by Cynthia Renee Frazier.

Two years ago, MySpace had over 100,000 million profiles on its site, and it attracts 230,000 new accounts per day. (according to Wikipedia). These are not all kids. These are people from all walks of life with a vast majority of them sincere business owners and business professionals just like you, looking to get connected.

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by Cynthia Renee Frazier.

     There is hardly a week gone by that someone hasn’t asked me “do you play golf?”  That’s because all of the buzz in today’s business environment is about the abundance of big money deals taking place with the swing of an iron on the green.  Indeed Women Business Owners who dread the thought of an early morning tee time will be pleased to discover that the buzz may be overrated. Certainly, many WBOs have taken to golf and experienced business growth. However, it is a misnomer that investing in a bag of clubs and becoming one of a foursome on the golf course means an easy sale.  In fact, playing golf is like any other networking situation.  You must first build relationships, and then give before you can expect to see results.  What playing golf with a potential client or person of influence does is provides an opportunity to determine whether you want to exchange business. In addition, playing golf creates an environment whereby you get to demonstrate your worthiness as a business owner. Moreover, you can learn each other’s personality – how you deal with conflict, how you handle disappointment, what are your ethics, are you reliable, etc. 

     But what if you have no interest in learning to play golf? WBOs all over the world take advantage of B2B networking by joining organizations and membership groups to get to the next level.  Just like playing golf though, don’t expect to make a sale on your first introduction. Take your time and demonstrate your value. Get to know people and let them get to know you. Build a relationship, and have a clear message of what you can do for your clients and their needs. Establish your worthiness as an expert in your field, and by all means, be prepared to assist others. Be consistent and have fun. Over time, you will find yourself at the center of referrals, sales, and phenomenal business growth.

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by Cynthia Renee Frazier.

Successful business owners have learned the value of networking. Organization membership can provide a tremendous value to a growing company.  Yes, an organization membership can bring business to you. However, there is so much more to joining than that. Consider these three very important benefits:

1. Mentorship – Anyone will tell you that to get to the next level in business, you must consult with those who have knowledge and expertise in different areas.  Whether it is marketing or public relations or sales, having access to industry experts is priceless.  And there’s more.  Mentors can save you from the headache of making unnecessary mistakes.  Don’t get me wrong.  Mistakes and failures play a vital role in growing a business.  And believe me, there are plenty to go around.  Having a mentor can accelerate the inevitable learning curve.

2. Comrodorie – When was the last time you faced questions from your family and friends about what it is that you do?  Those business owners who have a brick and mortar are likely immune from this question since people can “see” the business.  But those of us who have a home based or internet based business often find it difficult to share ideas and concerns with those who work for someone else.  To those who “work for a living” running a small business comes across as mysterious.  Moreover, due to the lack of understanding, family, friends, and employees become nay sayers to your ambitions.  Therefore, if your business is to grow, you must stay connected to the beautiful and inspiring people who are actively pursuing their business goals as well as those who are quite successful at it.
3. Accountability – Many small businesses operate as a sole proprietor.  We love what we do.  That is why we often spend the majority of our time engrossed in our product or service.  We work hard to deliver quality to our clients. Likewise, we set high goals for our business. Yet there is no one to hold us accountable.  That’s where the organization and its membership come in.  We can team with success partners within the organization who can offer gentle persuasion and hold us accountable to our goals.  Having someone hold you accountable can mean the difference between growing and staying where you are.

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by Cynthia Renee Frazier.

Whenever I speak or network with business owners, I am still asked questions like “can MySpace really help my business” or “does a brick and mortar business really need to be on the Internet”? I guess these questions continue to shock me because the Internet has become such an important tool for any and every business. No matter what product or service you sell, no matter how you conduct business - from an external office or from a home office, no matter how small or big your company is, you need an Internet presense. Studies show that the majority of customers start their buying cycle on the Internet. Whether they are making the purchase online or they plan to go into a store and buy, most customers conduct some type of research on the company, product, or service first. So what does that mean for companies that do not have an online presense? It means that they don’t sell as much as they could. It means that their company is probably not growing like it should. That’s why I put together a great series of workshops for those business owners that need to get up to speed. If you want to learn more, check out the business growth series link in the blogroll. 

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by Cynthia Renee Frazier.

With the increased use of mobile devices like the smart phone and internet enabled cell phone, potential clients are accessing the web in a new and more interactive way. Unfortunately, existing websites are usually not fit for mobile device display. In fact, a mobile user attempting to access your traditional website will most likely see an error page on their cell phone screen. That is, unless you have a mobi site. dotMobi or .mobi, also known as Internet made mobile, is a domain name extension that is used for mobile ready websites. With a dotMobi website, you can deliver content specifically designed for internet ready phones. The benefit of having a dotMobi site is that users know your content is mobile friendly. With a dotMobi site, you can extend your company’s reach by giving potential customers a simple and easy way to get information about your company and what you can do. You also create an opportunity for your company to capture sales that you might have otherwise lost.  

Tip:  If you are ahead of the game and you already have a dotMobi site, you can test the readiness of your mobile site at http://ready.mobi

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