The story of the Roundtable is that Arthur’s most trusted knights sat with him around this table making decisions, having fun and sharing their lives with one another. It’s a good way to think about business even today. A book, written by David Perkins, entitled King Arthur's Round Table: How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations talks about how this method of business management creates a better decision-making process and therefore a more effective business. How do you do this if you’re a one person organization? Well, there’s help on the horizon.
The Work Place Initiative is just such a Roundtable: the members become your “Board of Advisors”, sharing goals and ideas, different perspectives, and learning and networking with those who will become your trusted friends and colleagues.
The purpose and mission of the Initiative is to provide effective business growth strategies to small and medium sized businesses through networking, educational forums and peer support. The focus is on owners and managers of businesses that have been in business for more than one year and have reached a level of growth where they need help getting to the next level.
One aspect of the Initiative, Insight, is an Advisory Board -- a group of professionals specifically targeted for their knowledge, skills and/or influence in the industry, who are convened by an organization to offer input and advice pertaining to a specific goal or objective. The Board offers “guidance” and functions as an operational Board of Directors, minus legal liability and statutory responsibility.
Through the sharing of thoughts and goals with a small group of respected advisors, businesses involved in Insight learn how to put first things first, optimize their capability and widen their circle of influence. They find win/win situations while developing an abundance mentality.
The other part of the Initiative is monthly networking and educational forums where experts in their field present information on topics of interest to small business owners and managers. Areas such as health insurance, marketing, management and more are all envisioned to be on the agenda in the coming months.
Roundtable Discussions (Insight):
Groups of no more than 6 members gather on a weekly basis to discuss issues of concern to themselves and other members of the group.
Shared Office Space:
Use of The Work Place conference room and computer/printer/Internet access (no rental on room; reduced charges on equipment)
Monthly Networking Meetings:
Provide a business networking environment where members and non-members can meet and greet each other (non-members pay entrance fees).
Access to Member Forums, Blogs and Articles
Showing posts with label referrals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label referrals. Show all posts
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Is Your Network Working?
Network? My computers are linked and talking to each other so, yeah, I guess my network is working.
Nahhhhhhh, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m asking you about your business contacts and the way you get clients to use your company. One of the first people to coin the phrase as Dr. Ivan Misner, the creator of Business Network International; what he meant by this term was a way that people connect to each other and send out referrals or recommendations. It is believed that each person, between family, friends and business colleagues, has at least a minimum of 200 contacts. When you share those contacts with one other person, and his or her 200 contacts, you’ve just multiplied the number of people who you have in your contact list. The idea spreads out from there.
The idea of networking then is taking this concept and applying it at a much smaller level. When you form relationships with people that include feelings of trust and consideration, you have the start of a good network.
If you check out Google, you will see hundreds of items that pertain to business networking and the various groups that are out there – they range from Chamber of Commerce after hours meetings, organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and other of this type of group, to formal sit down groups that meet each week with the specific goal of finding and referring business to the other members.
Even if you’ve never heard of business networking, I can guarantee that you are a networker. You have contacts that you talk to about your product or service. You have customers. You have colleagues and even competitors. How do you put these networks into play? First, I would suggest that it is better to give than to receive. Put yourself in the place of your potential “partners”. Don’t you feel good when they provide you with a referral to someone that wants to provide you with business? Sure you do. Doesn’t it then make you want to give something back? The same is true with networking. The recent movie, Paying It Forward, says it all. If you do something good, they will try to give you something back. It’s much better than if you’re always telling everybody what you want, and never asking them about their needs or goals, isn’t it?
Finally, once you’ve started to develop these relationships, I would suggest that you find, build and maintain about 6 relationships with people who are at the same or higher competency level as you. These people become your informal board of advisors and will be able to work with you when you need outside opinions and support. Never forget however, that you need to be there for them as well. The “Give to Get” concept is one that works when you use it in an honest, creative way. Try it and see where you get!
Nahhhhhhh, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m asking you about your business contacts and the way you get clients to use your company. One of the first people to coin the phrase as Dr. Ivan Misner, the creator of Business Network International; what he meant by this term was a way that people connect to each other and send out referrals or recommendations. It is believed that each person, between family, friends and business colleagues, has at least a minimum of 200 contacts. When you share those contacts with one other person, and his or her 200 contacts, you’ve just multiplied the number of people who you have in your contact list. The idea spreads out from there.
The idea of networking then is taking this concept and applying it at a much smaller level. When you form relationships with people that include feelings of trust and consideration, you have the start of a good network.
If you check out Google, you will see hundreds of items that pertain to business networking and the various groups that are out there – they range from Chamber of Commerce after hours meetings, organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and other of this type of group, to formal sit down groups that meet each week with the specific goal of finding and referring business to the other members.
Even if you’ve never heard of business networking, I can guarantee that you are a networker. You have contacts that you talk to about your product or service. You have customers. You have colleagues and even competitors. How do you put these networks into play? First, I would suggest that it is better to give than to receive. Put yourself in the place of your potential “partners”. Don’t you feel good when they provide you with a referral to someone that wants to provide you with business? Sure you do. Doesn’t it then make you want to give something back? The same is true with networking. The recent movie, Paying It Forward, says it all. If you do something good, they will try to give you something back. It’s much better than if you’re always telling everybody what you want, and never asking them about their needs or goals, isn’t it?
Finally, once you’ve started to develop these relationships, I would suggest that you find, build and maintain about 6 relationships with people who are at the same or higher competency level as you. These people become your informal board of advisors and will be able to work with you when you need outside opinions and support. Never forget however, that you need to be there for them as well. The “Give to Get” concept is one that works when you use it in an honest, creative way. Try it and see where you get!
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