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IN THIS ISSUE
Diversity & Inclusion By Dr. Steven D. Carter
FEATURE ARTICLE What's New at Face to Face Marketing
7 TIPS YOU NEED Business Groups to Join
NETWORKING
IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT By Vicki Morriss
NOVEMBER 2020
A Publication of Face To Face Marketing, LLC
Marketing & Design
Contributors
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Vicki Morris
Vicki Morris Sharon Heinz | Accountant President & CEO
Face to Face Marketing, LLC
“My
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Vicki
is
Morris
to is
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speaker, communications strategist
Andrea Brandon
my
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and entrepreneurial pioneer. She is
the high president of a the level and of founder community successful
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Contributors
located
in the city of Huntsville, Alabama. She
Vicki Morris
has
served
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leading
communication and marketing Sharon@profitwiseaccounting.biz strategist for over 20 years.
Jay Newkirk Kevin Pendergrass
Andrea C. Brandon Face to Face Marketing, LLC
Dr. Steven Carter
Andrea serves as Project Coordinator and Administrator at Face to Face Marketing,
Andrea C. Brandon
LLC., specializing in project management, web design, and copy writing.
Demetria Horton
Jay Newkirk
Graphics
Government Energy
Face To Face Marketing, LLC
Solutions, Inc.
Jay Newkirk is Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Government Energy Solutions, Inc. He also serves as Chairman of the
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Dr. Steven Carter Univ of Maryland Global Campus
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Harvard Senior Executive Fellow. Doctorate in Business. Expertise in strategy, innovation, business, and IT. Adjunct Professor of Business at
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Good MARKETING MAKES THE BUSINESS LOOK
Smart.
Great MARKETING MAKES THE CLIENT FEEL
Smart. - Joe Chernov
a Note
We are closing out the year 2020. WOW, what a year this has been!! We have seen weird, weary, and even wonderful things develop over the course of this year. It’s all a matter of your perspective. Yes, this year has brought the world to its knees, figuratively and literally. I know many people around the world have been praying for healing, for comfort, and for direction. As a global economic outlook, things have been pretty scary at times. Small businesses have suffered greatly, and we all know that small business fuels the economic backbone of any established entity. But this is what we trained for!! All the scenarios we run through our minds, “What will I do if XX happens, what’s the contingency plan if option A doesn’t pan out, or what’s the alternative strategy for reaching our clients if the primary plan is inoperable?” We are all savvy professionals, and we will find a way to survive and thrive, if we keep the faith, and follow the plans. My plan, well I’m betting on our sense of community! Collectively we can get through this. We rely on one another, we support one another, and together, we will see this through to the other side. Will things look different, of course. I did an interview last month, and the host of
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When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. -Wayne Dyer
the show presented a very well thought out analogy; “we never go back to normal, we find a new normal….”. Remember 9-11? How different are our lives since that time? Yes, we took a gut punch, but once we licked our wounds, and found our way back on our feet, we emerged with new policies and procedures to maintain our safety. We did get to carrying out our everyday responsibilities and the economy soon reflected our pivot. As we are all considering better, more efficient ways to meet the needs of our customers, my team at Face To Face Marketing is also preparing to embark on a new chapter!!! You see, I believe that by making the small business proprietor more knowledgeable about how to communicate their offer and their brand voice, we are doing our small part in building a stronger local, regional and national economy!! How are we going to do that? Check out the continuation of this in the “What’s New? article later in this magazine.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2020 PAGE4 A Note from the Publisher PAGE 9 Diversity & Inclusion By Steven D. Carter
PAGE 13 7 Tips for BUSINESS GROUPS
By Face To Face Marketing
PAGE 20 BENEFITS
Of Networking By Jay Newkirk
PAGE 22 How Professional Associations Build your Personal Brand By Andrea Brandon
PAGE 25
FEATURE ARTICLE What's New
at Face to Face Marketing
PAGE 37 NETWORKING In a Virtual Environment Vicki Morris | Brand Strategist
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Diversity in the workplace means that an organization employs a diverse team of people reflective of the society in which it exists and operates. However, subconsciously we define diversity by a few social categories, such as gender, race, etc. Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique while inclusion refers to the behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome. In business, you do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems. In an increasingly connected global economy, diversity and inclusion have never been more critical in the battle for market dominance. Likewise, in government, diversity in the workplace guarantees organizational goal attainment and desired strategic outcomes. We can see diversity and inclusion promoted at the national level.
you do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.
-James Clear
On December 19, 2011, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13595 on women, peace, and security. The EO promotes initiatives and activities that empower and enlist women and girls to achieve international peace and security. This effort galvanized support and recognized the greater need for diversity to promote national security. Societal expectations of equality and fairness are woven into impassioned discussions spanning from the boardroom to the break room and beyond. Organizational leaders recognize the critical need to embrace the core tenets of diversity and inclusion to achieve financial goals. These goals are the actual competitive edge necessary to thrive in the global marketplace. At its core, any organization is simply a collection of people working in cooperation with a common goal in mind. Their skills are the HOW, and the ideas they share are the WHAT.
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"Inclusion and fairness in the workplace is not simply the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do. ~ Alexis Herman
Women Peace and Security Lilongwe, Malawi
Leaders and managers fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion recognize that creative freedom runs deep into the culture’s roots. Maintaining the momentum of success exposes the “spillover effect” that diversity and inclusion have on consumers, clients, and customers. So, we see that diversity and inclusion is a cyclical process with a continuous feedback loop. Customers, consumers, and clients alike expect products and services born from untarnished excellence. Excellence can be achieved with a workplace culture steeped in unwavering respect, transparent intentions, and unbridled freedom of creative processes. How true is it that organizational leaders are the most appropriate source for ingraining diversity and inclusion into workplace culture? Where do we begin with a topic that arguably has millions of touchpoints? With the employees, of course, without whom organizations wouldn’t exist. Poor retention, high absenteeism, and high turnover is a bellwether for an insufficient Diversity and Inclusion program.
D I V E R S I T Y
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I N C U L S I O N
And, what employees see is what customers, consumers, and clients get.
Rethinking Perspectives In August 2020, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) created the Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity. The 13 member commission was initially tasked with defining what diversity means. Much of the research upon which this commission is relying illustrates a deeply troubling trend of unconscious bias and blind spots within organizations. One such source included a recent SHRM survey that asked respondents about racism in the workplace. The study found that 7% of white workers felt that there was racism in the workplace, while the response rate of black workers was 35% felt that there was racism in the workplace. Patricia Jameson, MA, CDE, SHRM-SCP, Director, Overseas Diversity, and Equity Programs at the University of Maryland Global Campus Europe, echoes this sentiment in her observation of disparate workplace perspectives. “Diversity is viewed as an opportunity or a threat depending on the lens a person is looking through.” Jameson further notes that employees can requently get stuck in their comfort zone, “including the same ideas, the same way of working and the people we feel comfortable with.” Diversity in the workplace addresses our blind spots. This is a key factor in understanding the pivotal shift that needs to take place in the workplace. When we talk about a culture shift in organizations, what we are actually saying is that it is a grassroots effort. It is a call to action for executives, managers, and first-line supervisors to define diversity and inclusion, create inclusion councils, and measure success. Likewise, employees must fundamentally understand that their success is co-dependent upon leading with a perspective of diversity and inclusion more so than technical skills. How do organizations tell the story of their diversity and inclusion journey that is holistically balanced?
So What does it Mean? According to a recent report from the Harvard Business Review (HBR), organizations are incorporating diversity and inclusion efforts into core business objectives with data-driven, empirical support. Measurement of diversity data at established, time-based intervals provides critical data that tells a “story” of impact on the organization. This offers a more controlled approach to the interpretation of data, even with the influence of environmental factors on unconscious bias and overall workplace perspectives. The workplace complaints are frequently viewed as derogatory and negative, instead of opportunities for organizational feedback and growth. Patricia Jameson acknowledges that a shift away from a threat perspective is necessary for organizations to fully access to talent pool within the workforce. The HBR report suggests that the utilization of a neutral third-party for the intake of complaints helps to neutralize unconscious bias and instead act as a support mechanism for employees. Accounting for additional variables such as biased technology and historically small sample sizes of minorities within employee populations further supports a means of empirically sound data collection and factbased storytelling. Awareness of biases, perspectives, and a clear need for reliable diversity and inclusion data, may reveal how organizations can harness the incredible potential of creative talent within their employee populations.
So How Do We Get There? Diversity and inclusion is not an aspirational goal; it is an achievable goal. Organizations must create a symbiotic relationship between employees and leadership in the hiring process. A part of that process is the regular review of company diversity and inclusion policies. Diversity and inclusion are critical components of every recruitment and retention strategy. In fact, diversity and inclusion begin with a thought in boundless form, actioned by an idea, and realized by embracing a shared understanding. It is a call to action for executives, organizational leaders, and hiring officials to be mindful of their biases and take responsibility for their personal communications. Likewise, it’s the recognition that every individual can play a role in fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion.
Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their business statistically outperform their peers ~ Josh Bersin
The value proposition is in the priceless perspective of organizational leaders and managers. The call to action creates a workplace where key activities lead with respect, with the organizational mission in mind. Workplace conversations– leaders and employees must be committed to the cultural integration of diversity and inclusion. Communication should be transparent, clear, and without bias.
Personal responsibility - every employee is responsible for fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion. That means leading by example and remaining mindful that every conversation is an opportunity to reinforce the individual’s creative freedom and respect. Avoid exclusionary language and behaviors. Measure, measure, and measure again–leaders must invest in the measurement of diversity data at regular intervals and ensure that those gathering data, as well as the technology, are without bias. Councils–organizations must create Inclusion Councils as a neutral entity tasked with overseeing a diverse workforce. These councils must have executive sponsorship.
7 TIPS
B B U S N E S S G R O U P S BU US SIIIN NE ES SS SG GR RO OU UP PS S Knowing which Business groups can benefit you most can be difficult to discern. Luckily, we have complied a list of seven business groups that offer great insight, support, and visiability.
7 Tips
Best Business Groups to Join
When you join a business networking group it allows you an opportunity to join forces with like-minded individuals who are seeking the same goals you are. Business Groups come in all shapes and sizes. You can find one that fits with what you need, whether a business organization, a professionals association, a community service club or a contact network. Here are some of the best groups to join.
R.I.S.E.
1 1
R.I.S.E. is a free networking group, designed with a goal to help small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs network and connect with one another. We
meet every other Friday morning from 9:00 am to 10:00 am via ZOOM. Our format is simple, we begin with a few opening remarks, introductions, business and community announcements, our featured presentation, and we end around 10am.
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
2
Joining a professional association can be helpful in finding out the latest trends in your industry. A few great associations include HASBAT, North Alabama PR Council, WEDC, Space Club, and Energy Huntsville.
3
LOCAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
The quality and involvement of local chamber organizations can vary from city to city, but many of them provide foundational training, professional development, and resources for local business owners. Along with networking opportunities, many local chambers of commerce bring in guest speakers and provide mentoring opportunities at affordable rates for new business owners.
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7 Tips
Best Business Groups to Join
SCORE
4
This nonprofit business association has provided opportunities for small business owners to gain skills, grow their networks, and achieve their business goals. From free online learning opportunities to in-person and online mentor relationships, entrepreneurs across the country attribute their business success to the connections they’ve formed through SCORE. And best of all, IT'S FREE!
6
5
ROTARY CLUB INTERNATIONAL
If you value using your business to do good within your community, you may find a like-minded network in your local Rotary Club chapter. Keep in mind that the Rotary Club isn’t specifically a small business group. Rather, it focuses more on community service and leadership development. That said, while demographics and quality of Rotary Club programs can vary widely between communities, many successful small business owners cite their local Rotary Club as crucial to their own business success.
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ENTREPRENEURS ORGANIZATION
Through mentor relationships, online networks, and global networking events, Entrepreneurs’ Organization has cultivated a community of more than 10,000 business owners around the world who share knowledge and build their business networks through EO’s various programs. The demographics of Entrepreneurs’ Organization are vast, and each local chapter has a different set of offerings.
7
BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL
To form business connections within your immediate community, the best place to start is often your local chamber of commerce. The quality and involvement of local chamber organizations can vary from city to city, but many of them provide foundational training, professional development, and resources for local business owners.
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The Benefits of Networking by Jay Newkirk
A topic that comes up frequently among those of us in the government contracting sector is the value of attending conferences and concern about getting a return on the investment. I attended the National Veterans Small Business Engagement (NVSBE) held in Nashville, TN, this past December. This well-planned event focused on veteran-owned small businesses and in fact was very valuable. The VA has decided to support veteranowned small businesses by assuring that 15% of their annual contracting dollars go to veteran-owned businesses. The conference was structured in such a way so as to encourage these companies to attend. The NVSBE is the premier and largest federal procurement event of its kind and enables business networking among procurement-ready suppliers. This year’s event was focused on procurement opportunities pertaining to Information Technology Services and Medical & Specialty Supplies Services.
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The event was structured as a very large “Matchmaking” event, with 2,500 attendees. The registration process required profiling the company you were representing in sufficient enough detail so that the event facilitators’ software could find “company to company matches” and “company to VA representatives” matches. During the registration process, attendees could access the VA software system and create a schedule for attending Business Opportunity Sessions and could schedule follow-up small “round table” engagements with VA Reps with opportunities, including potential colleague companies that could become partners in order to pursue an opportunity. It was a whirlwind two days with learning sessions occurring simultaneously with ongoing networking. The event offered attendees extraordinary opportunities to meet VA contract managers and contract specialists to discuss specific upcoming contracts while simultaneously networking with other companies that could become teaming partners. I came away from the event with valuable VA representatives’ contact information and a stack of company business cards. It was such an influential event that it had the effect of redirecting the company I was representing to adjust their new business development strategy for 2020.
"Instead of better glasses, your network gives you better eyes." - Ronald Burt
I can’t recommend this positive experience enough. The hashtag used on Twitter was #NetworkConnectGrow and this theme was evident throughout the conference. I hope to attend again next year. How about you? Did you go? What experiences have you had as a result of attending a government-sponsored business conference? For more from Jay Newkirk, visit JayNewkirk.com
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BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND What if I told you that you are only worth the value of the connections you make. That might be a hard pill to swallow as we wrestle with the effects of a world at the mercy of a pandemic that forces us to reimagine the ways we connect with one another. But as a business professional, associations are essential to building your brand as an individual in Corporate America. Notice, I did not say as a businessman or businesswoman, because there is a stark difference between the two and that is the brand.
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I think Jay Z said it best when he said "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business man." A businessman or businesswoman is a part of business culture. A business man or woman moves or steers the culture. They are set apart by their value to the culture rather than their place within it. Developing your personal brand is as much about who you are and what you do as it is your connections to the players in the organization or industry you currently or aspire to influence.
By Andrea C. Brandon Face to Face Marketing, LLC
YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH -PORTER GALE
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Why Do I Need Professional Associations? Professional associations play a vital role in building a personal brand because of the commonly identified benefits of professional associations in three core areas: networking, education and professional development. Professional Associations provide three levels of value: to the profession in general to your organization, and to you personally
Not only do they help you build credibility in your field, joining professional associations demonstrates that you are involved in your industry and reveals that you are genuinely interested in personal and professional growth.
There are generally four types of associations that business professionals can become affiliated with. Member-Benefit Professional Associations. These organizations focus primarily on benefiting their individual members through access to physical resources, like journals and conferences. They also offer resources like peer support, networking and resume building.
Designation-Granting associations (Think CEU or PDU.) These organizations offer renewable certification for members to show their dedication to the field, after a candidate completes professional learning hours, demonstrates their knowledge of work products, passes an exam or completes a combination of these items. Certifying Bodies. Certifying bodies are organizations that issue credentials to their members once they meet set requirements. Unlike designation-granting associations, the main purpose of certifying bodies is to issue and track certifications. Applicants may need to have some education or professional experience as a prerequisite. Many certification organizations also require applicants to pass an exam and renew the credential based on guidelines.
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Professional Regulatory Bodies Professional regulatory bodies develop and maintain expectations of the industry. They follow state and federal guidelines in order to best serve the public and can exclude members if they don’t follow the established guidelines. a
Where to Begin with Professional Associations Knowing how to select the right professional organization for you is an important part of accessing the great benefits that professional organizations offer. Consider the following steps when selecting your affiliation: Determine your career goals Research your company and the larger industry Consider any necessary requirements Compare organization benefits One of the biggest perks of regular networking and establishing strong connections within professional groups is boosting your reputation and profile within your industry. Investing time and resources in professional development through associations can easily establish you as a worthy contender in your industry.
a. Indeed.com (2020), Q&A: Types of Professional Associations, retrieved from (https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-a-professional-organization
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FEATURE ARTICLE
We have added a resource library to our website with resources, guides, tutorials, and checklists every business owner needs.
WHAT'S NEW
We have it all in one simple place that’s easy to find and really easy to access. We simply can’t let the entrepreneurial spirit fade just because we’ve got a pandemic on our hands. I just believe we owe that to our community. We are going to share our knowledge and our research skills with anyone who wants to benefit from our years of experience and education in this field. Did you know we
FACE TO FACE MARKETING IS MAKING SOME BIG MOVES
have 4 Business Degrees, 2 Master’s
BY VICKI MORRIS
your ideal customers.
Degrees, and soon to be 3 Master’s degrees, and more than 30 years of combined experience among our team? We know what we’re doing, and we know how to help guide you on a path to better communicate your brand message and your unique value to NOMADIC
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Stay tuned to our social media channels, and our emails for details on these new and exciting opportunities with the team at Face To Face Marketing!! Customized consults designed for startup budgets & established businesses Workshops and seminars designed to get you results that day! Digital courses with downloadable PDFs, videos Group discussions on various marketing related topics Ask the experts events LOTS and LOTS of Free and valuable content to laser focus your marketing strategy That’s a lot of new and exciting opportunities we are bringing to you. We've been working very hard as a team to get all of this ready for you. Our rollout for the courses will begin this month in November. Our first course is:
WORKSHOPS & DISCUSSION GROUPS Another really cool option we have is our open workshops and discussion groups! Every week we discuss relevant topics about social media, websites, design, photography, video, storytelling, and strategy. What to expect: Detailed discussions on topics you want to learn about, access to assets related to the topic, answers to your questions for your specific business Frequency: Weekly events 30 -45 minutes long. Each will be recorded, and available to watch when convenient. Benefit: complete access to our knowledge base without the fee associated with a done for you service. Click here to receive more information about this option! https://forms.gle/r5TEXsDNkcq44XUT6 Of course, we want to know what you think about all we’re doing here at Face To Face Marketing! Send us an email and let us know your thoughts!! Even if you just wanna say hi, we’d love to hear from you!! Hello@FaceToFace-Marketing.com Sincerely ~Vicki
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A POOR BRAND MESSAGE CAN COST YOU BIG Is there a disconnect between what your company is saying and what your customer hears?
LET'S CLEAN UP YOUR LANGUAGE Understand what your customer wants and how to give it to them with a Communications Strategy that resonates with your audience. Contact Face to Face Marketing today.
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NETWORKING IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
BY VICKI MORRIS
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT FACE TO FACE MARKETING, LLC
We aren’t doing in person networking events with 50-70 business professionals in attendance, or rather, no one should be doing these kinds of events this during this time. However, the need and benefits of quality networking are still just as important today as they were 10 months ago. However, the need and benefits of quality networking are still just as important today as they were 10 months ago. he
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
point of any networking event is to ultimately develop and build strong business relationships that can lead to possible client contracts or collaboration opportunities for your business down the road.
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There
are
navigating
several the
aspects
everyday
to
successfully
networking
event,
whether in person or online. However, one thing remains constant, you have to be a master at the elevator pitch! First things first, do you have a firm
understanding
of
the
solutions
your
company offers? Another way to look at that is, do you understand the pain points your company solves for its clients? The Elevator Pitch is the central to any successful networking event. No matter what style of networking event you are attending, your mastery of the elevator pitch can determine the success of the event for you. Here are a few important facts to understand about your elevator pitch.
Do
you
understand
your
company’s
offerings, services, products and how they help customers? What pain points do you solve? What are some top clients I can share relevant stories about? Can I tell effective STORIES about how we help in 60 seconds or less?? Practice covering a few key points about your company and yourself in about 45-60 seconds. When people have to spend too many mental calories digesting what you are saying, you will be forgotten. Pick out 3-5 facts about your company and its service that you want to focus on for this event. Make the selection based on what you know about the people that will be
attending.
What
aspects
of
your
business will be MOST attractive to the audience in general?
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If you notice, in our list of tips on the elevator pitch, we did not say memorize your
‘speech’.
Networking
is
about
relationship building. Make sure you honor the people you encounter by giving them the authentic you. A very important fact to remember, people do business with people they know and trust. Your authentic self is the persona that will be central to building relationships. This does not happen with a ‘canned elevator pitch, that you clearly have memorized. Let your personality shine through when you discuss your offer. Do a really good job of listening to what they are telling you about themselves and the issues they face in their business. PRO TIP: Once you hear someone you are engaged in conversation with, in person or virtually, mention a particular struggle they have, or an issue they face in their business or industry, begin to
pay very close attention to what they are communicating to you. Carefully digest what you have heard, and craft your response to meet the needs they have just laid out before you. Most of this information is centered on networking during an event or following up from a previous event. There are many other forms of networking that are very important for any serious business owner to have a comfortable mastery of. Our team at Face To Face Marketing can walk you through several tips and techniques to help you master the art of networking events. Contact our office at hello@Facetoface-markeitng.com or visit our website at www.FaceToFace-Marketing.com. We can help you craft your elevator pitch points and help you develop the perfect list of points to include about your business as you plan for your next networking event.
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WITH
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