The race is on to register Business Clean Up sites for 2012 to green up and clean up your business.

Mark your calendar – the annual Business Clean Up Day will be 28 February 2012.

In 2011, 337 businesses across Australia took part in Business Clean Up Day. Together with communities and schools, Australian businesses helped to remove over 16,500 tonnes of rubbish right across Australia.

By taking part, businesses are inspired to work towards improving their environmental impact.

Some businesses also took the opportunity to clean up their own place of business and introduce some environmentally friendly initiatives including recycling, changing to recycled paper and introducing worm farms.

“We’re urging all Australians businesses to work together to clean up the environment or introduce more environmentally friendly policies in their own work environment,” Clean Up Australia’s Chairman and Founder, Ian Kiernan AO.

 

“Pull together as a team and help clean up your local park, waterways, beaches or even your own workplace. It’s a great team building experience to work together and see the positive results that Business Clean Up Day can achieve.”

Registrations for Business Clean Up Sites are now open.

To register, go to: cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Members Making it!

Member of the Week

Dr. Buzz McCarthy is an International author and recognised leading specialist in the area of intimate relationships, wealth, success and personal transformation. She is passionate about helping people make more compelling choices.

Buzz’s new book, Internet Dating: Men to Avoid, Men to Enjoy has been receiving plenty of media coverage, having recently been profiled in the Herald Sun, Living Now and on the Morning Show.

• Read more about Buzz in her ABN Member Profile
• Receive a 10% discount to attend Buzz’s Ultimate Relationship workshops if you’re an Australian Businesswomen’s Network member. Visit www.ultimaterelationships.com for dates and locations.

About the Book

Internet Dating: Men to Avoid, Men to Enjoy will help you discover how to find true love and passion via the Internet without fear, the top 5 strategies to present yourself online, how to identify 9 kinds of men you definitely don’t want to date, how to attract and keep a really masculine man, when to leave Mr Right Now and find Mr Right, and much more.

Visit www.mentoavoidmentoenjoy.com to learn more.

Purchase Internet Dating from Booktopia to save 15% on the retail price.

Recent Media Coverage

• Watch Buzz on Channel 9′s Morning Show, 2 February 2012
• ‘Just click for love’ – Buzz in the Herald Sun, 27 Nov 2011
• ‘Love stops time and starts eternity’ – Buzz in Living Now, Jan 2012

In March 2011, I heard one of the founders of location-based application, foursquare, speak at the South By South West Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. Up until that time, I’d not used location apps except for the occasional checkin through Facebook places.

Since then, however, I’ve been playing with foursquare to understand its application and how it can be used as a marketing tool for business.

Location-based applications work because they are available on mobile devices. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I can share with the world what I’m enjoying. And, if what I’m enjoying is a product or service that your business provides, then that’s good news for you.

The key part of using location-based applications is to CHECK IN.

By saying “I am here” at this location (restaurant, bar, show, place of interest, live event, playground) and (if I want to) posting comments and photos, I share what I like and dislike about this experience so that friends can take that information on board to make a better decision in the future.

And as the system gets to know what I like better, it’ll provide me recommendations —  ’facilitate serendipity’ as co-founder Dennis Crowley explains in this video:

A newbies special – a great way to reward new clients

I had my first experience of foursquare as a business tool a few months back when I went to visit a local hair salon. When I checked-in (the application invites me to register my visit in order to accumulate points and to share with my social networks great places I’m visiting), a message popped up – a Newbies Special.

It offered me a free hand massage while I was waiting to have my hair done. I was chuffed. Who doesn’t like a freebie?

A few weeks later, I was traveling to Melbourne and while in the hotel bar grabbing a pre-dinner drink, checked in on my iPhone. Up popped a special from the restaurant. Free glass of wine with my meal. I was planning on having dinner there, so this extra little bonus was the source of a promotional message from me out to my friends to share my good fortune.

Both these instances are examples of how thousands of small businesses are harnessing the power of location-based applications like foursquare to connect with clients and to reward customer loyalty.

Who doesn’t want to be mayor?

Foursquare is acquiring over one million new users per month. Millions of people in every city, in every country, are checking in and playing the game of foursquare – vying to be mayor of their favourite establishment.

The built-in gaming technology (you win points for multiple visits, you get crowned the mayor if you’re a regular – and many establishments reward mayors with extra love, attention, discounts) keeps fans using the application because loyalty and use is rewarded and because the built-in rewards system of acquiring points and beating your friends to a high score work.

(Quick aside: I’m the Mayor at my gym. Now, that’s not because I go there more often than anyone else who trains there, but I religiously check in to maintain my mayorship. When I’ve been ousted and de-crowned! — which foursquare takes joy in letting me know the minute it happens —  I’m quick to get back on my game to redeem my position. Sounds silly, but for the business, it’s a good testament. And, because each time I check in I have foursquare post to my social networks, those that I’m connected to on those networks get to see that I like going to this gym – and that’s a powerful endorsement when your customers are posting your name all over the social-media-sphere.)

Recommendations and referrals from people you trust

Dennis Crowley - Co-founder of foursquare

The ability to know what someone whom I trust thought of a place is a shortcut for me. Should I spend time going to that show or visiting that exhibition? My friends recommendations matter and I can know them by seeing what they said when they ‘checked in’.

It’s very clever.

Location-based marketing and your business

Facebook, despite having it’s Places application recently bought foursquare’s major competitor – so you can bet they know the power of location and are looking to make bigger waves in this aspect of social media and social sharing.

Still relatively new to businesses in Australia, foursquare is a powerful tool that should be explored as part of an integrated marketing campaign.

But what is foursquare and why has it become the hottest customer magnet ever conceived?

Here’s what bestselling author, David Meerman-Scott has to say:

“The power to reach buyers at the exact time and the exact place they’re looking for what you offer has massive implications for all kinds of businesses worldwide. Carmine Gallo expertly shows you how to tap into the foursquare revolution, and he does it with a practical approach you can put to work in your business right now. There’s an epic swarm and it’s time for you to check in!”
—DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, bestselling author of Real-Time Marketing & PR

Join the Australian Businesswomen’s Network on 8 February for a closer look at foursquare

International bestselling author Carmine Gallo not only has had unprecedented first-hand access to foursquare’s founders, he also has interviewed dozens of business owners and marketers who have revolutionised their businesses through The Power of foursquare.

He joins us on 8 February as our guest on BOOKED for Lunch, a free lunchtime webinar during which we’ll interview Carmine and ask him about his new book The Power of foursquare.

You can read more about this free upcoming webinar here.

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Members Making it!

Member of the Week

Michele Connolly runs Get Organized Wizard, a company that helps people move from procrastination to action through action-based programs that cover business, goals, personal organisation and weight loss.

Michele’s brand new eBook, 52 Weight Loss Missions, reached #16 in Healthy Living and #20 in Weight Loss on the Amazon Kindle Store. Congratulations Michele!

Visit the Amazon Kindle Store to read a preview from 52 Weight Loss Missions by Michele Connolly.

About Michele Connolly

Michele Connolly helps people move from procrastination to action. It’s her tagline at Get Organized Wizard.

She believes you can be happier if you take action on your priorities. Michele’s programs cover business, goals, home, personal organisation, writing and weight-loss, and are used by tens of thousands of people worldwide.

52 Weight Loss Missions gets people to take action on 52 projects that help them overcome excuses, win the mental battles and lose weight.

Visit www.GetOrganizedWizard.com.

• Learn more about Michele Connolly
• Read Michele’s herBusiness blog posts

Enjoy these tips from Michele:

• Social Networking: 7 Big Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Work-Life Zen: 4 Mind Tricks to Set You Free

On 6 February, 200 CEOs will cook with 30 celebrity chefs and feed 1000 people in need.

The CEO CookOff is a joint initiative of OzHarvest and Qantas and hopes to raise awareness around food security and one of Australia’s major social issues, homelessness and to raise significant funds for Australia’s food rescue charities, OzHarvest and Mission Australia.

Four female entrepreneurs, whom the Australian Businesswomen’s Network has interviewed for either our herBusiness podcast or In Her Shoes video series form the list of 114 CEOs who have already raised over $346,395 in donations for the event.

• Ronni Kahn, Founding Director, OzHarvest – Interview: Rescuing Good Food, Rescuing People in Need
• Rachel Argaman, CEO, Toga Hospitality – Interview: Why Culture Beats Leadership Strategy
• Lisa Messenger, Founder and Managing Director, The Messenger Group – Interview 1: Innovative Marketing. How Custom Publishing Can Boost Your Brand., Interview 2: Be Open to Opportunities. Take Risks and Jump Quickly.
• Andrea Culligan, CEO and Managing Director, Unimail – Interview: Stand Out from the Competition. Tips to Negotiate a Fair Salary.

To learn more about the event, including how you can get involved, donate or even sign up as a CEO, visit www.ceocookoff.com.au.

Innovative ways to present, persuade and win the deal

Oren Klaff’s unique S.T.R.O.N.G. Method, which he uses in pitches to get ahead of the competition and win the deal is the focus of new book Pitch Anything.

By Setting the Frame; Telling the Story; Revealing the Intrigue; Offering the Prize; Nailing the Hookpoint; and Getting a Decision, he gets results. Each of these tactics can get you where you want to go. Used together, they make a potent cocktail for conquering the deal.

This method helped an investment banker raise $400 million.

Join us on 29 February when Oren Klaff, author of Pitch Anything is our guest for BOOKED for Lunch, webinars with the worlds leading business book authors and thinkers.

Register for this complimentary webinar today.

BOOKED for Lunch Details:

Pitch Anything: Innovative ways to present, persuade and win the deal – National Webinar

Date:	Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Time:	12.00pm to 1.00pm AEDT (Check your timezone.)
Venue:	Webinar, from your home or office
Price:	FREE Not able to attend? Confirm your registration and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you after the live event. Note: You will need internet access to participate in this GoToWebinar. Call costs may apply if you do not use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Learn more about GoToWebinar.

About the Author:

Oren Klaff, Intersection Capital Oren Klaff is Director of Capital Markets for the investment bank Intersection Capital, where he raises tens of millions of dollars from investors and institutions. Intersection Capital has grown to $250 million of assets under management by using Klaff’s pioneering approaches to raising capital and incorporating neuroscience into its capital markets programs. He is a specialist in financial modeling and the co-developer of Velocity™, a capital markets product that has raised more than $100 million of private equity and venture capital. Read more about Oren Klaff.

About the Book:

Here’s what people are saying about the Pitch Anything formula:

What is a webinar?

A webinar is a web-based seminar. To participate you need internet access. Instructions will be sent to you on receipt of your registration. This webinar is brought to you by GoToWebinar, Web events made easy. Visit GoToWebinar and start your free 30 day trial today.

IMPORTANT – LIMITED SPACES ON THE DAY

Your registration today indicates your intention to attend. This event is a free event. We therefore expect a percentage of those that register to not attend on the day. With this in mind, the ABN/Citrix GotoMeeting will oversell the event. We recommend you login early on the day (lines will open approximately 15 minutes before the webinar commences) for the best chance of securing your place. In the event that you arrive at a time when the capacity has been reached you will not be able to attend the live session. You will however be sent a link to the recording of the webinar.

By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network

If you had to get up tomorrow, or a week from now, and pitch your idea to an audience, how would you go?

James Stevens, Roses Only, Lindley Edwards, AFG Venture Group and Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen's Network

Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) recently gave four women the opportunity to pitch in front of a panel of judges (Dragons’ Den style) and an audience of about 60 other business owners.

These four entrepreneurs weren’t pitching for money, but were none-the-less expected to do their best to convey their message and provide enough information (but not too much) about what they were offering. In exchange, they got some business advice to help them improve their pitch and further their ideas.

I was on the panel, along with James Stevens of Roses Only and the delightful Lindley Edwards of AFG Venture Group.

Four courageous women took the stage:

1. Nikki Hills, founder and managing director, Mouths of Mums
2. Michelle Teague, entrepreneur looking for her next venture (Invisible ink name badges!)
3. Angela Elliss, founder and managing director, Australian Home Design Directory Group
4. Julie Ankers, founder and managing director, Statement Pieces

Overall, they all did a great job pitching their ideas.They (obviously) knew their business and were very passionate.

Some of the areas that they could have done better at were clarity of message, succinctness and being specific about what the outcome of the pitch was.

Despite the evening event being a great networking night for a bit of fun, the women did get some great advice from the panel, including these four areas below:

Four Ways to Improve Your Business Pitch

Length of Pitch. How Long Should Your Pitch Be?

Most presenters exceeded the suggested time limit. If you have an audience (whether with your bank manager, investors or a potential business client) and they have allocated a certain amount of time for a meeting – then stay within the boundaries. It shows you respect their time.

It’s easier to speak for a long time than to speak succinctly for a short time. So, practise, practise, practise.

Say what you need to say with the most punch and fewest words.

If you’re compelling, you can ask for extra time to expand, but don’t take it without checking in or you risk losing people’s focus.

A Clear Message Cuts Through

Nikki Hills, Mouths of Mums

It was not always clear what the intentions was behind the pitch each woman gave.

What do you want the audience/panel to do? be very clear in your outcome and state it.

For example:

Today I’d like to tell you enough about our 2012 plans to convince you to share our message with you clients.

or

I’m looking to raise $10,000 for marketing. Over the next 10 minutes, I’ll present our marketing plan and I’ll then ask for your input on our ideas.

Tell Your Story – Set the framework

Your personal story adds colour and life and allows us to see behind the person that is doing the pitch.

When I was a panelist on the Dragons Den TV show, we dragons signed up equally on the likability of the person as well as the message and numbers. People like to do business with those they know and trust, so let the audience know you.

Similar to the clarity of message point above, tell your story, but don’t get carried away. We don’t need to know your history and every detail – just enough to make a decision or follow a call to action.

Know your facts and study your competitors

If you’re going into a new market then learn about that market, your competitors and who your competition is. As much as we like to think sometimes that we have no competition, we always do. It just may not be obvious. If you’re bringing out a new telephone (I know – extreme example) then the iPhone is not your only competition – not is every other phone – it’s actually every other way that there is for people to connect with other people.

Also, the whole market is NOT your market. There’s usually a subset of the big group who you can effectively address. (This is your ‘addressable market’.)

When it comes to the numbers, get really crystal clear about what it will cost to implement a plan. If you’re not good with numbers then it’s difficult for investors to have confidence in you. Run the details past your accountant and, again, practise talking about them so that you’re comfortable if asked questions.

Remember, you may only have one opportunity to pitch in front of a particular person or group. Pitching is an art and a science, so look to improve your skills as a presenter, speaker and do your homework.

And, good luck.

Suzi

P.S. I recently interviewed Lindley Edwards about narrative in business storytelling. You can listen to the interview here on our website or tune in on iTunes.

About DWEN

The DWEN community is an invitation-only, global community established to bring together an influential group of female CEOs, presidents, founders and business leaders to share best practices within the unique and challenging world of running high-growth businesses.

With the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) and other related initiatives, Dell is spotlighting female entrepreneurial success and creating an atmosphere where women can connect with one another, share best practices, build business opportunities and recognise female influence in business and technology.

DWEN Annual Conference: Dehli, India

In 2012, Dell’s annual conference will be at the cultural mecca of Delhi, India from June 17-19. Attendance is by invitation-only.

To learn more join the DWEN “Women Powering Business” Linkedin Community: visit www.dell.com/dwen

Being part of the DWEN community creates unique opportunities to connect, share best practices, build business opportunities and recognise female influence in business and technology. In addition to the annual DWEN Conference, the community holds webinars, Tweetchats and face-to-face networking events throughout Australia.

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Members Making it!

Member of the Week

Member Sharon Williams of Taurus Marketing was recently featured on Channel 9’s Weekend Today Show, explaining the need for young people and CEOs alike to be vigilant in protecting their brand by watching what they say online.

She discusses appropriate strategies to protect you and your loved ones digital resume and reputation.

Watch the interview on Channel 9.

About Taurus Marketing

Taurus is an Australian based, privately owned, integrated strategic marketing agency servicing the B2B and B2C sector. They deliver strategy and integrated marketing, public relations and social media solutions to help clients drive their business forward.

Clients range from smart entrepreneurs to major ASX-listed corporations here and overseas. Taurus has made their name on a ‘no bull’ promise of achieving outstanding results for clients.

Visit taurusmarketing.com.au

• Learn more about Sharon Williams
• Our herBusiness podcast interview with Sharon: Meet Marketing’s No-Bull Maven
• More media on Sharon Williams

By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network

A new book titled Outwitting the Devil is the long-awaited sequel to bestselling phenomenon Think and Grow Rich.

Written by Napoleon Hill in the 1930s, the book was too controversial to release in its time. Bestselling author Sharon Lechter has recently had the daunting task of annotating the book (given to her exactly as the author had left the manuscript 80+years ago) and working to make the important messages relevant to today.

And, she’s done a stellar job. The book is timely, easy to follow and contains poignant messages.

I read Outwitting the Devil in preparation for an interview with Sharon for the Australian Businesswomen’s Networks podcast series, herBusiness.

The interview, and the book, examine the greatest obstacles we face in reaching potential goals: fear, procrastination, anger and jealousy, as tools of the Devil (which is the way the author described them).

herBusiness podcast interview

Over 30 minutes, you can listen to Sharon tell us first hand:

• How fear, worry, doubt and indecision work against us
• Why victory goes to the people who know what they want and are determined to have it
• What the author discovered in his darkest moments that he turned around to achieve great success

I really enjoyed interviewing Sharon for this podcast. Take a listen in one of two ways:

Listen to this episode on our website.

Listen to this on your MP3 player, by downloading it from iTunes.

Purchase the Book

If you’d like to get a copy of the book, you can order it from Booktopia.

I’m a bit of a podcast addict. I love to listen to them while I drive or while I’m doing things around the house. It’s a great way to learn on the go.

Here’s a look at the library of podcasts we’ve created for you over the last year. Topics include small business, marketing, social media, interviews with authors. It’s all here on our website.

Australian Businesswomen’s Network Members Making it!

Member of the Week

Eleni Mitakos with daughters Zoe, 6 and Ava, 3

Eleni Mitakos and her company Galmatic were recently featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and on The Sydney Weekender!

Galmatic runs fun and interactive Car Care Workshops for women.

• Learn more about Eleni Mitakos
• Visit www.galmatic.com.au

Congrats on all the great press Eleni!

Eleni on The Sydney Weekender

Galmatic Feature in The Sydney Morning Herald

Galmatic Catalogue in Sydney Morning Herald and The Age