Kind of like BNI... a group would have one member in each category, no overlaps, and we market eachother... like let's say I know someone who is looking for baby shower games, then I'd refer them to the party planner in my group, giving them contact info and getting their permission to have my party planner friend contact them. (Warm contacts are best, we all know) Am I nuts on this idea? Whatcha think?

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Valerie, SAHM/WAHM to Zoey born 9/23/2003
"Put a little TLC into your scrapbook!"
www.topline-creations.com/valeriewithtlc

You are not crazy and I am game...although I am so new at this I hope I won't mess up. It makes perfect sense to me! Is there anyone else out there that would be interested because it won't work with just the two of us . Thanks for the great idea. Betsy

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Betsy www.mckennacandles.com

I like the idea!

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I'm up for it! I am a web designer, so I would be more than happy to get it set up online if you all tell me how you want it. For instance, do you want a simple listing of the people who are participating, or do you want a forum where each "rep" has their own board so people can contact them and "reps" can post their specials?

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We can set up an area here on the boards or even on the site - to keep everything simplier to find.

Let me know and I can set it up - it can even be made "private" so only the people involved will have access

I would like to learn more about this and see if my biz would fit in.

Dawn

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~Dawn~
"Send Out Cards"
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I think it's a great idea!! I say go for it!!

Rosalee Decker
Home & Garden Party
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This is the Day that the Lord has made; we shall rejoice & be glad in it

I'd like to learn more too, it sounds really interesting!

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OK...
First off we need summaries of everyones biz because we have to keep it ONE of each kind of item/service... so, of the gals that have "joined" so to speak on this, please summarize briefly what you wish to be for our group...

Momsnet- I love the idea of having a private little forum so we can have a group meeting... there is no reason that the momsnetwork cannot support the development of multiple business networks, we'd just have to name each one and VOILA...

Krispys- I also LOVE the idea of having a group site where we can post our specials aimed more uniquely at customer impressions, whereas we can come back here HomeBase style to rant/rave/discuss etc.

Essentially, when I have done these in person these were breakfast meetings... how we transfer that onto the web is going to be interesting... I suppose we can have a weekly thread where we are each responsible to check in for updates and such like a physical meeting.

OK... here's where I get long-winded because I now realize that I am submitting a PROPOSAL and then members who agree and fit into the group can join...

So... here goes...
1.) Let's get a private forum started... as members apply, we need to go through a basic screening (assure no category duplication) We also can't really accomodate "category hogs" (Like I can't be the web designer, the travel agent, the candle maker, the desk top publisher and the custom seamstress at the same time)

2.) The private forum will host a Weekly "Meeting" thread that each member of the group MUST participate in to maintain "active status." The Weekly Meeting is a time where we all roundtable- update your fellow members on new offers or explain something about your biz. Remember, we are agreeing to be sales-persons for eachother... so if I don't know what you are/offer, then there is little chance I can effectively sell you to someone I know. In an in person meeting this blurb is usually 60 seconds or less... so post something that can be sucked in in 60 seconds. When this starts, we'll post some examples of how the Weekly Meeting posts might look.

The second part of each members Weekly Meeting post is a place to announce your LEADS. A HOT lead is for example, my cousin has a gift basket business and she wants to have candles so Jane is our candle maker and I have already talked to my cousin Ann and told her what a delight it is to work with Jane and that her candles are truly a treat. My cousin knows Jane will be calling her because I introduced the idea. ***** And let's face it, HOT LEADS are prefered leads... do we really want to bother accepting cold leads? We'll all have to decide as a group. Anyway, I wouldn't post more than my cousins first name and the general gist of the lead- the rest would be PM'd. The reason we post these is that it gives MOMENTUM... and it keeps people moving and minimizes dead weight, because if Ann suddenly becomes only a wick of a member, and is taking and taking and not giving, then Ann isn't contributing and someone else should be able to take her place. See what I am saying? It's all business, people... we are WAHMs with no time for silly songs and dances LOL. To keep it straight and to the point, the recipient would come back with a basic report to the next weeks meeting. ("Yep, I called Jane, we are working on something..." or whatever... this is also an opportunity to allow the originator to help seal the deal)

3.) Each week, on a rotating basis, a member will be the HIGHLIGHTED member, and when it is their turn they are to post a more in depth insight into their own biz. Each member will be responsible to read and make a real comment or add a question to that thread so we can learn about eachother to be a better sales force.

4.) On an at least monthly basis we should have an educational thread so we can learn more about networking, etc. Whether one person wants to take the first quarter and be the Educational Chair is up in the air, otherwise we can rotate on a monthly basis whose job it is to bring in good articles or whatever. Again, everyone must participate... make a real comment or pose a question.

5.) We need to vote on some issues... we should probably have a monthly dues (low, like a couple bucks, just to make sure that Krispy isn't out the whole price of a domain, and so that we can perhaps have a member publish a member directory and send all members ____ copies so we can distribute them... give one to your hairdresser, etc... spread the word) Oh, and it also might be nice to have a prize each week (small)... the HIGHLIGHTED member of the week could be responsible to send a prize to the winning member... we'd have to think up some way to hold that or have momsnet randomly select one of our group members weekly if they'd be so willing... the gift can be a $10 Target giftcard if you can't give a biz gift (like, if you are a bookeeper, it's harder to give a biz gift... but for the people that sell tangibles like candles, this is a good time to share because I can sell your candles better if I have had one or my neighbor has raved about one... see what I am saying... again, though, this isn't an essential ingredient.)

Essentially, we are looking for people who are dedicated to maximizing the destiny of the group and it's members.

PHEW! My fingers are tired LOL... but seriously, I wanna make sure people who say "I'm in" know what the IN means... and if you have never been in a real networking group, this guideline may have been your first look at it in depth.

Still in?

__________________
Valerie, SAHM/WAHM to Zoey born 9/23/2003
"Put a little TLC into your scrapbook!"
www.topline-creations.com/valeriewithtlc

just real quick as I'm dashing out....

to save money and not needing to have an entire new domain...

we have a free website package that we were going to upgrade that would be perfect for this...

every group would/could have their own "site" and it includes a message board, guestbook etc.. you would have total control on what you put up and add etc.

my idea is keep it simple.....

let me know and i'll get a rush on the upgrade. we used to use this when Moms Network had local groups.... each group had their own site, their own directory etc.