Archive for » October, 2009 «

Saturday, October 31st, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

It’s common to feel nervous when meeting new people. The reason for this? There could be a few, including being anxious about how people will perceive you, believing that you won’t be liked or fearing you have nothing valuable or interesting to say. In general, we all want to avoid being rejected (i.e. being disliked, overlooked or looked down upon) by the new people we meet. The good thing is, it’s not unnatural to have these fears and we can learn ways to overcome our nervousness. Here are 8 great tips that will help you beat those nerves:

1. Take a good friend with you
It doesn’t seem so intimidating meeting a stranger when you have someone you know beside you. Having someone with you who makes you feel comfortable, relaxed and happy will help you feel the same way when you are being introduced to new people. They can also help carry conversations and will serve as a visual reminder that you are a likeable person who other people are happy to be around.

2. Remember a simple fact
One simple truth is that we are all human! Everyone is the same, wanting to be liked by other people and fearing rejection. People are just as likely to be nervous about your opinions of them as you might be of theirs. They’ll hope they’ll be liked by you, too. Try not to put anyone on a pedestal when you meet them but see them as equals with similar feelings and fears as you - hopefully they won’t seem as intimidating that way.

3. Write a list
If you worry about what you will say when having conversations with new people, make a written or mental list of some topics that you might discuss with them. For instance, if you are attending a networking event for journalists, have a read of a few newspapers or trade journals and pick out a few subjects you think would interest others. Then, if you feel a dip in the conversation you’re having with someone, casually bring up a topic, e.g., ‘Do you know what I read the other day which I found really interesting?’ Sometimes, just being prepared for new conversations will help you feel less nervous.

4. Splash out on yourself
Why not treat yourself to a new look? Get your hair cut or styled, buy a new suit or dress, find a new lipstick or cologne - anything that makes you look and feel more confident. Try to make yourself look how you wish to feel - interesting, attractive and sure of yourself. This added confidence will help you feel less anxious when you’re hoping to make a good first impression with the people you meet.

5. Be yourself
Remember, the only important thing you need to do when you meet new people is to be yourself! If you’re at a business networking event or even a social gathering, people meeting you will want to know who you really are. Not everyone will like you - the same way you won’t like everyone you meet - but people are naturally attracted to other people they perceive as genuine and honest. Don’t try to make yourself into something or someone that you aren’t - be happy with who you are and others will appreciate your authenticity.

6. Think positively
Don’t allow yourself to think negative thoughts about yourself - especially during the lead-up to an event involving meeting new people. Instead, train yourself to think positively. What are your strengths? What do you like about yourself? Why should other people enjoy meeting you? Try creating positive visualizations of yourself meeting new people and being confident, with no nervousness in sight. If you do these things often enough, you’ll retrain the way you think about yourself over time.

7. Use Breathing Techniques
When you feel nervous, your breathing becomes fast and shallow. Learn good breathing exercises that will help you take controlled, slow and deep breaths. With practice, you’ll be able to repeat them whenever you need to, to help you feel more relaxed. Even when you’re meeting new people, it’s easy to use this technique without being noticed.

8. Practice
If you are always nervous when meeting new people, try to put yourself in these situations more often. The saying that practice makes perfect really does work. The more often you do something intimidating, the less intimidating it will become the next time you do it. That means you should get out there and meet new people as often as you can - soon you’ll realize it’s something you’re used to and won’t have to feel nervous about!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Friday, October 30th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Relationship marketing recognizes the value of forming good and lasting relationships with customers in order to add value to a service, create loyalty, increase referrals and help offer more personalized and targeted sales. With email, website pages and online networks being used more often in marketing strategies, the value of face-to-face meetings for creating these relationships is being neglected.

Face-to-face meetings, e.g., a networking event, allow service providers to meet with potential customers to develop these good and lasting relationships. You might be a real estate professional hosting a forum event for people wanting to invest in real estate to discuss their ideas. Or you might be a financial planner hosting an event for those seeking financial advice to help overcome the economy downturn. Whatever your profession or type of event being hosted, here are five ways that face-to-face meetings will help you reap the benefits that relationship marketing has to offer.

1. Building Friendships
When you take the time to meet your potential clients face-to-face at an informal event, you open the door for a friendship to develop. You have a chance to ask them questions about themselves, their lifestyles, their needs. It is a chance to understand them as an individual, not just another potential customer. This means you are more likely to understand their concerns, problems and needs in relation to the services you may be offering. If you can demonstrate you understand these, a potential client will be more willing to employ you. On the flip side, with face-to-face meetings, potential clients have the opportunity to get to know you. This is a great basis for a ‘friendly’ and more personal relationship to develop between a service provider and potential client.

2. Selling as an Experience
Developing relationships through face-to-face events allows you to wrap and deliver a product within a service. This service is an experience which involves the relationship between the service provider and client. After meeting a potential client once at an event, you may then choose to nurture the relationship through additional meetings, sending emails, telephone calls, sending birthday and Christmas cards and other ways of maintaining contact to stay in touch. For you, regular contact will mean you are aware of your potential client’s changing needs and circumstances - helping you deliver a better service if needed.

3. Defeating Modern-day Marketing Problems
Today, traditional marketing tactics may not prove so successful. Traditional advertising is now more expensive but less effective because of the increase of media forms available. Direct marketing is no longer as effective as customers are becoming weary of the constant barrage of this type of marketing that they encounter on a day-to-day basis. Also, product proliferation means there is increased competition trying to gain a customer’s attention. One solution to this is to meet potential clients face-to-face to develop relationships that will create a more personal, more subtle channel for advertising and marketing.

4. Instantly Connect and Build Rapport
Meeting potential clients at a networking event gives you the opportunity to create something of immense value. It allows you to build a connection and rapport with the people you meet. You can use your body language, thoughts, ideas and opinions to build connections with people. By listening to their points of views and what they have to say, too, you have an opportunity to build a rapport with them. Connecting with people and building rapports are effective ways to help you influence the decisions people make.

5. Visibility and Trust
If you were an immigration lawyer who decided to host an event to meet people with asylum problems, you may not gain anything financially by offering free advice or information. However, you will be helping to improve your visibility and building yourself a trusted position. Further down the line, your initial meetings and the relationships which were formed may result in referrals and an increase in your word-of-mouth marketing.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Friday, October 30th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Have you heard the saying, “Everything comes through the eyes”?  Well, it is true, and it is very true in business.  From the first moment you arrive at a business event or meeting and someone sets his or her eyes on you, they are evaluating you from head to toes, and from the inside out.

If you do not believe this, think about it… the minute you look at someone, doesn’t the way they dress, walk, talk or look, make you reach different conclusions about the person?  Ahhh… that person is accomplished, or clever, or silly, or informal, or happy, or dangerous.  And you just need a glance to know it!

People care for your personal appearance and your manners.  They pay attention to every move, every glimpse, every accessory, every piece of clothing and every word that you utter.  The impression people get of you during the first five seconds of eye contact, even before you meet them, is destined to stick with you for a long time, if not forever.  You may enchant some, intrigue others, and repel the rest, but the first impression will happen in every new situation you encounter, and it is definite.

Simply put, it works as follows:

-    If you seem to belong to a similar business and social level, you are fit for further contact.

-    If you seem to belong to a higher business or social level, you are admired and considered a worthy contact.

-    If you seem to belong to a lower business or social level, you are tolerated but kept at a distance.

-    If you are being interviewed, you either show you belong to the culture or not, and this will surely affect the results.

It is basic human nature to arrive to these conclusions, be it during business or social gatherings.  Even if you were silent, once a negative first impression is made, whatever you say later will not matter. Equally, if the first impression you gave was positive, everyone around you will be following your every move and word.

Making a lasting good first impression is something that can be learned.  You can learn to create a positive impression in line with every situation in order to win them all.  To do so, you must recognize and weigh your personality, physical appearance, lifestyle and goals.  The people who do this, will come out as the winners.

A positive first impression when meeting people goes hand in hand with impeccable integrity and strong resourcefulness when talking about huge and meaningful success, thus, give it the importance it deserves if being a winner in business is among your most cherished goals.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Having the freedom to work for yourself and being your own boss certainly has its benefits. Becoming a freelancer gives you the opportunity to work the hours you like, choose the projects you work on and choose the ways in which you work, too. But as a freelancer you also have just one person to depend on when you are trying to be successful - yourself! Here are eight rules the best freelancers follow to help them succeed:

1. Market Yourself
Not everyone likes to do it, but as a freelancer, you’ll need to be prepared to constantly market yourself. If you want business to come your way, you’ll have to go out and find it. This means calling or emailing people, attending events associated with your field, advertising if possible, networking and even hosting your own meetings with potential clients - one-to-one or in a larger group.

2. Be Persistent
Be prepared to handle rejection, but also be prepared to persist when you feel there is still a window of opportunity. If you don’t get a response to your email or voicemail message, contact the person again until you get a response. If a client says they are not interested in your current work, call them again when you have something more suitable to show them. Try not to be annoying, but do all that you can to remind people about who you are and what you have to offer them.

3. Be Professional
Set a high standard of professionalism for yourself and your freelancing business. Meet deadlines, deliver what you promise, always be polite, have a standard of quality to your work and don’t slack in any areas. This is always something that clients look for in their freelancers.

4. Follow Up
Take the time to follow up communication with your client after completing a piece of work. Thank them for their business and ask them what they thought about your work - both what they liked or felt could have been better. Feedback is always invaluable when a person is looking to continually improve. At the same time, by maintaining your communication with clients, you might ask if there are any future projects they could have for you or suggest they keep you in mind if some come up.

5. Build Your Reputation
Although all the above points contribute to this field, it is important to recognize the need to have a long-term strategy of building up your reputation. By being consistent with your quality of work and the manner in which you handle your clients and their needs, you’ll develop a good reputation, i.e., for being dependable, punctual, professional and delivering a high quality of work. This means clients will be persuaded to use you again and recommend you to other potential clients, too.

6. Be Proactive and Creative
When trying to gain more business, you’ll need to be as proactive and as creative as you can. Never stop looking for more ways to generate new business even when you are already working on projects. Put yourself out there and approach everyone you can think of who could potentially use your services - join forums, online and offline networking events, mention your work to friends and family, take every opportunity to hand out business cards, etc.

It helps if you can be creative with your marketing approaches, too. For example, if you are a writer and a national magazine rejects your story, try a different angle for a local newspaper. If that doesn’t work, approach a website or popular e-zine. Sometimes, you might have to offer your services for free, e.g., speaking at an event or offering to write for a charity publication, before you can reap the rewards of having more business come your way.

7. Have a Niche
Most freelancers who are successful have learnt to master and specialize in a niche of their field, e.g., a children’s sites web designer or medical health writer. This helps you build up a reputation and client list in a chosen niche field and helps you stand out above freelancers who have less specialized knowledge.

8. Create a Website
Today having a website is a necessity for all freelancers. Someone once described not having one as being like a person who has no phone in their office! A website will help show clients that you are credible and a professional. You can use it to show examples of your work, help brand yourself, help to sell you and your work, and direct clients to your contact details, thus helping you in your business networking efforts. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or cost a fortune - even a simple website will help boost your credentials.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

It’s common to feel nervous when meeting new people. The reason for this? There could be a few, including being anxious about how people will perceive you, believing that you won’t be liked or fearing you have nothing valuable or interesting to say. In general, we all want to avoid being rejected (i.e. being disliked, overlooked or looked down upon) by the new people we meet. The good thing is, it’s not unnatural to have these fears and we can learn ways to overcome our nervousness. Here are 8 great tips that will help you beat those nerves:

1. Take a good friend with you
It doesn’t seem so intimidating meeting a stranger when you have someone you know beside you. Having someone with you who makes you feel comfortable, relaxed and happy will help you feel the same way when you are being introduced to new people. They can also help carry conversations and will serve as a visual reminder that you are a likeable person who other people are happy to be around.

2. Remember a simple fact
One simple truth is that we are all human! Everyone is the same, wanting to be liked by other people and fearing rejection. People are just as likely to be nervous about your opinions of them as you might be of theirs. They’ll hope they’ll be liked by you, too. Try not to put anyone on a pedestal when you meet them but see them as equals with similar feelings and fears as you - hopefully they won’t seem as intimidating that way.

3. Write a list
If you worry about what you will say when having conversations with new people, make a written or mental list of some topics that you might discuss with them. For instance, if you are attending a networking event for journalists, read a few newspapers or trade journals and pick out a few subjects you think would interest others. Then, if you feel a dip in the conversation you’re having with someone, casually bring up a topic, e.g., ‘Do you know what I read the other day which I found really interesting?’ Sometimes, just being prepared for new conversations will help you feel less nervous.

4. Splash out on yourself
Why not treat yourself to a new look? Get your hair cut or styled, buy a new suit or dress, find a new lipstick or cologne - anything that makes you look and feel more confident. Try to make yourself look how you wish to feel - interesting, attractive and sure of yourself. This added confidence will help you feel less anxious when you’re hoping to make a good first impression with the people you meet.

5. Be yourself
Remember, the only important thing you need to do when you meet new people is to be yourself! If you’re at a business networking event or even a social gathering, people meeting you will want to know who you really are. Not everyone will like you - the same way you won’t like everyone you meet - but people are naturally attracted to other people they perceive as genuine and honest. Don’t try to make yourself into something or someone that you aren’t - be happy with who you are and others will appreciate your authenticity.

6. Think positively
Don’t allow yourself to think negative thoughts about yourself - especially during the lead-up to an event involving meeting new people. Instead, train yourself to think positively. What are your strengths? What do you like about yourself? Why should other people enjoy meeting you? Try creating positive visualizations of yourself meeting new people and being confident, with no nervousness in sight. If you do these things often enough, you’ll retrain the way you think about yourself over time.

7. Use Breathing Techniques
When you feel nervous, your breathing becomes fast and shallow. Learn good breathing exercises that will help you take controlled, slow and deep breaths. With practice, you’ll be able to repeat them whenever you need to, to help you feel more relaxed. Even when you’re meeting new people, it’s easy to use this technique without being noticed.

8. Practice

If you are always nervous when meeting new people, try to put yourself in these situations more often. The saying that practice makes perfect really does work. The more often you do something intimidating, the less intimidating it will become the next time you do it. That means you should get out there and meet new people as often as you can - soon you’ll realize it’s something you’re used to and won’t have to feel nervous about!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Communication methods are constantly changing and evolving.  One of the most efficient ways to meet today with employees, colleagues and business partners is by video or telephone conferencing.  It can be an amazing way to run a meeting but it can also be very unproductive if not done properly.  If you are considering a teleconference or video meeting for your business or association, here are some points to consider.

Well in advance of your video or teleconference, be certain to email or fax any necessary documents to those attending the meeting so that everyone can be informed and can follow along as you progress through the meeting.  This will save tons of time and greatly improve the quality of the meeting.

One of the first things to consider is placement of your camera.  It should be placed as close as possible to your monitor, and preferably above it.  Then, when you look at your monitor towards the camera, it will appear as though you are looking directly at those watching the video.  If you have it positioned elsewhere, then you will appear to be looking away from the others and this could make you seem distracted or uninterested.  Also, take special care that the lighting is bright and properly positioned so your face is not in shadow.

Make certain that your microphone is positioned where it will pick up your voice clearly and without outside interference. Be certain that it isn’t picking up sounds of nearby conversations, office equipment or outside traffic noises. Make certain that your microphone is not placed too close to your speakers in order to avoid an echo from people when they speak.

It is also a good idea, if you can, to perform a test run of the meeting with someone ahead of time to iron out any technical difficulties that may arise.  This could save precious time and keep your meeting from being a total disaster.

Once you have your equipment set up, and you’ve done a trial run, you are ready to start the meeting.  Always begin by identifying each person who is attending the video conference.  In order for people to communicate effectively, they have to be aware of everyone who is participating, especially since they don’t have the advantage of being able to see the other attendees face to face.

Just the same as a regular meeting, there should be an organizer or facilitator to handle the running of the meeting.  This person will keep confusion under control by designating who is going to speak and ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak if they want to.

If this type of meeting is new to you, it may take some practice to get it right, but once you do, it can be a very time saving and valuable business networking tool.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

The saying goes…there’s one in every crowd.  It can apply to many situations, even a meeting.  There are those who come to a meeting for its intended purpose, but then for some uncontrollable reason they immediately set to work to sabotage its success.  If you happen to be the organizer or facilitator of such a meeting, it can be hard to know how to handle the situation and get things back under control.  It may be easier to manage if you’re able to recognize the behaviour right away and take the appropriate counter measures to stay in charge.  Here are a few tips to recognizing the most common forms of “ruin the meeting” personalities to watch out for:

The Disrupter. This person will most likely try to get attention focused away from the topic at hand by rambling on about irrelevant subject matter, or by causing some other type of distraction.

The Disagreer: This person will generally start an argument about anything and everything just to have the attention. Arguments may be directed at the person running the meeting or other members of the group.

The Attacker: The attacker seems to take great pleasure in attacking other attendee’s points of view or opinions, and when they defend their positions, attacks even more rigorously.

The Dominater: This person likes to be in charge and likes to be the focus of attention.  They are perhaps even envious of the person who is in charge and will try to dominate the meeting to bloat their own importance.

The Deviater: Much like the disrupter but not intentionally so.  The deviater is usually genuinely interested in the objectives of the meeting but is easily distracted and tends to lead the conversation down a wayward path.  An observant chairperson will recognize that this behaviour is not meant to be upsetting and will try to steer the conversation back on track in a positive way.

The Doubter. This meeting attendee is just a simple doubting Thomas type.  It is part of their natural make-up to doubt what is put before them unless they can see in black and white some statistics to prove out the data presented beyond any possible doubt.

These are just a few examples of the types of personalities that can pop up at any venue where you’re meeting people.  A good chairperson must learn a few tactful and effective procedures to overcome these disruptions in order to keep the meeting running smoothly.  Remember, most of the time it is not intentional behaviour and can best be countered with positive re-direction.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Having strong copywriting skills is crucial for Internet marketing.  It is not just about knowing how to write, it is about knowing how to write in order to convince and grab people’s attention.  Learning how to write strong copy can really boost any Internet business and save you lots of money at the same time.  You see, good copywriters are expensive; this is how important their business is, so if you cannot afford to hire one, you can start learning how to write effective copy yourself by following these tips.  In any case, no one knows your business better than you, right?

1.    Headlines rule!  The headline is so important, that many copywriters spend more time working on it than on the rest of the copy.  This is because the intention of copy is to grab the reader’s attention immediately, we mean seconds, and if the headline doesn’t pull people in, the rest will probably not be read.  On the contrary, if your headline rules, the reader will probably follow until the end.

2.    Target your audience.  In order to do this, you must know them deeply first.  Only by knowing whom your audience is and what interests them, you will be able to write in words that will reach and touch them.  You cannot write in the same style for women and teens, or elderly people and executives.

3.    Address the reader.  Web copywriting must speak directly to the reader.  Do not write to the whole audience, but instead, write as if you were having a face-to-face conversation with a specific person.  When you write copy in this way, the reader will pay lots of attention to what you have to tell them.

4.    Write as you talk.  Copywriting, as opposed to other writing styles, allows for the writer to write as he or she talks.  Again, the secret is to make the readers feel as if they are having a face-to-face conversation with you.  Use simple words, like you will use when talking to an acquaintance or when meeting people.  Reading the copy out loud will help you confirm if your copy sounds natural and colloquial.

5.    Talk benefits.  Any copy must put emphasis on the benefits of your product or service for the reader.  People are looking for something they need or desire, and you must let them know you have it if you want to get a reaction from them.  It is not so much about the features your products or services offer as about the benefits these features provide, translated into status, comfort, wellbeing, or success, for example.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Logos are a vital element of any business’s success.  The logo is what represents the company when it is promoted and advertised.  It is the carrier of the company’s image through the market and during business networking, and it can mean the difference between a company being remembered and recognized by potential customers or being lost in oblivion.

A logo is a symbol that clearly represents the business’s vision and character.  It represents both the company and its products or services, and in it, the public recognizes the image a specific company wants to convey.  In today’s hectic business world, a remarkable image is a must to stay alive, and this means the logo better be unique.  Your company must be recognized immediately, and the logo should put a smile on customers’ faces, or else, your product or service will not sell.

If you think about it, every successful company out there has an impressive yet simple logo, consider Nike, McDonald’s, or Apple.  Everyone who comes across Nike’s swoosh, McDonald’s ‘M’, or that simple apple design, knows that there is a high quality product being offered, and the customers love them!  The logo’s mission is not just to enchant the public, but also to create an impressive image among it, giving the business a real and long-lasting personality in every interesting market.

Logos vary a lot as there are no rules in regards to what is right or wrong, what is appropriate or not, or what is successful or annihilating.  The creation of a unique logo involves a lot of creativity and technical mastership.  It should be a distinctive blend that communicates the kind of industry and character of the business.  There are icons that convey strength, quality, leadership, innovation, friendship, etc.; it is just a matter of understanding what your company stands for and imprinting it into an attractive symbol.

Although the process of logo creation is absolutely free, there are several things worth taking into account to ensure a successful logo birth.  The designer must be very clear on the idea behind the logo, and should have proven and high graphic skills.  The rule of ‘keep it simple’ is law, as the image must be understood fast.  It has to be easily recognized and be unique among others.  Last, but not least, it must be adaptable, to be printed in different materials and offer flexibility of use; for example, it should easily fit in the business card you hand out as you meet people.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Author: John Boyd

Are your leads group meetings boring and not exciting anymore. Too much coffee and smokes, and too few prospects? After a brainstorming session that took us several hours, we finally got this list of things to do during your meetings.

And the winner is…
Everybody loves sweepstakes. Each member can bring something for the prize. Alternatively, set a small fee for a “jackpot” or nominate a member in charge of the prize. He or she would buy something useful or meaningful for the winner (but, pleeease, not another address book, OK?).

Drawings offer a good excuse to design a creative business card: as members arrive to the meeting place, ask them to drop their business cards in a transparent bowl. At the end of the meeting pull one card to choose a winner for the jackpot or a speaker for the next meeting.

Speeches
A guest speaker can deliver a speech about something that is of interest to the audience. Instead, one or two members of the lead group who earned the “honor” of addressing the group this week may talk about their fields or industries they represent. Salespeople will gladly take the opportunity to convey their sales pitches.

However, some people are afraid to talk in front of an audience, regardless of how huge or small it may be. If that’s the case, have a folder with support material ready and pass it to the next speaker. Include in the folder speech ideas, graphs, inspirational stories, newspaper clips, etc about topics of interest to the group.

Haven’t seen you before…
If the group grew until it became difficult to manage, assign a member to be in charge of welcoming and registering the new affiliates. Some leads groups charge a registration fee, while others invite the first time and charge a fee each meeting or in a monthly basis.

“And… world peace…”
If it fits with the group’s goals, allocate a sum to charitable activities.

See you online later?
Design a website for the group. A forum may become useful to discuss topics between meetings. You don’t need programming skills to set up a website, just a domain; there are ready-made bulletin boards you can adapt to your site for free.

It’s an elephant… No! An anteater! Uh… I give up
Play name games if the members don’t know each other. Play charades or activity games if they already know each other but you feel the meeting needs a little something to break the ice.

Did you know that…?
Have a few minutes to share announcements and news in the field, like special events, tenders and contests in your community.

Elbow-to-elbow time
Encourage members of your lead group to arrive early so they can talk idly and do informal social business networking for a while before the meeting starts.

Hey! Let’s get together and do this…

Have some extra activities together. Anything can do and go right in order to strengthen the ties among attendees. For example, consider cleaning the yard of a relative of one of the members, going to the movies, designing promotional materials, preparing for an expo.

Who are you, anyway?
The reason for the existence of your leads group is… well… you guessed it! During introduction time, everybody takes turns to explain to the others what their business is and what kind of prospects they’re interested in. Even if all the members already know each other, make these introductions a routine and an opportunity to remind them to start referring prospects. Building a habit requires repetition. As time goes by, some members will begin referring leads to other participants.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Your email:

 

px