Brand Your Business

Rock Your Network® Teleseminar

Wendy Terwelp 2 Comments

Just in time for the holidays – Rock Your Network!

Date:  Thursday, November 30, 2006

Time:  10-11:30 a.m. Pacific / 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern / 6-7:30 p.m. UK.

Description: Are you tired of attending networking function after networking function, and having nothing to show for it except of a bunch of business cards from people you don’t remember and don’t think will ever refer to you?  Stop it right now!  Networking is the number one way to build your business, IF you do it correctly, and 98% of the people out there are just plain doing it wrong. 

In this special one-time only teleseminar, you’ll hear from two experts, Wendy Terwelp & Ronnie Noize who will tell you EXACTLY what you need to do to build your business with nothing more than your business card and simply networking.  You’ll learn when, where, and how to network so that you can start booking more clients immediately. 

In this special 90-minute teleseminar you’ll learn:

  • Wendy Terwelp’s top 10 secrets for networking success
  • How to choose which networking group to join — and when to leave it!
  • How to network in social situations (like holiday parties)
  • How to make it rain referrals 
  • The two worst networking mistakes you can make 
  • Ronnie Noize’s secret networking strategy that completely filled her coaching practice in just 6 weeks
  • And more!

Most marketing and networking programs tell you networking is the best way to build your professional services business, but then they charge you an arm and a leg to learn how to do it — but not us!  Wendy and I promise to download everything you need to know to start networking the right way right now during this teleseminar, and you can even send us your questions before the seminar to be sure that they answered!

Register here!

Fantasy Football in the Work Place

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Unless you’re Super Agent Arliss Michaels (of HBO’s Arli$$) or participating in an “approved” league at work, playing fantasy football on the job can get you ousted or jeapordize your employment. This article is courtesy of WisconsinJobs.com ezine:

WisconsinJobs.com Poll Results

Last month we asked our visitors: Do you play fantasy football? If so, how many hours/week do you spend managing your fantasy team at work?THE RESULTS ARE IN:45 percent said: NONE
26 percent said: 1-2 HOURS/WEEK
14 percent said: 2-5 HOURS/WEEK
12 percent said: MORE THAN 10 HOURS/WEEK
3 percent said: 5-10 HOURS/WEEK

That’s a total of 54 percent of employees that are using company time to manage their fantasy teams!

Because of its vast popularity, fantasy football is bound to cross over into players’ work lives and some businesses even have inter-office fantasy leagues. Some managers may argue that the camaraderie gained by playing fantasy football at work outweighs the 10 or 20 minutes of lost productivity that it causes each day. However, the 12 percent of poll respondents that admitted to spending more than 10 hours per week managing their fantasy teams while at work may be pushing the limits of their employers’ tolerance.

What’s on Your Voice Mail?

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

I just contacted a job seeker a few minutes ago. Her voice mail message said, “Hi this is ….. If this is Stacey, the answer is still no.” What the heck?

What if I’m an employer whose name is Stacey? Whether you’re looking for a job or not, your voice mail brands you. In this case, if I had an opening, would I reconnect with this person? NO.

On another voice mail I heard drinks clinking in the background and a message that said, “Hey, we’re not here right now, we’re out on the deck having margaritas.” How nice for you. Too bad you were having margaritas when you could be setting up a job interview.

Or how about the old machines? What do you hear? Beeeeeeep. Click. Guess there wasn’t any tape left or the digital chip went out. Now I can’t leave a message.

Or the very worst, and yes, two job seekers had this issue – no voice mail or answering machine! After several tries and finally connecting I asked what gives. One said he didn’t want to waste money. The other didn’t want the hassle. Hmmm. I guess they both got their wish. One’s not wasting money – but he’s not making more money either. The other won’t have to worry about being hassled — by potential employers. They more than likely won’t call back.

Challenge: Check your voice mail on your cell phone and your home phone. Is it professional? Can it be clearly understood?

Build a Money-Making Brand

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Stand out from the competition with these 5 steps to creating a
winning brand platform.

By John Williams – Entrepreneur.com

There’s a lot of buzz these days about having a “brand platform.” Perhaps you’ve heard the term, but aren’t sure what it means. Rest assured — you’re not the only one! Even within the advertising industry you’ll find disagreement over its definition. What one guru calls a “brand platform” another calls a “corporate image.” Don’t be confused. Regardless of what you call it, you need it. A brand platform serves as the springboard for all branding decisions.Simply put, your brand platform is what your brand stands for. It’s a strategic statement or set of statements that encompasses who your company is, what it does, how it plans to succeed, and why it’s unique or different. Although brand platforms vary from business to business, most consist of the following basic elements:

  1. Mission
  2. Identity Attributes
  3. Value Proposition
  4. Tagline and/or Byline
  5. Brand Story

Click here for the rest of the story.

Employer branding by Customer Service

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Courtesy of Kevin Wheeler, ERE Daily

Idea #5: Develop impeccable customer service. This final tip is my old favorite, as you should never make a candidate have to call you. Get back to candidates the same day as the interview. Give them honest assessments and feedback. Provide information immediately. If you are having them travel for an interview, fly them first class or put them up in a fancy hotel. Give them VIP treatment – limo, nice restaurant, whatever. The cost is minimal compared to losing them to a competitor. People remember good service, even if you don’t end up hiring them. They will spread the word and make sure that your company gets good publicity. We often treat minor customers better than candidates. Which, in the long run, is worth more? (Read the entire article here.)

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 Courtesy of Wendy Terwelp, Opportunity Knocks(TM)

This is a great tip. I was hosting a Rock Your Network (R) event at a local college. The event served both students and alumni. While networking, one attendee came up to me and said her dream job was to work at a vitamin and health product manufacturer in her area. When asked why she wanted to work there, she said how wonderful the Human Resources Manager was. How, even though she had not been selected for the position, he had the courtesy to call her and let her know and provided other positive feedback. Well, she was so amazed by this, she tells this positive experience to everyone she meets — even though she now has another job! I happen to know the VP of Human Resources at this company. He had no idea of the positive impact he had. He said, “I just felt it was the right thing to do.”

Spread the positive word.