“You commented earlier about weighing priorities as in clients vs the network groups, and it just popped in my head again, but I think the two can and should be complimentary.  But I’m not selling you on networking groups – this is my intuition telling me to email you back and let you know: in networking we work together to bring each other more clients (we are each other’s part time sales force), to foster a better reputation, and to grow personally by surrounding ourselves with like-minded professionals.I actually have a great group of professionals, a majority of them are quality women, that meet on Tuesdays at noon at Kennedy School McMenamin’s. I have no idea how far that is from you or what your Tuesdays look like, but I think you would be a stand out contributor and find great value in it.  I happened to invite another woman today that may also be a good fit, she’s in payroll which we need – but actually I see you as an ideal fit.I gave a networking tip today to the group that was EXTREMELY well received and it has worked wonders for me – invite your prospects and clients to the meetings.  How does that serve them and you?  They are able to do business with people at the group, able to receive referrals from the group and they get to hear about you from some of your closest (networking) partners who may also be client’s themselves (as I would).  I personally make it a point to do business with people in my groups so I can give a testimonial as a client.Just a few cents I hope make sense.”

——————————————Charles MontgomeryNorthwest eSource(503) 922 – 1446charles@nwesource.comhttp://www.NWeSource.com

The post The Networking Secret to my Success! appeared first on I Take The Lead.

 We’d like to believe people pay more attention to what we do or say than how we look. However, people believe what they see far more than what they hear.

Abigail Dougherty - Straight Edge Solutions

On time:

Everyone has a different definition of what “on time” means; however, few business people accept a 2:15 arrival as being on time for a 2:00 meeting. Calling 10 minutes before your appointment to let the other person know that you will be on time or are stuck in traffic is more professional than apologizing for being late. Many businesspeople plan to arrive 15 minutes earlier than scheduled to eliminate traffic concerns.

Dress:

We’d like to believe people pay more attention to what we do or say than how we look. However, people believe what they see far more than what they hear. Deals can fail for a number of seemingly petty reasons such as unpolished shoes, unkempt hair or inappropriate dress. Most business people see attention to a professional appearance as a reflection of your attention to details in a job.  Having a dress code for your employees is a basic component of your business brand.Dressing well on a reasonable budget is one of the easiest areas to get expert help. There are many superb books on this subject published each year. Finding a qualified and unbiased advisor takes some research. Ask the most stylish person you know how they learned to be so well dressed. That can lead to a great discussion and access to their advisors.

Attitude:

Body language gives away your attitude even before you say a word. Slouching and scuffing your feet send a negative message in a business environment. Walking quickly with good posture and offering a firm handshake while looking the person in the eye sends a very different message. If you expect an important call, warn the other party up-front and make it the exception. Unless you are a transplant surgeon, the world will probably survive 60 minutes until you can get to your voice mail.Several months ago, I wrote about having a CAN – DO ATTITUDE. I remind you that it is the single most critical trait for helping people learn to trust you and for getting things done. It also makes you a lot more enjoyable to work with!

Preparation:

In a recent article about U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, one of her colleagues said, “You’ve got to be cognizant of the fact that when Susan Rice is present she’s going to be the most prepared, the most clear-thinking person in the room. So don’t come in the room unless you’ve done your homework.” Showing up unprepared and planning to “wing it” is a waste of your time and an insult to the other party. Most of us are too busy to be patient with time-wasters. We quickly drop them from our contacts. We don’t refer business to them and they get a reputation for being poor business people. Showing up prepared isn’t difficult. – Have a notebook and a pen with you – always! A small pen and notebook will fit even in the smallest purse.- Have business cards with you – always! You never know when you are going to have a great opportunity to solve someone’s business problem with your special product or service.- Know ahead of time how long the meeting will last and be sensitive to the other person’s time.- Have the other person’s name, phone numbers and business information with you so you can contact them easily on the way to the meeting if necessary.- Be clear on why you are meeting. If the other person simply wants to get to know you better and you come in with a sales proposal, both of you will be frustrated.- If it is a sales opportunity, what are the parameters and are you meeting with the decision-maker?  Always showing up at your best demonstrates respect for others and for yourself.

“Casualness leads to casualties” – Jim Rohn

Abigail DoughertyStraight Edge Solutions(for back office challenges) 503-297-5798Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

The post How Are You Showing Up? appeared first on I Take The Lead.

Charles Montgomery of Northwest eSource

When do you really need a new blog?

Life is not easy and neither is change – therefore when something is working it is often best to STICK WITH IT.  However, when you post to your blog near daily, it is important for that content to be on your own domain as your property.  When you post to Blogspot, Blogger, or WordPress.com – you run the risk of losing your blog at any time.  Becky’s information is too timely, informative and relevant to her business to risk that loss.

New Features

It isn’t complete yet, and potentially I will keep this list updated as to the features you can expect.  We are definitely taking the time to optimize her blog for search engines, so stay tuned for updates on the blog’s rankings for search terms people might use to discover content in Becky’s unique niche – effective networking leads groups.  We are also in the process of integrating Google’s Feedburner, which will enable automatic email notification when Becky posts a new blog so we can support her more effectively with comments.  As well she will be able to post her announcements here and people will be notified automatically to supplement her email announcements.  Make sure to sign up!

Portland Web Design

Our core focus is Small Business Web Design and Marketing – including customized, optimized, personalized, hosted blog websites.  We focus on creating high impact graphics and match it with high impact content – you can guess our preference is to work with high impact people, just like Becky Tengwall.  She works very hard to be successful, and successfuly benefits so many others.  I believe that aligning your business interests with those of your clients as altuistically as possible results in the greatest benefit to all in the long run.  Becky does well when her people do well, and at the same time she doesn’t allow shortcuts.  No one is forced to pass lame leads, people are encouraged to build real relationships and foster real solutions.  In a Clackamas B2B meeting with Becky there, Lynn Gray, Peter Grote and Roger Buskers and I combined to coin a phrase:

A Real Solution for a Real Need is Real Networking!

Good luck to you all and happy networking!

Charles MontgomeryNorthwest eSource503.922.1446charles@nwesource.com

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