March 24, 2010

Make More Money with the Right Connections... Are You on
"Twitter?"... How to Improve Your Score... Your Techno Love
Is an Info Marketing Goldmine... and More.

Networking acts in the same way that an elastic band does. It's an opportunity to stretch your personal or business resources to the limit -- but know that it can also be tricky to expand.
 
No matter how difficult it can be to do, networking is an essential aspect to being a successful entrepreneur. Knowing powerful or useful people in business or the trade industries can only improve your business or personal contacts in the long run.
 
Having small- or big-time contacts in your industry could pay you big dividends in the short term or long term.
 
Just think: at some point, you may be in a jam when it comes to money or you could be in need of an appropriate buyer or contact. Having a reserve of contacts will only improve your chances of getting out of that tight spot.
 
Whether it's for a job, funding for your business or a new idea, or just getting an idea out to other businesses or individuals, you should be aware of the networking guidelines that are in place, both positive and negative.
 
In most cases, you only have one chance at a first and lasting impression, which could color the rest of your relationship with the individual you are meeting.
 
I like to think of it as making new friends; kind of like the first time you introduce yourself to your neighbors. You know that sooner or later your neighbor will come over to your house and ask to borrow your ladder, lawn mower, or some ingredients for cooking, for example. Plus, you may do the same -- so you want that first impression to put you in good standing with your neighbor.

Networking should be looked at in much the same way. At some point, someone just might be able to help you out with a favor or vice versa (remember: this can lead to benefits for you down the road when you're in need). The following dos and don'ts of networking come from experiences I've had while attending trade shows and public events. Try to keep these in mind at all times.
 
Do:

-- Contact friends, relatives, and former colleagues on a regular basis.

-- Make a personal connection in some way with the person you're talking to (this works easily with college and university alumni, as well as past friends and colleagues).

-- Use your contacts; the easiest way to network is to ask a person you already know for the name of someone else. When you call this new contact, make sure you mention the name of the person who suggested you contact him/her. Be sure to mention the other person in a positive light to your new contact.

-- Ask people whom you have come into contact with for information, advice, or referrals to others who might be of some help to you in the future.

-- Set up face-to-face meetings.

Don't:

-- Sit around waiting for someone to contact you.

-- Sound like a telemarketer.

-- Let rejection get the best of you; instead, make it drive you to work harder.

-- Exploit individuals (whether it's asking for a job, financing help, or in-depth business help).

-- Talk about yourself too much.

-- Insist on talking in person (networking conversations always took place face-to-face in the past, but with technological changes, it's often now done over the telephone or by e-mail).

-- Stop networking because you're comfortable with your situation or are worried about having to keep in touch with too many contacts.

As many of you already know, the business world can be tough and disheartening. Your personal and/or business situation could quickly change right before your eyes. That's why you need to keep in touch with the people who could help you when you are in a bind. Networking is more than just a means of taking advantage of new opportunities. You should also think of it as a means of providing you with a safety net; you never know who could help you find a new position or who could provide you with last-minute financing.
 
If you stretch your networking resources to their limits, much like an elastic, they will snap. But if you expand on them from time to time, then you will have more options and freedom than you could ever imagine.

Making sense of social media is one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in this current market.

Young kids are growing up in a digital world. They've been online since before they could read. As a result, many of the social media experts are young guys and gals under 30. Of course, this isn't the rule, as there are many very successful social entrepreneurs of ages.

What exactly is a social entrepreneur?

Social media is a new name for an old concept. Do you respond to letters from your customers? Do you take or make calls to expand your business network? If you do, you're already a social entrepreneur, in an "offline" way at least.

Social entrepreneurs use online tools like "Facebook,""MySpace," "LinkedIn" and "Twitter" to grow an online business that involves as much communicating with customers as it does actually selling products or services.

Social media is always live. A Facebook account doesn't close up for the evening. These social sites are like having a storefront open 24-7 and allow unlimited access to pretty much anyone.

Now, this is different from having your own web site. A web site is a great contact point for potential and current customers.

But, with social media sites, you get built-in tools for connecting to and finding potential customers at a much faster rate. You can "friend" or "follow" just about anyone from celebrities to the guy who served your morning coffee.

With such a powerful tool, why then don't we read about new millionaires being created by social media by the hour?

The truth is that there is still no surefire way to use social media to make money. It's an experiment being conducted by literally millions of people every second of the day. There is a short learning curve for getting started, but carrying that momentum and using it to cash in is where the real challenge is.

While you try to make sense of how social media could work for you and your business, take a quick look at the e-Wealth Daily Twitter account. We'll be posting links to our most helpful articles and other excellent resources from time to time.

Go here: http://www.twitter.com/ewealthdaily

On Monday, I went over the importance of maintaining your credit score. Today and tomorrow, I'll cover the various ways you can improve your score and increase your chances of securing the funding you may need. Remember, your credit score is extremely important. It determines your access to credit and your interest rates. With a poor score, it can be increasingly difficult to get the cash you need.

Get a Copy of Your Credit Report: You'll never know what you have to do to improve if you don't know where you stand. Every American is entitled to one free credit report a year, which can be obtained by logging on to www.annualcreditreport.com. Once you've received the report, it's important to take a close look at what's on it.

Review Your Credit Report Closely: You may be surprised to hear it, but it's quite possible that your credit report contains mistakes that may be detrimental to your credit score. Go through your report and make sure all the information it contains is accurate, and that you're aware of all the recorded information. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the credit bureau with a phone call, and then submit a letter explaining the discrepancies you may have noticed. The more evidence you have to support your claims, the better.

Pay Your Bills on Time: The best way to start getting your credit score back on track is to pay your bills on time. Since the majority of your credit score is made up from paying your bills on time, this should become one of your top priorities. Start budgeting to contribute more to your debts, along with limiting your use of the cards until you've got your payments back to a manageable level.

Use Your Credit Responsibly: Just because you may have all kinds of credit available to you, it doesn't mean you should be necessarily using all of it. A good part of your credit score depends on how responsibly you use it, and how much of it you actually need. The more you use, the more risky you become, because it looks like you need it, instead of using it out of convenience.

Tomorrow, I'll be back with a few more tips on how you can improve your credit score.

** Your Techno Love Is an Info Marketing Goldmine
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

We're all familiar with the image of the technology lover. He or she is probably living way down in their mother's basement, surrounded by junk food wrappers, looking slightly unhealthy, and busy tapping away on a keyboard. Ask them to go out and they give you no answer. Hand them five dollars and instruct them to hack into your bank account to "fix" things and they will gladly accept!

We've seen this clichéd image on TV and in comedy films. But nowadays everyone is a technology "geek," right? We've all got computers in our homes. We all do our banking and tax filings online, no? Of course, the world has gotten smaller and we are all in touch, aren't we?

Well, yes and no.

If you were born in the mid-60s or later, the answer is undoubtedly "yes." Either you had computer classes at school or had to adapt to them at your workplace. But, believe it or not, there are still large numbers of people who have never really gotten on board with modern technology. They never had any kind of use for it or were generally afraid to use it. And, let's face it: it can get pretty complex. The days of using old "Royal" typewriters and telegrams were a little less daunting than setting up your new "Mac Book" or an extended e-mail list.

But some people, both old and young, really want to use this stuff. They've decided to get into entrepreneurial business or finally want some serious instruction to use it recreationally. The only trouble is that they are still scared or confused on how to get started. Technology changes like the wind's direction these days and nobody knows exactly how to get going.

Are you someone who knows about this stuff? If so, you can provide in necessary information to these people that can really help them in the tech world. Here are some good start-up technology info marketing avenues:

--- Basic start-up: Which new laptop is the best? What's the best e-mail provider? How do I get established online? All of these basic questions that some of us take for granted are valuable to people who are really green to the world of technology. But, with some good guidance, they can get going on the right track. If you can provide that guidance, get an information newsletter or start-up kit going now.

--- Online social networks: "Twitter," "Facebook," "MSN Messenger," "Skype"...there are more online social networks. Aside from being used ad nauseum by teenagers globally, they are also valuable online tools. People often get fan pages going or even advertise their business. If you have that online savvy with these types of programs, loads of people would like to know both the basic and special info on how to use them as well.

--- Digital camera programs: Even though I miss the look of my old analog photos, my digital camera has been great for sharing photos with my family, or to help put graphics online. But I have to admit that it was a strange thing to learn after years of buying film rolls. Now with "Adobe Studio" and other photo-imaging programs, the options for what you can do with pictures on your computer are limitless. So much so that newcomers get lost in a digital maze very quickly. A good info book by someone who knows about this would be helpful and profitable, don't you think?

--- Blogging/web site tips: In the beginning, web site design was something fairly simple. If you knew a little design language like HTML, you could make a very satisfactory and functioning web site. But then came SGML. Then XML. Then XSL, C++, "Flash"...good grief! There were so many programs to make the newest and most stylish web sites that some people got lost in a rut. A cool web site now takes a lot to make and, while I am told it's easy to put those cool graphics online, I don't pretend to know how myself. But perhaps you do. If so, you could provide information to both seasoned and new web site designers that they could learn from right at home.

--- Home video editing: Like digital cameras, video has come a long way. The bulky "VHS" or "Betamax" cameras are out and now there are online arenas like "YouTube" to show your films or even just a clip of a road trip. I've worked a bit with video editing stuff and, while it's easy to do once you get going, it is tough to start on. And with all due respect, most instruction manuals are just too confusing. I am all for a good info marketer to come along and write clear, concise info products on how to use this stuff and save people -- myself included -- many, many headaches.

Technology is here to stay and its purpose is to make our lives easier. Sure, it looks tough, but good information can take that toughness away. If you have any practical knowledge on how to use modern applications, your info could be very valuable to people globally and can put some nice money in your pocket, too!