| |
| |
|
Networking Information |
|
|
|
How Speakers, Exhibitors, Consultants, and Meeting Planners Partner-Generate More Money and Value
? "Make Every Moment Count" is the title of a CD that a pharmaceutical company gave away at their exhibit booth at two major conferences. Half of the CD covered the company's new product news and "how-to's"; the other half featured tips from a speaker at those conferences. The gift was announced with on-the-seat cards during the speaker's sessions. ? A fullflilment house inserts a speaker's "Communicate Clearly" tips sheets on top of the informational updates that the fulfillment house mails out on behalf of their corporate clients in the fields of insurance, credit and healthcare. The tips are a welcome relief from the important, but highly technical reading below it. The speaker provides the camera-ready tips to the fulfillment house that offers them as an extra benefit to their corporate clients. Those clients pay for reproduction. Each sheet has a line at the top, "(name of company) supports your personal success."? The largest beer producer in India introduced an upscale beer for women. Hanging from a gold cord around the neck of each bottle is a card entitled, "Live Well" that promotes a free 3" x 3" book of 100 lifestyle tips for women buyers. Buyers get the book from their store when they turn in ten bottle caps. The book is co-authored by an American woman speaker and a popular Indian woman journalist. These are examples of cross-promotions among speakers and people from different industries or professions. Like all successful cross-promotions, they are aimed at better reaching and/or serving a mutual market. Successful cross-promotions build customer-attracting visibility and value. Unsuccessful joint promotions can create irritation and lose credibility. Some speakers are avid cross-promoters. Several have written about partnering and joint promotions including Jeff Slutsky and Ed Rigsbee. Some informally or formally share speaking leads. Some refer to each other in their speeches, articles, ezines, web sites, books and media interviews. Some sell each other's products. To truly stand out in an over-advertised world, some speakers and other consultants are beginning to partner with people a step or two outside the meeting industry. For your partnering opportunities, look more closely at your key stakeholders, including your "hot list" of fans who have heard you speak, meeting planners, speakers bureaus, exhibitors at trade shows where you appear, other speakers, vendors who support the industry. Now look at the markets and organizations that are important to them. In each case, you may have a way to partner with a stakeholder - or with an organization that is important to that stakeholder - to better reach or serve one of their markets. Your "product" is your message, delivered in person, or in some other package.More credible than traditional advertising, your helpful and inspiring stories, tips and examples can naturally attract prospects to you and to your cross-promoting partners. Do you speak to manufacturers? ? What if your pertinent tips appeared on their packaging, along with your contact information? ? What if your product was inside the package of a big ticket consumer product? For example, techno-savvy speakers' pertinent ideas could add a human touch if they appeared on or inside computer hardware or software packages. Two Lexus dealers will be placing a speaker/singer's CD, "It's a Beautiful Life", on the front seat of their newly sold cars. For many years, speaker Bob Popyk has produced sales publications for retailers and other distributors of big ticket consumer products, ranging from boats to musical instruments. His clients are the manufacturers of those products. All these publications pull people to his "Creative Selling" magazine. Agilent Technologies sponsored my presentation for their clients and prospects. Each attendee received a card pack with their technology tips on one side and my communication tips on the other. Offer your clients the opportunity to co-author articles with you for their professional or industry publications. Tell them some of the titles of your timeless articles so they can choose one to revise. Via email, send your client the article she selects, with places marked to insert examples and quotes from their industry. Include brief instructions for completing the revision. Ask her to send the version back to you for your final approval. Offer to submit the article to the appropriate industry and professional publication(s). Now, more than ever, people are open to innovative ways to capture attention, offer genuine value without price-cutting and reach new markets. Your suggested cross-promotions can demonstrate your care for customers and your capacity to be cutting edge. Kare Anderson is the author of LikeABILITY (see Grand Store at http://www.SayitBetter.com), Make Yourself Memorable and SmartPartnering. A popular speaker on SmartPartnering and on how to be more frequently-quoted to become your kind of customers' top- of-mind choice, she also publishes the SayitBetter newsletter, with 32,000 subscribers in 28 countries.
MORE RESOURCES:
Networking - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Four Brainless Self-Promotion Techniques To Avoid Many workers think that their hard work will speak for itself. They quietly do their job and stay late at the office hoping that their boss will notice their efforts. You Can't Spell Networking Without Serendipity "Fear not to entertain strangers for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware."This quotation is from the book of Hebrews, which means it probably has nothing to do with networking. 34 Power Affirmations for Networking with the Affluent Here are 34 affirmations I have created after studying the book "Networking with the Affluent" by Dr. Thomas Stanley. Small File Box With Resumes to Help Customers I bet you have not thought about it much, but there are many ways you can help your customers in their daily lives. If you have a customer who just got laid off from their job, tell them you will be glad to take a few of their resumes and put them in a file box and when Corporate Executives come into the store you will be sure to put a good word in for them. The A-B-Cs of Networking In the workplace - and when dealing with workplace matters - networking is a powerful tool. And the same is true in personal and social situations, where friends and family can provide you with a great support system, both as you make decisions about change in your life and as you carry them out. Planting the Seeds of Greatness - Make it Great Newsletter #7 Thought of the WeekThis week, I'd like to challenge you to try something: Give something to someone that you know can never repay the favor. This could be something simple like opening the door for someone with their hands full, or buying lunch for a complete stranger at your local bistro. How to Shmooze Definition: talk idly or casually in a friendly wayValue: pricelessGearheads like me have trouble understanding that great ideas and hard work aren't enough.. Unforgettable First Impressions Part 3: Time is (Not) On Your Side You only have three seconds?Connect in under a minute?People decide if they like you within the first ninety seconds?Make the sale in the first five seconds?You get the job within four minutes?Always make a friend in less than 30 seconds?Ahhhhhhhhhh!! Which one is right!?I've read almost every book on first impressions, and the primary issue addressed tends to be time. (Or lack thereof. Networking: Is Your Approach Too Self-Centered? It's a classic mistake by networkers: their approach is focused on their own needs rather than on the needs of their contacts.Fortunately, a popular new book by Bonnie Lowe makes it easy to solve this problem. 10 Effective Ways to Remember Names Sigmund Freud says "a person's name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten." Feelings of embarrassment and social ineptitude are conveyed through this forgetfulness, and unfortunately, the problem persists daily. Networking in the Change Room: 5 Ways to Network Effectively While Getting Undressed There's a time and place to network with people in order to generate leads, build rapport and form meaningful relationships. The change room at your gym, spa or country club isn't one of them. What Has Networking Got To Do With Joint Ventures? What has networking got to do with joint ventures? "PLENTY" is the short answer to this question.Networking is a very important element of joint venture marketing because the more you network, the more you meet potential partners and build relationships that lead to profitable joint ventures. Where Does That Word Come From? "Instead of a handshake, I gave Toby a high-five to break the ice; and when we sat down on the front porch and started talking off the cuff, it was as if serendipity brought us together."That sentence contains several words and actions you see and hear every day. Increasing the ROI on Your Networking Networking requires an investment of time, money and effort. Here are four ways to be sure your return on that investment is worthwhile. Have We Met Before? What to Do When You Cant Remember Who Yourre Talking To You see him from across the room. You know him, but you can't remember how you know him. The Secrets to Networking Success Recently I was interviewed for a book on networking. My first response was, "Hey, I don't network. Where to Find a Cash Windfall of $10,000 - $1,000,000 - You Never Knew You Had There is a rather famous true story called "Acres of Diamonds".It is about a successful farmer who risks everything searching the African continent for diamonds. Business Networking - Extroverted Web Weaving for the Introvert If you have been in business for any amount of time, you go to networking events. Did your body just seize up? Was there a swelling of nervousness in your gut? Are you about ready to stop reading? I encourage you to stay with me about networking. Hey, Whos the New Guy? How to Make Guests and First Timers Feel Welcome The New Guy is a person we all know. And regardless of age, gender, race or personality - spotting The New Guy and stepping onto their front porch is your duty as an existing member of any organization. Why Cant I Start A Conversation With You? One out of every ten Americans has a fear of talking to strangers. When you enter a room full of new faces, to start these conversations seems like an impossible task.
|
  |
| © 2007 |
