Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all of you in the US and everywhere!

I hope you have your costume ready and some candy just incase any little gobblins ring my bell. I'm not a fan ofcostumes, but this year I will be celebrating.

I'm not a fan of costumes, but this year I will be celebrating. I'm planning a dinner with friends at the Gulfstream Casino near my house, where we'll listen to great crooner music by Sinatra, Martin, Nat King Cole and the like. I may not be having atraditional Halloween, but it should be cool. Have a good time with your family and friends.

Growing Your Sales in Tough Times

What are you doing in these tough economic times to ensure the survival of your business?

Let's face facts: business owners and sales professionals really have only two courses of action available to them:

1. Tighten your belts, cut costs, increase discounts and accept lower sales revenues and a shorter, smaller bottom line. Hunker down and hope that you will survive till good times come around again.
2. Sharpen, refine and increase your prospecting and sales skills, and look for new opportunity.

On Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 1PM EST Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, will be hosting a TeleClass on Growing your Business in Tough Times. Click Here to Learn More and to Register

Most companies (including your competition) will be doing less and doing with less: They'll be cutting out marketing, they'll stop prospecting, they will discount and they'll be scared to death to approach current customers for more business for fear of alienating and losing those customers altogether. Now is the time to take action.
In this TeleClass you will learn how to locate the best prospects, shorten your sales cycles, use expert positioning to reduce discounting, sell more to existing customers, and find new opportunity - where none existed before.
Reserve Your Seat NOW

Introducing My Mentor Ali Brown "The Ezine Queen"

Join my Mentor Ali Brown's MASTERMIND Call on TUESDAY, November 4, 2008, 8:00 pm Eastern "Stop Trying to Be a Man in Your Business! The Power of Femininity in the Workplace" with Ali Brown and Alison Armstrong.
Reserve Your Seat NOW:

As the more easily adaptable gender, women have succeeded in business largely by becoming more masculine. Exhilarating - but exhausting - masculine modes are limited in what they can achieve. Join Ali and Alison as they show that by consciously bringing your feminine power to your business, you -- the female business owner -- can be more successful and more fulfilled. (And wealthier, too!) Men, you'll learn how women are wired to work differently, so you'll better understand how to work with us, too!We'll cover strategies for maintaining your femininity as a business owner, and tips for harnessing your feminine power to catapult your success! You won't want to miss this one.

This call is FREE for all Ali's Mastermind members.
Not a member? Join now to access this call with Ali's special FREE 2-month "Silver Membership" trial.

Dream Big Even During The Recession

This week I attended the 1st Annual UPTOWN Escape, organized by the UPTOWN Magazine to launch their local version in Miami.

I got the chance to join their "Building Wealth Luncheon" with guest speaker Kelvin Boston, financial journalist and best selling author who the New York Times has referred to as an "out-spoken voice for economic empowerment". Kelvin Boston is the executive producer and host of the Moneywise with the Kelvin Boston PBS series. He is also the president of Boston Media, Inc, and author of Who’s Afraid to Be A Millionaire?


I was meeting him for the first time, and really enjoyed what he had to say. Almost all TV and radio are very negative about the economy, ok yes it is true that we are facing a recession right now, but it doesn’t mean that everybody needs to freak out. Financial professionals and investors know that recession it usually the best time to get the best deals. I am actually in the process of acquiring my second condo - less than 12 months after the 1st one in Miami - and most people tell me it is not the good time. But Kelvin reinforced my decision and boosted my motivation. He also mentioned that we never had so many millionaires and billionaires than in the last few years, and by the end of the recession, the number will be even greater. So don’t let the media and other people stress you. Just shoot for your goals, THE BIGGER THE BETTER, and thinks will happen, no doubt about it.

Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

How to Determine Your Niche?

After a week in NYC I thought I will realize how much I miss it, but after the busy week and realizing how everybody is in a rush all the time, in the streets, in the subway, having meetings back to back, running to networking events every evening, I was actually very happy to come home. Home is now Miami, no doubt about it! I definitely have a much more quality of life; even when I went back to my routine: consulting and coaching all day and spending my weekend between my jogging and the pool. Here I can take time to relax even if I work a lot.

This week, I spoke with a couple of my friends and both were surprised so see my results with my weekend seminar in NYC; not that they doubt of my professionalism. One of my friends was very surprised that it took me only 2 months to put this seminar together, promote it and to get ten people to come from France for this weekend, all ready to pay $700 plus their airline ticket plus hotel which is a minimum budget of $2500 to $3000 for 4 days. Usually for that kind of budget you need to promote the event 3 to 6 months in advance. My other friend was awed because I made a 60% profit for this first weekend seminar, when usually people just break even and make mistakes along the way.
I didn't really realize the extent of the results until they pointed out to me, even though I knew it was a success. The reason is that as long as your target market is a very specific niche, it is much easier to reach your clients, which is my case with my French Consulting, plus since no one is in the same market, I don't have competitor. Recently a big law firm in New York sent me a client because they couldn't do anything for him, but they heard of my services and my results and were so impressed by the packages that I offer, that they recommend their client to contact me.


Need help to determine your niche, check out my program "Power of Networking Secrets" to learn how I do it and how you can TOO.

Free Teleclass - The One Page Marketing Plan

On September 23, I attended Marian Banker's Roundtable in NYC.

Marian and I met 5 years ago, when I started Biba4Network and partnered on various occasion since. Marian, founder of Prime Strategies, is a small business leadership coach and she's been helping small business owners become business leaders for the past 12 years. Marian will be my guest speaker for the October "Ask the Expert" teleclass.

It’s already fourth quarter. Are you set to achieve your 2008 marketing goals? How would you like to streamline your marketing efforts and get better results in 2009? Learn how to apply the principles of the Prime Strategies One Page Marketing Plan and dramatically increase your odds of success.

Join Me & Marian Banker, President of Prime Strategies, for this FREE Teleclass, where we will be introducing you to the One Page Marketing Plan process, which her clients have used to grow their businesses for the last several years. Says Dana Fabbro, Prime Strategies’ client and Brain-in-Charge at Concept DNA…"The Plan makes me put my goals on paper (well, laptop screen) so I can see what a quarter's worth of energy, time, effort and expectation really look like. And that allows me to set goals and track my effort. It blew my mind to figure out exactly what I do and how I think of my business. It's one thing to be a company, it's another to put yourself and your company's strengths and weaknesses on paper and view it with some modicum of objectivity. Seriously, it's working for me."

Marian will walk you through the two phases of the market planning process, so that you leave the call knowing the basics of how to create your own One Page Marketing Plan.

Access the Recording NOW

See you on the call!

How to increase referrals by keeping in touch with people that you meet!

Smart business people know that getting referrals is the best way to attract new customers. Why? Referred individuals are more likely to do business with you because someone they know or trust suggested that you can help them. Research shows that customers who come from referrals are better customers. They pay faster, complain less, buy more, and stay longer term.

Getting Referrals Can Be Difficult.

Many business owners are uncomfortable to ask for referrals and it can be a challenge to get people to remember you as time goes by. Think about it for a minute. You meet someone at a networking event, can not currently help each other, and are not a good fit for whatever reason to set a follow up meeting. Eight months later, that same person that you met at the networking event has a need for your services. The million dollar question is??? Will they think of you first?

How to Get More Referrals
Networking is a long term process, it is about developing relationships and bonding with people over time. That means keeping in constant contact with them. Yes it is true, you can send out a quick email to people to keep in touch, but networking guru's all seem to agree that a hand written personal note or card is the preferable form of communication for building rapport.

The Secrets of the Most Successful Referral Marketers
Have you heard of Joe Girard? He was a car salesman noted in the Guinness Book of World Records for selling the most cars (on a one on one basis) 12 consecutive years in a row. All of Joe’s business came from referrals. What was his secret?

Joe developed a system to keep in touch with his customers and potential clients. Every phone call or personal contact he made, Joe would write down on a file card any relevant information. He then sent everybody on his list a unique greeting card every single month! These weren't high pressure sales letters, just friendly reminders to let people know that he was thinking about them.

Tom Hopkins is currently a well known sales trainer with his roots stemming from real estate sales. Tom made a commitment to send 10 hand written notes every day and broke real estate sales records! Within three years, 98% of his business came from referrals. Tom Hopkins uses the same system that will be outlined below.

The Problem With Sending Greeting Cards and Handwritten Notes to keep in touch with people.

1. You need to develop a system to track people's important dates/information. This can be quite overwhelming when you think about the number of people you meet.

2. You have to go to the card store and find the right card. This can be a very time consuming process in itself and costly if you have to drive to the store. (Hey, gas is $4.29 a gallon!).

3. Then a trip to the post office to mail the card. Time is money, and again, you are spending more time here.

4. The Cost of the cards could average between $2 and $3 per card.

The answer...

What if I told you that you do not have to do steps 1-4 above, and that you can send out the hand written card from your home in less than sixty (60) seconds? The cost of the card could be 62 cents plus your standard postage rate of .42 for a whopping investment of $1.04. The cards could also be personalized by adding your own images or company logo. And the best part......The card is written in your own handwriting and is mailed using a real stamp (not a bulk mail scan)

There is a service called Send Out Cards that can do exactly this.

How You Can Use Send Out Cards to Keep In Touch and Increase Your Referrals!

Have you ever wanted to send a card to someone and either forgot to do it, or could not find the time? Have you ever wanted to send a series of follow up messages to a business prospect or customer, but could not keep track of who and when to send it to? The Send Out Cards system solves those problems.

Since I started using Send Out Cards, when I meet someone at an event, I try to get the person’s contact information, birth date, anniversary date or any other special day that matters to them. They may tell you that their spouse gave birth to a new baby last Thursday named Joseph. The birth day of their child is important to them. I then put that information into the Send Out Cards reminder system and when the date comes around, the reminder tells me to send a personal card to them.

Next, I pick out an appropriate greeting card in the system (it has thousands of greeting cards categorized by different occasions), write a note to the person, add my logo or image, and then click the send button. The card is mailed out the next day in my own hand writing.

Not Only Does this System Generate Referrals, But It Closes Sales!

In most industries, it takes about 5-8 contacts with a prospect before a sale is made. However, the vast majority of people do not have a system on how to follow up...until now.If you can enter a name and address and push a button, you can launch an extensive follow up relationship building program with your prospects. Imagine how this system could set you apart from every one else vying for your prospect's attention.

What better way to establish a rapport with someone than with a sequence of sincere greeting cards.

I use Send Out Cards myself for the last two years, it ii a part of my follow-up system, I recommend it on my program “Power of Networking Secrets” and strongly endorse it personally.

Send your own card for Free!

Think of someone you would like to thank for a referral, thank for taking the time to meet with you, wish happy birthday or for any other reason.

Click here to get your free package and you will be able to send out a card for FREE. It will come from you, with your return address and your special note.

What you need to do: Think of someone that you would like to keep in touch with, thank for a referral, wish a happy birthday to, or for any reason. Once you have this person in mind, click here and we will show you how you can leave a lasting impression..

What People Are Saying About Teamup4Succe$$ Mastermind

I've been a member of Biba's program "TeamUp4Success Mastermind" for over a year. When I started with Biba, I didn't have a web site and was learning how to market my services and network effectively. Through working with Biba, there have been a lot of positive changes in the way I network and how to reach my target market. Also, I now have a web site for my business. Thank you. Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett Interiors
Interior Decorator
www.jbennettinteriors.com

"My focus as an interior decorator is to enhance any space in your home/office while saving my clients time and money on any size project. Jay Bennett can also help you avoid costly mistakes by coordinating ALL the different elements and by making sure that they all flow together." Where Talent and Service Meet.

My Trip in NYC & Networking Mixer

Networking Mixer on September 22nd at VIG 27 in New York.


Networking, Networking - Read my article "Networking in a multicultural environment".


While in NYC, I took the opportunity to meet new people and create new partnerships, (more about this later) and see people I hadn't see since I left, like Lydia Bisanti, Author and Graphist Designer , who was the very first member of Biba4Network 5 years ago and became a very good friend all those years.

My VIP Seminar in NYC - September 2008

My VIP Seminar on Sept 21 & 22 in NYC was a real success.
The participants who came from France especially for this event were very surprised to get that much information in just two days. Basically, I gave them in 2 days what it took me 2 years to learn, going back and forth between Paris and New York: from how to start a business in the US, to how to incorporate, write a business plan, get a visa to be allow to work in the US, how to protect their business with trademark, how to approach to the US market, information about taxes and the American bank system compare to France and of course how to network and how to use it to grow their business.


Then they got a chance to attend my Networking Mixer and meet the Americans entrepreneurs who attended. Some of them made connections for their businesses during the Networking Mixer. My Partners who joined me for this seminar, (Hany Khoury - Immigration Lawyer, Olivera Medenica - Business Lawyer, Frederic Flanchard - CPA) where also very impressed with the result. The Immigration Lawyer who works with me for the last 5 years and has been in practice for 18 years, told me that he never saw a such concept in his career. I definitely found a unique niche.