Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

Is traditional marketing dead?  Despite the fact that social media provide tremendous opportunities to reach a wider audience in your target market, there is still a place in the life of the small business owners or entrepreneur for  traditional marketing strategies like business networking.

Attending networking events by the  Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Business Network International (BNI) and other events put on by local groups  provide opportunities to meet people and get to know people in your area of expertise.  Like any other successful marketing strategy, there is an art to networking.

In the book, Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success, Anne Baber and Lynn Waymon note: (more…)

The term “networking” is often confused with Network Marketing but they are totally different.  The root of networking is to build mutually beneficial relationships that can lead to personal and professional success.

Misconceptions About Networking

Many people cringe at the idea of attending networking events because they associate it with “putting on a face” and “schmoozing” with people you don’t know.  On the other hand, there are people who see networking as an opportunity to hand out as many of your own business cards as possible in a short time.  These concepts will prevent you from taking advantage of the opportunities networking offers and may require a change (more…)

A clump is a knot or tight cluster of people or things.  It's a natural tendency in humans to want to stay in groups with   whom they feel comfortable – either people you already know or those with whom you share similar interests.

There are times when staying within your clumps or tight cluster may not be a good idea.  Business events like large training groups, business functions and local networking events usually create opportunities for exposure, networking, building connections and, of course, taking advantage of learning opportunities from others.

If you congregate with just your known circle, you are not allowing yourself to make (more…)