Connecting sideways - who should you link with?

I spent last Thursday evening talking about Social Networking  & Marketing with a group of managers and consultants from IBC and CMI (the Chartered Management Institute) and apart from the challenge of fitting nearly 40 people into a room designed for 25, one of the key issues we discussed was how to make sure your efforts in social networking reach the right people. While posting your deep thoughts and what you had for breakfast on Twitter may be fun it won't bring in any business unless your potential clients are listening! As we all know though, the people you most want to meet as a consultant are the decision makers within a business and they're often far too busy to get involved in online networking - in fact in larger companies they may not even be able to access the websites.

One option that can pay dividends is to think slightly sideways about who you need to contact and influence. For example, if you offer facilitation or training you might be better off trying to contact interim managers or change managers who need to find ways of changing the way an organisation works. Similarly, HR specialists could seek out lawyers who specialise in employment tribunals and web designers could (and often do) hook up with marketing agencies and graphic designers who target similar clients. So your challenge for the weekend is to see if you can come up with a creative set of sideways contacts to make - to share them with with us just post a comment here.

Whcih gadgets are really useful in business?

Watching assorted news items about queues for iPads in London this week I was reminded of all the really useful gadgets I've bought over the years. Each one claimed it would allow me to organise or improve my life, but with a few honourable exceptions such as my trusty ultra-lightweight laptop, they've generally fallen by the wayside. As a result I've become a bit of a Luddite in the last few years, refusing to jump on the latest bandwagon and making do with well-known technology. However, my life hasn't got any less busy and, like most consultants, I really do need to make use of any spare time when I'm travelling, if only to deal with the rising tide of email.

Having given in and acquired an iPhone though, I still have choices to make: Should I download an App to keep track of my time or stick with a notebook? Which of the dozens of news feed readers should I pick?  Would I actually use a to-do list or a business card scanner on my phone? I'm not sure of the answers yet, but I'd be interested to know which bits of technology you've found genuinely useful over the years. I think many consultants hold off investing in new technology for fear of wasting time & money - and it would be really good to share information about what really works. I've posted here some details of some technologies I've found useful  - why not add your thoughts on the best (or worst!) gadgets you've tried.

• Laptops - couldn't be without one but much prefer a lightweight one I can tuck in my briefcase
• Mobile Phone - actually I've barely used this till recently as my home office is in a signal balckspot - but have just acquired a signal booster from Vodafone which might change everything!
• IPhone Apps - so far I've found these useful;
• Magnifying glass - good for those who need reading glasses!
• RSS feed reader - lets me see whats going on on Skillfair without logging in
• Considering, but not sure about, business card scanner, voice to email, time recorder, to-do list

Big vs Small in Business and Consultancy

It's funny how sometimes you start writing about a topic and then find that lot's of other people have picked up on the same thread. Having talked about big vs small business in rugby terms last week I've come across a few discussions on LinkedIn Groups ( Marketing Consultants and Accountancy Age) talking about the pros and cons of using large consultancies or independents. My take from a client's point of view on when to choose large or Small is here.

Then an article talking about the issue from a different angle popped into my inbox (Telling the 800lb Gorilla to go...) talks about big vs small from the competitive angle - in other words, should you worry about competing with the big boys - or just focus on ploughing your own profitable little furrow?