Put me in, Coach! I’m ready to play …. today! Look at me, I can be centerfield.
Baseball season is here -America’s National past time. Opening day at Yankee Stadium was tough to watch Matsui wearing red instead of pinstripes. He and Coach Joe Torre are sadly missed by this fan. When I was growing up in the 70’s, a coach was the guy who made you do extra laps if you were late for practice.
JOHN FOGERTY & KEITH URBAN – CENTERFIELD
Today the word coach can mean a lot of things.
You have:
Executive Coach
Business Coach
Life Coach
Organizational Coach
Wellness Coach
Spiritual Coach
Career Coach
Relationship Coach
I even met a Garden Coach at a recent networking event.
Truth is there is no regulation in the coaching industry so you can pretty much hang a shingle and call yourself a Coach without any requirements. All Action Coaches are certified and trained through the International Business Coaching Institute. This is only one reason to work with us.
The real reason to hire Jim Malski and Josh Slavitt is that they have owned small business themselves. They understand what it means to make payroll. They are corporate refugees who chose to be entrepreneurs. They bought a franchise after years of working as executives.
Jim is a former CPA with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Josh did 25 years at Philip Morris USA. They are good at what they do because of their experience but more important, they have a passion for helping business owners be more profitable. Besides being a business mentor who will help you make more money, they will also work with you create a happy lifestyle. One that is balanced and will give you time so you can concentrate on what’s really important. Like taking your son to a baseball game.
Oh by the way the big Kahuna of Business Coaches, ActionCOACH International’s Brad Sugars, the person who started the business in 1993, is on national tour starting this week. His 2010 North America Business is Booming Tour will be in Bridgeport, CT on June15th. Please check our website www.actioncoachnow.com for ticket details.
Business Advice Tip #3 – Business Cards: Yes or No?
Business Advice Tip #3
Please check out our latest piece of PR in the Philly Inquirer with syndicated writer Dawn Klingensmith regarding the value of business cards today. Direct Link to the article: Business Cards: Yes or No?
Business Cards: Yes or No?
Dawn Klingensmith
Going paperless is good public relations. Anyone with a reasonably sophisticated cell phone has the means to store a person’s full contact information on the spot.
Does that mean business cards are defunct?
On the contrary, they seem to be more valuable than ever for drumming up business, says Melissa Crowe, vice president of marketing services for VistaPrint, a Lexington, Mass.-based business card sales and design company.
When used to their full advantage, business cards are an effective advertising and networking tool for givers and receivers alike, Crowe adds.
An entrepreneur whose business cards have perforated edges and smeary ink is not clear on the concept. One emerging trend in business card design is that professionals other than real estate agents are including their photos on the card in an effort to stand out from the crowd.
Savvy networkers have several points of contact beyond a telephone number and an e-mail address, including Web sites, blogs and social media profiles. Capturing all that data on a phone at networking events or during quick, serendipitous encounters with prospective clients would be disruptive and time-consuming, Crowe says. “People are leveraging all the space on the card, including the back,” she says. “There’s not as much white space.”
However, leaving some white space for handwritten notes helps networkers parlay an exchange of business cards into career-advancing opportunities.
“Collecting business cards is not networking. Business Networking begins when someone hands you their business card and you turn it over and ask them, How can I help you achieve your objective in coming here today? and then take note of it on the back of their card,” says recruiter David Perry, head of the Ottawa-based research firm Perry-Martel International and co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0″ (Wiley, 2009). “You can follow up the next day with either a referral or a quick call to tell them you don’t know anyone but you’ll keep them in mind.”
Less conspicuously, you can also take note of how the card giver might be able to assist you based on what you glean from the conversation.
You can also make a note of topics you discussed to help jog your memory and cement the relationship, says Dave Payne, supervisor, media relations, MS&L Worldwide, Atlanta.
“Once I get back to the office, I make sure I e-mail each person whose business card I received to ensure the conversation continues,” he says. “I have a folio that I put business cards in and thumb through it each month to see who I haven’t contacted in a while.”
If you collect lots of cards, use a business card scanner to capture the information into a database. If you’re free to dream up your own business card design and opt for a nontraditional size or shape, make certain your cards will still fit in a wallet, standard business card holder and Rolodex.
Think of business cards as your cheapest form of advertising, and design and distribute them accordingly. And think of others’ business cards as potential admission tickets to new career opportunities. You shouldn’t reject any as useless, but you shouldn’t feel obligated to keep all of them, either.
“You need to qualify each card as to how it fits into your marketing plan and networking goals,” says Jim Malski, president, ActionCOACH Next Level Firm, Westport, Conn. “Some should just get thrown away.”
Are You a Business Owner who would like to Generate More Leads thru Networking ?
Come to Norwalk’s best kept secret, the Dolce Center, and walk away with proven strategies to help grow your business, enjoy powerful conversation, and network with other like-minded professionals. Please Join us on September 30th for ActionCOACH Fall Business Networking & Education Night
- Business Education & Networking all in one evening
- Meet business leaders from Fairfield County
- Network in a relaxed social setting
- Learn how to network more effectively
- Learn how to build alliances that will make you more money
Wednesday, Sept 30th
4:00pm-7:00pm
Dolce Center
Hayloft Room & Cidermill Lounge
32 Weed Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
$49.00- includes interactive presentation, networking,1 drink ticket & light fare
TO REGISTER CLICK HERE
Don’t Take Our Word For it:
“Thanks again for your terrific presentation to our SBDA group. Honestly, you were truly one of the highlights of the program this year.The info was most valuable, the delivery was great, and people were really receptive to what you were saying. Keep up the great work.” - Brian Griffin, Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
“ I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to the networking event that the sponsored at Splash in Westport. As an Account Executive for Local Edge Media, I often attend networking events and I found this one to be particularly beneficial. I was able to secure 3 appointments in a relaxed gathering of an eclectic group of business entrepreneurs and like minded sales people. The short presentation given by The ActionCOACH Next Level Firm gave tangible ideas to help us “mingle” was very helpful. Please keep me on your list. I look forward to your next event.” Jane E. Schur, LocalEdge
“The atmosphere was positive and energetic! The ActionCOACH Next Level Firm really engaged the group and that made mingling really easy. I walked out with several leads and closed business within a week…” Sean Lentner, Lentner Technology Integrators
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