1) Pull up your socks, roll up your sleeves and make a firm decision to GET SERIOUS about joint venture marketing! Simply making the decision to leverage this high ROI strategy opens your mind and heart to new opportunities and new relationships. The pieces start to fall into place ~ not by magic ~ rather, your decision jump starts your brain and it gets to work figuring out how to make it happen (okay, sometimes that can be quite magical!).

2) Start to BE the kind of joint venture partner you’d like to attract. What goes around comes around… get the laws of attraction and reciprocity working in your favour!

3) Not sure WHO to joint venture with or HOW to put an attractive joint venture program together? Become a student of joint venture marketing. Read books; search the web; listen to tele-seminars; take a course; find a mentor or coach. Identify the gaps (what is holding you back?) and start learning what you need to know to feel empowered to take action.

4) Dramatically increase your odds of success by leveraging proven systems and processes. Based on your joint venture marketing goals/plans this could include:

- Joint Venture Marketing Action Plan
- Templates and Checklists
- Client Management System
- Follow Up/Keep in Touch System
- etc…

5) Brainstorm and Mastermind with like-minded joint-venturous entrepreneurs. Imagine the momentum and success you can create with a community of like-minded, supportive, caring women cheering you on, and taking action to do what they can to support your success…

It sounds incredible doesn’t it?

So what are you waiting for? Learning how to leverage relationships, discovering the power of a mastermind environment, tapping into practical marketing skills and must-have mindsets is key to achieving success - on your terms - but not alone.

This JV Mavens Partner and Prosper Mastermind is waiting for you at http://www.jointventuremavens.com/mastermind

I look forward to seeing you there!

Gina

The Interview consisted of these questions:

Q. How do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Q. Can you share a personal “networking” success story with us?

You can read the full article with my responses here:  http://businessnetworkingadvice.com/2008/11/gina-bell-interview-co-founder-of.html

I’d love your feedback

Happy Networking!

~ Gina

It’s a great article and the highlight for me is his differentiation between prospecting, brokering and networking. Could it be that your networking isn’t working because you haven’t really been networking? Let’s take a look:

Prospecting: When you walk through a reception or meet-and-greet with a handful of business cards looking for new prospects (you are not networking!).

Brokering: When you connect two people, then expect to be repaid for it (not networking!).

Networking: When done correctly, networking is when you connect two or more people who should meet. In other words, true networking is a gift you give to others.

Connecting others without an expectation of being repaid works in line with The Law of Reciprocity which is what Tim refers to as “The Secret” of the business world. The law states that people will give back where they’ve been given to. In other words, “what goes around, comes around” (just not necessarily directly from where you’ve given… that’s the catch!).

Tim’s article goes on to share the story of Elmer Letterman, a successful New York insurance salesman from the 1930’s.

“Elmer hosted networking lunches every Friday at the Four Seasons Restaurant. His strategy was simple: Invite three business people who should meet due to mutual interest. He did his homework too, arriving with ideas on how the three could work together. For example, Letterman might invite a chef who wanted to start a restaurant, a banker who could finance it and a construction executive who could build it. He’d explain why each party was credible, get conversation started, pay the bill and then disappear.”

You may be wondering how this strategy worked for him. Here’s the math: 3 people times 50 weeks a year equated to hundreds of business owners in New York who had Letterman to thank for part of their success. Cool story huh!

Now here’s what’s really exciting… this strategy can be duplicated to produce surprise and delight and long lasting loyalty for those in YOUR network! Now think about what this small investment in “networking” could yield for your business in a very short time!

Action Steps:
1) Identify three people in your network who should meet
2) Schedule a networking lunch with these three individuals
3) Introduce them revealing the connection and relevancy, get the conversation started and disappear.
4) Do this every week for one full year and watch The Law of Reciprocity work in your favor.

Tip: Starting today, when you get a business card, enter it into your contact database and think about who you know that this person should meet. Tim suggests that you can use the “miscellaneous” or “other” field as a “should meet” field.

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ~ Dale Carnegie

If you like the concept of GIVING as the foundation of your networking strategy, you’ll enjoy reading “The Greatest Money Making Secret in History” by Joe Vitale and you’ll want to mark your calendar for the JV Mavens Partner and Prosper 5 week Tele-series. It’s f.r.e.e. to attend and we will explore in great detail how you can leverage this concept to grow your business. You’ll find more information at http://snipurl.com/4qcql.   

Happy Networking!

To get you set in the right direction, here are my Top 12 Must-Do’s to Partner and Prosper with Joint Ventures…

1 ~ Create and Leverage a Purposeful Marketing Action Plan:
In order to leverage this high ROI marketing strategy you need to clearly define the Who What When Where Why and how you plan to get the results you want and the success you deserve!

2 ~ Become a student of Joint Venture Marketing:
Read books, ebooks, articles and blogs; attend workshops (live or by teleclass); find a mentor… Take responsibility for your success and do whatever you need to do to acquire the knowledge and skills you need.

3 ~ Get a reality check:
Is it possible that YOU are sabotaging your success? Are there things you know you should be doing but don’t and can’t explain why you put them off? Are you not sure that you can succeed? In order to find your most direct path to success, you must place your beliefs and behaviours under a microscope and get out of your own way!

4 ~ Expand and leverage your network:
A relevant and responsive network can become your insurance policy for success! Creating “social capital” in this way positively impacts your financial capital thru referrals, better qualified clients, access to information and more.

5 ~ Relationships for Results:
Understand that referral marketing takes TIME.  Mutually beneficial, win-win business relationships must evolve from contact to credibility to trust before they can become consistently prosperous.

6 ~ Identify Your JV Dream Team:
What are your goals? Do you need to increase your visibility? Do you need to boost your credibility? Do you want to increase your revenue? Once you’ve clearly defined the outcome you desire. Identify – specifically – WHO can help you to achieve it and how will they benefit by helping you?

7 ~ Step-By-Step Joint Venture:
Leverage proven systems and checklists for JV Success. Look for specific joint venture solutions for your specific business challenges. Model your successes and the success of others.

8 ~ Learn the Mindsets and Success Rituals of The Rich and Famous:
Motivation, Purpose, Perception, Abundance, Possibilities, Willingness, Desire… the list goes on. Become a student of success and model those who have accomplished what you are trying to do.

9 ~ Make giving the foundation of your marketing:
Joe Vitale really hit the nail on the head when he published his book “The Greatest Money-Making Secret In History”. Giving fuels Joint Venture Success and activates the law of attraction.

10 ~ Make Meaningful Connections:
In order to create joint ventures you need to reach out and connect with the potential partners on your list. Do your research so that you can connect in a meaningful and motivating way. Focus on the benefit to THEM.

11 ~ Learn How to Lead and Motivate Your Partners:
Be the kind of JV partner that you want to connect with. Exemplify the qualities of a high quality joint venture partner and that is exactly what you will attract. Learn to lead the joint ventures you create. Motivate your partners by learning to leverage proven follow up and keep in touch strategies.

12 ~ Build Momentum and Increase Revenue thru Consistent and Purposeful Action:
The real key to successful marketing is to select just a few simple, effective things to do and then do them consistently over and over.  This is how you can build momentum and grow your business quickly by doing less.

Discover how this hot trend can transform your business – literally overnight by attending my F.R.E.E. Five-Part *Partner and Prosper* Tele-series. The series starts on Thursday November 20th at 1:00 pm CST.

Registration details will be posted shortly.

Given all the “bad” economic news lately, wouldn’t it be nice to be the one in control of your future?

I wanted to let you know about brand new book that will enable you to do exactly that.  The book is by my friend, Debbie LaChusa, the 6-figure Work-at-Home Mom, and it’s called The Career-at-Home Mom.

One of the reasons I want you to check out Debbie’s book at http://snipurl.com/4cv65 is because of all the great bonuses her team has put together for you.

These bonuses all support Debbie’s overall mission to help women (and some men, too!) build a successful business that enables them to make a great living doing what they love while being able to be home with their family and have time to enjoy life.

When you purchase Debbie’s book by Friday, October 24th for just $19.95 at http://snipurl.com/4cv65, you will receive over $1,900 worth of bonuses to help you build your business and be more successful.

And if that weren’t enough, the book itself is a virtual “roadmap” for anyone wanting to create their own successful business.

In the book, Debbie openly shares the struggles, challenges, successes and lessons she has learned along her 19-year journey as a career-at-home mom, so you can learn from her experiences and shorten your own path to success.

Debbie also interviewed 23 other successful career-at-home moms (including Yours Truly!) and features their stories, tips and advice in the book. Because they all run different types of businesses, this really adds to the depth and value of the book.

Whether you’re a mom wanting to start a business so you can stay home with your kids, a mom wishing to take your current business to the next level, or a woman or man who’d love to learn the secrets to creating a lifestyle-driven, 6-figure business, I highly encourage you to check out this book and all the extra goodies you get when you purchase it by October 24th for just $19.95 at http://snipurl.com/4cv65

Sincerely,

A common question that I get from clients is “What is the ‘best’ way to follow up with someone I’ve recently met?”

Now, when it comes to follow up, there are many things you can do. For example:

• pick up the phone and call them;
• Send a letter, brochure, postcard, news clipping or invitation thru direct mail;
• sign them up to receive your print &/or email newsletters (with their permission of course)
• plan to network with them at a regularly attended networking meeting/event etc…

All of the above can be highly effective follow up strategies… but, which one is BETTER? Well, this is a bit of a trick question because the answer depends on you and which one(s) you will actually do!  In time, you may discover what is the best way to follow up for you.

Action Tip: Take a moment and think of the many ways that you could follow up with prospects and clients. Make a list and immediately cross out the ones that seem complicated or time consuming and focus your attention on ideas that are simple and quick.

If you keep revisiting one of the strategies you originally crossed off the list, dig a little deeper and ask yourself what is preventing you from using that strategy? It may be as simple as finding a system to simplify it, or perhaps it is a task that can be automated or delegated?

One final consideration is…follow up that is also comfortable and motivating for your prospects and clients. I’ll bet that’s something you may not have thought about before. How do your contacts WANT to be followed up with? Simply asking them what their preferred method of contact is, will enhance their experience with you and your company. i.e. “Okay, great! We’ll do lunch next week then. Should I call you or email you to confirm a time?” or “Yes, I’d be happy to send you more information about that. Would you prefer that by mail or email?

You’ve heard it before, and I’ll tell you again… there’s a FORTUNE in your follow up. It doesn’t matter how you do it, rather that you do it!

Really, there are so many little things you can do to create greater results from your networking efforts. To discover even more “little things” that you can do to boost your business thru networking and relationship building you can go to http://www.thenetworkingmasters.com and register to receive a FREE subscription to the highly acclaimed “Networking with Ease” eZine and a complimentary “Networking Success Kit”!

Happy Networking!

“In the first 28 days, I added $5000 to my bottom line!

Anyone trying to grow a business without Get Clients Now is doing it the hard way.

~ Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, Training Director, International Coach Academy

“The Get Clients Now! format is the most time efficient, productive program I have ever seen! Instead of $4000 a month, I have been able to produce $8-10,000.” ~ Sharon Richman, Mary Kay Beauty Consultant

I have just completed working the Get Clients Now! Program… I got four new clients, lined up five workshops and two speaking engagements, and had an article written about me in local paper!” ~ Tifin Kutch, Life Coach

“…the program is already helping me. Just writing out a plan makes a big difference. Of course a marketing consultant like myself knows that, but recommending it to a client and actually doing it yourself are two very different things.” ~ Ramona Rea, Marketing Consultant

“This is my first week… and already I have scheduled speaking at several events and a potential client.” ~ Paul Metheney, Internet/Multimedia Consultant

“It’s a perfect way to get in gear… a formula that is right on and uncovers every aspect that needs attention…” ~ Josiane Feigon, Telemarketing Trainer & Coach

Here’s What The Experts Are Saying About Get Clients Now!

“Get Clients Now! not only tells you the absolute truth about landing new clients, but also can transform you from a marketing amateur into a marketing genius.” ~ Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerilla Marketing Series

“The most common question people ask me is ‘How do I get clients?’… Now whenever someone asks me that question, I’ll just hand them Get Clients Now!” ~ Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor and Spiritual Marketing

“If you want your business to have shameless success, you need Get Clients Now! …provides all the essential tools a self-employed professional needs.” ~ Debbie Allen, author of Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters

Not sure how to strengthen and leverage your network to grow your business? Then this is a must attend call is for you!

Date: Wednesday October 8, 2008 at 6:00 pm CST
Topic: Business Networking Demystified
Expert: Gina Bell, Your More and Better Clients Mentor and co-Founder of The Networking Masters
Host: Murray Marder, Small Business Teleseminar Series

Register now at: http://www.snipurl.com/40rou

On this special call you’ll discover:

• How underestimating the power of networking can sabotage your success
• How to build your network to fill gaps in your business
• Common myths and misconceptions and how NOT to fall victim to them
• Things you may be unknowingly doing (or not doing) that can undermine valuable business relationships before they even get off the ground
• What to do if your networking is not working
• and much more!

Effective networking can be a reality for you… Join us for this call, we promise you’ll begin to see networking in a new, positive and very promising light.

Claim your *F.R.E.E. Networking Success Kit now including access to member’s only networking and mastermind forums AND subscription to the Networking With Ease eZine at The Networking Masters.

This call is open to the public however, you must register at the link above.

Love to learn?
Join me again on October 15th for The Networking Masters Inner Circle Marketing and Mastermind Teleseminar with MaryPat Kavanagh and learn How to Leverage Linked In for your business!

Are You a Networking Insider?
Whether you are new to networking or an entrepreneur who really “gets” how important networking skills and technology are for results in your business, these topic calls are a wonderful source of information, motivation and advice.

Networking Insiders have access to each teleseminar recording and receive a hard copy CD in the mail. This means that even if you’re able to join us for the live calls, you can listen to the lessons over and over as needed and at times that are most convenient for you. (And that’s just a fraction of the valuable perks you’ll find inside the inner circle mastermind program!)

If you’re not a member yet, you can join us now.  It’s just $47 a month and for a limited time, we’re giving two additional months *F.R.E.E.

Looking forward to hearing you on the calls!

Jeff’s advice and resources have helped me to dramatically boost my visibility and credibility!  If you are a small business owner and you haven’t added article marketing to your menu of personal marketing strategies… NOW is the time.

One of the biggest trends right now – particularly with social media networking – is the creation of complimentary widgets, applications and connectivity that enhance or support other marketing strategies.

A good example of this is how EzineArticles.com automatically posts new articles to Twitter.com (if the author has a Twitter account and has entered that information to their Ezine Articles profile).

Jeff’s newest blog post provides further details as he shares 3 specific ways that you can extend the reach of your article marketing strategy.

You can read his post here: