Another week where if we waited an hour here in Indianapolis, the weather changed. We’ve had ice, snow and on the rare side for January, thunderstorms.

Our blogs this week seem to have followed the pattern of one of our favorite interview questions…so weather you favor words, pictures or numbers, we’ve covered it in at least one of our blogs during the past week. If you’ve missed one or several, here’s a quick recap:

Saturday – Faces of Roundpeg: The Boy Band
Lorraine’s ode to Taylor & Jay and the way things used to be.

Sunday – Make Pictures Part of Your Web Design Strategy
Pictures are cropping up more often on blog posts, this article explains why.

Monday – Taking Stock of Your Image
In the “old” days, designers cringed at the thought of using stock photos, Jenna explains how to modify those photos to have a bigger impact and save money.

Tuesday - I Don’t Like Football, But I Love the Super Bowl
Most of us don’t realize all that hosting a Super Bowl brings to a local community as part of the Super 46, Lorraine explains what makes the Super Bowl special for the hosting city.

Marketing in Handcuffs with Muhammad Yasin:  More than a Few Words
For this week’s podcast we’ll be joined by Muhammad Yasin, social media strategist for HCCMIS, a travel health insurance company. The topic is learning how you can make regulations work in your favor.

Wednesday - Indianapolis Social Media: Way More than 46
Allison shares her thoughts on how the Super 46 could have been handled more effectively. What are your thoughts?

Thursday - It’s In the Numbers: 4 Strategies for Blog Success
Lorraine explains why paying attention to numbers in blog posts makes a difference.

Friday – You Can’t Save Everyone
This is the marketing version of you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

If you noticed that the weekly summary was published late this week, that is because the Roundpeg crew took the day off to head downtown to experience the pre Superbowl activities.  If you are in Indy, be sure to check it out before it is gone.

So, how is this Friday the 13th treating you? We’ve had another busy week at the ‘Peg. Our first seminar of 2012 was sold out and several of the other upcoming seminars are already sold out so don’t delay signing up if you’d like to participate. Of course no matter how busy we do carve out time to blog. Check out what made it into the Roundpeg blog-o-sphere this week:

Saturday – Faces of Roundpeg: My Coach Matt
After resisting the idea of a sales coach for years, Lorraine succumbed to Matt Nettleton’s charm

Sunday – Know Thy Busines
Allison explains why it is important to know your business…strengths, weaknesses and boundaries.

Monday – Korea Taekwondo Academy – Breathe out the Old, Breathe in the New
One of our newest website redesigns, KTAUSA.com gets a fresh new look.

Tuesday – Are You Really My Friend If We Just Chat Online?
The relationships are real, just different.

More Than a Few Words: No Bullshit with Erik Deckers
Conversation about social media users who are serious about using this tool as part of their business marketing strategy.

Visiting A2 University
Lorraine had fun chatting with Troy Hanna ( @the funsalesdude) on the new A2 University podcast.

Wednesday –  Pinterest: The Next Big Thing or a Waste of Time?
Allison explains why she thinks Pintrerest will be “the next big thing in 2012″.

Thursday – From Real Time to My Time
Perhaps a change for the better in 2012 would be better time management? Check out how Lorraine is making this change.

Friday – I’ld Rather Be Fat….

In response to a blitz of follows and friend requests from IndyFitEverything, Lorraine suggests that this is not perhaps the best strategy for small business owners.

I have a lot of fun visiting with Troy Hanna ( @the funsalesdude) on the new A2 University podcast today. This month they were talking about networking, so I had a chance to share a few of my favorite tips.

You can listen to the program here, and be sure to check out the entire series, every Tuesday afternoon from 4:00 – 4:30. Check it out. Troy definitely brings a level of fun to the broadcast.

It has been awhile since I have talked about or written anything about networking so it was fun to share some of my favorite tips, because I am a networking junkie!  I firmly believe this is an addiction every small business owner should develop.

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to learn more, you can order a copy of my booklet:  Confessions of a Networking Junkie.  Now available in hard copy, Kindle and eBook versions.

When @MiniPeg ( my daughter Michelle) was growing up one of her favorite books was Orlando’s Little-While Friends. As we moved from Dallas to Indianapolis, the simple premise of being open to making new friends wherever you are helped ease the transition.

I stumbled across a copy of the book recently, and I realized the author’s advice made equally good sense to people just beginning their journey into the world of Twitter. As Orlando’s family sets out in their super-shiny-travel-anywhere van he is afraid he won’t find anyone to play with along the way.  With encouragement from his parents, he discovers it is pretty easy to make “little-while” friends if you just say hello.

The same is true for social media. Watching the public stream on Twitter or discussion groups on sites like Smaller Indiana is a lot like sitting on a bench at a playground. Be like Orlando, jump in, say hello, make a new friend.  Add a comment, or simply respond to a post by someone you want to get to know.  You will be surprised how siimple it is to make the connection.

Orlando’s story ends as he returns home and discovers that one of his little-while friends has moved in next door.  The lesson is simple - don’t leave the conversations on Twitter.  Look for ways to connect off line as well.  Attend meet ups or create your own by setting coffee dates with people you would like to get to know better.  If you are part of the Indianapolis Social Media community drop by Hubbard and Craven any week day. You are sure to see a few of your little-while friends.

After almost four years of activity on social media, I have made hundreds, of little-while friends, and more then a few have become long time friends too!

I met Tony Scelzo at a Rainmaker’s event.  The conversation was lively and fast paced, with the appropriate amount of trying to impress each other.  We exchanged business cards and went on our way. But that conversation was the beginning of a relationship which would change the course of my business.

A few days later, Tony called and asked me to be a part of Rainmakers Advisory Board.   If you have ever had a conversation with Tony, you know there is lots of energy and when you walk away you realize you agreed to something.  Often, you are not sure what it was you agreed to.  That was the case during my first phone call.  I wasn’t quite sure what I was signing up for, but it felt right, and so I took a chance and said yes.

I said yes to being a speaker, board member, hub chair and ultimately president. Rainmakers introduced me to hundreds of people.  Many of my closest friends, clients and business resources were people I first met at a Rainmaker event. I refined my public speaking skills and the platform help me establish myself as a player in the small business community.   In return, my involvement with Rainmakers created processes which helped grow the organization to more than 1,600 members.

For more then seven  years, if you wanted to find me, all you had to do was show up at a Rainmaker event.  Most mornings I started my day with a conversation with Tony. We talked about Rainmakers and Roundpeg and the ups and downs of small business ownership. We shared employees and employee stories.  Tony always had another great idea and I had a hard time saying no. That is how I got involved in  The Buzz, the ill-fated Rainmaker University, and even the Rainmaker’s Golf Outing 

Saying yes to Tony opened a lot of doors and changed the way I looked at building connections.   I can’t imagine what Roundpeg would be like today, if I hadn’t said yes back then.
Over the years, I gave a lot of presentations at Rainmaker events. This is one of my favorites:

People have a lot of misconceptions about introversion. Being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shy, and doesn’t necessarily mean you hate people. The main crux of the difference between introverts and extroverts is where you draw your energy: extroverts draw their excitement and energy from being in crowds of people, while introverts find crowds exhausting, and take their energy from spending time alone.

Normally, it’s not a huge problem: introverts find jobs that allow them quiet time to analyze and absorb, and know how to manage their social lives in a healthy and positive way. But what about during networking events?

When I started working at Roundpeg and had to attend networking events, they were nothing short of a grim death march to the end. I loathed them. But after a year and a half, I’ve come to peace with them, and figured out a few tips and tricks that help me survive:

• Have a Goal: Before you set foot into a networking event, figure out why you’re there. Is it to make new sales contacts, meet new friends or make strategic connections? Having a firm sense of purpose can help you tailor your discussion to your needs, and make the time more productive.
• Have a Spiel: I’m not recommending that you go in with every word planned out ahead of time, but having a few key questions to ask can help smooth your way into a productive conversation. I like to ask “So what brings you here tonight?” as well as the ever popular “How can I help you?” Show genuine interest in the answers. As an added bonus, asking questions lets the other person carry the conversation–and you come out looking like a sensitive, great listener.
• Have a Reward: When I go to a networking event, I always have an ending in mind. Maybe that means I stay until 7:30, or it means I stay until I make five quality contacts. Having a set time or goal helps me get through the evening and be more productive. If it’s a particularly long or trying event, I might promise myself a treat afterwards–some time watching my favorite show or a nice dinner. Whatever helps you make it through.
• Be Realistic: I learned the hard way that if I try to do a networking event in the morning, another in the evening and work in the middle, I wind up not being my best at any of those things. Know what works for you, and let yourself be choosy about which events are really worth your time and energy.
• Don’t Be Clingy: This is one I’m still working on. It’s so easy to find people you feel comfortable with and spend all your time with. Don’t. This defeats the purpose of networking–to meet new people and make new connections.

Are men and women really that different or do we just have a tendency to just focus our differences instead of our similarities? We are excited to announce that we will be chatting with Hazel M. Walker, the “Referral Strategist” on this week’s radio show. We will be discussing Business Networking and Sex, the subject of Hazel’s new book, coming out in 2012.

Do you have any comments, questions, or tips about business networking and sex to share? Post it here, send it to one of us on Twitter or Facebook, or call in during the show at (805) 285 -9865. Remember to use the #hashtag #MTFW on Twitter, so we can find your comments easily.

The call will be live from 11:30 – 11:00 on Wednesday, July 27. You will be able to listen to the program from my station on BlogTalkRadio.com

And if you miss the live show, you will still be able to hear a recorded version of the broadcast here.

Have you sold as much this year as you were hoping to?  There is still half a year left to meet your sales goals.  If you aren’t sure how to get your small business sales activities started, tune into our sales conversation with Matt Nettleton for tips on how to get your sales process moving.

About Matt: A part of the team at Trustpoint, he is my sales trainer, and is responsible for some pretty big shifts at Roundpeg.  We are currently running 60% ahead of last year in revenue, and profits are up even more than that.  I have come to trust what Matt has to say about sales.  Just be warned, he is direct, says what he thinks, and isn’t afraid to call you out when he thinks you are blowing smoke.  Our podcast next Wednesday, July 13  is sure to be lots of fun!

Do you have any comments, questions, or tips about sales? Post it here, send it to one of us on Twitter or Facebook, or call in during the show at (805) 285 -9865. Remember to use the #hashtag #MTFW on Twitter, so your comments will be added to our Keepstream below.

The call will be live from 10:30 – 11:00 on Wednesday, July 13. You will be able to listen to the program from my station on BlogTalkRadio.com And then,  you will be able to hear the recorded program from the player below.  If you have a question, you will be able to call in: (805) 285-9865.

Everyone knows that Linkedin is a great tool for job hunting and networking with large companies, but what about Linkedin and small business?  We will be discussing how small businesses can effectively use Linkedin as a networking tool.

The call will be live from 10:30 – 11:00 on Wednesday, June 22nd. You will be able to listen to the program from my station on BlogTalkRadio.com And  if the time is not convenient for you, listen to the recorded program from the player below or from our iTunes channel.

So, I hope you will join us, to listen, learn, or share!

Thinking about exhibiting in a trade show this fall?   Now is a great time to start planning.  All too often clients wait until the show is almost upon them to start planning.  In the rush to be ready, mistakes get made and somethings just can’t be done in time. So this year, give yourself plenty of time to do it right.

Small Business Trade Show Tips