I’m speaking at the University for the Institute of Directors next week and I’ve been asked to share my top tips for networking success. Planning what I will talk about makes me think of my clients and the business women I get to be with at The BWN networking events. And I will share next week the same great stuff I do with you guys all the time. But hey these students will not have me there with them once a month, so what are the most important things I could say to someone that wants success?
And I realised it is the same things that I work with clients on all the time. Ready for the big secrets?
Ready to find out what I think are the keys to your success?
And what is more scary they are things within in our control!
Ready?
The keys to success are confidence and communication.
I’ve had everyone from CEO’s and start up’s tell me that when they communicate effectively they can get what they want. They can get solutions. Ask the right questions to move their business and success forward.
Many people think that networking is something that you do in a snazzy hotel with coffee and business cards. And yet networking is everywhere. In the queue at the bank, having your nails done, or waiting for a client (all of those have happened to me and delivered a new client.) So the first thing you need to master to be a successful business woman is your ability to communicate effectively.
I bet right about now there are a good few readers saying easier said than done. Okay so I get it can be scary and tricky, but anything you want in life has an element of fear and nervousness attached, its how you know you really want it.
I would also say that every single person that I’ve worked with this year has been coached to communicate effectively. From the business owner that wanted to renegotiate one of their biggest contracts (for more money with less work – and yes they got it!) to the business owner that went to a national conference and targeted the dream contract and yes things are happening! You see communicating what you want is what matters, so find out what you really want, who can help you get it and how to get that message across effectively.
But even more important than communication is…
Confidence!
If you have inner confidence you don’t care if you make a fool of yourself and get it wrong, because getting it wrong is on the road to getting it right, right?
Inner confidence means you have the confidence to go up to that person you know you want to work with and say “Lets talk”.
So my big gift to you this Christmas is to know and accept that you need to boost your communication and cocnfidence. And I promise with every cell in my body that if you walk through the doors of The BWN events me and my cooridndators will do all that we can to boost your confidence aand success.
Sales, SEO, Marketing, Social media, PR, Awards, Profit, Time Management, Vision and Mission Statements, Phone and Public speaking fears, branding, Business structure and strategy can all be learnt, but without communication skills and confidence, you will always be able to undermine your success. So let’s power up your success today.
I’ve had so many women say to me “Mandie I can’t do it.” and even if I don’t coach them I’m there for them, and we chat and I share ideas at The BWN and what do you know, suddenly they can do it and they do. Your success deserves that too!
See you soon and Merry Christmas and here’s to a very profitable successful 2016
Stick around aand we could make that happen for you too!
My name is Mandie Holgate and as founder of The BWN, everything that enables success for business women matters to me and I will share it with you. Attracting some of the best speakers in Europe. Yes there are other networks, but ours is the most powerful motivator and supporter of success in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Our business women, venues and speakers tell us that this is true, I can’t wait to help you too.
1. Know why you are exhibiting. Yes you want people to buy from you, but what else? Signing up to your newsletter? Getting to know you on social media? What actions do you want people to take? And don’t assume anything, if you want people to connect with you on social media, have a clear poster that gives a QR code and says “Use this QR code to keep in touch. (You can create your own QR codes easily, just Google it);
2. Exhibiting is just that, a chance to create a shop front that enables people to see how you can help them. The full scope of what you do. Think about what are the assumptions that are made about what you do and ask yourself do we address them on our stand? Do we answer the “No’s” that people have? (A top tip here that by knowing and understanding the “No’s” that stop a sale, you can get them into your marketing to break down the No’s. Cool right?)
3. What are the big goals? Okay so you get them to sign up to get to know you on social media, they want to know more and sign up to your newsletter and email campaigns but what would the ultimate goals be? If you sell something what would the follow up purchase be? What else or how often do you want them to buy? Do you tell people about these opportunities when you exhibit?
4. Tell everyone! Okay so with The BWN you know we go out of our way to promote the fact that you are at our events, however it is not an assumption you can take the risk on taking. What warm leads do you have that you would love the chance to tell them more about what you do? What connections do you have that could also benefit from this event? By spreading the word this can help your event success in a number of ways; firstly you get to spread the word on the event to increase the foot fall, secondly you get the chance to remind people why you and how you invest in your business and the professionalism of your company and thirdly think how much the event organisers will love you for spreading the word. The next top tips share how to do this!
5. Share the link to the event you are exhibiting at on your social media. Include the organisers social media (ours is @BWNcouk in case you were wondering!) so that they too can spread the word on you, promote the event and raise yours and the events profile. The more people that know about the event, the more people know about you and your business.
6. Tell people in your next newsletter or email campaign. Writing a blog article? Add in there something like “If you would like to learn more I will be offering taster sessions/bringing this fabulous product to this event, and it would be great to see you there. Include a link. Remember marketing is about making it easy for people to get involved.
7. If you are networking, add it to your 60 seconds promo slot. The more people you can get to your stand to see what you do and how you help people, the better.
8. What do your guests get? So a freebie chocolate, free pen, pad or entry into a raffle may get you a smile out of a delegate, however if there are 20+ exhibitors in the room will you be remembered in a weeks time? What can you do to ensure people stay in touch? What about saying thank you or “Hi” on the coordinators social media. Getting in touch after the event. Remember to be consistent, relevant and non salesly. If you have attended an event its highly likely many will automatically have added your details to their data base. The epitome of salesly, no respect for your time attitude that can seriously risk your ability to create and nurture a new relationship that will enable business to happen, so what would work?
9. Think about the delegates event experience. By the time they get to your stand, they’ve been asked maybe 20 times “What do you do?” “What do you think of the event?” “Do you use X?” How can your stand have an impact? How can you ensure people walk away from your stand smiling and thinking “That was good!” rather than here we go again!
10. Don’t stand behind your stand. One of reasons you are exhibiting is so you can expand on the business card and 60 second promo slot so that people want to buy from you. To do that you want to build relationships either with people that don’ know you or who know you a little. A table is basically a physical barrier between you and the delegate. It can send a sub-conscious message to the brain that says you are unapproachable. When The BWN exhibit, we put the chairs to one side of our stand and encourage delegates to take a seat. Most women are in heels and guess how popular we are when we encourage people to have a seat and tell us about their business and how we may be able to help? By being on your delegates agenda and finding out how you can help them, you can really start a great relationship. And exhibiting is about creating a shop front that people want to stick around and learn more about and then buy. So from today to the event, make the journey into a sale a fun, enjoyable (and easy to achieve) one!
We hope you find these top tips helpful. There are lots more resources on our website under blog and reports and our founder Mandie Holgate‘s Website, who will be selling her books. Ooo did you see what we did there!
See you at Our Big Christmas Events this December!
If you are a regular at BWN events you will no doubt have seen me snapping away at the monthly meetings – I’m Jayne Lloyd, and for the last year I have had the pleasure of being the BWN Colchester’s official photographer.
I attend most BWN meetings and photograph the events in a discreet, documentary style.
I always try to capture the feel of the event so that people can get a real sense of what the meeting was like, as well as providing a record of the event for those who were there. After the meeting I process the images and add them to the BWN Facebook page, where each businesswoman is tagged.
It’s a great way to show your Facebook connections what you’re up to and keep the conversation going beyond the event itself, as well as being a great opportunity to add some professional photographs to your online marketing.
I’m really happy for attendees to use the watermarked web copies online – so if I take a shot you’d like to use as your profile picture I’d be delighted for you to do so! I just ask that you let me know, credit ‘Jayne Lloyd Photography’ and include a link and tag where possible.
As an extra bonus for regular BWN attendees, if you would like to use any of the images at high resolution for your marketing materials you can purchase the digital file for a special rate of £15 and use it for all your promotional needs. All the images from past events are available to view on my website, where you can order the files directly: www.jaynelloyd.co.uk/bwn
I look forward to continuing to work with the BWN and with all the fantastic businesswomen I meet at each event.
Do come and say hello, and if you’d like to connect in the meantime please feel free to add me on Twitter: @jaynelloyd,
Facebook: Facebook.com/JayneLloydPhotography,
Instagram: instagram.com/jayne_lloyd/ or email me at jayne@jaynelloyd.co.uk
Jayne Lloyd is a freelance photographer based in Colchester, specialising in working with businesses and organisations to create images that communicate their brand visually.
Louisa was there at the very first Business Woman’s Network and continues to support the events today.
Read her business journey here:
My adventure into self-employment started 14 years ago, and it was partly due to necessity as I had to stay at home to look after my first child. At first, I was aided by some web designer friends who helped teach me the basics of website building and design.
You know what? I absolutely loved doing it and it highlighted to me that I had something of a flair for it. This led me to begin creating sites for others and as you need online marketing to get your website noticed, I naturally got involved in online marketing. I mean, you can’t just cross your fingers and hope people find you online.
As I got further and further into marketing websites, I tried my hand at SEO (search engine optimisation) and social media. To my delight, I found that I loved this too!
With my new found skills, I volunteered for Dancing Giraffe, this year’s BWN chosen charity. This is where I cut my teeth with WordPress and found my social media skills really produced significant results in a relatively short space of time.
This inspired me to create my company 4 Contact UK to offer my services. We quickly filled our diary with work and went on to work for a global commodities and diamond broker, creating a large e-commerce site and producing banners that featured at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival!
I then encountered my first real disaster. A major client folded owing thousands and left 4 Contact UK in an unsustainable position. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and here we are 2 years later and Gold Gems Media is now in existence and fighting fit and ready to help clients to achieve their online goals.
Recently, I was asked to help promote the Essex Businesswoman’s experience event in Leigh-on-sea on social media and in just 4 days, I managed to create a real buzz surrounding the event and swell the numbers attending by a healthy amount.
I started Gold Gems Media in May this year, but began working in this line of work nearly 3 years ago.
Creating something from nothing. It’s so fun and I’m absolutely in my element. I get a buzz from seeing results, so I track everything so that I can see the real value and return on investment that I can provide for my customers.
I work with my life partner and sometimes it’s difficult to have the right work-life balance, but we have always worked together over the last 11 years of being together, so any problems are normally short-lived.
I’ve been networking for over 8 years now and I’ve made some great contacts and friends. However, it’s not just about business. It’s a real social experience and it’s fun! Networking gives me confidence as I’m a people person at heart and I love the interaction, because working online and from home lacks that human touch.
I attended The BWN’s 1st networking meeting 7 years ago and I was hooked. The women were just like me! Intelligent, interested in similar subjects and so sociable. It felt more relaxed and less pressurized than other networking groups, so for me the BWN is always my starting place when I start a business. The women there give me the confidence to pursue my dreams.
By helping my clients grow their businesses, ours will grow too. That’s what’s behind my logo: a tree growing, maturing and producing fruits (the growth of a business and becoming successful).
The company name is finding the hidden gems in marketing and turning them into gold! It has a personal double meaning, combining my surname and my children who are named after precious gems.
Email: louisa@goldgemsmedia.co.uk
Website Link: http://goldgemsmedia.co.uk/
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/LouisaGS
Here our international marketer and Media personality and master class presenter for our Five Lakes Crowne Plaza event speaks about her career, and why you shouldn’t miss this event!
“My grandmother use to say “Kubi, reach for the stars, and you might just get the moon”. I took her words literally, and as a child I couldn’t stop dreaming big. Before branding entered my life I was consumed with dance and it was only after suffering an injury to my knee that I changed direction.
Once they told me I could no longer be a semi-professional dancer, I figured, if I couldn’t be in-front of the camera, I would at least rule behind it!
Reach for the stars, and you might just get the moon…
Granny was right…here’s my portfolio;
So, by the time I was 21 years old I graduated with a BA Hons in Commerical Music & Marketing and secured two internships, the first was in the UK with MTV Europe and the second was with Blue Flame (Puff Daddy’s Marketing & Advertising Agency) in New York. Fast forward 19 years, Lord I am getting old 🙂 and I have developed an international career with a focus on consumer marketing and branding. Working across Entertainment, Fashion, Sports and Lifestyle brands my resume includes Nike, Blackberry, L’Oreal Professionnel, Justin Timberlake/Sony BMG, Manchester United Footballer Rio Ferdinand, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Sleek Hair, OHTV, MOBO Awards and the Sex & the City Movie Premier.
Today, I still have an international career but now I juggle it with being a mother to Angel, my very talkative 3 year old daughter. When I am not on mummy duties, I tend to be in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean or the Middle East, helping consumer brands to internationalise their proposition. Most recently I have been working in the Caribbean with Jamaica National Bank and Caribbean Fashion Week. This summer I am launching Malaysian Fashion House Mimpikita into the UK market, e-tailer DFNG into Africa and one of Asia’s biggest F&B (Food & Beverage) brands into the US market. I am a “money girl” and simply love helping my clients to commercialise their brands – to turn their ideas into a financially successful venture. Delivering brand audits, capacity building, strategic planning and brand deals, I can honestly say…I love my job.
As life would have it, 20 years after injuring my knee, I now have the best of both worlds as a Brand Consultant and Media Personality. Presenting and producing business related TV and radio shows has made me an award winning media personality, and it’s amazing because now instead of doing pierrette’s, I get to use the power of the media, to empower you!”
To say we are excited about Kubi speaking for us, would be an understatement, So spread the word, and lets rocket your success too!
www.shebuildsbrands.com
I’ve been attending the Business Woman’s Network for the last four years, on and off, and have found Mandie an inspiration both professionally and personally.
Having been a member of other networking groups and thoroughly enjoyed the ethos of them, I had a lighting bulb moment earlier in the year, remembering Mandie saying ‘get paid to network’. It wasn’t so much the being paid to do it, but I felt that I was carrying out various roles in the other groups with no appreciation or thanks for my time and efforts. So, I decided to put the efforts into my own group and thoroughly believe in our BWN mission statement and supporting business women because we are as passionate about your success as you are!
I’d always come away from the BWN mornings feeling motivated to achieve what we’d learnt at the meetings. 18 months ago I also did Mandie’s “6 week kick your butt” business course and it certainly did that!
It came at just the right time for my business and enabled me to work flexibly around my clients and family life. Well worth every penny, thank you.
I decided earlier this year that I would set up a South Essex BWN under Mandie’s guidance. When I phoned her to ask her, she sounded surprised but keen to make sure it was right thing for me to do… in fact she asked me a several occasions to make certain I was sure!
Having had the summer off of networking, it was a little of a shock to the system to stand up in front of a room of ladies and lead the meeting. However, with Mandie there to support me, it was plain sailing. Fortunately she had agreed to deliver a masterclass on marketing too, so it all went very well with two ladies joining.
Next month I am lucky enough to have Nick Looby delivering a masterclass on networking and after the feedback from the room on the day, I can sense it’s going to be another good meeting.
So thank you BWN and a special thank you to Mandie for allowing me the opportunity.
Up Spirits!
Contact – jenny@pa-angels.co.uk / 01621 680818
How can it be that one business woman can walk into a room full of networkers and gain a new lead and an opportunity and another walks out despondent thinking “What did I do wrong?”
Personally I’ve walked into a new networking group that I’ve never attended before and gained a new client. I know that it is not about expecting that, that it is about building good relationships, growing your network to raise your profile, improve brand awareness and get known as the thought leader in your industry, so that when someone is ready to buy it is you they buy from. However it is not a one off that I’ve gained new business on my first visit to a networking event.
So here is my top tip guide as a sneaky peek to 2 of the speaking engagements I have at the BWN this Autumn. I like to keep my speaking engagements relevant, interactive and packed with real time solutions, so feel free to bring your questions for me to answer for you on the day.
And remember if you get the above right. If you come across in a genuine, useful and friendly way then people won’t let you fade from their minds. If you rearrange the above top tips the first letter of each word will spell the word Fades, and trust me that is the last thing you want to see happen that you fade from peoples minds. That would be a waste of your time and money and could jeopardise your business success, and who wants that?
I look forward to seeing you at our September line up of events. Check out our home page to see what is coming up in your area. Don’t see what you are looking for? Then let’s talk about bringing the BWN to your area and helping you to get paid to network.
The school and summer holidays will soon be drawing to a close and it’s back to work and business as usual.
As we fast approach September we are very busy here at The Business Woman’s Network preparing for several launch events in Essex and Suffolk.
So we most definitely see the benefits of hiring an extra pair of hands to free up some time in our busy diaries and that’s exactly what Jennifer creates for her clients – extra time in their business.
Jennifer is one of our business exhibitors and has already secured her table at the North Colchester Event on 26th September 2015. Contact us to find out more information on how to exhibit and the benefits.
Let’s find out more about Jennifer and how her business can help other businesses.
What made you set up SmartPA?
After spending 23 years in local government and delivering high profile projects within the private sector, earlier this year I decided the time was right to achieve my ambition of running my own business. I launched my SmartPA partnership in June this year and I’m now focussing my attention on supporting local businesses, helping them to become more efficient.
How do you help other business owners?
As a SmartPA I provide outsourced, remote back office and business support to companies that require expert services, helping them to increase their efficiency and productivity whilst reducing their costs. This is the perfect solution for businesses that need support and assistance with administration or projects, but do not want to employ additional staff. The flexibility I offer as a SmartPA means businesses can scale my support, depending upon their requirements – ensuring they never pay more than they need.
What do you love most about running your own business?
What I love most about this new self-employed role is using my experience to work on a diverse range of projects or tasks – no two days are the same! My role varies with each client and includes general office administration, marketing, producing newsletters, brochures, arranging advertising, updating websites and working on research and projects – all from my home office!
It’s interesting and rewarding working with a number of different businesses. I’m so pleased I made the decision to go ahead and become a SmartPA partner. It allows me to follow my ambition of delivering a high quality and efficient service with the backing of an established brand.
What do you see the future holding for SmartPA?
SmartPA offers back office support to business communities around the world. The company has a wider initiative to help women get back to work. They have pledged to get 25,000 women in the UK back to work over the next three years through technology and training – notably through SmartPA Home. Users can enjoy bypassing the increasing costs of childcare and travel, alongside a better work/life balance. It’s really exciting being part of a forward thinking and rapidly growing organisation.
When it comes to helping businesses become more efficient, I can help in other ways – I’m also a Director at Worth Energy Solutions, an independent Colchester based consultancy headed up by Garry Worthington, specialising in energy, environmental management and associated support services. Having spent a number of years in the energy efficiency industry I can also help your business reduce its energy use and improve its environmental footprint.
If you need support on a project or need to outsource some of your daily tasks here’s Jennifer’s contact details:
Email: jennifer@smartpasupport.com
Website Link: http://www.smart-pa.com/
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/JennyThackray
Meet Lydia of Lydia’s Luscious Lashes our very first member for the North Colchester Events and we haven’t even launched yet!
Lydia is very passionate about her business and how it positively makes a difference to her clients and her growing team. She absolutely loves how she can fit her business around her family commitments and wants to help other people do the same.
What made you join Younique?
I joined Younique when I was 3 and half months into maternity leave because the thought of going back to work petrified me. I had just overcome postnatal depression (PND) and was just starting to enjoy being a mum. I’d really struggled in the first couple of months and didn’t want to go back to work. I just wanted to stay at home and do fun things with my little girl, like take her swimming, go to baby groups and give her the very best possible start. The idea of someone else looking after her, paying nursery fees and basically going to work just to cover the fees seemed ludicrous!
I had seen my cousin was doing well working with Younique so asked her about it. She said to do some research and find out for myself. She thought it was a good idea, but encouraged me to make my own decision. So, I went off to do some research, found out lots of good things, met up with my cousin again and joined!
How many years have you been in business?
I have been with Younique just over 3 months.
What do you love most about running your own business?
I love the flexibility it has given me. I can work my own hours and run my business however and whenever I want. I get to spend time with my little girl, do all the fun things we love doing together and I can work around her.
I love that my business is a positive business – I am making women happy. When people try the make-up they are happy, when I organise parties, they are happy and that’s very rewarding. As well as running my own business I now have my own team of 4 women and I love coaching them. I’m learning as much as I can about how we can all go further in our businesses, coaching and inspiring them and being a support for them. It has given me lots of confidence to think I am changing not only my life but others around me too.
What do you hate most about running your own business?
I guess with it being a social networking company the business is open 24 hours! I know that I can respond as and when I want to as it is my business, but I tend to get back as soon as I can. Which can sometimes interfere in the evenings…my fault though – I quite enjoy the engagement, so not really a negative to be honest.
One of the biggest problems in business is working long hours and still running out of time! Check out our previous blog on time management and prioritising – Time to Stop!
What benefits do you get from networking?
The benefits of networking are meeting new people, being able to help other businesses out by working together and coming up with ideas that are mutually beneficial. Being able to speak to and discuss things with like minded people.
What was the reason that you decided to be a member at The BWN?
It is a women’s networking group, which falls in line with my business. I have been to a couple of the events before and found them to be very enjoyable. It’s nice to have the support of like minded, strong and successful women.
What do you see the future holding for Younique?
The company only launched in 2012, it has going from strength to strength, launching in USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and soon to be in Mexico then France. So it is a growing company and with this I hope for my team to expand in these countries so that I have an international team.
Personally I would like to do some more training and get involved in wedding make-up, grow my team and am hoping that within a year my partner can retire from his work. We can all move to a nice big house and I can run my business with total flexibility, enjoying time with my family.
If you would like to find out how Lydia can help you here are her contact details below:
Website: Lydia’s Luscious Lashes
Email: Lydia’s Luscious Lashes
Facebook: Lydia’s Luscious Lashes
Keen and ready for the launch of our Saturday morning events in North Colchester in September – Kerry has already secured her exhibition stand and we are very excited to find out more about her and her business.
However, if like us you cannot wait to find out more about Kerry’s story here’s a preview.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello, my name is Kerry Rose, I am a wife and mum of two young children as well as being a police officer of 11 years.
My husband is a police sergeant and until Forever Living Products we both worked on demanding shift patterns.
What effect did these shifts have on family life?
We only spent one day out of every nine together as a family and very often my son would be at school on that one day. Naturally, our jobs are tiring and my husband’s working hours and the nature of his role meant that we were unable to enjoy the little time we had together.
Why did you join Forever Living Products?
I joined Forever Living at the end of April this year because I clearly saw the opportunity it would give to my family – to allow us to have more free time without sacrificing any income.
What are the results so far?
I enjoyed my first ‘active’ month in June where I worked the business model and upon seeing the rewards of my efforts I decreased my working hours to alleviate the pressure on my husband where childcare is concerned.
Forever Living has shown me how I can change my life, enhancing it for the better. I am now coaching others to do the same which is very satisfying.
Final thought?
Forever Living gives people the freedom to choose a new way of life.
Just like Kerry you too can exhibit at any of our events. To check out the benefits of promoting your business at any event – read more here:
Here’s a reminder of the benefits. For just £25 you can exhibit at any BWN event. And that includes 1 ticket!
Offer taster sessions of what you do.
Bring your products along.
Run mini business clinics.
The choice is yours, but for just £25 we are sure you will agree its a great way to get your business remembered and really showcase what you do and how you can help people.
Every event has the option to exhibit so just click the button or feel free to get in touch to learn more info@thebusinesswomansnetwork.co.uk
The earlier you book your stand for an event the more promotion we can give to you and your business.
If you send us images and links we are happy to promote you in our online marketing for your area and on the BWN website and our Eventbrite page for that event.
10% discount applies on exhibiting with the Member offer.