Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 19, 2012

17

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 19, 2012 


BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA


WHAT’S ON YOUR BUSINESS CARD?

MAKE YOUR MEETINGS MATTER 

As you meet people OFF-
line during networking 
events, do you have a strategy 
to stay connected with 
them ON-line through your social media? Think 
of your business card as a tool that can help you 
convert a two-second handshake into a valuable 
social media connection.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not always easy 
to ask someone if they want to be friends on 
Facebook or join our email list. But as a business 
owner in this new marketing age, I know it is important 
to build those connections. 

I now have the most obnoxious business card in 
the world! It has the standard, name and logo on 
the front but when you turn it over, it’s a social 
media calling card. And it works. (see image 
below)

Some people prefer Twitter, some Facebook and 
some would just rather subscribe to your emails. 
Why not cover them all. It’s important to give 
people choices and not let your own social media 
preference get in the way of a good on-line marketing 
strategy. It doesn’t matter the tool they use 
to connect with you, what matters is they want to 
stay in touch.

Here are some local opportunities coming up to 
learn more, network with other business owners 
and practice handing out your social media calling 
card:

Social Media Marketing Made Simple at the Executive 
Factor in Arcadia, CA 

Tuesday May 22, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 3:00

Social Media Marketing Made Simple at Grand 
Slam Sports Center in Monrovia (no fee)

Tuesday June 5, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM 

Learn how a local business, Grand Slam Sports 
Center, is leveraging Social Media and email 
marketing in their business. 

The Power of Email Marketing and Action steps 
for your next email campaign at Arcadia Chamber 
of Commerce (no fee)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 11am – 1pm, Arcadia 
Chamber of Commerce

Sign up for these events at: www.hutdogs.com/
workshops/schedule

About MJ: 

MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services 
business. They are known for eye-catching graphic 
design and web solutions but, that’s not all they do! They 
teach businesses and nonprofits how to master the basics 
of online social media marketing tools. They have 
a knack for walking clients through the steps needed to 
feel comfortable with the full range of on-line social media 
tools, especially seasoned business owners who don’t 
quite know where to start or what to do. 

Know anyone who’s always 
running to or from a meeting 
and constantly complaining that 
they never seem to catch up with 
their work? Anyone who has 
had to sit through meetings that 
are not productive have been 
subjected to a list of irritating 
scenarios?

Some participants use every 
meeting as an opportunity to 
grandstand to demonstrate how 
smart they are, others use it to 
push a personal agenda that 
will result in some advantage or 
future benefit for themselves. 
Considering that called by those 
entrusted with management 
responsibilities (i.e. department 
heads, directors), it would make 
sense to provide trainings on 
how to conduct meetings that 
contribute to the progress and 
success of an organization. 
Meetings are necessary and 
when planned and conducted in 
an efficient and effective manner, 
they have the potential to create 
a gathering place for individuals 
to share ideas, develop plans and 
get meaningful updates on the 
status of projects. Unfortunately, 
way too many meetings seem 
to have the end goal of simply 
scheduling the next meeting.

The formula for meaningful 
meetings will always include the 
following elements: 


1. The meeting must have 
an identified purpose and specific 
goals. Meetings scheduled on a 
regular basis run the greatest risk 
of becoming the biggest time 
wasters if the group is meeting 
just to meet. If that’s the case, 
perhaps it’s time to convene for 
a less formal breakfast, lunch 
or dinner gathering to provide 
time for socializing. 
2. Set a start and end 
time, and respect it. Don’t 
underestimate the positive 
impact of starting and ending 
meetings on time, or establishing 
the pattern of always running 
late. Employees will always have 
a negative opinion of managers 
who disrespect their time in 
this manner, even if they’re 
too politically correct, and 
concerned for their livelihoods 
to express it to the offender. 
3. Prepare a written 
agenda that provides a means 
for adding items of importance 
to all participants at upcoming 
meetings. It’s best to provide an 
arena where everyone is able to 
voice their concerns and make 
contributions in a constructive 
way. 
4. There should be a way 
to determine how participating 
in meetings is helping to 
support the work being done 
by the participants in between 
the meetings. If the same 
information is being rehashed 
from meeting to meeting, or if 
little to no progress has been 
made on a project that was 
introduced months, the group 
is wasting thousands of dollars 
in time lost to hold useless 
meetings. 
5. Ask the participants for 
input on how to improve the 
meetings and be willing to listen. 
Poll the groups about the ideas 
they would like to incorporate 
and implement them. 


These are a few things to 
consider before planning your 
next meeting. Remember, “time 
equals money” is also applied 
to time spend in meetings. By 
making them more effective, you 
and your company can become 
more productive and more 
profitable.