Simple Steps for
Growing Your Business
1
Business Networking
to Grow your Business

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Workshop: Business Networking
SCORE
Orlando

Agenda
Introductions
Business Networking Opportunities
Is your network working?
Social Media
Resources
Wrap up
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Introduction
• Joseph Simmons – SCORE Orlando

SCORE Business CounselingThe Orlando SCORE chapter offers free, confidential business counseling to small
business clients in counties.
SCORE is sponsored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and we have a
partnership with the Chamber of Commerce. We work with new and existing business
as well as non-profit organizations.
Nationwide we have more than 10,000 volunteers, with 60+counselors locally.
Contact us at our website, www.scoreorlando.org .

Referral Network Marketing

FIVE MAIN ADVANTAGES
1. Throw boomerangs, not sticks
2. Industry Exclusivity
3. Establish closer relationships
4. Sharing of ideas
5. It's like acquiring a large sales team

Grow Your Business With Business
Networking
More new business is generated by networking than by any other
marketing activity.
It’s a fact – 70% on average of new business is gained through referrals
or relationship marketing, and not only that, it is one of the most cost-
effective ways of building your business.
Today’s Discussion Topics
Face-to-Face Networking, Online Networking

Business Networking Opportunities
 Friends, Family and Neighbors
 Alumni Networking – School, Military, Corporation
 Community Groups
 Business/Trade Associations
 Business Conferences, Trade Shows
 Guest Speaker at Workshops, Seminars
More new business is generated by word of mouth
(networking) than by other marketing activity.

Business Networking Opportunities
 Chamber of Commerce
 Customer Events You Sponsor
 Faith and Charity
 Networking Groups
 Network Event Services
 Online Business Networking
 Use A Blog
More new business is generated by word of mouth (networking)
than by other marketing activity.

Business Networking Opportunities
 Online Business Networking; Orlando Business Journal and
Chamber of Commerce
 Join LinkedIn
 Score’s Small Business Community, www.scorecommunity.org
Register yourself on these sites, invite your contacts to register, they’ll invite
their contacts to register – and everybody’s connections build far faster than
they ever could in the real world.

Business Networking Tips
 Build Relationships – Sell Yourself, Not Your Products
 Listen Actively – Be A Listener First, Then A Talker
 Get To Know Your Networking Contacts
 Gain Trust and Confidence
 Ask Open Ended Questions
 Understand Needs – Then Tell People About Your Products
Business networking, a deliberate campaign to connect with people
who can connect you with more business.

Business Networking Tips
 Pick Groups That Match Your Goals
 Hold volunteer Positions In Organizations
 Become Known As A Resource For Others
 Understand What You Do, Why You Do It, And For Whom
 Be Ready To Answer “What Can I Do For You?”
Business networking, a deliberate campaign to connect with people
who can connect you with more business.

Business Networking Tips
 Simply Introducing Yourself Is Not Networking
 Follow-up To Establish A Business Relationship
 Follow Through Quickly On Referrals
 Call Those You Meet, Arrange Follow-on Discussions
 Add Successful People To Your Network, Learn From Them
Business networking, a deliberate campaign to connect with people
who can connect you with more business.

Business Networking Tips
 Elevator Speech – What You Do
 High Quality Business Cards

IS YOUR NETWORKING
WORKING?
Events Focused
Networking

“There is no point going anywhere if
people don’t remember you have
been there!”
• NETWORK WITH A PURPOSE

Is your networking working?
• Work your name tag
• Eat before the event
• Networking with a purpose
• Look your best
• Develop an unforgettable greeting
• Know what to do with business cards
• Develop a distinctive signature
• Overcome your shyness
• Follow up
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Skill Practice – Business Networking
• Developing your elevator speech
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Social Media:
(R)evolution of Marketing and Networking

The Big Questions:
Why Social Media?
What does Facebook and LinkedIn mean to my business?
Who cares about Twitter?

Linking your social media
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Social Media Landscape
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Social Media
Marketing

Social Media
Marketing
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/01/25/infographic-small-business-
social-media-cheat-sheet-0

Social Media Platforms - exercise
• Which social media platforms are you
using?
• Why?
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What is the 4th largest country in the world?

Answer: Statistics Do Not Lie!
*Nielsen Online shows that: Social networks and blogs are now the 4th most popular online
activity ahead of personal email.
* 93 percent of U.S. consumers subscribe to email marketing messages.
* 42 percent of U.S. online consumers use Facebook at least once a day and, of these, 69
percent are a fan of one or more companies.
* Nearly half (43 percent) of all online consumers are either fans or followers of at least
one brand on Twitter or Facebook.
* 68 percent of daily Twitter users follow at least one brand.

Blogging: The Time-Share of Social Media
Blogging is all about distilling information and materials to your audience in a way that
allows them to directly interact. Companies actually share time with customers building
relationships.
* Universal McCann reports 77% of all active internet users regularly read blogs

Facebook: Where the World Turns
Facebook has become the center of the social media universe for both customers and companies due to
its robust interface the engages people within the Facebook universe without the need to leave.
* If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and
Indonesia.
* More than 1.5 million pieces of content are shared on Facebook…daily.
Ways to connect with customers / businesses on Facebook:
Tags
Videos
Invite tab
Information
Keywords
Schedule Events

Twitter: Communication in 140 Characters or Less!
Twitter is taking over the world with short and sweet updates designed for GenY. With the
up-and-coming, real-time world, Twitter is allowing users to Tweet updates, pictures,
articles, and links.
Ways to find target customers and businesses on Twitter:
#hash tags
Trends
Keywords
@ or DM
Lists
Promote your events

LinkedIn: Where the Big Kids Play!
Linkedin is a direct result of the professional community reaching out to other professionals
to promote like minded goals and develop valuable connections.
* 12.44 million – number of unique visitors in June, 2009 Trend Analysis
* 49% – percent of site made up of “decision makers”
Ways to find connections in Linkedin:
Join Groups
Strong Profile w keywords
Invite others to your group
Add your blog / twitter posts
Schedule / Promote your events

YouTube: Your World in Video!
YouTube is popular among companies and customer because it allows companies to
distribute informational videos to a large population and gain followers through subject
identification. In short, everyone on the planet is a video reporter.
* The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube
* In 2010, YouTube exceeded 2 billion views a day.

Email: The Marketing That Keeps Dripping
Drip marketing through email allows companies to continually reach out to their
communities to provide updates, offers, and information. When combined with social
media, email marketing reaches out to customers who opt-in to provide constant contact.
* A new study released today by ExactTarget found 58 percent of U.S. online consumers
begin their day interacting with companies on email, compared to 20 percent who start
their day on search engines and 11 percent on Facebook.

Question: Why Social Media?
* Years to reach a million users: Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3
Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months
* By 2010, Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers and 96% have joined a social network
Three Greatest Myths about Social Media:
1-It works quickly. FALSE! You have to give it time to connect. Social media is an actual connection
between you and the person on the other side.
2-It does not cost anything….just time. FALSE! Time is money! Many people spend hours a day on
social media without getting anything out of it.
3-Social media can not be measured. FALSE! When done correctly, you gain brand exposure,
customer input/output, and increase your advertising reach while decreasing cost.

Parting Words…
Put your social media information on EVERYTHING! In your office, business
cards, brochures, emails…everywhere!
Be careful of what you put on social media! Personal stuff should stay AWAY
from professional stuff.
You need to have a business page that is apart from your personal social media
accounts.

Good Luck!
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Helpful Resources
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Helpful Resources
Suggested Contact Management/CRM Software
• Infusionsoft CRM
(www.infusionsoft.com/integrated-contact-manager)
• Intuit QuickBase (http://quickbase.intuit.com)
• Oracle CRM OnDemand (www.crmondemand.com)
• Sugar CRM
• ACT
• Sage CRM Solutions (www.sagecrmsolutions.com)
• Salesforce (www.salesforce.com)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• SAP CRM
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Helpful Resources
Sales Resources
Sales Organizations
• Direct Selling Association (www.dsa.org)
• National Association of Sales Professionals(www.nasp.com)
• Professional Society for Sales and Marketing Training (www.smt.org/)
• Sales and Marketing Professional Association (www.smei.org)
• Sales Force Effectiveness Benchmarking Association (http://sfeba.com)
• Sales Lead Management Association (www.salesleadmgmtassn.com)
Sales Compensation Software
• Callidus Software (www.callidussoftware.com)
• Makana Solutions (www.makanasolutions.com)
• Xactly (http://www.xactlycorp.com)
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References Tools
• Simple Guide to SEO: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/simple-guide-to-seo/
• What you need to know about Paid Internet Advertising:
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/paid-internet-advertising/
• Content That Starts Online Conversations:
o Content Marketing Tips: http://mashable.com/2011/12/02/content-marketing-tips-2/Content
o Marketing BY Dummies: What not to do.: http://www.iacquire.com/blog/content-marketing-by-dum
• Simple steps to marketing your business using Social Media:
o The 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218160
o Getting Started with Social Media: A Resource Guide:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/getting-started/

Top Books on “Selling” 48