Helpful Centers

The sense of companionship that develops among volunteers can tie their community together more closely, and naturally it will fulfill the volunteers’ goal of helping those who can’t support themselves. Of course, freeing up the time to volunteer often squanders very time that could readily be put to much better use elsewhere. Obviously, when you volunteer as part of a team effort with friends or co-workers, it will be more enjoyable.

As a result companies like Adaptive Marketing LLC, that developed financial and shopping benefits programs like SavingsAce, are stepping up to become the organizing points which co-ordinate volunteer activity and help their employees make time for reaching out. Such initiatives were always annual occasions — but nowadays that can be seen as just the beginning. Tennis shoe recycling initiatives and more active work like tree planting days — these and other activities have been organized by Adaptive Marketing for its staff. By centralizing the organization the initiatives grew into events, with specific dates, locations and times published in advance to help those signing up with their time management.

Naturally, it’s essential to let volunteers choose activities according to their own interests. Employees of Adaptive Marketing, the company who offers the financial benefits program SavingsAce, can choose from a number of volunteer activities. Previous projects have ranged between areas as diverse as education for children and young adults, green projects, and events related to arts and culture. A happy volunteer is an effective volunteer, so through offering such a variety of programs Adaptive Marketing ensure that progress will be made in as many projects as possible. As a rule when businesses recommend their staff members to think about volunteering at a nearby homeless shelter, it is typically to help with an individual event or a regular, perhaps weekly or monthly task. Staff may well say — and even be convinced themselves — that they don’t have the free time, though it would be pretty surprising if they seriously can’t find enough hours to lend a hand with one instalment of a long term project.

Commercial history is full of examples of organizations finding ways of helping the citizens of their home town. The good worksefforts of those who work at Adaptive Marketing and businesses like it create important goodwill throughout the community. Helping others leaves you feeling like a better person — just the sort of feeling to leave employees motivated in both their volunteer work and back behind their desks, too. Putting the opportunities out there to help employees set aside the time to volunteer may very well be its own reward.

You will most probably have seen mention of Mr. Naveen Jain’s name as the co-founder & CEO of Intelius, Inc. the acclaimed information commerce market leaders. Beyond having made the Forbes list “400 Richest in America” in 2000, this successful entrepreneur has won various prestigious awards, notably the WSA Industry Achievement Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the Albert Einstein Technology Medal. But that is definitely not where it ends. Because Mr. Naveen Jain and his relatives are equally as enthusiastic about philanthropy and will seek to give aid whenever possible. There’s no reasonable doubt about the fact that our kids are veritably the world’s treasured resource and indeed its future. This enterprising man regards children as a fundamental focus of his charity works and he uses each and every occasion available to assist them. This, too, is the main reason why he is always thoroughly leveraging every possibility available to him to offer assistance whenever at all workable. Thus, Naveen Jain, his relatives and his employees at Intelius, Inc. donate time to charitable associations such as the University of Washington, United Way, and the Rotary Club. Naturally, they offer magnanimous monetary support but more importantly they devote their time and care to those children who require it the most. What’s more, he supports the Children’s Hospital, endeavoring to meliorate child health.

And since Jain is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology and XLRI Jamshedpur, it comes as no wonder that schooling enjoys a very high priority within his benevolent worldview. This encompasses campaigns and aid organizations that are local, state, and nationwide. Hence Intelius and its head are actively funding voluntary bodies and establishments such as TreeHouse, the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club and the University Preparatory Academy. Providing for the world’s famished is an additional serious objective for Jain and his kin and it is of no particular interest in the least to him whether it is a kid in New York or London, or an aged homeless woman in Mumbai or Chicago in need of support. Although he is conscious that the project of locating provisions for all the world’s starving is a phenomenal one, he also recognizes that the unfeasible can indeed become realistic if each and every one of us toils in concert. If this CEO should actually have his way, there will be a decisive ending to squalor and hunger in the world at some time. People may probably be pardoned for reckoning that functioning as the headman of a very flourishing market leading enterprise and a committed husband and father would give him no surplus time for altruism and helping his fellow men. However he sees to it that all of his beneficent ventures obtains all the support he can realistically give. This intently idealistic businessman is positively much more than merely an ordinary business pioneer. He is an exceptional citizen and an exceptional community patron.

Father’s Day is fast approaching. It will be here before you recognize it! Give your father, or other special man in your life, a truly extraordinary and appreciated gift. This year, surprise the father with a gift basket designed particularly for him.

Father’s Day gift baskets are bundled in all figures and sizes and can be custom-made to conform to whatever budget. You have the option of purchasing them off the shelf or as a custom made gift.Whether Dad is a fishing fan, racecar fan or a lover of gourmet goodies, you can easily find a basket that he will enjoy. (And, not take up room in his sock drawer.)

If the special guy in your life is a motion picture fan, call for a Father’s Day gift basket made close to this subject. Imagine his surprise when he gets a basket laden with a mixture of gems such as his favourite DVD (or movie rental gift card), gourmet popcorn, heap of concession-stand type candy, movie trivia guide and a collectable movie can.

If your Dad’s a golf fan, a variety of golf-related gift items are available to select from.

Baskets that will fit him to a t. or in this case, tee. Pick Out small themed items. maybe a volume filled with serious golf tips, a getatable notepad or a perpetual calendar. Add to that, a bucket of chocolate golf balls, Dad’s favourite nuts, snack mix and a golfer’s coffee mug, filled with a assortment of gourmet coffee singles.

If your dad likes to grille, barbecue related items may be a very good alternative to take. You can choose a basket or a tray of savory sauces and marinades. Add items such as a small chopping board, BBQ gloves and/or utensils, smoky cheeses, a themed cookbook and a gift card for Dad’s favorite grocery store.

There really are Fathers Day Gifts baskets appropriate for everyone on your list, regardless of their inclinations. This year, take the time to have your favourite gift basket vendor produce a wonderful basket that won’t end up in the back of the closet, collecting dust!

Simon Rogers has uncovered over 1 million British pounds in potential revenues for his company 2Delta, a reseller specializing in project management software, as a result of his participation in Ecademy, an online networking site. After just four months in business, he has been introduced to more than 16 opportunities, each worth 75,000 pounds or more. He’s already closed four deals, including one “nicely into six figures.” For him, Ecademy is a significant business accelerator.

“It is early days,” Rogers says, “but this is startup No. 5 for me, and I know I am miles ahead of where I was with any of the others, and I built each of those businesses into $5 million annual revenue before selling them. I have high hopes.”

When asked whether a social network like Ecademy works for people wanting to build a business, he answers, “Absolutely, but it needs to be ‘worked’ with a process and a view to sharing the rewards. I plan to make money for the people who help me. The word will get around that Rogers is a good man, that his proposition is a good one, that 2Delta delivers the highest quality service and has delighted clients, who give us all repeat business.”

The tech media, perhaps burned by its spoiled love affair with the dotcoms, is now ready to dump online social networks after only a brief fling. Until late 2003, the coverage consisted of, essentially, “Why are all these VCs investing all this money? Where’s the business model?” For a year, there was romance. But now, some pundits are saying that the wave has passed, that the bubble has already burst.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn has topped 1 million users. Many more socially oriented sites crossed the million-member point a while ago, including Meetup, Friendster, and Tickle. The band REM recently announced that they will be previewing their new album on MySpace. OpenBC has gone truly global, supporting German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese on their site. Enterprise-oriented tools from Contact Network Corporation and Leverage Software have already garnered multiple paying customers. And tens of thousands of people are developing business relationships in ways they never did before.

And yet most Internet users still haven’t even heard of them.

To put this in perspective, Classmates boasts over 38 million members; Reunion.com, 22 million; and craigslist gets 6 million unique visitors a month. Clearly, there’s a lot of room for the new crop of social networking sites to grow, as well as a demonstrated precedent that people are willing to pay to connect with each other for a variety of purposes.

The potential market for business networking is enormous. Over 20 million businesses worldwide are members of local chambers of commerce. Add to that all the marketing, business development, and non-retail sales professionals, plus hiring managers, recruiters, and job seekers, and the number gets very large. Generating revenue and supporting other business processes via relationships are as compelling reasons to connect as finding old schoolmates or potential dating partners. This technology is still in the early adopter stage and has a ways to go before being truly mainstream.

The ultimate question that’s going to determine mainstream adoption is simply, “Do they work?” At the moment, the answer is twofold. Yes and no.

Business networking sites are not living up to the expectations of many people. They don’t effectively represent electronically the complexities of interpersonal relationships. They create awkward social situations that don’t exist face to face — such as how to deal with an explicit request to be someone’s friend, something most of us haven’t had to deal with since third grade. And they don’t prevent spam.

But the fact that they’re not yet living up to their potential shouldn’t blind us from the real immediate benefits to be gained. Let’s look at some of the unique benefits online networking sites offer that traditional face-to-face relationship building does not:

Searchable directory

Where else can you easily search for people by industry, geography, title, and personal interests? It’s the yellow pages on steroids. You can be highly focused in a way that’s impossible in person.

High visibility at low cost

Most of the sites let you create a profile for free. Sure, there’s a limit to how many you can actively participate in, but you can participate passively in dozens of sites. The trick is to keep a document with a master copy of all your profile information so you can easily copy and paste it and set up your profiles quickly. As UCLA Professor Phil Agre says, “The most fundamental way of finding people online is to help them find you.”

Receptive audience

While no one likes to be approached inappropriately, you’ll find people in networking sites more receptive to an informational phone call or email exchange. On LinkedIn, for example, you can specify whether or not you’re willing to accept contacts regarding deal proposals, and you can limit your searches only to people that are. In the discussion boards, blatant advertising may not be allowed, but you won’t be accused of making a sales pitch just for sharing your expertise.

Easy group-forming

Growing a discussion list or forum on your own site is no easy task. In the social networking sites, there’s a built-in audience looking for groups to join. Groups have a visibility within the larger environment that simply doesn’t exist with an independent community, or even on a broad open site like Yahoo Groups. People really will start signing up almost immediately after you create your group, if you offer value to them.

Get visibility into the networks of your connections

The ability to see your connections’ connections, and to determine who you know that can make an introduction to the person you’re targeting, is very powerful and has no direct parallel in face-to-face interaction. In fact, it’s so powerful that entire products are created just around this ability. As Contact Network founder/CEO Geoffrey Hyatt says about his company’s product, “It’s a one-trick pony, but it’s a very valuable trick.” Jeannine Solanto, CEO of Foundation Systems, reports that her company has cut their sales cycle by 15-20%, on average, by using Leverage Software to gain access and influence within target accounts.

You can realize these benefits immediately with the existing technology, regardless of its imperfections. In many cases, you can just use the free service, but even the premium memberships only run a few dollars a month — chump change if you’re actually generating business. So the real ROI question isn’t whether they’re worth the money, but whether they’re worth your time. The answer is “yes” — not because the sites themselves are, but because the relationships are.

Online networking sites simply help you manage more relationships with less effort.

David Teten and Scott Allen are coauthors of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, contributing authors to Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business and Culture, and write a monthly column on virtual business relationships for FastCompany.com, where this article originally appeared. Scott Allen is the About.com Entrepreneurs Guide, providing free resources and guidance to help entrepreneurs as they start and grow their business. David Teten is CEO of Teten Recruiting, an executive recruiting firm, and Nitron Advisors, an independent research firm which provides professional investors with access to frontline industry experts.

“Relationships - of all kinds - are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost.” -Kaleel Jamison

I have noticed a great surge of house-building in some of the villages in the area. Not long ago there were fields and open spaces. Now there are houses and people. I am making this observation, not because I am necessarily against this development, but because the speed at which it happens amazes me. Where sheep and horses were grazing a few months back, now there are families and singletons and retired people all living together in a new community. New contacts are being made every day and, hopefully, all the inhabitants of the new homes are beginning to forge relationships with their neighbours.

We humans are beautifully designed to be able to interact with other humans, as without each other we are unable to survive. In a talk I heard recently, we were told of a social experiment many years ago where children in an orphanage were denied any human contact and interaction. Although their basic needs were met, the building up of relationships with their carers and their peers never took place. Most of the children died prematurely. There is much evidence, scientific and anecdotal, which points to our need to build relationships with those people we come into contact with, in both our private and professional lives. If this does not happen we suffer.

Building and maintaining relationships is an ongoing process, but one we sometimes forget to address. All business is about people, as is life. What are you like at building good relationships with others? How can you focus your efforts on putting the building blocks in place to develop new relationships, as well as to add value to your existing ones?

Who do you want to build a relationship with? Where do you want the relationship to go? Do you and this person have common goals? Are you open to new ideas that might help you move forward? Successful people have the ability to develop relationships that last, usually because they are prepared to commit time and energy to them. Are you?

Do you have any bridges to mend? Relationships involve negotiation and compromise. You do not have to agree with everyone, but being able to acknowledge differences and then move forward in spite of that is a great quality to have. Have you been avoiding someone because of your differences? Can you see a way forward that will be mutually acceptable? Are you prepared to make the first move?

What is you relationship with yourself like? Do you treat yourself with the utmost respect and consideration? If you have difficulty doing this, then it may also be hard to treat others in that way. Do you have a good support network of friends? Friendships can help to extend your life. With friends your immune system is likely to be stronger. You are less likely to suffer from anxiety and other similar complaints and your stress levels will be reduced. How would you like to be treated? Treat others in the same way. Aim to leave a positive impression everywhere you go..

Relationships cannot thrive unless we continue to work at them. Are you willing to invest time and energy in building your relationships? Show interest in the people you spend time with. Practice ‘Active Listening’, where you are really making the effort to take in what they are saying to you by stilling the chatter that often goes on inside your own head. Get to know them by asking them about themselves and their lives. Show consideration and appreciation to those people who have helped you or who have done a good job by remembering to say ‘thank you’. Forge links where you can.

Are you currently putting time and effort into relationships which are draining you? Relationships are anything but static. They are constantly changing and evolving. Sometimes, however, a relationship will have run its course. Questions to ask yourself are: ‘Is this relationship mutually rewarding?’, ‘Are both parties benefiting from it?’, ‘Is there any enjoyment in the relationship?’, ‘Is it repairable?’, and if it is, ‘Will the benefits of putting in the effort outweigh that effort?’

Relationships have a lot to do with how we interact with each other. How do you communicate with everyone you come into contact with? Are you cheery? Grumpy? Non-committal? Enthusiastic? Try some new, positive approaches. How do you think about other people? If you are thinking negatively about someone they can usually sense it. Change your way of thinking and see how others react to you. Start a conversation with someone new. Introduce yourself at meetings, conferences and social events, even at the bus-stop! Ask them about themselves. Every person you meet is important.

Have you considered that other people don’t quite see and experience the world in the same way as you do? It is easy to assume that they do, but you are most likely wrong. Be creative in how you connect to others. How can you put yourself on the same wavelength as them? How do they communicate? As well as the words they use, notice the other signals - the eye movements and the body language. Imagine you are that other person. What do you need to do to be able to see things from their perspective?

Building successful relationships requires the building of trust through integrity and consistency, as well as open, honest and good communication. Never make a promise you are unable or unwilling to keep. Take responsibility for your own actions and feelings, and encourage others to do the same. Trust can’t be bought, but it certainly has to be earned.
What can you offer? What are you bringing to the relationship?

Kate Harper is based in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. Check out her website http://www.harpercoaching.com

She works with people who are fed up with moaning about their lives and have decided to do something about it. If that is you, please take a look at Kate’s website. Her special interest is in promoting Wellbeing and Self Confidence through coaching. She is happy to work with people from any part of the world.

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Madame Marie du Deffand

Take your first step today and contact Kate.

It is well known in internet marketing circles that by concentrating on a niche segment of the market you can get better results for your marketing efforts. This is particularly true of small business owners. Not only there may be less competition, you are able to reach your prospective customers more easily.

But is it enough to identify the niche market? Certainly not. You still have to give to your customers what they really want. Just offering a product which you think will sell will not get you anywhere. Unless by chance it turns out to be the product your customers are looking for. But why rely on chance? Why not find out what your customers are really craving for and offer them a product to suit their expectations? If you can achieve this last step you can expect fair amount of success.

To achieve greater success you will need to provide one more important element. When you offer your product your customers will be skeptical initially. There may be other products in the market which will satisfy their requirements equally well. Why should they prefer your product over other available products? Quite likely, your customers have been duped several times in the past. In this case their suspicion will be quite justified.

Your customers want further assurance that your product is genuine and the person selling the product is genuine. That’s right - your reputation counts a lot in the internet market.

We have identified two of the most important elements for success in internet marketing - understanding what your customer wants and establishing yourself as a trustworthy person. Both these objectives and much more can be attained by visiting forums related to your niche market.

Forums can help you to reach most targeted people who may be interested in your offers. If used properly, forums can by themselves give you all the marketing you need.

Another big advantage of forums is that you get to learn a lot just by hanging around them.

In the context of Internet the forums are websites meant for exchange of information. One person initiates a topic by asking questions or giving some useful information or maybe by giving his personal views on subject of common interest.

In the parlance used in the forums this initiation of a new topic is known as starting a thread. Any one interested can respond to this message thereby adding to the thread. Other members can give their own response and the thread grows.

Where does marketing come in? With each message posted the members are generally allowed to add a signature line which can be linked to the website where they want to send their visitors. This small byline does the marketing for you.

The forums help you to promote yourself along with your site. By regularly visiting and posting in the forums you establish your credentials, earn trust of other members and get steady stream of interested visitors to your site.

The forums related with your niche market will indicate the concerns of the people, the latest trends and thinking, any new developments in your area of interest and many more information. You have to observe closely to understand your niche. By visiting the forms regularly you can in a way get to know the pulse of your market. You will come to know your market as much as the market will come to know you. You have the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and grow your following.

There are so many forums and there is endless debate on whether you should visit different forums every time or few selected forums. Both approaches have their merits and demerits. My observation is that by visiting few selected forums you have a better chance of getting noticed. If you post your messages frequently the regular visitors of the forums will remember you and will come to know you better. You have better chance of growing personal relationship with other visitors of the forums.

One of the biggest advantages of forums is that you learn a lot from other people. You learn directly from the messages posted by other people. In case you are looking for any specific information you can simply put up your questions.

Forums are invaluable resources for internet marketing as well as for increasing your knowledge.

Sanjay Johari regularly contributes articles to several ezines. See his blog to discover the Amazing Formula for traffic promotion that sells products like crazy. His site on network marketing has useful information for small business owners.

You’ve encountered this individual at every networking event - Boring Bob - the most belligerently boring person in the world. His dull demeanour is enough to bring you to count the number of hair follicles on your hand just for a little excitement.

You look for the nearest exit, but it’s still 100 yards away. You wait for a break in the conversation in order to say, “Excuse me, I see the last 40-years of my life fizzling away” but Boring Bob rambles on and on.

You start shifting your weight and it takes everything within you not to just turn on your heel and walk away. But no matter how unexciting a person can be, you just never know who’s in his network and whom he can put you in touch with. The whole goal of networking is to build rapport and gain trust, therefore, choosing to be ill-mannered may offend Boring Bob. Knowing how to exit a dry dialogue and ditch a boring person takes a lot of skill and finesse.

Here are 3 simple tips you can use to escape a dreary conversation without being rude or impolite.

1. Introduce him to someone else. If you have determined that Boring Bob is just too humdrum to keep your eyelids open, start scanning the room. If you spot someone you know who’s in the same industry as your lifeless pal, quickly say to Boring Bob, “I just spotted Ann and she’s in the same industry as you. Would you mind if I introduced the 2 of you?” Quickly call Ann over, make the introductions and as they begin to chat to one another, politely excuse yourself.

2. Grab something to eat or drink. Food is the best pal you can have when you’re engaged in a monotonous chat with Boring Bob. When he takes a breath, quickly say, “I’d like to grab a drink. I may be awhile because I’m very fussy about what I order. Feel free to mingle with others.” Shake hands with Boring Bob, tell him that you’ll catch up with him later, and then head over to the bar to soothe your frazzled nerves.

3. Explain that you see someone you must meet. This is a classic and it works every time. Wait for a break in the conversation, then tell Boring Bob that you see someone that you have to talk to. Shake his hand, tell him it was nice to meet him, and then encourage him to mingle with others. You’re now free to walk over to the person you’re dying to meet, whether you know her or not.

Boring Bob may challenge your ability to stay focused and engaged, but don’t feel obliged to suffer through his monotony at a networking event.

Instead, use one of the techniques above to ensure that you don’t get trapped into a boring conversation with the cure for insomnia. Being courteous and considerate means that you will be able to tap into Boring Bob’s network, even if you do have to brush him off.

Leesa Barnes, The Schmooze Coach, helps consultants, virtual assistants, professional organizers, coaches and solopreneurs avoid cold calling by developing a fearless networking plan. Leesa is author of “Schmooze Your Way to Success: 9 Fearless Networking Tips for the Shy, Timid, Introverted & Just Plain Clueless.” Go to http://www.schmoozeyourwaytosuccess.com/ecourse.html and sign up for her free 8-lesson ecourse called “From Clueless to Fearless: Secrets from the Schmooze Coach.”