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Mar
25

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Are you losing your time on Linkedin like John?

Category: business networking, Leads Groups / Referral Networks, Linkcrafter Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

Leads Groups Network Referral Club

Have you tried networking for your Business? Can You measure the business outcomes of your networking effort? Is it worth the time, the stress, the uncertainty, the investment you devoted to it?

John is a management and marketing consultant in New York. For years he was a top networker on LinkedIn.com. Being that LinkedIn was THE professional networking site, John thought that he was doing pretty well by having over 4,000 working business relationships. He met a lot of interesting people and did what he could to drive sales.

Then, on November 11, 2009, John’s friend Susan invited him to come along with her to a leads group gathering. Susan owned a large cleaning company in New York City and had insisted John check out the world of leads groups, which she claimed had changed her business approach forever. As soon as John arrived and caught a glimpse of the members passing around leads and sharing insider information, he was shocked. He couldn’t believe he had been missing out so many opportunities all this time.

Susan explained to John that the economic downturn had completely changed the way that people approach networking. Most realized they needed to “cut the fat” out of their business models, which meant doing away with pricey ad campaigns and meaningless memberships in professional organizations.

Most of us can no longer afford to waste our precious time and resources on tactics that just don’t work. The recent popularity of leads groups is the natural result of other organizations’ inability to provide members with results. These are trying times, but they also tend to bring out the most effective and efficient business strategies. And now that John knows where the money is at, he’s going straight for it.

Recent studies and testimonials on business networking are revealing that 92 to 98% of professionals and business people on social or professional networking websites and clubs obtain No business impact from the time and money they invest in networking, and are unable to measure any impact they assert.

John Veitch a Top networker on Rize, LinkedIn, Facebook,  put this way :

“I’ve always had high hopes that people might use the Internet to achieve useful things in their lives.

Mostly that’s failed to happen.

In recent years with the introduction of social networking opportunities I’ve seen that most people fail to understand how online social networks work. The success rate on Ryze is somewhere between 8% and 2% depending on your viewpoint. On LinkedIn the success rate is even lower. None of the many social network sites available are any different. There are millions of registered people, a few spectacular stars, a tiny cohort of regular users and many uncommitted users, creating a massive long tail of people who don’t get it.

There are huge numbers of people who have joined professional networks, but far too many sit isolated and inactive”

Sure, it’s Not because networking doesn’t work, Networking does work  But only for The few who understand what networking is about.  Get first insight from our previous post  “Why most of people waste time in networking?”

John observations are right.

Many websites have tried to help the unskilled networkers, but our survey found out that close to 90% of people on professional networking websites get No value for the time and eventually the money they  spent in these networks.

On these traditional networks, the reason for linking two people is weak.  Most networks are built on a casual business acquaintance – maybe you worked in the same company. Those networks are fine for who-knows-who, but when it comes to marketing your company to:

  • Receive faster, more enthusiastic and more qualified responses to your promotions
  • Turn more prospects into loyal paying clients,
  • Switching from chasing customers to having customers come to you,

They’re useless.

The problem with current networks is that they don’t create enough “business transactions” for the majority of their users. The number of transaction is too low, discouraging the majority of users and even worse, there’s no way to measure the value (ROI) of the transactions that occur.

We need to go beyond networking as we know it.

“Real networking is the one that bring you business, profitable referrals, and help you grow your business in a supportive community.”

Leads group are the most successful marketing effort for your dollar that you can find anywhere.

Linkcrafter has made things much more easier with online leads groups.

With Online leads group, members and managers of leads group don’t even have to leave the comfort of their own home or office to take part in rewarding professional relationships. It’s easier than ever to keep in contact with leads and ensure that groups stay focused and motivated.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

Mar
16

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The Future of Professional Networking and Online Leads groups

Category: business networking, Leads Groups / Referral Networks, Linkcrafter Tags: , , , , , Leave a Comment

IRaaS-Network-SystemFirst generation of online professional networking like Plaxo, Linkedin, xing, viadeo, ryze are loosing slowly credibility simply because a majority of business people using them see no impact on their business. Many have invested lot of time and sometime money in these networks, but still have nothing to show for it.

On the other side of professional networking, there are leads groups. Leads group are the most successful marketing effort for your dollar that you can find anywhere. The major advantage of choosing leads groups as a way to expand your business is that they are a highly focused, results-driven method of marketing and promotion. In leads groups, individuals are highly motivated and are able to track their results more accurately.

There are are huge old style leads groups with geographic chapters like bni.com, leadclubs.com, referralexchangenetwork.com, letip.com. These traditional leads groups organizations request a hefty fee to join – around $300-$400; an annual renewal fee between $200 and $300; and monthly fees for meals that can run up to $50. In total a leads group can run up to $800 per year. There are attendance rules and fines for not providing the recommended number of leads.

The economic downturn had completely changed the way that people approach networking. Most realized they needed to “cut the fat” out of their business models, which meant doing away with pricey ad campaigns and meaningless memberships in professional organizations.

So, the world of  the old leads groups organizations is crumbling too. Their members are joining online leads groups in droves, simply because they have the opportunity to obtain more sales leads and business opportunities with less effort, less expense, less stress, and less time wasted in social networking.

With Online leads group, members and managers don’t even have to leave the comfort of their own home or office to take part in rewarding professional relationships. It’s easier than ever to keep in contact with leads and ensure that groups stay focused and motivated.

Here are the main advantages of online groups:

  • it’s less stressful, less time consuming, and you can join or start a group for Free.
  • No need of the 4 weekly meetings every month. Passing leads and tracking leads results all happen online. You have the opportunity to obtain more sales leads and business opportunities with less effort, less expense, and less time wasted in social networking.
  • You can join several local or national leads group. There is no constraints of 4 meetings a month and membership is Free.
  • It’s an open world. You obtain qualified leads even from people who are not in your leads groups.

It has yet to be seen what potential online leads groups truly have in the renaissance of professional networking. All we know is that the smartest business people are getting in on the ground floor of leads groups and even starting ones of their own. There’s no limit to what they can do for those willing to participate! It’s the wave of the future, and we can’t wait to see where it goes.

The renaissance of leads groups through online leads groups means that business people spend no money on advertising and less time in networking, yet grow their sales, visibility, and brand awareness.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

We urge you to join Linkcrafter today and secure your group name and category before your members join groups created by competitors. The Linkcrafter utility will help you create value for your members, while keeping the local ground and social gathering a useful place to build relationships and reinforce trust.

Mar
12

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Never Ask Anything in Return!

Category: business networking, Business Strategy, customer relationship, leadership, Leads Groups / Referral Networks, Winner Choice Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

GoodBuzz - Free Marketing- Viral MarketingDr. Stephen Farley wants to use the IRaaS approach to find more patients for his clinic. As he goes about his daily appointments, he asks questions of his patients, learning about their work and personal life and some of the frustrations or problems they’ve been having.

The good doctor takes notes as he writes down symptoms and goes through the process of checking his patients’ health. That afternoon, when he has a spare few minutes, he goes to his IRaaS network and asks for help on a few of their problems.

He gets back several possible solutions from his network, which he then reviews. He finds what he thinks is the best solution for each of his patients, and sends each one a short email.

Dear Jerry,
I hope the medication I prescribed is helping your back pain. I wanted to drop you a quick note because you mentioned you were having trouble finding an insurance policy that offers comprehensive health insurance with a fixed cost and $25 co-pays. I’m enclosing the name of an insurance agent who provides a package I’m pretty sure would work for you. I’ve let him know you may be in touch.

*******

Dear Mrs. Baxter,
I thought you might enjoy this article from Business Profiles – it seemed right up your alley. Hope all is well with the family and you’re feeling better soon.

*******

Dear Cameron and Jennifer,
I’m looking forward to your gallery opening immensely, and I was wondering if I could be of some service promoting it. It occurs to me that many of my patients may be interested – would you like to put up a poster or any flyers you may have in the waiting room? I can also include the exhibition in our monthly newsletter if you can give me the info by Friday. Again, I’m delighted to be attending and happy to do anything I can to help make the opening a huge success. Just say the word.

*******

Dear Claire,
Congratulations on the birth of baby Emily Rose! I know the wait was both joyous and anxious for you, and as your OB-GYN I’m relieved both as a doctor and a friend that all your hard work and devotion to your health has paid off. I wish you, your husband, and your beautiful new addition to the family much happiness. I look forward to meeting Emily soon.

*******

Dear Mr. Rosenberg,
I hope you’re feeling better; flu season can be wretched. You mentioned you were having trouble keeping up with the office while you were home sick because you haven’t a cell phone that receives email. I looked around a bit for you and had many people recommend me this phone as both affordable and easy to use. I hope this helps you keep up with everything – but don’t work too hard! You need lots of rest to get over that flu.

Every one of Dr. Farley’s patients just got a personal message from a man who sees dozens of people every week. They know he cares and they know that he is interested in their lives. The next time any one of those patients hears a friend complaining about his doctor, or needing a new one in the area, who do you think they’re going to recommend?

Trust in the law of reciprocity. You don’t need to ask for referrals. Customers who are devoted to you and your business will want to do you favors. They’ll not only be delighted to recommend you; they’ll sing your praises to anyone who will listen. A genuine gesture of selfless friendship is extremely rare. Don’t diminish it.

A Word of Warning: Never Ask Anything in Return

It’s tempting to tack on an extra sentence or two to push for that sale. The good doctor could very easily have added in something like, “Could you recommend my services to anyone who might be interested?” It doesn’t seem like it would do any harm, after all that goodwill. And the customer probably needs a boost to help them recommend me to others.

Don’t be tempted. Asking for the sale will immediately undo all the good work that’s just been accomplished. Instead of feeling cared-for and appreciated, your customer will immediately feel manipulated.

“He doesn’t care about me! He’s just using me to get new clients!”

“The highest form of public relations is human relations. People buy from friends, so it’s crucial to make the human bond before you can make a lasting business bond.  Always Develop The Human Bond Before The Business Bond”. Jay Conrad Levinson

Feb
2

By

Online Leads Groups are gaining traction.

Category: Leads Groups / Referral Networks, Linkcrafter Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The world of leads groups is changing fast. Most interactions are taking place online through social media. Old fashioned leads groups are losing ground, and more and more members are quietly questioning the benefit of annual membership fees and the value for time and money of the monthly meetings.

  • More and more members of old-style leads groups are joining Online leads groups. The main reasons are:
    they have the opportunity to obtain more sales leads and business opportunities with less effort, less expense, and less time wasted in social networking that has no immediate impact on their business.
  • leads and opportunities transactions could be done online more easily, more frequently, more conveniently while keeping the social gatherings for building relationship, and reinforcing connections started online.
  • members could join much more groups and broaden their horizon, without losing the local focus.

Leads group managers need to innovate. Linkcrafter has understood this need of evolution to offer value for time and money to leads groups members. Linkcrafter leads groups utility help referral network managers create value for their members, while keeping local connections and gatherings. If you are already members of leads groups, go on Linkcrafter to join.