Persuade With Purpose

February 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

GSBI’m on the West Coast this week where yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at my alma mater in front of 200+ alumnae, students and staff at the Women’s Initiative Network annual conference.

I shared some key principles from Smart Networking and led the entire group through a “progressive networking” exercise that always gets everyone talking, making connections, and feeling confident about their networking skills. It’s one of my favorites!

Then I flew from there to another conference, so I thought it would be apropos to share my latest “Ask Liz” video on my #1 strategy for maximizing conferences and events.

It’s posted to my newsletter along with my newest article “Persuade with Purpose.” Hope you enjoy both!

Filed Under: Networking Events, Networking In Action, Smart Networking Success Ezine, Success Principles

7 Steps to Attracting Money Making Affiliates

February 17, 2010 by 1 Comment


By Kathleen Gage

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[Note: Keynote speaker, business advisor and Internet marketing expert Kathleen Gage is today's Guest Blogger on Smart Networking. She'll be here all day, Wednesday, February 17th to respond to your comments and questions on her post. Join in the fun!]

If you’ve been around the Internet for any length of time,
you have likely heard you can make money through Joint Venture partnerships and
affiliate programs. You may already be doing so, but not at the level you know
is possible.

Without a doubt, partnering with the right people increases
your market reach, credibility and revenue stream. It’s a great way to do
business. Unfortunately, many people attempt to do so without really
understanding how to gain the greatest benefit for all concerned.

There are numerous types of affiliate and joint venture
partner arrangements and relationships. There are those where as an affiliate
you simply search out products and services that you think your market wants or
with very little interaction between the you and the affiliate. Conversely, you
have those who seek out your products and services for their market, but have
very little interaction with you.

There are affiliate programs where no one really knows who
is behind the product, you just know you might be able to make money by selling
it; whatever it may be. Usually a widget of some sort.

Then there is the type of relationship where you do know who
you are dealing with and your reputation resides in the quality of products and
services you bring to your market. This type of relationship is quite appealing
to many entrepreneurs. You do business with the affiliate because you know
them, like them and trust them.

For the purpose of this conversation, we will focus on the
relationships where either you bring an expert’s information to your market or
they bring your expertise through products and services to their market.

One of the most important things you must do is determine
how you can make the relationship a win/win/win. Win for you, win for your
affiliate or JV and win for the end user – the customer.

In the context of this discussion, developing affiliate
relationships takes more than simply posting something on your website or blog
where people can click and immediately become and affiliate. Sure, you can
occasionally find great affiliates this way, but to really optimize the
potential there is much more that needs to be done.

Conversely, don’t assume that simply because you think what
you have to offer is the greatest thing since sliced bread affiliate marketers
will too. Your job is to search out those affiliates who have a great market
match for your product and/or service. This can take time, effort and money to position
correctly.

StreetSmartsMarketing.pngHere are some simple guidelines you can follow that are sure
to open many doors for you.

  1. Know
    what your market wants when you offer affiliate products.
  2. Understand
    the needs of the experts you approach when offering your product/services for
    them to take to their market.
  3. Do
    your homework when it comes to commission rates. A very simple way to do this
    is join forums where other affiliates hang out. Which forums you select depends
    on your industry. You can also do research at locations such as ClickBank. As
    one of the largest locations to find affiliate products to sell and to post
    your own products you want others to sell, you can easily determine what you
    need to offer and what to look for when you are selling for someone by spending
    time on ClickBank.
  4. Nurture
    the relationships with those who are your top performers. Truth be told, only a
    small percentage of those who become affiliates actually do much of anything to
    sell your products and services. Then there are those who will sell and sell
    and sell. Rather than trying to get the low performers to raise their own bar,
    do what you can to support your high performers. This could be in the way of
    higher than average commission rates (sometimes even 100% commission for some
    products), surprise bonuses, a phone call or thank you card that is delivered
    by other than email, and special acknowledgements.
  5. Find
    out your high performers preferred method of communication. If you know they
    are on Twitter a great deal, sending direct messages to them through Twitter is
    better than a standard email. If you know they like to talk on the phone, take
    the time to occasionally pick up the phone to call them. If they like Facebook,
    private message them this way. If they like public recognition, blog, tweet and
    post on their Facebook wall to give them praise. You will be amazed at how far
    this can take things.
  6. Make
    being your affiliate an easy process. Provide the tools they need to promote
    your products and services. In other words, give them blog postings, articles,
    tweets, samples to give to their market, etc. Develop a private affiliate page
    where they can access this information. This can make all the difference in the
    world.
  7. Be
    a good pay. Don’t ever, ever, ever shortchange your affiliates. Pay them when
    and how you say you will pay. And pay with gratitude. It’s amazing how someone
    will be thrilled to get affiliates but when it comes time to pay them, there is
    resistance to writing the check or sending their commission to their PayPal
    account. Energetically, you are shutting down the flow of future sales if you
    do this. Pay with extreme gratitude. 

The bottom line is treat your affiliates and joint venture
partners how you want to be treated. With the right partnerships you can build
an extremely viable revenue stream and business a lot faster than if you try to
do it all on your own. In today’s world of business collaboration is the way to
go.

About the author
Kathleen Gage is an Internet marketing advisor who works with spiritually
aware speakers, authors, coaches and consultants who are ready to turn their
knowledge into money making products and services. Find out how you can learn
from Kathleen on how to build a successful business using the Internet through
her Street Smarts Marketing VIP Club.

Filed Under: Building Your Business, Guest Posts, Networking In Action Tagged With: , , ,

How a Single Connection Can Start a Cascade of Opportunities

November 11, 2009 by 1 Comment

Since I announced Network Appreciation Day last week, I’ve
been thinking about who in my network I would write about today.

Personally, it’s difficult to single out any individual because
I wouldn’t be at this point in my business without the help of so many people.
But I do have a special place in my heart for two new friends I met this year,
but feel I’ve known forever: Carrie and Andy Robinson of CRG Leadership
Institute.

They first contacted me when Smart Networking was released
to invite me as a guest on their Career Wisdom Radio show, and I had a fabulous
time.

When my husband and I ending up moving to Naples, FL where
they live, Carrie immediately invited us to join her Nordic Pole Walking group
on Wednesday mornings, and suddenly we went from knowing nobody in town to
having 20 new friends sharing a fun activity. In addition to being an executive
recruiter, Carrie recently started College Edge to help high school and college
students get a competitive edge in their budding careers.

Andy, who authors the excellent Career Success Blog, has been a great supporter of Smart
Networking, recommending it to clients in his successful executive coaching
practice. This summer, he introduced me to preeminent consultant Dave Carpenter,
who has me involved in an amazing opportunity that I’ll be announcing in early
2010.

Dave immediately connected me with Bob Burg, who’s classic
Endless Referrals has been a favorite of mine since I started my business. Now
I’ll be interviewing Bob about his newest bestseller The Go-Giver, co-authored
with John David Mann, on my next Smart Networking Inner Circle coaching call. I would
be much more star-struck, but he is such a nice, down-to-earth guy!

Even as I write this, I’m in awe of how one connection can
lead to so many new points of contact and so many opportunities and
friendships.

So take some time today–whether publicly or privately–to
honor the folks in your network. Let them know how much you appreciate them. 

Filed Under: Blog Networking, Networking In Action, Smart Networking Book, Success Principles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Networking at Conferences – Part 3

August 16, 2009 by 1 Comment

People have heard me say many times that I tend to avoid networking events. What? A networking expert not getting out face-to-face? Don’t I practice what I preach, especially since the subtitle of my book is “attract a following in person and online?”

Of course I do! I think networking in person is a vital component of every networking plan. And despite the growing popularity of online networking, I don’t believe face-to-face networking will ever go away. Case in point is the number of social media conferences taking place in the world every year. Even people who network online all the time still want to see each other in person!

Live event networking is definitely a part of my strategy, but I’m very specific about the events I attend because I’m always trying to maximize my time and effort. So I’ll network at events where I’m speaking, for example. After all, that’s a highly targeted audience that is definitely interested in what I have to share.

Maximize your time and effort

2502528498_126c0e6cf6I’ll also go to conferences, consolidating time I would have spent at a bunch of small events every month and going to a few large ones over the year instead. This may not be the right strategy for you–Smart Networking is all about choosing the right mix of networking activities for your goals at a specific point in time–but if you do go to conferences regularly or will be going to one in the near future, I hope you’ve found this series helpful for getting prepared.

Three tips to act on

Here are three final tips for putting your plan into action and helping to ensure you make those high-impact connections that could really make a difference in your business or career:

Ask organizers for help

Conference organizers want you to meet your objectives so you’ll come back next year and hopefully bring some colleagues as well, so don’t be shy about enlisting their help.  It’s a simple two-step process.

First, you have to find one of them. One place to look is the registration desk, or, even better, if the conference is big enough, the Speaker’s Lounge, where speakers check in and hang out before and after their talks. You can also see them in the back of the seminar room making sure everything is going smoothly.  Often, they’ll be holding walkie talkies.

Second, you have to articulate your request. If there’s a specific person you’d like to meet, say, “I’d love to say hello to Mr. X, would you mind introducing me?” Or, if you’re looking for a specific type of person but don’t have a name, you might say, “I know there are some folks here from ABC Company, what’s the best way to find them?” or “I’m looking for someone in the PR field, is there someone you could introduce me to?”

Get out of the seminar room

317632613_746e812676As a speaker at conferences, I should be biased towards encouraging participants to stay in their seats at keynotes and breakout sessions and soak up as much information as possible.  However, as a networker, I know that conversations during breaks and meals and in the hallway can be extremely valuable for building relationships that can help your business.

Be sure especially to take advantage of any unique networking opportunities offered at the conference. More and more, organizers are trying to facilitate connections among participants in unique ways, through structured networking events and other creative programs.

A conference I attended a few years ago in Washington D.C. offered a dine-around event where participants were divided into small, pre-determined groups (to separate people from similar companies and professions) and set up for dinner at local restaurants.  I shared wine and great food with industry leaders who are still part of my network today.

Make time for the follow up

350177616_9b4b28946dTo build on those connections you made, block out some time when you’re back at the office for following up. Don’t just throw the stack of business cards into your drawer, sort through them and pick out the folks you really see a synergy with, or can offer some help to right now, or can connect to someone already in your network.

To make the process easier, read my post on Setting up for Success Follow Up, because there are things you can do at the conference itself to make this step much more efficient and effective.

Although Woody Allen once said that 80% of success is just showing up, networking successfully at conferences, trade shows, and conventions takes a little more effort.

By just showing up, you’ll probably still have a fine time, get useful information, and meet some nice people, but a little focus and upfront prep can make the experience more relevant for your needs, and result in a much bigger payoff for your time and investment.

Read original post in Personal Branding Blog.

Filed Under: Building Your Business, Marketing Yourself, Networking In Action, Personal Branding Tagged With: , , ,

Why An Enthusiastic Friend Can Be One of Your Most Powerful Networking Assets

January 17, 2009 by 1 Comment

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On Friday I had lunch at Payard with my friend Stefanie Smith, a very high-end executive coach at Stratex Consulting, here in NYC. In addition to catching up, she also wanted to buy some signed copies of Smart Networking for her clients. 
We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so she made me share EVERY detail about what’s been going on with the book promotion, including the “very glamorous day” in December when I appeared on Fox Business News in the morning, ABC News in the afternoon, then flew to Paris with my husband in the evening (as Eddie Murphy said in Trading Places, “This kind of thing happens to me every week.” No, not really! :-) )
At the end of our lunch, I pulled out of my tote bag four copies of Smart Networking, taken from my private stash of books that my publisher sent me. As Stefanie writes out a check for four books and I start to sign the first one, the gentleman sitting with his wife at the table next to us says, “Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt but we’ve been eavesdropping on your conversation. You wrote that book and you were on Fox Business News? Can we buy some copies for our kids?”
Stefanie goes into full promo mode and says how wonderful the book is, pulling out her own copy to show how much she’s check-marked and underlined. She offered to give up two of her unsigned books to this couple who were visiting from California. As I’m signing these books for our newfound friends, a woman sitting on the other side of them starts to ask about the book as well, and Stefanie cheerfully gives up her last unsigned copy without blinking an eye.
If we hadn’t already paid the bill, lunch would have been on me as my present to Stefanie for being such a sport. I’ll be sending her replacement copies, of course, but that experience was a strong reminder of how spending time with your strongest supporters can often generate unexpected opportunities, and we should all make sure to do it more often. 
So, to get started:
  • Identify 3-5 people in your network who know, like and trust you, and who also work in professions synergistic to yours.
  • Get together for lunch, coffee, drinks or dinner in the next few months.
  • Give each other equal time in describing what’s been going on in your respective businesses and where you want to go.
  • As the conversation flows, jump in with an idea, resource or insight that might help them push forward on their most important goal.
  • Identify what you can do to help promote them to your network (So Stef, this blog entry’s for you! Thanks!).
For more ideas on how to network with a buddy, read a related article I wrote a few years ago and posted to my website called, Double Your Contacts and Double Your Fun by Networking with a Friend, which describes how two other colleagues Beth Silver and Jeanne McDonald support each other’s business-building efforts through tag-team networking. 
Now go find a friend and try this for yourself. It’s really fun.
Filed Under: Networking In Action Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ugly Betty’s Guide to Networking

January 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment

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Networking situations don’t get too much airplay on TV, but whenever they do, I find them to be tremendously instructive. Maybe it’s the novelty, but the writers always seem to do a pretty good job of contrasting both sides of networking — the light and the dark.

In tonight’s episode of Ugly Betty, for example, Betty gets chastised by the head of her Young Editor’s Training program for missing a networking mixer because of a family obligation. She’s told to make 40 new contacts before the next class or not to come back. 
I loved the different views about networking around Mode: 

Betty: “I showed up to class completely prepared but then she called me out because I didn’t go to some silly networking thing.”

Connor: “Well, networking is one of those annoying things. But if you’re serious about your career it’s something you have to do.”

Mark: “The point of networking is to gather information to advance your career.”

Step 1 – Forge a bond: your name, where you work and one memorable fact.
Step 2 – Gathering information: To get info, you have to give info. 
Step 3 – The exit strategy: get in, get info, get out

Even if you’re not a fan of the show, there are a lot of lessons in this episode, I think the most of important of which is whatever your style, it’s important to get out there. Make networking work for you…even if you end up getting stabbed in the back, you’ll come out ahead in the end if you’ll just be yourself…unless you start ignoring your family too much then it will really come back to haunt you. 
Check out a related post about networking on TV: 
Filed Under: Career Advancement, Networking Aversion, Networking In Action Tagged With: