Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more . Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company's presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.

Social-Media/Social-Bookmarking Sites

Share your favorite sites on the Web with potential clients and business partners by commenting on, uploading and ranking different newsworthy articles. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company's Web site.

1. Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you'll gain a more loyal following and increase your presence on the site.
2. Digg : Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
3. Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
4. StumbleUpon: You'll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and "channel surf[ing] the Web. You'll "connect with friends and share your discoveries," as well as "meet people that have similar interests."
5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
6. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.
7. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" Share your industry's secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.
8. Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
9. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
10. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free.
11. YouTube: From the fashion industry to Capitol Hill, everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company's latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day.
12. Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.

Professional-Networking Sites

Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.

1. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.
2. Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on "connecting business people" through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.
3. Focus: Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions by accessing research and peer expertise. Most importantly, Focus provides open, quality information for all businesses that is freely available, easily accessible, and community powered.
4. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.
5. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
6. Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.
7. Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
8. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
9. MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
10. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
11. Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
12. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
13. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
14. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.

Niche Social-Media Sites

Consider linking up with one of these social-media sites to narrow down your business's target audience. You'll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer.

1. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
2. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being "your link to the Web content that really matters." Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You'll also meet others with similar interests.
3. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
4. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
5. Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
6. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
7. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
8. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.

General Social-Media Sites

The following social-media sites provide excellent opportunities for businesses to advertise; promote specials, events or services; and feature published, knowledgeable employees.

1. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia, you can connect with other users on Wikipedia's Community Portal and at the village pump, where you'll find conscientious professionals enthusiastic about news, business, research and more.
2. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community.
3. 43 Things: This site bills itself as "the world's most popular online goal setting community." By publicizing your company's goals and ambitions, you'll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success.
4. Wetpaint: If you're tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company's presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.
5. Twitter: Is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers."
6. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users' questions with this social-media Q&A service. Search for questions in your particular areas of expertise by clicking categories like Business & Finance, Health, News & Events and more. If you continue to dole out useful advice and link your answer to your company's Web page, you'll quickly gain a new following of curious customers.

Job Sites

If you want to secure high-quality talent during your company's next hiring spree, you'll need to maintain a strong presence on popular job sites like the ones listed below.

1. CareerBuilder: Reach millions of candidates by posting jobs on this must-visit site.
2. The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal: The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal attracts well-educated professionals who are at the top of their game. Post a job or search résumés here.
3. CollegeRecruiter.com: If your firm wants to hire promising entry-level employees, check CollegeRecuriter.com for candidates with college degrees.
4. Monster: Post often to separate your business from all the other big companies that use this site to advertise job openings.
5. Sologig: Top freelancers and contractors post résumés and look for work on this popular site.
6. AllFreelance.com: This site "offers self-employed small business owners links to freelance & work at home job boards, self-promotion tips" and more.
7. Freelance Switch Job Listings: Freelance Switch is the freelancer's online mecca and boasts articles, resource toolboxes, valuable tips and a job board.
8. GoFreelance: Employers looking to boost their vendor base should check GoFreelance for professionals in the writing, design, editing and Web industries.
9. Yahoo! Hot Jobs: This site is often one of the first places that job seekers visit. Post open opportunities and check out informative articles and guides to gain insight on the hiring and interviewing process.
10. Guru.com: Build your company's repertoire with top freelancing professionals by advertising projects on this site, otherwise known as "the world's largest online service marketplace."

The original source of this article is InsideCRM.com, part of the Focus network of sites. I was in the middle of compiling my own and stumbled upon this great list. We hope you find it useful.

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Social CRM blossoms from good old human nature and a wave of new tools - now is the time to plug in

The transition from Traditional CRM to Social CRM is a bit of a paradigm shift while still being rooted in the basics of human nature. This new wave still includes all of the elements of traditional relationships where trust and loyalty are king. Business has always been social to a certain degree this is just a revolution in the way people are communicating through a new tool set. There is also a significant shift in "Who is in charge". It began with the consumer taking charge through the evolution of the web and Globalization. This all required you to compete globally vs locally. The trend is that collaboration will become more horizontal vs vertical. The military/enterprise [esk] (vertical) top down authoritative management model will be transformed over time to a lot more (horizontal) network based collaboration and contribution oriented. CRM magazine's latest issue is all about Social CRM and this phenomenon. Well worth the read and they have a beautiful graphic that illustrates their projected map of the future.

Where do Small Businesses fit in?

So the big question here is where is all of this leading for the small business owner or entrepreneur launching a start-up? How can this evolution create opportunity for those new innovators and how can they compete with the big boys in the marketplace?

I believe the accessibility of this new technology can really level the playing field if implemented with a smart plan that targets the right priorities. The trick is that it is all about listening effectively and being able to respond. There are a ton of great case studies on this in the book "Groundswell " and throughout the blogosphere.

Quite the BUZZ and fight for market share

The buzz is defiantly out there for Social CRM and Social technologies in general. The race is on for who is going to get the best market share of the social wave(s). I say waves since there are so many viable niches. Take the contrast between a linked in and myspace as a fair example. I am very surprised that I have grown such a significant following on my twitter page in a very short time period (@cnpsupport) and last week Google pushed out the "Google WAVE":

Google WAVE: http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-guide/

Twave: http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/twave/

I also posted last week about 1000 twitter apps that I found online. I am building a pretty good list for facebook right now as well. These are all indicators of serious momentum.

With all of these powerful tools flooding the market you really have to be on your toes and it is easy to get overloaded with information. This all comes back to developing a good listening strategy and implementation plan for the right technologies. The social technology boom is a natural fit with traditional customer relationship so it is just figuring out what is going to be the best approach for you. It is going to take a lot of careful thought and some "testing of the water" to get the right plan. Remain flexible to change and then you have to have the discipline to execute it consistently over time.

Platform for future proofing your business

Since our conception our model has been to provide support for a variety of open source tools that provide solutions to particular pains and challenges faced by the average small and midsized business. They all face hurdles trying to increase sales , lower costs or to become more competitive in a global marketplace. The CRBM Platform offers fully integrated capabilities once only available to large companies with deep pockets. Most often small businesses grow from one or a couple people's great ideas or innovations and this means that these entrepreneurs often become overwhelmed with wearing many hats and juggling a lot of information and tasks all at the same time.

Having a good web based infrastructure and consolidated tool set to help them create, scale and manage a role and process based organization while increasing their marketing and communications efficiencies and reach is of vital importance. For these systems to be effective they have to be an integrated part of how companies do business, come from the leadership (top down) so starting early is always better, before other habits are formed. It is a well know fact that properly implementing technology can have a significant impact on success at any stage in your company's growth. It can have a equally devastating consequence if implemented poorly or the wrong decisions are made along the way.

The right tool for the right job

The right customer relationship business management system (CRBM) will help future proof your business.  However, it can be a daunting task sorting out which tools to implement and when. It is just a lot to get your head wrapped around in concert with all of the new social technologies, while you are trying to do all of the other aspects of developing your product or service and responding to the needs of your customers. For any business with a face on the web it is not a matter of "if" you need a CRM, because you do, but rather how effectively you can use the right tools for your business model.

Building Value, reducing costs and better execution

For the reasons stated above we have put significant effort into our new Value Building Methodology , designed to help small businesses bridge that gap between their people, the right technology and an effective strategic plan. We are finding that with this proven process for defining requirements and implementing carefully thought out strategies in the project life cycle, that we can guarantee success like never before.

With the current economic conditions in a global economy, no one can afford to miss their targets or duplicate efforts.  Companies need to attract more customers with less resources, they need better business intelligence to respond faster to their customers, they need to consolidate their technologies, improve efficiency with their team collaboration and they have to reduce overhead. To do this they need to get the best value out of their vendors and the technology choices they make. They also need to align and train the people integrating with these systems to be as effective as possible.

Plan for success

It is very clear that the only way to do this without a lot of hit and miss is to use a Value Building process to:

1.       Identify the right questions to be asking

2.       Identify the right tools to connect the right dots

3.       Identify the right processes and map them to the technologies

4.       Build a targeted strategy that matches your business model

5.       Creating a realistic action plan and timeline

6.       Track the results and align/update program with feedback

This may sound like some of the same old project management methodology stuff but we have some twists that really take this up a few notches. Since most of the Social technologies are new and continue to change, this program is structured but quite fluid to adapt to the chances not only in technology but within your organization. We also incorporate a baseline technical support contract that includes a bunch of bundled services and discounted rates for the CRBM Platform . This brings deployment costs down for customers while allowing us to respond more effectively to help make each program more successful. Customers benefit from the growing customer community, falser innovations and collective knowledgebase.

In conclusion:

The WAVE of Social CRM is something that small businesses need to jump on and ride effectively if they are going to get a place at the table.

Social Technologies and application of CRM tools are evolving and you need to remain flexible in your approach yet be consistent over time and keep listening to your customers (or you will lose them).

If you do not develop the right strategic approach and realistic execution plan you could end up spending way more money and time than you should or you could just miss the bus all together. Who can afford to do this in the current state of the economy?  This is a series of make and break decisions so make sure you pick the right tools, develop a solid plan and get good advice and support from the right vendors along the way .

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Here is a follow up on an earlier post about building quality customer relationships. One of our partners shared this Youtube video with me. So often this has been the way customers look at billing when it comes to vendor client relationships.

The Vendor Client relationship - in real world situations

It is somewhat of a painful truth and when "choosing" customers you wish to do business with it is important to make sure you set and manage expectations prior to "serving the meal". If you are a good service provider and can stand by your work, you should have no trouble spelling out very clear terms of service up front. If the potential customer is not in agreement with these and you have not clarified this you will end up in an uncomfortable moment when the bill is processed. Often this will leave someone feeling "burned" in the deal so get it all out up front before the "farm is bought".

I posted an article last month with some of what we do to make sure we manage our customer expectations. "Flat bid contracts and Value Building - Joomla CMS Web 2.0 Development" http://bit.ly/FSOrk.

The whole concept of building value in your customer relationships will make a huge difference when it comes to meeting realistic expectations. To do this there is a bit of training required to enable your customer with what they need to know to get the best value out of your services. It is equally as important as a provider to be responsive with your communication and to really understand your customer's needs and priorities.  This way you can deliver on your promise with quality support that meets or exceeds their expectations.

None of us service providers want to face the scenarios in this video. We have to be secure in our ability to meet our commitments, be clear on what we commit to and make sure our customers are familiar with the ground rules required for us to perform in a way that will give them the best return on their investment. In the end we have to build confidence with our customers and shape expectations prior to engagement, since no one enjoys surprises. I think the better job one can do anticipating the "what if's, asking the right questions and communicating up front, the more successful you can be at building quality customer relationships with the customers right for you.

See related blog articles and links:

• 100's of Entrepreneur and small business resources
• Integrating the People in your business with CRM Technology
• Let's talk about flat bid contracts and Value Building for Joomla CMS Web 2.0 Development
• 10 Tips for entrepreneurs and your business to beat the recession
• Leveraging CRM Software in the Small Business
• Integration of People with Technology & Acquisition of Business Intelligence
• Cheaper is not always better when it comes to hosting.
• Universal project management concepts
• Good insight from Jack Derby
• Building lists to grow your business opportunities 
• Lower risk through low cost pay as you go retainers
• 8 Bench Marks of a Great Client
• 12 U.S. Laws Bloggers Need to Know
• Social Technologies are revision in the model of power
• CRM/ERP, Joomla CMS, QuickBooks all-in-one Solution for SMB's
• Value Building Landing Pages with Lead Capturing CRM
• Info@hand "CRBM Platform" best kept secret in CRM Community
• Platform as a Service an inspired new generation of CRBM
• How important is a CRM Software Application for your SMB?
• Where do I get started with CRBM (Customer Relationship Business Management)?
• Open Source or SaaS CRM in Your Business
• Universal project management concepts
• Virtual Office Tools Save Money
• Web 2.0 boom and useful web tools

You can also visit our blog home at www.cnpintegrations.com/myblog/ for regular new posts.

For more information about the CRBM Platform and other educational resources be sure to visit: www.learningcrm.com

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Yea sure, it is common practice that when you are putting a project out for RFP you want to narrow down the costs to a targeted flat rate whenever possible. This makes it easier to plan and coordinate the project within whatever else may depend on, compliment or enable it within your organization. I am sure we have all sat on that side of the table even if only purchasing items for  our family. When you have a commodity product where you can determine your fixed costs, this is very standard and acceptable. However, when you are working with Web 2.0 technology or software integrations or if you have diverse migration needs it is very difficult to determine how long something will take or if additional features may be required to achieve your business goals and of course there are always surprises.

I see several approaches that venders take when they take on a flat bid contract. The key thing to keep in mind that since a flat bid contract is putting the risk on them and if they are going to have a chance of making this endeavor profitable they will have to compensate with a higher price tag. Flat bid contracts can also add a significant amount of overhead to handle the “Cover your butt principle” via change orders, extra logging steps and additional processes that can often be handled more efficiently through other means.

Take the money and run:

When a company is experiencing cash flow problems often they will just put out the lowest bid based on their minimum requirements and “take the money and run”. They just need to get something in the door to fill the immediate cash flow need and they really care very little about your business other than it is fixing their problem. It is the “all about me” approach. They have no intention of doing business with you after this initial project or at least are not thinking beyond it. Ask yourself is this the kind of vendor relationship I want to have?

Get um in the door and milk them later:

This happens when companies want to win the bid at all costs but know very well the project is going to cost more than this and they will tell you just about anything you want to hear just to win the contract and they intend on holding you over a barrel somehow so they can turn you into some kind of residual income stream or let you be the brunt of either having half of what you need or want thus forcing you to use them to get this finished. This often has hidden clauses in the contracts that they try to catch you on almost like a bait and switch. Ask yourself what your boss is going to say when the budget comes in way over and you do not have a justification since nothing in the contract actually changed.

Sponge and squeeze competition:

This is a challenge where the contractor is trying to give you as little as possible so they can yield the biggest margin on the project. You as the company then often are trying to scope creep and get the most time and effort for the flat rate promised. This actually puts you in competition with each other and the end loss usually sacrifices quality in the final outcome. It puts strain on both parties and can build resentment or dissatisfaction through circumstance. Ask yourself is this competition really the best approach for providing the best possible value in the long run?

The Value Builder:

The best overall approach for successful results, we have found is through effective collaboration. We call it the Value Builder Approach because it focuses on building value in the relationship and allows everyone involved to put greater emphasis on achieving efficient results. We have found it is best to bid on a project with hourly rates for the targeted service types required to execute the expected tasking. Then working with the customer through our 5 step design planning process does the following:

• Establishes clear expectations
• Builds respect for each other’s time
• Offers more efficiently leverages resource contributions
• Builds the most beneficial working relationship
• Gives client the best return on investment
• Allows vendor to focus on best advice and solutions

This methodology reduces risk for both vendor and client and creates a relationship of choice since the client always owns the technology and real value is found with the synergy built through collective teamwork.

Of course there may be variables depending on the point of entry in this process, the customer preplanning, available assets, scope of work, other stakeholders or experience in-house. And don’t get me wrong there are good vendors that can do flat bid contracts but we have found this to not be the best approach for delivering the best possible results on Web 2.0 projects with Joomla CMS dynamic web portals or our “CRBM Platform for success.”

Big red flag:

When someone comes with a rather vague project spec and says “Here is what we want, I just want you to do it” in an early client meeting this is a big red flag since in most cases they do not fully understand what has to happen in the process nor will they be able to accept the fluid  changes required to have their project respond to changing customer needs over time.  In the new wave of Web 2.0 and beyond for clients to expect the entire development project to be outsourced is unrealistic since there is no way they can have the subject matter expertise without an expensive process. Most small businesses just cannot afford this anyway and with purse strings needing to be tight, it is natural that they should participate.

The marketplace, with the evolution of open source projects like Joomla CMS, the landscape has changed from a very static “print esc” ecosystem to a dynamic “information is king” world of social communications. People not only want to get more involved but they expect to hear your voice in return. So if your customers are all active in the “Social Technology Boom” so must you be. What they are doing in many cases is collaborating on ideas and going in directions faster than you can go through a formal processes. Kind of like when I produced a CD Rom in the 80’s for promoting 25 bands to colleges and by the time the CD was released 10 of the bands had broken up. This is why you should get a good independent thinking, on the ball creative, socially aware and technical savvy web team and have them interact with your company folks whom understand your business inside and out as it is evolving in real time.

Scaleable web team adding value:

With a scalable web support team that can bring a broader range of skills yet have the fluid and rapid response capabilities to stay ahead of your competition; you should be able to respond with faster innovations to your customers and thus increasing customer loyalty. Much like that old play on words “forget about your teeth, they will go away” you have to be listening to your customers and responding quickly. The old way of thinking where you get a flat bid, it comes in a nice pretty box and move on are gone. With the global economy and fluctuating market you will be much better off outsourcing vs hiring in-house folks in most cases. You should however, do so with a “project management contractor model” using hourly rates and establishing a burn rate that can set a pace and comfort level which meets your goals and expectations. What I mean by “project management contractor model” is a team that has solid expertise and customer service but also leverages outsource labor resources in global markets, since if managed right this can give you the best of breed bang for your buck.

Does this mean contractors/vendors should not give you a ball park estimate on what it would cost to complete certain tasks, no, they should but often once you open up the hood to look and see what has to happen, you could just do it and be done vs creating a report and coming back to go through the whole process all over again to actually get the work done. Good rule of thumb is to break bigger projects into smaller bite size projects and compartmentalize them as they relate to your priorities. Then manage them very hands on. For smaller organizations when an effective support model, quality leadership, communication and a true collaboration across a balanced team is achieved, you will find that the return on investment and added value will be expediential.

In conclusion, I recommend that you choose a project management contractor or development team with diverse skills and an empowerment approach to delivering their services. Negotiate value driven hourly rates and determine a budget and burn rate that will help you efficiently plan and execute your project priorities. Look for qualified experience and personalities that will create effective collaboration with your team. Remember these kinds of projects may taper to a maintenance mode but they never really end since web technologies are becoming a necessity for doing business. Then stay focused, pay attention to your customers incoming knowledge stream, respect your vendors time and they should respect your budget. Make sure to do careful planning but do not get to bogged down that you can not respond fast enough to your customers and competition. Then empower your team to collaborate and be willing to get in and stay involved in the process. This method, model and approach will allow you to get more information to make better decisions and thus produce a much greater value on your investment. Chances are if you approach this right and pick the right team you will enjoy the process.

Our goal with CNP integrations is to provide the best service, deliver the fasted innovations, and offer the greatest value to our customers. Through our labor service and project management contractor model, we feel we can offer the greatest overall return on your investment. We offer more than the technology and the talent to bring it all together, we offer process with a CRBM Platform to guarantee success.

I look forward to your comments and discussion on this topic.

CN

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