutes each day to greet people at work; connect with them and then move on to your job duties.
• Consider getting some help from a specialist like a social skills or executive coach, or join a networking group for practice.

Don't:
• If you're introverted...don't try to convince a world of extroverts (the majority of the population) that they need to be like you and that social skills shouldn't matter. This will be a waste of your time and sound like "sour grapes" to those around you.
• Point out every mistake others make. For example, you don't need to correct grammar in a casual conversation. Save your critical eye for final copies of important documents and key presentations.
• Tell everyone over and over again about your impressive education and credentials. If people really want to know about your background they will ask.
• Stay holed up in your office for days at a time without "socializing" with your coworkers. Even if you are swamped with work, make time to say hello to people in the office. Your concentration on your job could be misinterpreted as standoffish or antisocial behavior.

Remember:
You want to be liked for positive attributes like being approachable, honest and easy to work with. Don't sacrifice your professional reputation or personal ethics in the name of being liked. Petty theft, cooking the books or turning a blind eye to dangerous behavior at work might make you popular with certain types of workers...but these behaviors will always come back to bite you later.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Southall_Watts