Business Referral Strategies in the 21st Century: How to Reach Out To Another Rolodex.

Referral programs are a great way to boost your Consulting Business.

If you offer a referral program you provide your clients or other individuals with an incentive to pass your name onto other businesses.

When putting together a referral program there are a few things you should keep in mind:

1. Give your referral program a catchy name.

2. Give or mail to every satisfied customer, particularly the ones who are born networkers, a flyer or short description of your referral program.

3. Communicate your referral program to your contacts every 3 months.

4. Change your referral program every 3 months - according to the need and demand of the person who refers business to you.

5. Add a line to your email signature promoting your referral program.

Some of your clients may feel awkward about accepting the reward offered with your referral program. They still look at referrals as simply a way to thank you for the excellent work you do. In this case you can consider making a donation in their name to a local charity, bring in chocolates, send flowers; anything to show your appreciation.

We have great experience with referring business and getting referrals. If you want to know more about our referral programs, please get in touch with us directly: breezepublicrelations@gmail.com. We offer specific packages to our clients: i.e. 10% of the budget they refer to us (between $150.00 and $2,000.00) or FREE Strategic Marketing Consulting for their business (2 hours, value: up to $3,000.00).

The Role of an Investor Relations Firm

Depending on the size and nature of a public offering, it may be necessary to hire a separate investor relations firm. In many instances, both direct and initial public offerings can benefit from the services of professional investor relations assistance.

For a company going public with an initial public offering, the decision to hire an investor relations firm will probably depend on the company's ability to internalize the function or the underwriting firm's ability to provide the service. Because an investor relations firm can be very important in the establishment and maintenance of relationships within the financial community, many corporations opt to hire a firm that specializes in such tasks. In some cases, companies may opt to hire out this function in hopes of gaining additional contacts through the investor relations firm.

The function of a good investor relations firm is relatively straightforward. The investor relations firm serves as a highly visible point of contact for interested investors and members of the press, answering questions and providing information as necessary. These goals are often accomplished through a combination of internet resources, press releases, webcasts, and phone calls. Brochures and other types of corporate collateral are also the responsibility of the investor relations firm. This includes the fact sheets, presentation materials, and earnings releases that are necessary before an offering.

Prior to an initial public offering, the role of the investor relations firm is especially critical. A good firm can play a major role in the success of an issue, creating an impression of success and stability for investors. Heavy roadshow support is a given with any investor relations firm, and the company may help compose various financial reports to present to prospective investors. Good firms will also help by arranging numerous meetings with potential investors, based on the preferences of the issuing company.

Because direct public offerings are generally used by companies with smaller capital needs, the use of an investor relations firm is somewhat less common. Regardless, its function is just as important to a smaller company as it is for a company seeking funds through an initial public offering. With a direct public offering, there is no underwriter to guarantee sales, so full responsibility for the success of the issue lies with the issuing corporation.

Because the process of issuing and selling public shares is time-consuming and stressful, it may be beneficial to enlist the aid of an outside investor relations firm to help with marketing the issue and communicating with investors. In addition to easing the stress, the use of an investor relations firm can help a corporation appear more professional to investors, creating a greater image of stability and profitability.

It's not impossible for an issue to be successful without the aid of an investor relations firm, but success is certainly more likely with one. By allowing capable hands to take over investor relations functions, the corporation can focus on other important tasks at hand before the issue.

Author: Joel Arberman is the Managing Member of Stock Aware, LLC. Details @ www.stockaware.com

Social Media Nightmare - What To Do When a Social Media Relationship Goes Bad

Social media nightmares do happen, believe it or not. One minute everything's all rosy and great and then all of a sudden, you don't want to have anything to do with a certain individual. Maybe you did business with them and found their business practices to be less than ethical. Maybe they post stuff that you wouldn't want to share with your dog, much less another human being. What do you do in a situation like this? Here are some tips to help you resolve this unfortunate situation.

Do not panic. These things happen. Remember that you are networking with actual human beings. Human beings do have flaws. People aren't perfect. It's not worth getting stressed over.

Disconnect from that person. If what they've done is really bad, you can always remove that person from your list of contacts. Most social networking sites have a delete button. There's no rule that says you have to stay connected to everyone that you connect to.

Make sure not to put that person on blast. I know it's tempting to let everyone and their momma know about the bad thing that person did. Don't do it. It's not professional. Remember what goes around comes around. There's always two sides to every story. Don't go putting people on blast unless you're ready for the backlash that could happen.

Social media mishaps can happen. It's inevitable. Don't let one bad experience ruin your outlook on social networking. Just shake this off and keep on trucking.

Author: DeAnna Troupe (www.www.deannatroupe.com/list.html)

Good Advisers Are Worth Their Weight in Gold

Most successful business people will acknowledge that their business success is due in no small way, to the help they received from a selected group of people known as "business advisers".

It is impossible for a business owner to know everything about everything, and it is a mistake to think that they can do everything on their own. At some time or another every business owner will need to consult these people for business advice or assistance.
Don’t do it all yourself. 
The requirements of commerce, the strategies involved in business, and the expertise required in many areas of business, mean that most people are unlikely to have all the specialised skills necessary to run their business efficiently and profitably.
Any type of arrogant thinking is a recipe for failure, stress and burnout.

We hear too often from our clients "Oh... I can do that myself or have an intern write the marketing materials to save some money." Think again. 100% of the time our clients come back humbled, having wasted precious time not getting the job done right or done at all. Or even worse, they started paying tid bit fees to to get stuff done without an overall strategy or plan on what to do and when and how to do it.

As a business owner you simply will not have the time or energy to do everything yourself and if you are a one-man business or one-woman business, the stress will be more evident if you have no-one else to discuss business issues with. In any event, it is unwise to try to do everything alone or in isolation when there are people available who have the expertise and the skills to help in your business - the business adviser.



Find and build your team
. Your team of advisers will generally be made up of an accountant, a lawyer, a bank manager, an insurance consultant, and a finance broker. In addition, make sure that you have a marketing & PR specialist on bord, somebody that helps you create or re-define your company, your branding your image and how to communicate what you have to offer.

Advisers can make a huge difference to the smooth running of your business. Always look for professional advisers who are business oriented, rather than professionally oriented. 

Most lawyers and accountants, for example, are experienced in their field, but they also need to offer advice regarding the law and accounting as it directly relates to business. It's not enough to simply get a professional adviser. You need to seek the services of a person who knows something about business. Your Marketing & PR Specialist should not only create ads or write a press release: he should consult you on your branding and image, research your market and get you in touch with your target group via a selected array of Marketing and PR tools

Too many people think there is a special mystique attached to the members of professions such as lawyers or accountants and they believe that any professional adviser will do a good job. WRONG!

The fact is, while some advisers have specialist knowledge, their competence to apply that knowledge may be questionable. 

Make a point not to seek an adviser simply because they happen to be handy to your business. Seek someone who has competency in their field, relating to business even if they have offices on the other side of town.

Conclusion: Outsource, be the CEO of your company and work on your business, not 'in' your business. Focus on what you do best and leave the rest to the experts.

Source:StartRunGrow 2006



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