Ahh, Valentines day has flown past us but before February ends, I wanted to share with you my philosophy and tips for "MATCHMAKING FOR BUSINESS" by Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com, blogging at www.hollywood2020.blogs.com, author/analyst & biz dev consultant.
One of my most requested speeches for groups and organizations is "MATCHMAKING FOR BUSINESS" says Joyce Schwarz, author, "SUCCESSFUL RECAREERING" and partnership & alliance consultant for emerging tech & media. For more tips on the 'romance of business' email Joyceschwarz@gmail.com.
Matchmaking for Business: getting to the heart of 21st Century dealmaking.
“ Networking at cocktail parties and gathering up hundreds of business cards is just so 20th Century ”
Getting to the “heart of a deal’ in the 21st Century involves much more than just toting up potential revenues on an old-fashioned 10 key adding machine. “We’re dealing with an international marketplace that demands that multinational firms around the world employing sophisticated networks of M2M (machines to machines), advanced extranets and multilingual video conferencing to just keep pace” explains Joyce Schwarz, AOL’s Workplace of the Future forum founder, creator of Futurework corporate seminars and author of several published books on careers and new media. Schwarz heads Marina Del Rey based JCOM (www.joycecom.com), which specializes in business development, marketing and partnerships and alliances for emerging media and technology firms.
MATCHMAKE FOR BUSINESS NOT JUST ROMANCE
Even if Valentine's Day is over, Schwarz reminds entrepreneurs and executives that it’s crucial to begin to ‘matchmake for business” not just romance. “Networking at cocktail parties and gathering up hundreds of business cards is just so 20th Century,“ she explains. The real secret to engaging customers and getting to the heart of the deal is to build partnerships and alliances and harness the power of new online and mobile social networks and linking software to generate effective business opportunities and collaborations.”
MATCHMAKING FOR BIZ @ WITI CONFERENCE:
In her presentations at a WITI (Women in Technology International Conference) in San Diego Schwarz introduced such innovative collaborative solutions as virtual workspaces, tele-immersion, social networking, MoSoSo (mobile social software) solutions and also focusing on the ‘softer’ side of business, which touches the heart, and soul of people and ideas.
NEW CAREER FRONTIERS:
Schwarz predited the future of next-gen matchmaking for business and what's called social networking and word of mouth in her AOL WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE section that featured 32 pages about what's next in the workplace & beyond. For more info email her at [email protected].
Schwarz is a veteran in putting together partnerships and deals in the worlds of advertising, media, tourism and technology. She and her firm JCOM list more than $200 million in deals between funded start-ups, major brands like Revlon and Sheraton Hotels and corporate conglomerates like AT&T. In her spare time, Schwarz conducts workshops on 'future-proofing" your career and business. She created the first WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE forum for AOL.com several years ago.
HEART OF THE NEW DEAL: WOM, AFFILIATES & SOCIAL SOFTWARE
Just attending conferences and exhibiting at trade shows is not enough in todays fast pace economy, according to Joyce Schwarz She encourages her clients to use such updated methods as WOM (word of mouth) campaigns, affiliate networks, viral marketing solutions, and even go so far as hiring an outside consultant for business development.
MATCHMAKING IS WORLDWIDE -- NOT JUST LOCAL!
Although business matchmaking is just beginning to flourish in the US as an effective way to grow your firm or extend your brand; it is well recognized in countries like China who use the word Guanxi to describe how a personal relationship is leveraged to for business introductions from a trusted third party. In Japan,“Keiretsu” is a term used to describe an age-old practice of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholding. In America we’re more likely or not to simply term matchmaking ,a recommendation, a referral, when it is really much more than that. The most important part of it is the third party endorsement-- someone saying that you should work or talk to this person/companye tc.
WOM (WORD OF MOUTH) 5000 Times More Effective Than Advertising:
By just looking at one of the new tools WOM, Schwarz explains that businesses can understand the importance of third party endorsements. At a recent conference studies were released showing that WOM marketing is 5000 times more effective than advertising. People take action on only 1 in 15,000 ads they see while studies show that consumers will take action on 1 in 3 recommendations they receive making WOM 5000X more powerful. That may explain why Affiliate Programs online are increasingly popular inspired by bookseller Amazon.com’s ability to leverage the power of recommendations from more than 900,000 affiliate partners who refer business to the online site in return for a small percentage of the sales that evolve. "Matchmaking for business" is not only lucrative but enjoyable, it shares the burden of growth and emphasizes the strengths in the relationship between two partners whether they are major corporations or sole proprietors. No one wants to face a new century alone," Schwarz says.
To get a copy of Joyce Schwarz'' 7 tips for MATCHMAKING FOR BUSINESS, please email her at joycecom @ aol.com.
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