How to Take Your Social Networking to the next level - Business Networking - Biznik

How to Take Your Social Networking to the next level - Business Networking - Biznik

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Networking without pressure

By Mary Gottschalk

Networking is a bit like flossing your teeth. You know you should do it every day, but often you don't start until you have a crisis on your hands.

Networking can be useful as a crisis tool for finding the next job or getting a referral. But beware. There's a subtle psychological shift in the balance of power between you and your contact if the purpose of the meeting is to get a job. You go into the meeting needing something and wishing you didn't. Your contact knows he is expected to deliver a job lead, a referral or at least a good idea.

This situation can be awkward. It makes sense to present what you think your contact should know about you, what you think will be most impressive. But whether it works has as much or more to do with a contact's ability to provide a relevant job lead or referral as to the effectiveness of your presentation. And if that contact isn't in a position to offer something, he may try to bring the conversation to a close, to relieve discomfort and avoid creating false hope.

The odds are high that you will walk away from such meetings discouraged, something you don't need if you're out of a job. Even worse, a lot of valuable information - valuable to your contact as well as to you - never gets communicated.

An alternative approach is based on the notion that people love to give advice. Don't say that you're looking for a job, even if you are. Instead, explain that you're exploring your career options ... that you want to learn what other jobs or careers your skills might be suited to ... that you don't plan to make any decisions until you have more information.

That approach takes much of the pressure off, if only because both people go into the meeting expecting nothing more than an interesting conversation. You can present a more honest picture of yourself and explore the career implications of your weaknesses as well as your strengths. The format leaves lots of room for a contact to make suggestions and share personal experiences. It allows him to ask what you think about "X" or how you'd handle "Y," thus learning about you in ways that might never have come up if the purpose of the meeting was to "sell" what you assume are your most important skills.

Because it's a dialogue, a contact will feel freer to talk about opportunities in her firm or industry, long-term opportunities even if they are not available on your current time frame. Because it's a dialogue, you can ask probing questions about the pros and cons of her job or profession, the how and why of her firm's internal decision-making and its biggest challenges. She can see first-hand how your mind works. You get more honest answers. And if your contact sees you as interesting rather than needy, she is far more likely to make referrals.

A significant fringe benefit of this approach - a critical one when you actually need a job - is that you rarely walk away feeling disappointed or discouraged.

The best fringe benefit is that interesting conversations lead to interesting job offers, often from the people you really only approached for advice.

Mary Gottschalk is the owner of MCG Strategic Services, which provides financial services to nonprofit organizations.

Improve Your Website’s Usability in 30 Minutes or Less

Written by: Tom Now

You can eat lunch in 30 minutes. You can watch a primetime TV show in 30 minutes. You can even organize your sock drawer in 30 minutes.

Given that an easy-to-use website is one that is much more likely to generate sales for your business, it would behoove you to take 30 minutes out of your day (in addition to organizing your sock drawer…) to implement fixes to your site that will improve usability and deliver better results.

Five Simple Steps to Improve Website Usability in 30 Minutes or Less

#1 Eliminate the Technospeak
Don’t assume that all of your website visitors are going to understand your industry lingo and acronyms. Strive to use easy-to-understand language.

#2 Focus on the Site Visitor’s Goals
Think of the major objectives of your website visitors. Why are these people on your site? Make it clear right on your home page what they should do next in order to accomplish what they set out to do.

#3 Get Right to the Point
State the most important information at or near the top of each page. Remember that many people do not scroll down web pages.

#4 Include Contextual Links & Make Sure All Links Work Properly
Add links to the copy within your website to guide your readers to more detailed information and answers on specific topics found on other pages in your site. Internal, contextual links is a great way to add usability without cluttering the page. There are a variety of tools on the market to automatically check the links on your site.

#5 Give the Site Visitor Options to Contact You
Make sure that you are offering your prospective customers at least three options (e.g., telephone number, email address, online form, chat functionality, Twitter, etc.) to contact you with questions.

These are just a few suggestions to help you quickly crank out a number of usability improvements to your website. If you need additional help, let me know below or at http://www.websitemarketingnow.com/.

How To Market To People Who Are Not Like You - Business And Breakfast

How To Market To People Who Are Not Like You - Business And Breakfast

One of the most important issues to address within your marketing plan is new market segmentation. No longer does mass marketing and mass media effectively reach your audience. Diversity marketing is the new norm, and this doesn’t simply mean racial diversity but extends to gender, race, age, life stage, sexuality, special interests, etc. By recognizing and segmenting these different groups, you can tailor your product/service and its message to reflect customers’ uniqueness. Kelly McDonald will share her insights on how to effectively segment new markets and then devise messaging to reach them.

This opportunity is made possible through sponsorship assistance from MyEntrenet at the Regional Business Development and Incubation Center at the University of Northern Iowa. Maureen Collins - Williams, Director

Join us for breakfast, networking and a wonderful presentation.

Kelly McDonald is a marketing and advertising expert with more than 20 years of global advertising agency experience, in both the general and Latino markets. Prior to starting her own company, Kelly was Director of Client Services at one of the nation’s top Hispanic ad agencies, where she worked with Nissan, Bank One, Kimberly-Clark and Budweiser. Learn more about Kelly McDonald and her business at McDonald Marketing.

The New-Iowa Group is the home for the Coalition and is sponsored in part by American Express OPEN and by E-Myth Benchmark. You can Contact Bob or Susan Clements at 888-959-0621 for more information about E-Myth Benchmark.

Date & time
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 7:30 AM
Location
StayBridge Suites
6905 Lake Drive
West Des Moines, IA 50238
1-515-223-0000
Who's organizing?
Kent Sovern
“ Look for the NIEC Signs ”
Price
$10.00 per person – RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/New-Iowa-Entrepreneurs-Coalition/


New Iowa Entrepreneurs' Coalition The New-Iowa Group is the home for the New Iowa Entrepreneurs' Coalition which is sponsored in part by American Express OPEN and by E-Myth Benchmark. Please visit our Sponsors' web pages and you can Contact Bob or Susan Clements at 888-959-0621 for more information about E-Myth Benchmark.

SBA Launches YouTube Channel

To reach a larger audience, the U.S. Small Business Administration is now posting informational videos on YouTube. The Small Business Administration recently launched it's own YouTube channel, joining an increasing number of federal agencies that are taking advantage of the popular video-sharing platform to reach a larger audience.

“With millions of visitors, most of them under 35, YouTube offers a prime opportunity to use current technology and the appeal of a popular online platform to further promote the agency’s programs and services,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills says. “By expanding its outreach, SBA will be providing more current and potential entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to start, grow and succeed in their businesses.”

In a statement released Aug. 26, SBA said it is intent on reaching this audience with its message of entrepreneurship, the importance of small business to the nation’s economy and information on the agency’s programs and services.

The SBA YouTube channel debuted with a 60-second introduction to SBA, its programs and services, and a 10-part “Delivering Success” series co-produced with the U.S. Postal Service.
Future content will include a variety of videos with more in-depth information about SBA programs and services to inform current and potential entrepreneurs. Topics will cover how small businesses can take advantage of the Recovery Act loan programs, government contracting opportunities, exporting to increase market share, counseling and training on how to start and grow a small business, and small business success stories.

Immigrants a Plus for the Economy

I've taken a break from the business blog for a month and with Labor Day just around the corner it is time to bring attention back to the New Iowa Entrepreneurs Coalition and these musings. I'm just back from a delightful 10 days in the Pacific NW - visiting grandchildren and relaxing.

While on the flights to and from SeaTec, I had some time to catch up on back issues of Business Week and Newsweek magazines that have languished in my inbox over the past few weeks. Here is one of the short takes that caught my eye.

Immigrants a Plus for the Economy

Immigrants create more jobs than they take. That is the take home message appearing in a recent issue of Newsweek from the following 'Smart List' item:

Lou Dobbs, take note: immigrants are good for our economy. The most skilled create jobs in technology and engineering, says Duke professor Vivek Wadhwa, who estimates that in 2005 immigrant-founded engineering and tech companies employed 450,000 people and generated $52 billion in sales. But even the least skilled more than repay their costs in schools and health care. Two highly respected Australian economists, Maureen Rimmer and Peter Dixon, studied the issue for the libertarian Cato Institute. "The net impact on U.S. households from tighter border enforcement is unambiguously negative," they found, because even low-skilled immigrants expand the economic pie and create jobs farther up the ladder. Cato's Dan Griswold says the study shows a $250 billion difference between the most and least restrictive immigration policies.

Not surprisingly, the blurb has generated a number of reader comments. And unfortunately, a majority use it as a misguided chance to complain about high unemployment rates in the US and jobs going overseas (a completely separate issue). My personal favorite mixes in a bit of anti-corporate conspiracy theory with its xenophobia:

"Only a magazine that makes its money from the ads it sells to soulless, nationless corporations would say immigrants create jobs. I guess the more immigrants, the happier the corporations are and the happier Newsweek is to sell them ad space. Corporatism is cracking. The American middle class won't take much more of their jobs being transferred to India. India needs to create its own jobs instead of sucking jobs from "American" firms."

Top Seven Tips for Taxpayers Who Have Started or Are Starting a New Business

John Berger
Communications Analyst at US Government

Anyone starting a new business should be aware of their federal tax responsibilities.

Here are the top seven things the IRS wants you to know if you plan on opening a new business this year.

1. First, you must decide what type of business entity you are going to establish. The type your business takes will determine which tax form you have to file. The most common types of business are the sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and S corporation.

2. The type of business you operate determines what taxes you must pay and how you pay them. The four general types of business taxes are income tax, self-employment tax, employment tax and excise tax.

3. An Employer Identification Number is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. Visit IRS.gov for more information about whether you will need an EIN. You can also apply for an EIN online at IRS.gov.

4. Good records will help you ensure successful operation of your new business. You may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses. Except in a few cases, the law does not require any special kind of records. However, the business you are in affects the type of records you need to keep for federal tax purposes.

5. Every business taxpayer must figure taxable income on an annual accounting period called a tax year. The calendar year and the fiscal year are the most common tax years used.

6. Each taxpayer must also use a consistent accounting method, which is a set of rules for determining when to report income and expenses. The most commonly used accounting methods are the cash method and an accrual method. Under the cash method, you generally report income in the tax year you receive it and deduct expenses in the tax year you pay them. Under an accrual method, you generally report income in the tax year you earn it and deduct expenses in the tax year you incur them.

7. Visit the Business section of IRS.gov for resources to assist entrepreneurs with starting and operating a new business.

To keep up with IRS new, announcements and products and services, subscribe to e-News on IRS.gov at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=154825,00.html , click “Subscribe Now” at the bottom of the page and enter your e-mail address.

IRS Link for New Businesses: • Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html