networking

ROI in Today’s Market: Return on Influence as Important as Return on Investment

June 11, 2012 by channa Leave a Comment

by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/Director of PMR/CMBS Global

ROI has long been the term used for measuring the Return On Investment in business. But, in today’s market, Return On Influence may be equally as important.

Mark Schaefer has written a book entitled Return on Influence. He says that in the past a speaker’s audience was a group of people who passively sat in the auditorium and listened to what the speaker was saying…but “Now, I am talking to an audience of audiences.”

- Isn’t that an intriguing thought? I was drawn to find out just what Mark meant by his statement. Here is what I discovered…

Those attending events and conferences across the country and around the world, are not just sitting in rooms soaking up what is being shared from a stage or from behind a lectern, they are sharing what they are hearing as they sit there – with their own audiences – in real time!

Think about it…

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, CMBS Global, Marketing, Return on Influence · Tagged With: CMBS Global, marketing, networking, Opportunities

Why Would Anyone Be Interested In My Story – How Your Experience Can Help Others and Make Money

May 31, 2012 by admin 2 Comments

by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO / Director of PMR / CMBS Global

Your story is your experience. Do you wonder why anyone would be interested in your story? After hearing how someone else has endured and overcome a tragedy of immense proportions, do you wonder how your story could ever be interesting enough to cause others to pay money for it?

Have you ever had a problem that you could not solve on your own? Have you had a question that needed an answer – knowledge that you did not possess? Or how about a situation begging for action, when you were unsure of the next step to take? What did you do?

Years ago, people with problems turned to their faith, family, friends and trusted peers. Though today many may still look to their faith, family, friends and trusted peers – more and more people are turning to the Search Engines for the answers and information they seek. In fact, Google+ recently claimed that 50 million people use ‘Google+ enhanced products’ every day. That’s a lot of people looking for answers and help. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Business Growth, Business Relationships, Communication, Marketing, Speaker Management · Tagged With: blogging, Entrepreneurs, How to use Google+, interested in helping others, making your story interesting, marketing, money making stories, networking, Opportunities, public speaking, true stories for today's markets, writing

One Simple Tool That Can Double Or Triple Your Contact List

April 17, 2012 by admin 3 Comments

by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS Global I’ve recently returned from an inspiring time in Orlando Florida, learning how to better market our clients – and our company, CMBS Global. The three-day event, hosted at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport by Suzanne Evans and her team, not only provided a bevy of tools and information [including one simple tool that has the potential to double or even triple your contact list] but great opportunities to network and actually hear the individual stories of other entrepreneurs in the industry, as well.

I can honestly say that while there is nothing totally new under the [marketing] sun, the speed at which technology is being developed to assist the online marketing industry is mind-boggling! So much is available to us each day – right at our fingertips – that it is difficult to keep up with the pace. With all of the choices, the question becomes how to best utilize it all.

As most of us know, to be effective in our efforts we must be DOING. Where it can get a bit tricky is staying on top of WHAT to do, HOW to do it – and WHEN!

It’s a given that to implement any great tool you must first learn how to use it…but in today’s business environment, by the time you get comfortable with one – something NEW and UNFAMILIAR can be in your “toolbox”, screaming for your immediate attention. Finding the time to learn a new skill required for the latest, most effective program can be nearly impossible when you are already up-to-your-eyeballs in building your online business. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Business Goals, Business Growth, CMBS Global, Marketing, Marketing Plan, Online Marketing, Speaker Management, Virtual Event Planning · Tagged With: best public speakers, building lists, business contacts, CMBS Global, contact lists, contacts, Entrepreneurs, Florida, Hyatt Regency hotels, list building, marketing, networking, online marketing, Orlando, public speaking opportunities, simple tools for marketing, simple ways to build a contact list, Suzanne Evans

Don’t You Just Love Social Media? – Let’s Do Lunch!

October 19, 2011 by channa Leave a Comment

by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS GLOBAL

Don't you just love Social Media? So much to do over lunch!

Where else can you meet up with others, whom you have never met face-to-face and possibly never will, and get to know them as if they lived in your neighborhood? Where else can you “rub virtual shoulders” and network with those who have similar dreams and goals, without leaving your desk chair?

Social Media can be an invaluable tool, not to mention a lot of fun, for those of us who love blogging, Twitter, Facebook and other means of connecting online. But, as an entrepreneur or small business owner, are you really making the most of all the benefits available to you through Social Media? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Business Growth, Business Relationships, CMBS Global, Google Trends, Online Marketing · Tagged With: business, business lunch, let's do lunch, love of social media, love social media, marketing, networking, online marketing, social lunch, social media, social media at lunch, what to do with social media

Marley and Me and Business Relationships

June 22, 2011 by channa Leave a Comment

By Charlotte L. Hanna CCO CMBS Global

Marley and me, the 2008 movie about a loveable puppy (growing into a large dog) that provided his owner, a newspaper writer, plenty of rich material for his newspaper column, is full of life lessons. It contains a few business lessons, as well.

Growth must be managed to avoid the cleaning up of a lot of messes. Marley was cute and fun as a puppy, but as he grew, he gained no self-discipline. While his owner may have been able to profit from the storylines Marley’s antics provided, there were many losses and costs involved, as well, such as the destruction of possessions and the family’s home.

Like Marley, you should expect your business to grow. But with growth, comes increasing responsibility. A miss-managed business can create havoc, providing negative impact on those who work with you and for you, resulting in the ruination of productivity, profits, and those relationships so vital to the health of your business. A little training could have benefited Marley’s family and saved some major out-of-pocket costs. Likewise, the right training can benefit you and your employees, giving you the needed edge to run your business more efficiently and prevent potential unforeseen financial loss. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Business Growth, Business Relationships, CMBS Global · Tagged With: business growth, business relationships, business survival, communication, networking

The Mother of All Networking Opportunities

May 9, 2011 by channa Leave a Comment

by Charlotte L. Hanna, CCO CMBS GLOBAL

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. For me, it was another opportunity to network. I also practiced the art of networking the day before at my brother’s 50th birthday celebration. Every day can provide you an opportunity for networking – and in marketing your business, networking is vital!

Although the idea of networking can be intimidating, it’s really quite easy – when you keep it simple. Here are 3 simple, but effective ways I’ve discovered for networking at the drop of a hat:

Don’t over-plan your strategy. By remaining open to simply being able to “go with the flow”, you will appear relaxed and approachable to others attending the event. A laid-back demeanor can actually invite others to participate in conversation with you.

Listen. This is the absolute best (yet most often overlooked) tool in networking. If you are doing all of the talking, you are not building a relationship – you’re simply bragging. As in any great relationship, hearing from the other person is what strengthens the bond being formed and opens the door to better understanding via the gathering of more in-depth information. Asking the right questions provides valuable insight into opportunities…and, of course, that’s what networking is all about. People love to share what they know, if you are willing to listen!

Know the answer to the question, “What do you do?” – before you are asked. For many of us, this can be the most difficult part of networking, so it really may require practice time. You may feel “silly” standing in front of your bedroom mirror, rehearsing your answer – but it is better than stumbling all over yourself and feeling completely off-guard in the company of others. PLUS, knowing how to present what you do as beneficial and necessary, is far better than just stating your position with a company. Avoid merely labeling yourself. Instead, express the importance of your work and how it benefits others, if you want people to be interested and follow up with you.

Resist the idea of waiting for “The Mother of All Networking Opportunities” to present itself to you. Make it a point to seek out opportunities, no matter how simple the venue, no matter how impromptu the situation.

Remember, there is no better opportunity than the one currently in front of you at any given moment!

Filed Under: Blog, CMBS Global · Tagged With: mother, mother’s day, networking, Opportunities