Aaron Hoos

Everything you enjoy about business lunches is now available on Twitter with Business Lunch Club. If you find yourself unable to have a real business lunch, simply tweet while you eat and add the hashtags #businesslunchclub, #bizlunchclub, or #blc.

Here are some ideas to get the benefits of a business lunch from Business Lunch Club.

1. Find others who are stuck at their desks over lunch. You’ll make your at-your-desk time far more productive while you eat.

For example: Stuck at my desk. Anyone else in the same boat? #businesslunchclub

2. Start a discussion about a topic that you might normally talk about over lunch. You’ll engage others in topics that interest you and shape the discussion on Twitter.

For example: How has the economy been impacting your lead generation? #businesslunchclub

3. Participate in a discussion that someone else has started. You’ll add value to other people as you talk with them. Several people can join in at once, just like a real discussion.

For example: Re: lead-gen I’ve had to really ramp up the value of my offering. How about you? #businesslunchclub

4. Ask for help. Leverage your relationships to ask professionals for advice on issues you face in business.

For example: Can anyone point me to a good online bookkeeping system? #businesslunchclub

5. Get to know your followers. You have lots of followers but how well do you know them? Get to know them a bit better and perhaps you’ll discover some potential opportunities.

For example: Taking a break from work for #businesslunchclub. @IAC_Heather tell me a bit about your business

6. Talk about a joint venture or collaboration idea. Twitter is the perfect place to start up a discussion, test interest, and find experts to collaborate.

For example: @AaronHoos I’d like to work together on an ebook about sales. #businesslunchclub

7. Introduce a couple of colleagues who you think are a good match for each other. Network and help others to network. This is like #FollowFriday but far more focused.

For example: @IAC_Heather, you should talk to @AaronHoos about that book you’d like to write #businesslunchclub

8. Visit BusinessLunchClub.com and meet other people who are #businesslunchclub participants. Follow them to gain access to a whole new network of people interested in win-win business growth.

For example: Hi @AaronHoos I saw you on BusinessLunchClub.com and wanted to follow you #businesslunchclub

In the business world, lunch time is often a time when business relationships are solidified, sales are made, insight is shared, and new partnerships are born. Traditionally, this involved two or more business people meeting at a restaurant. However, today’s business world doesn’t always allow for that: Entrepreneurs halfway around the world from their colleagues can’t easily meet for lunch; small business owners are stuck at their desk while they work; freelancers may not have the hour or more it can take to drive to the restaurant and wait for the meal to arrive.

That’s where Business Lunch Club comes in.

I’ve collaborated with a colleague of mine, Heather Villa, a business coach and the owner of IAC Professionals and IAC-EZ, to create Business Lunch Club. It’s everything you get in the traditional business lunch… on Twitter! She calls it “Lunch 2.0″ which I think is the perfect term!

Business Lunch Club enables business professionals who can’t get away from their desk, or who have time or distance constraints, to meet for lunch on Twitter.

Participating in Business Lunch Club is easy. Simply start a conversation with one or more of your followers, or participate in a discussion already underway. And, be sure to add the hashtags #businesslunchclub, #bizlunchclub, or #blc to your tweets to indicate that they are part of the conversation.

Want to know who else is participating? Want to review what you’ve discussed? Want to find and follow other BusinessLunchClub participants? Visit BusinessLunchClub.com to see all of the Business Lunch Club conversations going on.

So join in! Follow @IAC_Heather, @AaronHoos, and @bizlunchclub on Twitter.

Let’s do lunch. And this time, it’s on Twitter!

I’m a fan of Don Tapscott’s work. Although this isn’t my favorite book of his (Sorry Don, but Digital Capital and Creating Value in the Network Economy are two of my favorite books), Wikinomics is timely and relevant with plenty of online content available. A good read.