Business Member Guide
Introduction
This serves as a guide to our Business Members. We hope you have already read the FAQs, and if not, we suggest that you do that first. This guide is divided into two sections - Getting Started and Help.
The Getting Started section helps new members set up an account and explains how the platform can be used. The Help section covers details about more advanced topics, and should be used as a reference.
This serves as a guide to our Business Members. We hope you have already read the FAQs, and if not, we suggest that you do that first. This guide is divided into two sections - Getting Started and Help.
The Getting Started section helps new members set up an account and explains how the platform can be used. The Help section covers details about more advanced topics, and should be used as a reference.
I. Getting Started
Using the Platform with a Basic Business Membership
Gold Membership
Besides the free Basic Membership, we also provide a nominally-priced premium Business Membership option (Gold Membership). This has two primary value-added services:
Using the Platform with a Basic Business Membership
- Step 1:
- Complete your business profile. This should take no more than 2 minutes.
- Step 2:
- Start building your Referral Team. You can invite your business associates. Also, as part of the Gold membership, we connect you with specific business leaders, who are in a postion to exchange referrals for you. This program is called Lead generation Partner Program. We will send you suggestions, usually within 48 hours. You can then interact with your potential partners offline, until you are comfortable exchanging referrals.
- Step 3:
- Invite your prior customers and business associates who can endorse your work, and with whom you can also exchange business referrals.
- Step 4:
- Share your stories:
- Ask for introductions to anyone you are looking to meet - such as 'CTO of Google UK' or 'Bizdev folks at mid-sized IT service companies', etc.
- Post any current updates about your business - something new you are working on, a recent press release, maybe.
- If you have any current promotions or offers running, you can post that too.
- Tell us about any requirements you have - are you looking for a CA, legal expert, interior design firm, etc?
Gold Membership
Besides the free Basic Membership, we also provide a nominally-priced premium Business Membership option (Gold Membership). This has two primary value-added services:
- Lead Generation Partners: In the Gold membership we connect you to specific business owners, who would be in a position to exchange referrals with you. We make the connection, and leave you to take business offline. We then follow up to ensure the relation is successful. You can have multiple lead generation partners at any time.
- Requirements Database: The Gold Membership gets you full access to all requirements posted by all our business and non-business members, and can be searched. This option is not available in the Basic membership, where you only have access to Requirements posted by your network. Not only do you have access to all the open requirements, we also match requirements posted by all our members and connect you with the specific ones that match your profile. Our relevance algorithm ensures that you are connected with targeted and relevant leads. These show up in the 'Referrals' tab once you upgrade your account.
Pricing for Gold Membership
Gold Membership requires a subscription fee, priced at a nominal rate of Rs. 240 per month, paid annually. There is a 10% discount if you opt for the 18 month subscription.
Gold Membership requires a subscription fee, priced at a nominal rate of Rs. 240 per month, paid annually. There is a 10% discount if you opt for the 18 month subscription.
Activate Account
You can either click the link sent to you in the invite mail, or enter the Registration Code below.
Enter the Registration Key:
II. Help
- Non-Business Account If you are not a business person looking to generate referrals or leads, but instead are here to find suppliers, vendors, etc, you can create a simple Non-Business Account. This does not require an invite, is free, and gives you the following privileges:
- Search through our database of business members and contact them.
- Post requirments and have our business members contact you.
- Endorse our business members you have done business with.
- Posts A post indicates a requirement. For example, if you need to sell a house and are looking for a real estate consultant to help you, you have two options. You can simply search and get in touch with suitable providers directly, or if you can post a requirement for one. Your network can then connect you with relevant consultants based on your requirement.
- Search Posts: This option is only available to Gold Members and let's them search through the requirements posted by all members.
- Recent Posts: This is a list of the most recent posts by those in your network.
- My Posts: This is the list of Requirements that you have posted.
- Invites & Responses: This is a list of the posts that your business has been invited to consider, and those that you have responded to.
- Invitations Business members need an invite to join BizHobNob. This invite could come from an existing business member, or from an affiliate community. Business members can send out unlimited invites to others, although we trust that you will only invite those whose business you have mutual respect for. We recommend that members complete their Quorum of 10 - that is, have at least 10 people on your network whom you have invited directly.
- BizHobNob "network" Your "network" includes anyone you are connected with, such as the person who invited you to BizHobNob and their other connections. It includes those whom you have invited and also their invitees. It includes all members of any community you may be a part of. It also includes anyone you have given an endorsement to, or received one from. Thus, as you can see one single connection can actually expotentially expand your network on BizHobNob. Note: You cannot arbitarily 'connect' to another existing member. All connections happen implicitly through the action items mentioned above.
- Referral Partners Your Referral Partners are a subset of your network. These are the members who you have connected with through the Referral Partner Program, or those you have directly invited from your existing network.
- Referrals We provide several easy ways for our business members to send referrals to one another, such as:
- Introductions: On your home page, you can ask for an introduction to someone, such as 'CTO of Google India', or 'bizdev folks from Mobile App companies', etc. Anyone in your network can respond connecting you, and an email will get sent out to both parties.
- BizHobNob Requirements: If someone in your network comes across an open requirement posted on BizHobNob, that they think your business will serve well, they can send that suggestion your way.
- Offline Requirements: Someone in your network can also send you a referral of someone they met elsewhere - at an event, perhaps. They put in a note, explaining the connection, and an email gets send out to all parties.
- Promotions If you are running a promotion on your service - for example, you have come up with an AMC, and want your associates to know about the offering, you can post that in this space from your Home Page.
- Business Updates If you have any updates to share - for example, you have just filed for a patent, or have a press release, or have changed locations, you can post that in this section from your Profile Page.
- Updates from your Network On your home page, you will see a list of updates posted by your network. We encourage you to send suitable referrals where you see fit. After all, givers' gain!
- BizHobNob Communities A BizHobNob community is a collaboration with an existing physical community that uses BizHobNob as a platform to network online. If you are part of any community that we collaborate with, you will get an email from the administrator with instructions on how to join the community on our site.
- Vendor tool The vendor tool helps you manage those you normally do business with. It's a quick way to look up their contacts. Think of it as your "favourites" that you have bookmarked.
- Bizhobnob Score All business members have BizHobNob scores. This shows up in your home page when you log in. You can find more details about the score here page.
- Endorsements An endorsement is feedback about your service from a client whom you have done work for. In case you are not satisfied with a specific endorsement you have received, you have the option to hide it. You also have the option of replying to the endorsement and explaining your view on the matter, in case of a misunderstanding. In order to solicit endorsements, you can email your clients with a link to your public profile and they can write you one. We strongly encourage you to get your services endorsed.
- Gold membership renewal and cancellation Gold Membership can be renewed anytime. You will see links to Renew from the "Home" tab and "Account Settings" page. Your membership can also be cancelled by deactivating your profile. In such a scenario, it would not be possible for us to refund any subscription fees paid to us.
- Profile Categories We limit profile categories to two per profile, as we want to ensure that our members choose only the categories that most suit them in order to make it easier for clients to find the most suitable match. You can get around this by creating multiple profiles. If you feel the need to have more categories in a single profile itself, then please send us feedback and we will definitely consider it in our upcoming releases.
- Digest messages You can set emails from BizHobNob to come as a digest from the Account Settings page, if you are logged in.
- Password change You can change your password from the Account Settings page, if you are logged in.
In the 'Posts' tab, business members will find the following options:
