As you may recall, I mentioned in last month's article that there are several marketing strategies to fundamentally build a business. The strategies are simple but not always easy, however if they are coupled with vision, vigor and a little tenacity, both business and life can be enjoyed with ease and results produced with velocity.



Remember as these strategies unfold in your reading each month, I never said it would be easy, however I am saying, it "can" be done with ease AND velocity with the right energy going in the right direction.

And you must keep in mind that you will have to address what I call the "human condition."

The thing that will come between you and success is the "human condition"; your self imposed barriers, road blocks, and what you think you already know. Be aware of the barriers and road blocks as you read these.

Yes, I'm repeating this each month intentionally. Why? The two most prominent reasons are: to shift how you think in a way that builds your muscles to understand the fundamentals of marketing AND to address the human condition that could stop you from implementing the strategies and creating extreme success.

Keep in mind that Vision must be first.? Another way to market yourself and your business is through networking groups.

Being a part of some kind of networking group can be extremely beneficial.

Dictionary.com defines networking as: a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest:

It is imperative to have a common interest. Your time spent "networking" is most productive when you are genuinely interested in others.

Now, let me switch the language a bit for education purposes. I titled this article "networking" because in the business world it is the term being used. Sometimes the term is misconstrued as simply getting together to promote or sell ones products or services ? to sell, promote and do business. My belief is that your purpose is to build authentic relationships in a "systematic" environment just as it is defined: a supportive system?

The ideal, best and most effective way to promote yourself and your product is through your vision and passion for what you do as well as being authentically interested in your potential client or strategic partner's vision and passion.

Yes, genuinely "interested"

There are a multitude of groups out there. There are many books written on how to "network" and how to make the best of networking. I suggest you have your vision in front of you, know how to build authentic relationships, strategic partnerships and alliances and then networking becomes natural and automatic.

If you've studied and implemented the previous strategies I've written this concept is not new or foreign.

What's next is finding the ideal group for you.

Because there are so many groups available, I would suggest that you interview as many networking groups as possible. There are a few steps to doing so:

1. Find out the networking group's vision and mission

2. Find out who the members are

3. Find out what some of the members vision and mission is

4. Find out who the leader is

5. Find out his/her vision and mission

6. Visit the networking group

7. Interview leader and members

Once this process is done, you're on your way to taking advantage of the opportunity networking groups provide.

At these groups you will meet:

Strategic Partners. Strategic Alliances. Ideal Clients. Joint Ventures. And may even Venture Capitalist and or Investors.

More on these in future articles

All of these aforementioned create a burst of opportunities for your vision and mission of your business.

Promotional events become easier to make happen and clients rush to you for your products or services.

Critical points of this article!

? Know your vision

? Know your ideal client

? Know your strategic partners

? Interview parties within the networking group

? Visit as many groups as possible

? Create a collaborative effort and win/win for everyone

? Remember, you also must "implement" the strategies channeling the right energy in the right direction to have them be most effective and reflect success in your business.

Remember, you don't have to be in business alone or struggle to make it successful.