Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Networking Case Study
If you're new to business or working in sales and thinking about networking for the first time, relax. You'll do fine. Listen more than you talk, use good manners and always follow up. Oh, and don't do what some of the people did in these crazy stories about business card blunders.
Shelly was at a networking mixer, which is a business to business meet and greet event. There's no agenda. It's just business people walking around introducing themselves. The point is to have conversations and build relationships that might lead to doing business. Shelly had been talking to another woman, Joanne, for several minutes and it seemed like there might be the opportunity to do business. So Shelly asked for the other woman's business card. Joanne physically drew back and said, "Why would you want that?"
Terri, a dentist, also tells a story about being at a similar business club networking event. She had been talking with Bob who proceeded to give Terri his business card. Terri reciprocated by handing him her card. Bob took it, looked at it and then handed it back to her saying, "I already have a dentist."
Brenda was at a daylong event that was part training, part motivational and part networking. She and the other attendees were representatives of different organizations, but all were part of groups that specialized in networking. During lunch, John, one of the other attendees went around to every table and asked for business cards from everyone. No introduction, no "hello," just saying, "Can I have your card?" Brenda handed hers over out of curiosity. She was sure she'd get a sales pitch in the mail or email, but no one ever heard from him.
What do all these stories have in common? They are examples of networkers who don't understand the value and power of business cards. Joanne clearly didn't understand the goals of other people who were attending the event, which was to make contact and stay connected. Bob used terrible manners. He should have kept the card and kept his comment to himself. Instead, he lost the opportunity to ever do business with Terri. John was also rude, by asking for cards without even a word of explanation, then he further blew it by never following up on the information he gathered.
Shelly was at a networking mixer, which is a business to business meet and greet event. There's no agenda. It's just business people walking around introducing themselves. The point is to have conversations and build relationships that might lead to doing business. Shelly had been talking to another woman, Joanne, for several minutes and it seemed like there might be the opportunity to do business. So Shelly asked for the other woman's business card. Joanne physically drew back and said, "Why would you want that?"
Terri, a dentist, also tells a story about being at a similar business club networking event. She had been talking with Bob who proceeded to give Terri his business card. Terri reciprocated by handing him her card. Bob took it, looked at it and then handed it back to her saying, "I already have a dentist."
Brenda was at a daylong event that was part training, part motivational and part networking. She and the other attendees were representatives of different organizations, but all were part of groups that specialized in networking. During lunch, John, one of the other attendees went around to every table and asked for business cards from everyone. No introduction, no "hello," just saying, "Can I have your card?" Brenda handed hers over out of curiosity. She was sure she'd get a sales pitch in the mail or email, but no one ever heard from him.
What do all these stories have in common? They are examples of networkers who don't understand the value and power of business cards. Joanne clearly didn't understand the goals of other people who were attending the event, which was to make contact and stay connected. Bob used terrible manners. He should have kept the card and kept his comment to himself. Instead, he lost the opportunity to ever do business with Terri. John was also rude, by asking for cards without even a word of explanation, then he further blew it by never following up on the information he gathered.
Protecting Your Business Network With Firewall Software
Whether you own a large or small business, the intra-office network is the primary aspect of your business. Important information like financial transactions, personal records and monetary documents exist within your network and the protection of the associated data is of considerable importance to your business operations.
Following the fact that data security is a key aspect, taking necessary steps to protect the data is mandatory. Several Internet crimes like data theft, identity theft and financial thefts have led to the evolution of various software applications like anti-virus applications, sniffers, spam filters and firewalls, without which your business network is bound to be victimized by hackers.
It is common knowledge that with the rate at which companies are developing, smaller organizations are as much a target as larger and more established companies. The commonest form of crimes involves identity theft where the hacker poses as you in order to get delicate information from your clients. Building false identities and beguiling clients are just the start of Internet-related crimes. Link building services
This is where the Firewall comes into the picture. It can be defined as a protection system which acts as a wall between your network and the Internet in such a way that unauthorized use and access can be prevented. It takes care of data analysis from other networks and is the frontal layer of protection from external attacks. An ideal firewall system would consist of both hardware and software fronts.
Hardware firewall systems exist as a standalone product as well as a hardware-software bundle. They are easily configurable and can contain as many ports for different terminals as required by your business. Software firewall applications are the commonest options for homes and small businesses but if you desire a better degree of protection, your best bet would be to go in for a combination.
Irrespective of the size of your business network, it has become mandatory to protect your business with a proper hardware and software firewall application. For this purpose, you can choose to select a good application and service provider manually or hire the services of a security consultant.
Following the fact that data security is a key aspect, taking necessary steps to protect the data is mandatory. Several Internet crimes like data theft, identity theft and financial thefts have led to the evolution of various software applications like anti-virus applications, sniffers, spam filters and firewalls, without which your business network is bound to be victimized by hackers.
It is common knowledge that with the rate at which companies are developing, smaller organizations are as much a target as larger and more established companies. The commonest form of crimes involves identity theft where the hacker poses as you in order to get delicate information from your clients. Building false identities and beguiling clients are just the start of Internet-related crimes. Link building services
This is where the Firewall comes into the picture. It can be defined as a protection system which acts as a wall between your network and the Internet in such a way that unauthorized use and access can be prevented. It takes care of data analysis from other networks and is the frontal layer of protection from external attacks. An ideal firewall system would consist of both hardware and software fronts.
Hardware firewall systems exist as a standalone product as well as a hardware-software bundle. They are easily configurable and can contain as many ports for different terminals as required by your business. Software firewall applications are the commonest options for homes and small businesses but if you desire a better degree of protection, your best bet would be to go in for a combination.
Irrespective of the size of your business network, it has become mandatory to protect your business with a proper hardware and software firewall application. For this purpose, you can choose to select a good application and service provider manually or hire the services of a security consultant.
