ETC - Entrepreneurial Training Centre

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

ETC - Entrepreneurial Training Centre

How Creative Entrepreneurs Succeed
by Susan Kirkland

Standard & Poor's predicts a 25% chance of recession in the next year "06-07' and small businesses are clamoring to ride out the next tide of a continuing soft market. Many small businesses find the current marketplace more competitive as big fish dip lower into the food chain to overcome business losses. Those little jobs they ignored (the jobs one person shops thrive on) are being gobbled up to replace lost revenues from big accounts now in demise.

What can you do to protect yourself? Here are some tips to help you solidify your client list:

1. Stay in Touch - Stay in touch with clients whether they have a job in house or not. A casual lunch, a quick call or a less invasive email will renew and remind a good client of available services without pressure. It's easier to maintain a relationship than establish a new one.

2. Call the vendors you've used most - Call the vendors you've used most; they know who's buying and succeeding even in a slow economy. Make friends at all levels of your industry. You never know where your next job referral will come from.

3. Maintain industry presence - Maintain industry presence; even though things are slow, stay active in professional affairs. Attend that monthly meeting, press the flesh, and work for charity to show off your creative skills.

4. Revamp your website - Revamp your website, then send out email announcements about the eye candy you've just displayed. Be excited about your work and that excitement will attract business.

5. New Clients - Above all, stick to your weekly phishing schedule. Cold call new clients whether you need them or not. Successful entrepreneurs always have a few new clients ready to step in to replace those who step out. What's the real key to success? Get up and get busy -- there's no time for sulking.

Start & Run A Creative Services Business by Susan Kirkland (Price: $16.95) shows you how to Translate your creative skills into cash ; Build a loyal client list to lock in repeat business; and market your creative skills worldwide. Learn what to do when from a veteran freelancer. Paperback: 200 pages; Publisher: Self-Counsel Press About the author

©2005 Susan Kirkland, veteran freelancer and author of Start and Run a Creative Services Business, shares the secrets to finding and keeping clients, negotiating with vendors, protecting yourself from scoundrels and scalawags--a valuable resource for students and seasoned pros. For additional information visit http://www.sdkirkland.com/

successBC - Managing Business Networks

Managing Business Networks
Seminar outline - by successBC

Objectives

1. Understand the value and importance of professional networking
2. Gain awareness about the networking game
3. Apply networks management knowledge for corporations (CORP) and small/medium-size enterprises (SMBE)
4. Know the principles of networking culture
5. Use online tools to improve and support networking activities
6. Manage online and offline presence (OOP)
7. Consider the creation of networks management team
8. Align networking activities with company goals
9. Schedule specific VIP networking activities
10. Elaborate a networking agenda

Audience: “C level”, directors, department managers and small to medium-size enterprise owners.

Format: in-company training or pool of small to medium-size enterprises.
Number of people: 20-30 people per workshop organized in groups of 5 people per computer.

Requirements: PC with mind-mapping software installed, such as FreeMind.
Recommended: bring contact database, business cards, Excel files and a wireless hand-held that has the option to store large amounts of contacts.

Duration: 16 hrs in total

Program
· Importance of networks management activities
· The Networking Game
· Win-win networking culture
· Role of CNO – Chief Networking Officer
· Creating a networks management team
· Describing a networks manager’s profile and activities
· Training executives to be professional networkers
· Use of online networking tools

o Difference among platforms
o How to use them
o Leverage time online and offline

· Company (dept) goals for next 5, 10, 20 years
· Resources needed to reach those goals
· Mapping resources out of existing networks
· Improving relationship with each network
· Identifying the ideal network for specific goals
· Building trust via VIP networking activities
· Defining a 6-12 month action plan