PRIZES!!!!  Ok, prize.

The club that has the highest new member growth wins bragging rights.

The member who brings in the most new members wins a free breakfast (or lunch, depending on your groups meeting time).  Oh ya, and BRAGGING rights!  The top recruiter also receives a FREE Web ad on the home page of the BRIDGESNetworking.com website for the month of November.

Rules of the Contest:

1. The President of each club is to send in a current membership roster to Reynette or membership@bridgesnetworking.com.
2. Members who bring a guest need to record that guest with the membership chairperson of your club.
3. Visitors must complete the normal Interview process (visit two weeks, meet with the membership team and be approved) before recruiting credit is given.

Contact Reynette, your Club President/Board Representative or membership@bridgesnetworking.com with any questions.

To quote the President of the Gresham Club, “Game On!  Gresham is going to kick butt.”

BEAN = “Be an Easily Approachable Networker”

The idea behind business networking is bringing like-minded business people together to recognize, create or act upon business opportunities.

Before opportunities can be recognized, created or acted upon; you must be in the conversation (i.e. easy to approach and engage).

Invite a trusted friend to the BRIDGES meeting and ask them to critique your approachability.  Are your words opening doors or turning people away.  It is impossible to judge our own approachability, we are often our own best friend.  Perception is reality and understanding how you make other’s feel will be your key to successful business networking.

My suggestion is to add some humor to your life.  People are drawn to others who have a sense of humor.  We also like people who freely share of their knowledge.  You don’t have to give away trade secretes, but we all have helpful nuggets locked up deep in your our life experiences.  Sharing those nuggets can pay dividends when it comes to decide who should get a lead.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 328-9525

Investors who buy properties for rentals will be on the forefront when the market slowly makes it’s climb back. The need for rental properties will increase as the banks move more folks out of their homes due to foreclosure. Even for the people who just can’t afford their current mortgage payment and need to sell will need a place to call home for awhile. There are alot of properties to choose from when buying investment properties, but the key is investing in a property that doesn’t need to be rebuilt. The good properties move quickly. so what are you waiting for? Some properties are still over priced and will set on the market for a long time and these will be the ones that the media will pick up as prices drops.

Another opportunity for an investment, is the sales contract. This can only be a possibility if the property is owned out right. The investor (seller) sells the property and keeps the title. The agreed upon down payment is paid and then there is the monthly positive cash flow. If this sounds like something you would like more information on, please contact me. I would be glad to help. Remember, there are folks that rebound after their LCE (life changing event) but need some help getting back into a home of their own. You could be that person who gives then the second chance.

The soft market is the best time to invest in real estate. Happy investing!

Doug White

I am doing an SEO review on Prouty’s Electric, Inc.  They have never really done much with their website, in fact they don’t even have the address on their business cards.  Duane asked me to do a review of his site because they want to make it more visible on the internet.

The first step of my SEO review is to visit the website and look at the code, but since I did not know the web address and it was not on his business card, I had to do some searching.  I search on Google for “Prouty’s Electric” and here is one of the top results I see:

You will note that his website does NOT show on the first page of Google, but his Business Directory listing on BRIDGES does.  I clicked on the link, went to his account and then got to his website.

Currently only about half of the members of BRIDGES have their business listing on the website.  Creating your business directory listing is FREE for BRIDGES Members.  However, just because it is FREE does not mean it is worthless!  If you are listed, then you WILL gain better search engine visibility.

Since BRIDGES is a volunteer organization, you can use the automated business directory submission form, but if you want your business listing professionally built, then you have options.  All the web developers in each of the BRIDGES clubs has agreed to set a standard price for building your BRIDGES Business Directory.  This service is NOT being provided by BRIDGES.  The price agree to by all the web developers is $50.

• In Vancouver – Talk with Dotty Scott
• In Portland – Talk with Scott Buntin
• In Clackamas – Talk with Tim Snyder
• In Gresham – Talk with Ed Bejarana

Ed Bejarana
“Providing Website Development for Small Business”
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

Business Name: Imagine Your Reality Business Coaching

Contact Info: 503-869-0163
imagineyourreality@gmail.com

Do you ever feel like sales is a dance, where you’re constantly trying to figure out where to step and what to say? Turning your sales dance into a process can help you remove the mystery behind sales, so that you understand what you need to do to help your prospect say yes to what you offer. You’ll learn:

How to create rapport with prospects
What questions to ask
Why you need to show them the benefits
How to go for no until you get yes!

Sales doesn’t have to be a complicated dance. Developing a sales process can help you connect with prospects and turn them into customers, if you know what to do to create an environment where your prospect can say yes.

Where: 463 3rd St. Lake Oswego, OR 97034
When: May 11th 4-5pm
Cost: $25.00
Please contact me at imagineyourreality@gmail.com to rsvp

Business Name: Imagine Your Reality Business Coaching

Contact Info: 503-869-0163
Imagineyourreality@gmail.com

Do you feel blocked in your business? Are you struggling to put together a solid business plan that can help you achieve your goals? Do you feel confused by the tools and methods you’re using to market your business? Mind-Mapping can help you achieve clarity by helping you examine the situation from all the angles.

In this class, I’ll show you how to use mind-mapping to achieve clarity, focus, and action on any part of your business where you feel blocked:

If you’ve ever felt indecisive, I’ll show you how creating a mind-map can help you map out your decision, as well as examine the pros and cons of it. I’ll also show you how you can use it to map out the purpose of a business tool.
If you feel blocked in putting together a class, business plan, or strategy, I’ll show you how outlining can help you discover what you want to.
You’ll learn how to chunk ideas, so that you can break them into more manageable information.

Even if you don’t feel creative, this class is for you. These techniques can be used by anyone and they can help you take your business ideas out of your head and put them onto paper so you can start acting on them.

Attendees of this class will also be put into a drawing to get one free hour of Business Coaching from me.

Where: 463 3rd St. Lake Oswego, OR 97034
When: May 25th 4 – 5pm
Cost: $25.00
Please RSVP with me to attend this class

Business Name: GoSmallBiz/Prepaid Legal Services

Contact Info: garyrussell@prepaidlegal.com 503-519-3592

Thanks to the members of other BRIDGES clubs for attending the launch of the Portland BRIDGES club at East Burn on SE 18th and East Burnside in Portland. The 11:45-1:00 meeting is off to a great start with 23 in attendance.

There were several new faces and it was great to see some folks that were not part of any networking groups laughing, talking, and having a great time. One woman told me, “I was supposed to join rotary, but after coming to BRIDGES, I don’t think I want to join rotary, I’m going to come here.” And we’re delighted to have her!

Membership has not yet been established, so acquaint yourself with the by-laws, understand how and why the clubs work, and plan to join us Tuesday. Make sure you check out the online menu so you can order early to help the meeting run smoothly. Bring lots of cards, too.

East Burn Menu

Day of the Week: Tuesday

Meeting Time: Noon

Marketing will be done via email and worth of mouth through an established list of contacts. Currently we have the following Bridges members that have expressed interest in helping with the startup of this new group.
1. Ed Bejaran – Gresham
2. Laura Steinke – Gresham
3. Bill Conrad – Gresham
4. Mary Ann Gray – Gresham
5. Dennis Lundberg – Clackamas
6. Reynette Reuter – Clackamas
7. Tom Livengood – Clackamas

The following have expressed interest in the new club
1. Jamie Teasdale – Propel Business Works
2. Rich Sorem – Rose City Associates
3. Stephanie Verasconi – Team Logic IT
4. Bill Johnson – Windermere Real Estate
5. Bob Bonnell – Vehicle Buyer Service
6. David Jacobs – The Classic Dial
7. Brian Heflin – Integra Telecom
8. Todd Ertell – Ertell’s Electric
9. Ron Stark – Portland Merchant Services Store
10. Darren Balogh – Mortgage Loans N.W.
11. Pete Lennon – Lennon & Associates
In addition there are many more in my contact database that have not yet been approached but will be in the mailing/phone campaign.

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