What is the real purpose of networking for business? Traditionally, it has always been about meeting people in order to acquaint them with your business, and hopefully, to solicit their support to build your business, or better yet, to get an immediate referral! The traditional goal has always been more about quantity than quality. How many people can I meet at one event? How … [Read more...]
How to Stop Scaring Big Prospects
Whale cultures can be maddening to smaller, more entrepreneurial companies. Have you ever been selling into a very large company and left meetings perplexed because they would not make a decision that was so clearly in their best interests? How can you explain their reluctance? How can you bring them to a decision? The nature of big companies and government agencies is to … [Read more...]
When the Audience Comes Backstage
Six Degrees of Separation - the idea that you are connected to everyone else in the world by no more than six links – has been championed throughout the world of social media since the latter’s conception. The further in we go, and the more friends we add on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like, the more we see that this is true. Rather than a few strong connections, … [Read more...]
8 Tips to Prepare for Your Performance Review
A performance review is a great opportunity to showcase your contribution to the organization and highlight your accomplishments for the past year. Always be prepared for your review. The worst thing you can do is to walk into a performance review cold. Here are some simple tips to set the stage for a great review that showcases your talent and value. … [Read more...]
Susan Boyle and What She Means For Us
The past week has been defined for me by Susan Boyle's phenomenal performance on Britain's Got Talent. Can't tell you how many times I have watched her sing "I Dreamed a Dream" on YouTube, tears streaming down my face every single time. I'm reposting below an entry that I wrote yesterday for my own blog. Let me just back up a little. As a woman coming of age in the early … [Read more...]
The ‘Experience’ Experience
On the way to the commuter train every day, I pass a sushi bar in the station. Next to the company logo are the words ‘More Than Sushi’. Normally, I walk past it without a second glance, but this week has been one of my fish-craving ones, so I stopped to contemplate the sign. It seems to be that in this day and age, providing a product or service is not enough: customers … [Read more...]
When a Company Talks Values
Guest post by Eileen McVety (Learn more about Eileen at the end of this post) I don’t care much for Integrity. Ditto Dedication. And don’t even get me started on Teamwork. Perhaps an explanation is in order. Most of my workday is spent writing and editing corporate communication materials. Websites are a biggie. And it seems like every website I touch these days, there’s … [Read more...]
Taking a Risk: It’s All About Trust.
“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what is next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark” ~Agnes De Mille How likely are you to take a “leap in the dark” in your life and your business? I like this quote because it creates a wonderful image for … [Read more...]
Five Ways to Power Your Boat
Since I started writing for Women on Business, I've focused on particular women's issues and perspectives. But I have not introduced you properly to Whale Hunting, which is my company's system to grow your business fast by selling bigger deals to bigger customers. So that's my topic for today. When you are a smaller company selling to other small companies, you can conduct … [Read more...]
How Much Is Too Much?
It is eleven o’clock on a Friday evening, and you have been working now for seventeen hours. Your brain is barely functioning, your fingers keep hitting the wrong keys, and you keep stealing glances at your watch, knowing you’re going to miss the last bus home. But yesterday you got to work slightly late; today you went to your colleague’s leaving do; and you simply cannot … [Read more...]