Letter from the Editor

I have an innate distrust of salespeople who show up at my office door, and despite the prominent “No Soliciting” sign, still barge in and ask if we’re happy with our office supplies, our phone provider and so on… Most never make it past Stephanie, my gatekeeper extraordinaire. She becomes so incensed by the salesperson’s disregard of her sign, that they are quickly shown the exit.

Who do you do business with? How did you meet your vendors and suppliers and professional experts? I can admire the dogged persistence of the door-to-door salesperson and telemarketer, but that’s a tough way to earn a buck and I rarely talk to them. Thomas A. Freese, in his book Secrets of Question Based Selling, says people do business with people they know, like and trust – and who better than someone who’s so interested in your point of view he or she gets you talking about it? Freese says we need to be curious; don’t tell people why your product is right for them, ask questions about their needs! “Asking intelligent and relevant questions tells clients you offer a higher level of competence, credibility and value. Prove you are an expert the customer can trust by asking technically demanding questions.” In his book, Freese provides numerous questions people have found provocative, enlightening, and winning. Here are a few examples:

• What’s the most significant issue you currently face?
• What would you like to accomplish with this (program, idea, information)?
• To what extent is (growth, budget, deadlines, staffing) important?
• What other challenges do you foresee?

I recently read an article from Scott Belsky of Behance, who talks about “social power.” He explained that social power is different than economic or political power. It is not correlated with social status or demographics. Rather, these are people with the special ability to connect to others en masse. They tend to always be in the know, and they are respected, but not in a hierarchical way. It reminds me of the Time cover article about Twitter and other social networking sites. The way we conduct business is rapidly evolving and the new power players aren’t always C-level executives making autonomous decisions behind closed doors. Due in part to worldwide networking and phenoms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, change doesn’t always have to take time – it can happen instantly – and the catalyst behind instant change comes from what Belsky described as “social power.” He says within a large organization, the hot spots are the people with social power. “They are respected within the community without having the scrutiny that isolates and ultimately limits the potential of formal leaders.” As we try to lead change in our own lives, we should depend less on formal power plays and top-down transformations. Instead, we should seek out and engage the hot spots to ensure a lasting impact.

With all this in mind, you can’t afford to miss the upcoming Business Alliance Program lunches and Navigation classes. The BA events are designed to help you influence others, build trust and strategically manage your marketing. Don’t forget the monthly Open Table lunches and After-Hours events as well. How better to meet and build relationships with the people you want to do business with? After all, we conduct business with people we like and trust, and attending a BA event is a lot easier than knocking on all those doors.

Enjoy your Summer!

Beth LaSasso
Editor, Business Alliance

June Issue 2009

View Past Issues Here

View the BA Directory

Become a coach now!

Happenings

Business Alliance After Hours (2nd Wednesdays)

Join fellow Business Alliance members monthly on the 2nd Wednesday for a little after-work relaxation in the newly renovated Caps Grille.

 

 

Business Alliance Open Table (3rd Thursdays)

Join other Business Alliance Partners and Associates on the 3rd Thursday for a casual lunch and free-ranging conversations in the Main Dining Room at the Capital City Club.

 

Leader Luncheon: Influencing Others through Credibility and Self-Trust

How important is credibility? If you agree that credibility leads to trust and that trust influences decisions, then you understand that credibility is extremely important!

Come to the June 24th Speaker’s luncheon where Dan Gregory of Blueline Simulation and Becky Sansbury of Real Life Communications present the 13 behaviors common to high trust leaders and individuals. Learn the 4 significant factors that make you credible. Then tie it all together by understanding the impact of Self-Trust and Relationship-Trust on the speed and cost of business decisions.

Dan and Becky will explore the business case for trust. They will also lead exercises to help you assess your own trust level using the “Cores of Credibility” model and foundational elements discussed in Stephen M. R. Covey’s Speed of Trust.

Navigation Class: The Basics of Online Marketing for Small Business

Daniel Trimpey of Page Progressive offers a brief overview of Search Engine Optimization, Link Building, and Pay-per-Click advertising as options to help you maximize your website effectiveness.

Who Should Attend: Entrepreneurs and business leaders who want to learn how to maximize website marketing strategies.

(No Leader Luncheon scheduled for July – see the Speed Networking Event!)

Navigation Class: Creating Credibility and Trust Using Simulation

Dan Gregory of Blueline Simulations and Becky Sansbury from Real Life Communication team up to bring Part II of a condensed training session based on Stephen M. R. Covey’s Speed of Trust to help you dramatically enhance your leadership capabilities. When trust increases, the speed of getting business done increases, and the cost of doing that business then decreases. This is the “speed of trust.” It’s all about being a positive force, taking personal responsibility, and earning respect to create a bedrock of trust for you and your company. The Speed of Trust teaches participants pragmatic, practical, and actionable skills that can be implemented immediately regardless of a person’s role in the organization. Dan and Becky will facilitate highly interactive business simulations to engage you in real practice identifying and closing trust gaps. You will begin to realize the great benefits of a trust dividend™ both personally and organizationally after completing this session. This is your chance to participate in a program that gets consistent rave reviews from attendees.

 

Speed Networking Event

Reservations Required. Please call 832-8829 or go to www.cardinal-club.com. Maximum of 60 Cardinal Club/Capital City Club members only. $20.00 fee includes food stations, passed hor d’oeuvres and 2 beer/wine tickets.

Join fellow Club members in a lively business networking event designed to “Mix it Up!” with musical chairs and fast-paced fun. Toastmasters are on-hand to help you create/improve your 2-minute introduction.

BA Member Announcements

(Please send submissions to bag_editor@yahoo.com)

James Taylor of Angel Acceptance enjoyed an official Grand Opening at Autopark on Capital Blvd. on June 5th and 6th. Free food, car washes and other giveaways were available.

Elizabeth Carrasco of VIP Designs (www.VIPinteriordesign.com) teamed up with Capel Rugs of Raleigh for an in-store, premier Recession Redesign event. The interior design creation (constructed by Quality Design and Construction) was honored at the HBA of Wake County- Remodeler’s Council 2009 STAR Awards for Best Select Interiors over $35,000.

Adam Saad of Rush Hour Karting is VERY proud to announce that they were awarded the "2009 Employer of the Year" from the Cary Chamber of Commerce. Adam believes this is a reflection of how hands-on the owners of the company are, and how well perceived they are by all the staff and customers. “The White Glove experience is carried out through every member of our staff, and I truly believe that makes every customer feel appreciated and keeps them coming back to race again and again!” Adam also notes the addition of a brand new fleet of European Karts.

Steven W. Nelson of Keller Williams Realty has Adopted-A-Highway as a way to give back to the community that has been so good to him. Adopt-A-Highway is a NCDOT program that partners businesses and individuals with particular streets to help keep the roadways clean. (Adopting a highway requires that you clean the road at least 4 times a year.) Steve’s section of road is Norwood Road from Mason to Mount Vernon Church Road. Please contact Steve at 919-604-6135 or StevenWNelson@gmail.com if you would like to get involved in the Adopt-A-Highway program.

Brian Rosenthal of RDUTennis, LLC announces a partnership with the Raleigh Racquet Club where RDUTennis will be offering tennis camps to traditional and year round Wake County students 12 months a year. RDUTennis, LLC is a tennis service offered throughout North Carolina located at resorts, country clubs, communities, and local parks. Contact Brian regarding the many locations, programming, and fees of RDUTennis at brian@rdutennis.net or 919 395 7329. You may also visit www.rdutennis.net.

New Members

David Hobbs: Dynamic Office Services
www.dosoffice.com
361-4333

DOS specializes in new and pre-owned office furniture sales. Cubes, desks, files, chairs etc. Facilities support, space planning and design. Commercial moving services, storage and online inventory control. Systems furniture installation.

Brian Rosenthal: RDU Tennis
www.rdutennis.net
395-7329

RDU Tennis, LLC is a state-wide operation where we offer affordable tennis programming for both adults and juniors at local clubs, resorts, parks and communities.

Farzad Khoshnoodi: Farzad Financial Services
www.dfarzadfinancial.com
806-4669

FF offers wealth management for individuals and businesses. Retirement investment, and college planning. 401k, defined benefits, through several pension platforms.

Frances Bisby: Stantec
www.stantec.com
851-6866

Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning engineering, architecture, interior design, landscaping architecture, surveying, environmental science, project management, and project economics for infrastructure and facilities projects. They support public and private sector clients through every stage of project development – from initial concept and financial feasibility to project completion and beyond.

Bob Moore: Effectiveness
www.effectiveness.com
439-5811

Effectiveness works with owner-managed businesses who want a winning team that has the right players in the right place with the right skills, and entrepreneurs who want to lead the recovery and realize just hitting the target is no longer good enough – it takes a bulls-eye to win.

Debra King: DJK Consulting & outsourcing, LLC
368-1835

Human resource consulting for small to mid-sized businesses. Services include comprehensive HR Audits, employee handbooks, job descriptions, employee appraisals and organizational charts. Training topics include FMLA, COBRA, FLSA, interviewing techniques, EEOC, sexual harassment, harassment, and a crash course for supervisors and managers.

Laura Padilla: Powerful Women International
www.powerfulwomenintl.com
341-6042

PWI is a global network for women, creating relationships and support of women around the world and in our state.

BA in the Community

(Please send submissions to bag_editor@yahoo.com)

If you are involved in community projects, we want to hear about them! Many of our members serve meals, help build Habitat homes, and volunteer their time to help others in need. Please share your experiences, or your company-related activity, with your fellow BA members.

Editor Bio

Publisher Bio