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Posts Tagged ‘networking’

02
Aug 2011
Posted by Jasmine
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Networking This Week: August 1

Since this is our first post in this series, we wanted to give a quick explanation. Earlier this year, 910 West switched our entire company focus to local marketing. Local marketing involves using online marketing to drive clients to your business in the real world. It ties in nicely with our belief in supporting small and local businesses. The best dollar you can spend is right in your back yard. With that in mind, we will be using the blog to share community news specifically the business and networking opportunities available in the East Valley (and to some degree all of Phoenix Metro). This is the first installment.

ASBA

910 West recently joined ASBA (Arizona Small Business Alliance) and are currently participating in their July membership drive. We are looking for businesses who want to grow their business by joining a very powerful and active support network. Learn more about the benefits in our Post “Get Support for Your Local Business from ASBA (and a Great Deal!).” If you are looking for funding for your business or thinking about joining ASBA we’ve got a great deal for you:

  • Join ASBA this week (click here to join, and when you get to the last page, use my special promo code jasmine711 to join for only $100!) and receive 2 FREE tickets (a $70 value) to the August 10 Meet the Banks that are Lending seminar being held here at ASBA from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The non-member registration price is $35 and the member price is $15. Save yourself the extra $20 and put it towards your membership (that’s 1/5 of the cost). Pair that with their amazing Staples discount program and the membership pays for itself.

Gilbert Chamber

There are a couple of cool events this week and later this month at the Gilbert Chamber.

  • It is kind of short notice but a fun way to support the Gilbert 9/11 Memorial. Networking for a Cause presents Casino Night to raise funds to benefit the 9/11 Memorial being constructed here in Gilbert. The event is Thursday, August 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the House of Brews Neighborhood Sports Grill, 825 S Cooper Road (on the Southeast corner of Cooper and Warner Roads). Come meet your Gilbert firefighters, try your luck at Blackjack, and win raffle prizes, including an Apple iPad! Learn more about the event or register to attend»
  • Referral Strategies: Building Your Power Team is a don’t miss event and since it’s not for two weeks you have plenty of time to clear your calendar. Referral strategist, Victoria Trafton,provides training and tools to help business professionals gain financial success through relationship-based referral marketing. Jasmine has taken several of Victoria’s courses and they have completely changed how we approach networking and referrals. In fact, 910 West saw results immediately upon adopting Victoria’s techniques. The workshop is Wednesday, August 17 from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the Val Vista Lakes event facility located on Val Vista Drive, just south of Baseline. Get details or register to attend»

MidFirst Mixer

The MidFirst San Tan branch is hosting a Business Mixer Thursday, August 4 starting at 5 p.m. If you are not banking with MidFirst you should be (we just moved our business accounts and are so happy—bye, bye fees). Take this opportunity to meet the staff and some local businesses. We will be there so hope to see you too! The address is 2849 S Market Street, Gilbert, AZ 85296. (It is just off the 202 near the San Tan Village mall.)

Posted in: Blog, Resources

07
Jul 2011
Posted by Jasmine
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Get Support for Your Local Business from ASBA (and a Great Deal!)

It has been a while since we have posted to the blog. It is not due to laziness but rather a new focus. Being a small business owner myself, I have quickly come to see the importance of buying from other local businesses. What really excites me is that I have found a way to use my business to promote other local businesses. We have been working in a lot of directions and there will definitely be more to come about it. For now, I want to tell you about a awesome business organization that I recently joined, Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA).

ASBA is all about supporting local and small businesses in Arizona so the group is a natural fit for us. I have also agreed to be a part of their effort to help the small businesses of our area become more successful.  During the month of July, I have committed to share the benefits of ASBA membership with you and to personally invite you to join me as an ASBA Member.

Joining is easy!  Click here to join, and when you get to the last page, use my special promo code jasmine711 to join for only $100! That’s an $85 savings.

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Posted in: Blog, Resources

17
Nov 2010
Posted by Jasmine
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Weekly Roundup: Tips for Creating a Strong Relationship

5 Ways to Let Prospects Sample Your Brilliance

This is a welcome article if you are struggling with the “close” in your marketing and sales. Many times when I am talking with clients, we discover that what is broken in their marketing in not the product or service but how it is being pitched. Especially in the case of high dollar services, prospects need to sample your expertise and try out your methods before committing their checkbook.

By rushing straight from the nice-to-meet-you stage in a relationship to buy my $1000 service, you scare them off. When spending that kind of money prospects want to feel confident that they are getting something that works, that they want and is worth the large price tag. Providing several smaller, free or low-cost offerings along the way helps lower the sticker shock and barrier for entry.

This post list a couple of solid strategies that can be worked into any businesses marketing plan and will give prospects the opportunity to try before buying. We use several of the techniques at 910 West and have had great success so we know first hand that it does work.

Turn Customers Into Stark Raving Advocates With a Customer Development System

I have been working on my own customer development system (though not is such fancy terms) for a few months now. It dovetails with a conversation that I with my business coach last summer. He told me that 70% of my marketing efforts (time and money) should be focused on my current clients. That is far above what I was doing (and most of the businesses that I work with too) so presented me with an opportunity to expand my marketing. So far, I have implemented a couple of programs and have a few more in the planning with great success. If you are struggling with this or just want to know more, this article will give you the steps you need to get your own program started.

Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

25
Sep 2009
Posted by Jasmine
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Every Business Needs a Fan Club

Four Reasons You Need to Build a Cult Following

It seems like every day there is some new way to build a following for your business: Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter, LinkedIn Groups, blogs. They all offer an ongoing point of contact for customers and prospects. Fan clubs are not something new—bands have had them for ages. (You know you joined one as a teenager.) And with the online tools available today, creating a loyal base of followers is easier than ever. But just because you can, does it mean that you should? Here are four reasons why your business needs a fan club:

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Resources

03
Sep 2009
Posted by Jasmine
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Weight Watchers for Your Marketing

As much as I hate to admit it, I recently joined Weight Watchers. While business has been growing like crazy so has my waistline. My usual weight loss techniques weren’t working so I decided to give Weight Watchers a try. While I was setting up my profile, I marveled at the ease of the points plan. It is all a simple math equation. The food I eat is weighed by its nutritional content and assigned a point value. If I stay within my total for the week I lose weight.

My new diet program got me thinking—can I apply this tracking system to marketing? The concepts are basically the same—you input your behavior, which is weighted according to certain factors and then assigned a value. The only difference is that with marketing you really want more not less. But for most businesses I know there is a baseline. If you fall under X points then your business just won’t succeed.

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Posted in: Marketing

04
Apr 2009
Posted by Jasmine
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It's never to late to say "Hello, again"

A few tips to help you get back in touch with a client or prospect

For those of you have been subscribers for a while, you may have noticed that this newsletter is a little later than usual. I have to say it’s not late due to my lack of trying. I have been working on my newest edition for weeks now. This is the fourth topic that I’ve chosen—I could not seem to find one that just clicked. Then as I was driving home today, I was thinking about a question that my friend and client, Heidi emailed to me earlier this week. As I thought about it, I realized that anyone could benefit from the advice that I gave her. So here’s Heidi’s the story:

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

05
Jan 2009
Posted by Jasmine
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Make connections that will grow your business

Three steps to help you be “the one to know”

This fall I attended a luncheon at my local chamber of commerce and the presenter gave a great talk on making the most of networking events. He said one  thing  that really stuck with me: “You want to be the person that everyone wants to invite.” This season of holiday parties has me thinking even more about his advice.

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Resources

22
Oct 2008
Posted by Jasmine
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Marketing tips for uncertain times

Five low-cost ideas to promote your business

Unless you have been living and working under a rock for the past few months, you know that we are facing a lot of uncertainty in our economic future. These times can be especially scary for those of us in the trenches—the small business owner. To help safe guard against decreasing sales, most of us are looking for ways to cut costs. For many, the marketing budget is the first area to be cut. While it makes sense to carefully watch how you spend those marketing dollars, you are making a mistake if you stop marketing all together.

Good marketing sets you apart in a crowded market place. It keeps you in front of your customer so they remember you when they are ready to buy. It is crucial to make sure that you are still around when times get better. But good marketing does not have to cost a lot of money. Read on for five ways you can market your business for little or no cost.

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

26
Jun 2008
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

How are you marketing your meatball?

Most small business owners are in the business of selling meatballs—those tried and true products and services that we use every day. These items are mainstays of our lives but don’t call out for excitement, especially online buzz. But as we have all seen, online buzz builds businesses and brands and can make their owners rich. Don’t despair! All businesses can use online marketing to their advantage.

While browsing the bookstore one afternoon, I came across this crazy book with a picture of a meatball slathered in whipped cream on front. Of course, I picked it up. This newest book, “Meatball Sundae: Is your marketing out of sync?” from marketing guru, Seth Godin offers great advice on how businesses like ours can benefit from the power on online marketing.

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing