HOW TO USE CONEXUS™

coneXus™ is the premier online networking technology connecting professionals in communities throughout the U.S.

Professionals can search and build new contacts on their own schedules via the web 24/7.

coneXus™ offers a proprietary platform to initiate contact with professionals both locally and nationally to begin the process of fostering relevant and meaningful business relationships

Search and establish new contacts on your own schedule from the comfort of your desk

Professionals from any industry and at any career level may create a personal profile for FREE and join coneXus™ by signing up for either a FREE, GOLD or PLATINUM membership level.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

FREE:

• Create and Post FREE personal profile
• Profile Searchable by others
• Search and view other profiles
• Cannot initiate or receive emails

GOLD:

• All features of FREE level
• Full ability to initiate and receive emails
• Utilize Contact List tools
• Access to Member Only opportunities

PLATINUM:

• All features of GOLD level
• Additional benefits vary by market.

Only those members who subscribe to either a GOLD or PLATINUM membership level will be able to contact other members and read messages sent to them from other members.

You must be logged into a session to gain access to the member area of the site and email other members, check your mail or modify your profile.

CREATING YOUR PROFILE

To maximize your benefit from using coneXus™ we STRONGLY RECOMMEND you invest the time to accurately and fully complete your profile.A profile is essentially a concise narrative of these elements.

Background: What you do, your role, the clients you serve
Your business/enterprise.
Your role/function.
The clients you serve.
Your industry experience.
Your professional history, summarized.
Your professional organizations involvement.

Needs: Your motivation for networking & those you want to network among
Profile those you seek to network among, and why?
Describe the professional relationships you seek.
Describe how you can help others.
List your goals for networking.
List your career objectives.

Profile Summary: Concise and intriguing 30 second elevator pitch of what you do.
Summarize what you do and what you seek from networking. This profile summary will be shared with the participants of events you attend

Your profile is the sole representation of YOU and is the primary information by which other members may decide to contact you or respond to your effort to contact them.

Your profile narrative is fully searchable in KEYWORD searches, so consider carefully the words you choose to ensure you can maximize your ability to be found by those you want to network among.

Once your profile is created, it will be subject to an approval process and will not be viewable to other members until it has been reviewed and approved by coneXus™. As per our Terms of Service, any content deemed inappropriate may be deleted at the sole discretion of coneXus™.

EDITING YOUR PROFILE

You may update and edit your profile at any time simply by clicking on the EDIT PROFILE tab at the top of your screen.

SEARCHING FOR MEMBERS

You are able to search for members in a variety of ways. First, we recommend you try the KEYWORD search tool which will deliver the largest results by searching each member’s entire profile. Simply type the words or combination of words you want to execute a search on.

For a more targeted searches or to refine a keyword search utilize the additional search options including: Industry, Title, State and Zip Code.

Visit the profiles as often as you would like. We recommend at least on a weekly basis. Our membership is growing rapidly in both numbers and diversity of industries.

You are able to search member profiles on a variety of dimensions according to keywords, title, industry, state and zip code in order to deliver an effective array of search options.

Search results are presented chronologically with those who joined most recently displayed first. We recommend you periodically search to review new profiles who have registered since your last search.

CONTACTING A MEMBER

Once you have identified a member you wish to contact, click on the Send A Message icon located at the bottom of every profile. Type your message and click send.

You may also add any member to your contact list by clicking on the Add Member to Contacts icon.

Identify those profiles which best represent those with whom you seek to network. Write a short and friendly email stating your professional role and why specifically you wish to connect with that individual. Strive to write a custom message to each member you contact. The intent of your email is to initiate a dialogue and generate a response from the member you are contacting. Your email should provide a brief description of who you are (the member can always refer to your profile on the web site for more information) and why you chose to contact this member. State why you believe a connection would be mutually beneficial and focus on how you may be of help to that member.

As a built in spam protection feature, every member is limited to no more than 30 outgoing email messages in a 24 hour period.

SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION

This system is designed intentionally to not reveal any personal information to others viewing your profile. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that your initial email to any member not contain any personal contact information or otherwise and you await a response from the recipient to obtain their interest level in pursuing a connection. Sharing personal information is solely at your discretion. You should share personal information only when you feel comfortable and the timing is appropriate. As per our Terms of Service, we assume no responsibility or liability for any sharing of personal information.

RESPONDING TO MESSAGES

When a member sends you a message, you shall receive a notification email to your personal email (personal email is designated as the email address you provide when registering for our service) that you have a New Message on coneXus™. The content of the message will not be included in the notification email.

You must log-in to coneXus™ in order to view, read and respond to any messages. Directly from your dashboard contact list or from the messages page you have access to all your Incoming and Sent messages. Click the subject line of the message in order to open up any message and read. From your inbox, click on the Reply to Message icon on the bottom of the message screen to reply.

You may block a member from sending you any future correspondence by clicking the Block User icon located in both every member’s profile and in every message screen.

USING YOUR DASHBOARD

Your dashboard serves the gateway and information summary for your coneXus™ membership. The dashboard contains all searching options, your personal contact list, event registrations and links to all other content and functionality provided by coneXus™.

CONTACTING US

If you are experiencing difficulty using the site or have comments/feedback about coneXus™ please contact us and let us know. We love to hear from you and are always available to help answer your questions.

REPORTING ABUSE

coneXus™ is committed to protecting the professionalism and integrity of our services. If at any time you feel a member sends you a message with inappropriate content or utilizes coneXus™ services inappropriately, please contact us so we may investigate. We take such matters extremely seriously and work vigorously to ensure a meaningful experience for all our members.

KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL ONLINE NETWORKING

Balanced Approach: To be an effective networker you must engage in diverse array of networking opportunities. Online networking should be a component of your overall networking strategy, but not your only effort.

coneXus™ was created with the intent to enable professionals to accelerate the first step of a relationship; initiating contact and establishing mutual interest. In today’s technologically drive world, phones, faxes, emails have taken the place of personal interaction. In order to cultivate a meaningful relationship you must engage in face to face conversation with other professionals.

coneXus™ offers the ability to connect quickly, but actually developing a rapport and a true business relationship must occur in the offline world over time through ongoing communication and contact.

Our system maintains a list of all the members you have emailed and a record of both incoming and outgoing emails to provide an account of your ongoing dialogues.

A few helpful tips

• Follow up with those members you have made contact with on a regular basis.
• Remain updated on their goals & needs and remind them of your own.
• Have a purpose to follow up - potential referral, connect them with someone in your network, sharing information, etc.
• Remember to focus on helping others.
• Utilize networking events as a forum to meet online contacts in person.

Don't expect to receive responses to all of your emails. Don’t become discouraged if you do not develop an immediate relationship with the first members you contact and meet. Expanding and cultivating your network requires persistence and commitment.

Once you begin to reap the rewards of your efforts by developing relationships among other members you contact, don't stop! Continue to contact new professionals, respond to those who contact you and cultivate new relationships. Successful people constantly network throughout their lives.

Long Term Commitment. One must be willing to invest the time and energy to fostering true relationships which can only develop over time. Networking is a lifelong process. There is no quick fix or trick to forging a valuable network, only hard work and dedication.

Focus On Others. Always seek to help others FIRST. Consider how you can benefit everyone you meet - who you can connect them with, introduce them and play a role in their success. Never focus on the I or ME as you will short circuit any relationship before it has an opportunity to materialize. Follow this perspective and you will distinguish yourself and reap the long term benefits as others will strive to help you.

CONNECT.       CULTIVATE.      SUCCEED.™