Thanks to all the people who contributed to the conversation last week around communication. I’m certainly going to be looking for ways to open the ears and close the mouth more in the future. I found some great ideas in one of my favourite articles during the week. Check it out at #5.

We’ve been super busy in the Networking World office over the past couple of weeks.. 

1. We’ve been getting ready for the expo at ABITE on Thursday and Friday and the SMART Networking Event on Friday afternoon culminating with the presentation of the 2010 Australian Home Based Business Awards. I can’t wait to meet this year’s finalists and find out who the winner is. Hope you can join us for the afternoon.

2. SMART Social Media for Busy Business Owners is finished and the final version is currently under review. There have been a few technical hiccups but Colin the Networking World Cool Tools Geek and Technology Whizz has been working overtime to get them under control. If you are thinking about a social media strategy for your business or even just thinking about whether you need to think about it, make sure you watch out for the final release and remember to keep sending us your burning social media questions at Ask Brenda

3. We’re also working hard on the relaunch of the new look Strategic Alliance Success Club.. Please give us your feedback on the draft plan so far.

Plus here are my top five articles from last week:

1. How to Win Customer Referrals...in 6 Easy Steps
Have you ever bought something and before the ink is even dry on the contract the sales rep is asking you for a list of colleagues, friends and acquaintances who you are sure would love to buy what you just bought..? I don’t know about you but I have NEVER given them a single name. At that point I am much too busy worrying about whether I made a wise decision… buyers remorse is just around the corner and there is no way I am exposing ANYONE I know to the risk of making the mistake I might just have made. So just as there is no way I am going the give someone a list of leads at that point in the sales cycle there is equally no way I am going to ask for that list if I have just closed a sale. Feel the same? In that case you will LOVE my number one favourite article this week. …

2. 7 Reasons Why Social Media is Bad for Business
It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the new and trendy. We are all guilty of it at some time or another. This article has some really useful warnings and things to watch out for. I focussed on #5 in my Rants and Raves blog post last week and the other one that really stood out for me was #1. Love to know what you think.. 

3. Client Payment Problems? Try These Three Simple Steps
There were a few bits of this article that rang true for me so I thought it might add value to anyone else who is a bit shaky in the debt collection department.  

4. Running Away vs Running Forward Another great week of insights from Seth Godin but the one that stood out for me was this one. “Every brand, every organization and every individual is either running away from something or running toward something (or working hard to stand still). Are you chasing or being chased? Are you leading or following? Are you fleeing or climbing?” If you are struggling to make progress in your business ask yourself: Are the goals you are setting yourself positive “move towards” goals or negative “running away from” goals? It’s a trap many of us get caught in when things aren’t going well.. our goals start to sound like “I don’t want to be stressed, broke and flat out busy all the time” But while we are focussed on what we don’t want.. guess what we are getting! So what do you want?

5. Why Complaining Customers Can Be Good For Your Business
I think nearly everyone is uncomfortable hearing negative feedback and complaints. Unfortunately too many of us run away or close our ears to it. And it takes a great deal of courage to actually seek it out.. but the benefits can be huge. Which of these strategies could you implement in your business or is it too scary?

Please tell us what you thought of our top five articles or share a great article that you found last week. We'd love to hear from you. Just post your comments or feedback in the box below.