My 2¢ Worth

appy Easter every one! Although Easter is widely known today as a Judeo-Christian holiday, it origins are derived partially from ancient Pagan celebrations.

he ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they attempted to convert them to Christianity.

s it happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense, therefore, to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.

nd the name "Easter" originated with the name of an ancient Goddess, Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." And as coincidence would have it, the Goddess was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. Hence, the Easter bunny...

Feature Article

Relationship Marketing

by: Sharon Housley NotePage, Inc.

What is Relationship Networking?

Relationship networking is simply the art of meeting people and benefiting from those relationships. Often the benefit of these relationship is to obtain information and leads to further grow your business. Any successful relationship, whether a personal or a business relationship, is unique to every pair of individuals, and it evolves over time. Effective relationship networking is all about building those relationships and maintaining long lasting connections with other professionals.

The Internet is an excellent vehicle for networking. Relationships can develop in newsgroups, forums, and via email. Though nothing really beats good old-fashioned face-to-face networking to start the process of building a relationship and trust, which is why industry conferences can be so important.

Not all contacts will be useful or worth pursuing. There will be leads that don't provide much information. Use your judgment on whether the information and relationship is worth spending more time on.

Relationship networking opens new doors, often it's "who you know, not necessarily what you know".

Tip to Build Network Relationships:

1. Provide genuine assistance to others.
2. Be open-minded.
3. Remember personal details.
4. Respect cultural differences.
5. Research people and companies. Know their goals and interests.
6. Reciprocate.
7. Introductions.

Where to Network:

So many people wear multiple hats; everyone and anyone could possibly be a networking opportunity. However, just like targeted search engine traffic, the more targeted the networking the higher the chance of success. 'Targeted' networking offers the most potential.

1. Trade associations or industry specific organization.
2. Trade shows.
3. Friends.
4. Schools.
5. Focused newsgroups and topic specific forums.
6. Customers.
7. Suppliers.
8. User groups.

Constantly refine and grow your network of relationships, as they are valuable and need cultivating. If you are perceived as someone who is only trying to get something your network will likely not increase. Networking is about building relationships and mutual interaction benefiting both parties. Share information and help others grow their businesses.

In many ways relationship networking and partnering overlap, and on some occasion's relationship networking will lead to synergistic partnering.

Partnering

Partnering is an attractive flexible way for companies to develop new markets and additional revenue. Working together, partners can combine strengths in critical areas. Often a larger well-known vendor provides small vendors with credibility, while the smaller vendor contributes specific industry knowledge unknown to the larger vendor. Synergistic relationships come in all shapes and sizes, but the best relationships and partnerships are the ones that benefit everyone. Partnering is a good way of tapping into related customer bases. Often the partners complement each other in such a way that they can provide a combined solution that neither partner could deliver alone.

Expectations

In order for a relationship to work you must have a clear understanding of both your companies and product(s) strengths and weaknesses. By being aware of any deficiencies, you will find partners with strengths in the areas of your weaknesses.

1. Know what you have to offer.
2. Know what you are looking for.
3. Don't waste yours and your potential partner's time.

Different relationships/partnering that works:

1. Product bundling.
2. Newsletter exchanges.
3. Integrations.
4. Link exchanges.
5. Technology or knowledge exchange.
6. Revenue share.
7. Ad exchange.

Win/Win

Only when each partner is successful can the partnership itself claim success. Partnerships are genuinely a win-win. Developers, who master the art of strategic partnering and relationship networking, will obtain long-term profitability and success.

Final Tips

1. Qualify sources.
2. Adage - you are who you hang with.
3. Not every relationship is a good one.
4. Evaluate potential partners.
5. Make it personal by taking the time to say thank you.
6. Results are not always immediate.
7. Carry business cards everywhere you go.

Being proactive and following up, you can have a network of contacts that you will be able to access quickly when you need them. Whether by more traditional means, such as in person or over the Internet, personal networks are essential for furthering your business. Relationship networking is give and take, be sure to help others in your quest for help.

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Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at www.softwaremarketingresource.com, and www.small-business-software.net

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As part of our ongoing commitment to provide quality content, we would like you to take a moment to rate this article on a five point scale. Not useful 1.   2.   3.    4.   5. Very useful Too short 1.   2.   3.    4.   5. Too long Additional comments:

 

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Second Article

Ask Questions First!

by: Ken Darby The Pebble

A priest is walking down the street one day when he notices a small boy tying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. However, the doorbell is just out of his reach.

After watching the boy's efforts for some time, the priest moves closer to the boy's position. He steps smartly across the street, walks up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder leans over and gives the doorbell a ring.

Crouching down to the child's level, the priest smiles benevolently and asks, "And now what, my little man?"

To which the boy turns and yells, "NOW WE RUN!"

It seems to me this priest was making assumptions that might now put him into an embarrassing position. He assumed the boy was wanting to ring the doorbell and speak with anyone who answered. The priest must have been an older fellow who had forgotten the things he did as a boy.

Assumptions can get us into a great deal of difficulty, or keep us from gaining our objective. We must learn to be attentive every step of the way. Ask questions at every turn to ensure you are fully aware of the condition as it changes.

There is a story about Henry Ford who once took out an engineer for lunch. Ford wanted to hire an engineer for a certain project and this was part of his selection process. The pair sat down, ordered, and spoke through the meal. When the food arrived the engineer took the salt and pepper and seasoned his meal as he always did when he ate. Ford never hired him. It seems the man never tasted his food before he added the salt and pepper. He had assumed it needed the seasoning. Ford could not afford to have any engineer assume anything. That is a sure recipe for failure.

Some fail to ask questions on the basis it makes them look foolish. Poor excuse. If you ask a question you are ignorant until you get the answer. If you don't ask you are ignorant past the point of no return. Assuming can cause you to fail. It is a disease that is based on vanity, ego, pride.

It is in your life too. You will undoubtedly experience it once or twice, but pledge to your self you will...

Ask Questions First!

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Ken Darby writes articles, books and other material helping people achieve their goals. Find out if an internet business is for you. Find the facts and methods that will help you decide. Send a blank email by clicking on this link professional@rr-email.com

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