The Referral Network System Blog

Structures for Success Course Can Take Your Business to the Next Level

Lorenda Phillips, one of the best business coaches working in Los Angeles, has a few openings left for her year-long Structures for Success course, which begins in mid-January. If you know a professional or small business owner who needs to take their business to the next level,this might be the best Christmas (or other holiday) gift you can give them.

I highly recommend Structures for Success. I am just finishing the year-long course, and can tell you that Lorenda's course has helped me nearly double my revenues. The course consists of 4 quarterly all-day seminars, 12 monthly individual coaching sessions, and 12 monthly group coaching sessions, and deals with the structures you need to put in place to have a successful business, including how to:

Transform your passion into a solid business plan

Expand your entrepreneurial bandwidth

Attract your perfect clients

Sharpen your focus on strategic issues

Energize your business and your personal life.

She is hosting free introductions to the course on Monday, Jan. 9 and Tuesday, Jan. 17. The introductions include working on a business plan for 2006 that all participants can take with them to use this coming year.

You can call (310) 398-0398 if you would like more information on Structures for Success.

Denise Kotula

President, DK Strategic Consulting, Inc.

The Art of Listening

We just read a wonderful post on Alf's Blog entitled "To Listen You Must First Shut Up!". This blog is the creation of Alf Nucifora, a marketing consultant and author of the syndicated business column "Shoestring Marketing." Alf claims (and we think rightly so) that "the art of listening has been leeched from the American character." His argument is that, at a time when t.v. pundits "engage in the homicidal pastime of death by decibel," and politicians routinely suck the oxygen out of any room they're in, our businesses are also suffering from the lost art of listening.

"For the business practitioner, the failure to listen ultimately results in business loss or failure. It's one of the primary reasons why, in a nation where the practice of business generally provides the "best practices" for the rest of the world, the consumer is still exposed to inferior customer service, and brand fatality is not uncommon."

Click here to read Alf's seven "how's" of listening.

New Survey Shows Referrals Deliver Best R.O.I. for Small Businesses

A newly published survey of small business owners conducted by Marketing Best Practices.com shows that referral marketing provides the highest return on investment (ROI) for their marketing dollars of any marketing method.

Thirty-six (36) percent of respondents of the poll said referral marketing gave them the biggest return for their marketing dollar. The internet came in a very low second at 14%, while networking followed closely with 13% and direct mail was fourth with 12%.

The press release announcing results of the survey quotes small business marketing expert David Frey as saying "This poll demonstrates the importance of implementing referral systems. Most business comes from referrals, but only a few small businesses actually have referral programs in place."

How to Make the Most of Networking During the Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us, and that means invitations to all kinds of business holiday parties. These events provide a great opportunity to network in an environment that is highly conducive to cultivating client relationships, as well as deepening relationships with clients and business associates by getting to know them on a more personal level. But for your networking activities to really pay off, you need to properly follow through with the contacts you make and practice proper etiquette.

Here are some tips for successful networking this holiday season:

• Be sure to send a hand-written personal note to the host thanking them for the invitation and expressing appreciation for the wonderful time you had;
• Set aside time the following day to send holiday cards to the people you met at the event;
• If an R.S.V.P. is requested, always respond, whether you plan to attend or not, and if you tell the host you are attending, be sure to make an appearance. It is terribly rude to R.S.V.P. your attendance and not show up.

A recent post on The Monster Blog, "Four Tips for Holiday Networking," also recommends that you make it a point to attend these events, limit your alcohol intake at these parties, dress appropriately, and mingle (i.e. don't be a wallflower).