Recently I had an email from a member who is not renewing as he says he didn't get enough out of our networking events, because it seemed to him most people were there for a free drink and a social chat rather than finding out more about their fellow attendees.

That's probably true of many networking events. We've realised it and instigated a couple of months ago interactive learning sessions at our Business After Hours events to teach you the rudiments of networking. The free beer and wine is fine but there's a lot more to it! Members Suzy Jacobs and Greg Jenkins will be giving ten minute networking lessons in alternate months to help you get more from your membership.

There's a golden rule about networking: It's not me, it's you. If that sounds like the beginning of a D&M, it's not, but perhaps for those of us who've had memorable D&Ms in our time it's easy to remember. You're not there to talk about you. Really. Your aim at events such as Business After Hours should be to find out more about your fellow attendees, what they do, where they are located, what sort of referral is a good one for them. As you're chatting away you may think of someone you know who can help them with their current needs and projects. Be upfront: tell them you want to know more about them to see if there's a way you can help. Chances are they will do the same for you once they know what your conversational aim is.

Don't expect to hit the jackpot with business and referrals from one, two or even half a dozen events. It can take time to build up trust - remember, networking is all about relationships (does that D&M simile ring a bell now?). You're not there for a one-night-stand, you're there for the long term when it comes to business networking, and like any relationship it's all about finding out more about others and leaning to trust and respect them and them learning to trust and respect you. Read any professional networking book or website and you'll be told that it can take six to twelve months for a return on your networking investment.

Another golden rule: Follow up! You're at an RBF Business After Hours. There are 70 other people there. Most of them chat for about ten minutes to another then move on. There's the potential that some people will talk to up to twenty individuals in some sort of depth over the course of an evening. Some of these may be people our networkers already know. Some will be first time acquaintances. How do you expect one person to recall you, if you are a first time acquaintance, the next day if they have spoken to so many others? Yes, they have your business card, but what now? Assuming you have their business card, drop them a line. Ring them up. Send a card. Send a letter. Remind them of what you were talking about, especially if you identified a way in which you can help this person. You may have promised to send them someone else's contact details or give them the address of a useful website. Strike while the iron's hot and follow up as soon as you can after the event.

More networking tips soon - but I hope this helps you at our next event, the huge multi-Chamber networking night on 10 October 2011.

-Sabrina Ferguson

by RBF Member Sally Foley-Lewis

'Who's really coaching the middle manager?' At first glance of the question, it might seem quite obvious or even rhetorical: the senior managers, executives and CXO's are coaching the middle managers! Aren't they?

Those who do
I am confident there are senior managers, executives and CXO's out there who are truly engaged with their middle managers by providing quality thought provoking and insight-creating coaching moments. I very respectfully tip my hat to you and encourage you by saying, from someone who was once stuck 'in the middle' without quality support, thank you and please keep going!

Those who think they do
Now let's turn our focus to the senior managers, executives and CXOs who think they are coaching. Do you feel as though I just put a target on your back? That is not my intention, I want you to step back from your current thinking and processes and have a moment to ponder what you really do.

All I ask is that you sit with some questions, think them through as you allow the answers to emerge:

• When you are with your middle managers, who speaks the most?
• What sort of questions do you ask, do they invite exploration or lead to short and direct answers, do they inspire solution and vision-driven answers?
• Do you wait for an answer?
• When a middle manager comes into your space seeking a solution to a problem, do you just give the answer (because let's face it, that often saves time, and time is money) or do you choose another process?
• Do you guide, mentor and train or do you coach. Alternatively, do you ensure a mixture of these approaches and you can clearly identify when you are playing each respective role?

Let these questions sink in, you do not have to answer them to me as such but I would ask that you be honest with yourself.

So, are you really coaching your middle managers?

What's really going on?
Often when a problem emerges in what I like to term the 'middle squish', the affected or offending middle manager is sent on a training course because it is earnestly believed that the training will 'fix' the problem. Three days away from the office sitting in a conference room somewhere discussing application of theory and a case study will not in itself create the change needed. That said, it can lay a very solid foundation for development; it's important for further expansion of knowledge; allows for networking; and also helps clear the head-haze / brain-fuzz by being away from the workplace for a short period.

The issue I have is that in most cases the training course is considered the treatment, the band-aid, if you will. What's missing is thorough diagnosis or identification of the real challenges; there's fuzzy, limited or no focusing on the vision and way forward; and whatever vision there is, is set without input from the middle manager.

The case for quality coaching the Middle Manager

• Middle Managers often serve many leaders within the one organisation.
• Middle Managers are often assessed by leaders they don't normally or regularly report to.
• Middle Managers oversee projects being executed by teams who don't report directly to them.
• Middle Managers have demands, gripes and challenges (and great successes too) all coming up from the ranks.
• While also competing with their peers for resources, approvals, and projects, and the top-down demands to do more with less and understand, articulate and implement the organisation-wide vision.

This is the 'middle squish'! Surely this evidences the need for middle managers to receive good quality coaching and thoroughly diagnosed and customised training that inspires, energises and is solution and vision-driven.

What can you do to truly coach your middle managers to survive and thrive the 'middle squish'?

Sally has helped managers in a range of industries, such as oil and gas, finance, telcos, aviation, education and ship building, to be more effective, efficient and passionate about their management role.  Sally is a certified trainer and coach who helps fast-track managers to productivity.

e:   sally@sallyfoleylewis.com

w:  www.sallyfoleylewis.com

tw: @sallyfoleylewis

 

It's renewal time again, with membership fees due by 30 June 2011, and we know a few of you are wondering about the best spend of your dollar in these times, which are still hard for many small business owners. Should you keep your membership up?

The ones who are questioning the value of their membership are mostly people who don't come along to networking events or interact very much with us. I suspect they don't open their invitations or enews half the time and don't have a handle on what's going on and what opportunities are here in Ryde for meeting other business people and exploring opportunities with them.

Face to face networking is very much the best way to establish trust and contact with other members. We hold a networking event once a month, and unlike some of those groups who meet weekly, attendance isn't compulsory. Once a month isn't a hardship, especially when our wonderful host members provide the good quality food and beverage we always enjoy. Considering we get on average 70 people at Business After Hours, and at every event there are first-time visitors and/or new members, you won't just see the same faces each month. Bear in mind though that those same faces will be the ones who have a handle on what you do if they have met you several times before and are in a position to recommend you to others. 

Some of you may not be aware that you can ask for a new copy of the Member List any time you like. We don't send it out automatically but all it takes is a phone call or email for the latest version to be winging its way to you. There you'll find contact details for all members including what type of business they are in. 

Read the e-news and Intercomm. We include events held by other members in the e-news and when we get the info in time news about local Chamber events as well. Get along to a few of these - our larger members in particular have a big database and you'll meet more contacts. Some events are industry-specific and they could be of particular interest to you depending on the industry you're in.

Use the news system to promote your business, your events, your news, your products, your services. Add us to your media release list so we know what you're up to and can tell others. We update the news page on our website several times a week and more than 2,000 individual visitors view our site each month. 

If you run a regular newsletter, send an email to all RBF members asking them to opt in to your newsletter (we recommend using a service such as MailChimp to run email campaigns, they offer a great opt in service and are compliant with spam laws). In an earlier post we had an excellent article on permission-based email marketing by member Nicci Barnes. You may not be aware that simply adding RBF members' details to your email marketing database without their permission contravenes spam laws and may put them off dealing with you. Ask them to opt in in your email and make your opt in reasons compelling, telling people what they'll miss if they don't. 

Partner with us. Up your membership level or take out web advertising and get you logo linked on everything. We are very happy to tell people about our partners - for example GWP Media gets a mention at every event as our support partner.

Speaking of partnering,the City of Ryde has a new Economic Development Officer, Nathan Pratt. We are working with Nathan and planning a range of events for businesses of all sizes and a strategy for approaching every business in Ryde to let them know about the new Ryde Planning & Business Centre and growing your business with RBF. Now...there are nearly 13,000 businesses registered in Ryde. We anticipate growing our membership base significantly over the next 18 months giving members a much wider contact base and potential for (free) advertising in our newsletters and exposure for paid sponsorship logo links.

Now Marcella has joined our team to help organise events we are planning more keynote speaker breakfasts and luncheons on topics you told us you wanted to hear more about in our last member survey. We now have two part time staff, working on growing membership and awareness.

Unlike some of the weekly networking groups I mentioned earlier, we are an umbrella Chamber of Commerce and like all Chambers offer more than just networking. We are an advocacy group. We will approach all levels of government and lobby on your behalf. Whether it's an unrepaired footpath outside your shop or the impact of work on the M2, public transport throughout Ryde... we're there for our members. We are represented on a number of Council committees including the Macquarie Park committee and the Economic Development Advisory Board.

We work with other Chambers of Commerce in our area and across northern and western Sydney to discuss best practice and how we can improve our service to members. Together with our local Chambers we meet regularly with Ryde Council to discuss issues which impact business in the area - LEPs, Council signage, local precinct promotion... there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes most members aren't aware of, but we and local Chambers are working to improve the City and make it an even better place to do business.

So there are a few reasons why you should sign the cheque, phone us with your credit card number or pay by Paypal or EFT right now!

by Sabrina Ferguson

I was chatting to my accountant last week about how hard it seems to be at the moment getting clients to pay for services rendered - and in the case of RBF, some members paying their renewals. (Hint hint if you haven't paid!)

"Everyone is paying slower these days," he said. "I see it in a lot of my clients. They are even not paying their tax on time. They have the money in the bank to do it but pay their tax so late they accrue interest of 12% on the amount owing." That made me shake my head. If you have money in the bank only earning 4% interest, and a bill with 12% interest on it, surely clearing up the bill makes better financial sense. 

Like 80% of businesses in Australia, my accountant's business is a small business.

And when payments get slow across the entire system, it's small and micro businesses that suffer. 

The big guys work on 30 or 60 day accounts, and careful juggling of the payment system ("Oh, sorry, you missed this week's cheque run!") mean they hang onto their money longer and their suppliers have to wait an extra week or two.

This is a problem for suppliers, especially those of us in small business who run on 7 day accounts, not 30 or 60 day accounts. 

Take my own small business, Arion Productions. I offer graphic design and web services. If I do a print job for a client, I expect to be paid within 7 days as I have to pay my printer within 7 days. Because I'm a diligent, courteous person I like to pay my printer - and other suppliers - on time. I don't want anyone badmouthing me about not paying my bills. I am embarrassed if I don't pay on time - large organisations don't feel any shame about letting suppliers down, however. I've found it easier to deal with SMEs as they are also on 7 day accounts and for the most part pay within that timeframe. However, slow payers have made a very negative impact on my cash flow in the last twelve months. I'm having to juggle every cent. And I know I'm not alone in that as I speak to other micro biz owners often and hear their thoughts too.

However, all this slow paying is having a disastrous effect on our economy, particularly in the retail sector. Those 80% of small business people waiting on payments from others are not buying non-essentials. Shopping centres are half empty - take the lovely new Top Ryde City. It's only busy at weekends. On weekdays you could bowl a bowling ball through it and not hit anyone. Retailers are doing it very tough indeed, with empty shops and permanent SALE signs in the windows. 

What's the solution here? How do you stop companies owing you money from stalling on payments? If small businesses start to close from lack of cashflow, our economy will take a permanent nosedive. Unemployment rates will rocket. 

What are your thoughts? Do you pay your suppliers on time or do you regularly stall? How can we turn the economy around so that small businesses get paid on a timely basis?