Matthew and Adam Toren interview - Founders of YoungEntrepreneur.com

Brothers, Matthew Toren & Adam Toren, are the founders of YoungEntrepreneur.com -- an award-winning small business website for entrepreneurs and small business owners and is made up of a community of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who are truly passionate about economic development and enjoy promoting the formation and success of innovative and growth-oriented companies.

Josh: How do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Matthew and Adam Toren: We network every day. Whether it's online at a social network like facebook.com or a niche site like ours at YoungEntrepreneur.com. Successful business networking is the art of creating and cultivating helpful and meaningful business relationships.

Business networking is the key to finding the like-minded individuals that can assist you in starting, managing and growing your successful business venture.

Josh: Can you share a few ideas that someone could put into practice that would help them to improve their business networking skills?

Matthew and Adam Toren: Knowing what you are looking for to grow your business will definitely assist you with your successful biz networking.

Keeping all of your contacts organized and staying in touch with your network will also assist you in building upon your biz relations with each person you meet. It's always good to have a powerful and concise verbal and written synopsis on your own company and growth plans to convey to new individuals that you meet while biz networking.

Josh: In your opinion, what would be the ideal design for a business card, from the point of effective networking. That is, what are the absolute most important elements one needs on their business card?

Matthew and Adam Toren: That’s a great question because both myself and my brother seem to change our business card layouts each and every year. We do this because we feel that it’s a great conversation piece and also if your business card stands out from the rest, it will have more of a memorable impact on the people you meet.

Our current business cards have all of the necessary contact info, logo, website, title and the WOW factor of our cards are the 3 dimensional pop out of our logo when the card is opened. They have really been well received by all that have seen them so far.

Josh: Based on your experiences, which places and activities have you found best for meeting new people and expanding your professional network?

Matthew and Adam Toren: Both my brother and I have been attending some offline events around North America to expand our ‘face to face’ network.

We seem to use facebook for a more non-business network and have been using linkedin occasionally. Quite honestly, YoungEntrepreneur.com has been the most effective networking tool for us to meet several like-minded entrepreneurs around the world.

Josh: Can you share a personal "networking" success story with us?

Matthew and Adam Toren: Sure can. As a matter of fact, as I answer these questions, I am in flight, leaving San Francisco from attending a great event at the W hotel. My brother and I met several quality individuals and fellow entrepreneurs at this event which will lead us to visiting one of them in China this January.

The best way to network seems to still be the face to face networking and creating a long lasting relationship where you can assist each other with whatever each of you needs. Our network is growing rapidly and we already have a quality connection in almost every industry and almost every country.

We look forward to networking with all of you at our site YoungEntrepreneur.com -- and invite you to drop by where you can sign up for a Free membership!

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Interview with Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com

Jason Alba got laid off in 2006. With great credentials and in a job-seeker's market, Jason could hardly get a job interview. Finally he decided to step back and pick apart the job search process, including understanding all of the available resources. Within a few months he had designed a personal job search CRM tool. His tool, JibberJobber.com, is designed to help professionals manage career and job search information the same way a salesman manages prospects and customer data.

Jason blogs at JibberJobber.com/blog and recently finished "I'm on LinkedIn - Now What???".

Josh: How do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Jason Alba: I would define business networking as building relationships that will help my company achieve its objectives. Sounds kind of vague but I don't want to put a time frame on it (achieve its objectives within the next 3 - 6 months) or define who I should network with (develop relationships with certain types of people) because you never know who will eventually add value to your business goals, or who knows who.

I would caution you to think about your personal professional networking. During all of this "business networking" you'll meet plenty of people who are going to be excellent contacts, or lead you to excellent contacts, for your company. But these are still interpersonal relationships that are yours.

In other words, just because you meet someone in the context of "business networking" and they provide significant value to your company (or you provide significant value to their company), don't let that interpersonal, professional relationship whither away. When you are in your next transition, or in 15 years, after a number of transitions, they should still be someone that you feel comfortable reaching out to - make sense?

Josh: Can you share an idea or two that someone could put into practice that would help them to improve their business networking skills?

Jason Alba: The most important thing that I had to do was to change my concept of networking. Toss out the idea of "just" sharing business cards, or having a drink in one hand and good stories or jokes, and focusing on value props. I want to get to know you at a more personal, deeper level. The initial meeting can only get so deep, but after that you need to do things to build that relationship, and not a lot of superficial things.

Locally, the best thing to do is a lunch. It's critical to make sure you take those first initial meetings to the next level, and perhaps set up some regular communication.

The other thing is to really believe that giving is the way to get. Give with no agenda, or at least don't wear an agenda on your sleeve. People want to genuinely feel you care more about them than their business at hand, especially in an age when you can't associate yourself with a company for 40 years. Care about the person, and what you can give to and do for them, and you will begin to build a strong network of people who want to help you.

For specific ideas, techniques and tactics I strongly recommend Thom Singer's Some Assembly Required, which has a ton of business networking ideas - it's an excellent resource.

Josh: It's been said, it's not what you know, as much as who you know that counts -- whether or not that's true in every instance is certainly up for discussion, but based on your experiences how true do you think that is from a career or workplace perspective? Can you share some examples where you've seen networking play a part in a person successfully making the move into a new career?

Jason Alba: Or maybe "who knows you" or "who knows you and what you know." There are some examples of bloggers who have established themselves as credible experts in their space and when they announced they were in transition, or looking at a transition, I'm sure they had people send them leads and offers. Two include Jeremiah Owyang and Chris Brogan (who recently announced he landed in the exact position he wanted).

On a local level, I've seen the people who have been active relationship builders not go through long job searches. Aside from knowing people these folks had to be competent, of course. But knowing who the decision makers and influencers were, and developing relationships with them before they were in transition, really had a lot to do with their job searches. Instead of being desperate, and being like every other job seeker, these well-connected people were able to weigh various opportunities and go with the ones that they really wanted to.

I think it's critical to have these relationships before you need them, although it doesn't mean that you can't start now (if you are in transition). Get known by a lot of people, and have a strong, positive personal brand.

Josh: Jason, you're the author of "I'm on LinkedIn - Now What???" can you give us a brief overview of what the book is about, as well as share a couple of helpful ideas or tips from it?

Jason Alba: Many of my JibberJobber.com customers would see me blog about LinkedIn, get an account, and then wonder what in the world they should do next. Other LinkedIn veterans would ask me to check out their profile because, even though they had been using LinkedIn for a while, they still didn't quite understand if there was much value to be found (and how much to participate). It's that simple.

I suggest that you get a profile, flesh it out with phrases and words that may be searched for, and make it readable by humans so they can feel like they get a good understanding of who you are. Next, go play around with some of the features. Spend some time to do searches on people you know or want to know. Try searching on your job title in your city and see if there are people that you should get to know.

Also, make sure to go to the Answers section and participate there. LinkedIn has some hidden gems, but really, all you need to do is play around for a little while and get familiar with the features. Realize that there are professionals that spend hours each day on LinkedIn looking for future employers, business partners, clients, etc. and perhaps you can think of how you can get value out of it.

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Kevin M. Butler interview - founder of ChamberFish.com

I'm pleased to bring you the following interview with Kevin M. Butler, owner of ChamberFish.com -- the sites focus is on helping business professionals network effectively as well as increase the contacts within their own personal business network.

Josh: How do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Kevin M. Butler: Business networking is a simple yet often misused form of marketing for your business. Stephen Covey gives examples of how relationships have evolved over time. In the past, relationships and communication were based on ethics, morals, and the character of the individual.

As these concepts evolved, we began to take shortcuts to attempt to get to the end-result faster. The "Mental Technologies" are manipulative, quick-fix, and demeaning. Business networking, when successfully performed, goes back to the traditional ways of communicating.

I would define business networking as relationships but it's much more complex. There is no formula, secret or manual. Developing genuine relationships will generate business down the road either directly for your benefit or for your other immediate business connections.

Josh: Can you share a couple of ideas that someone could put into practice that would help them to improve their business networking skills?

Kevin M. Butler: Business networking isn't about referrals. It's about knowing someone so well that you always have their personal interest and business interest at heart. When you schedule a one-to-one meeting, get to know their family, hobbies, and goals. By the end of the meeting, you will probably have several resources to suggest to them. Offering resources to help someone reach their personal goals is just as important as a business referral.

Additionally, when you are going through your daily life, you will pick up additional resources that will remind you how you can help others. If you have generated a real relationship, they will be doing the same thing for you. Always, let everyone you know what your goals and needs are as they change and evolve so they can always be on the lookout.

Josh: At what point in the initial connection (i.e. upon first meeting someone) do you exchange business cards? Or what is your approach towards getting their card so that follow-up is possible?

Kevin M. Butler: Most often, I will immediately exchange business cards. This gets the formality out of the way. I then ask what company they are with, and what their role is. At this point, I know whether they are an immediate business lead. The conversation doesn't stop there! Now that I've made a formal introduction, business conversation, I start to move into the personal conversation which includes their goals, opinions, and ideas. This is where the relationship is born.

I've made several connections only through the personal conversation where I had absolutely no intention to make any business connections. Not only does this potentially start a nice friendship, it also may identify other connections. You never know where your conversation will lead you. I would rather make two or three genuine connections slowly instead of powering through a networking event collecting business cards of thirty people that I haven't had the chance really spend any time with. The value lies in quality, not quantity.

Josh: Based on your experiences, which places and activities have you found best for meeting new people and expanding your business network?

Kevin M. Butler: Trade shows are my personal favorite because you can often meet business owners and interesting people. Always place your booth in a high traffic location.

Paid networking groups are normally my least favorite because it's referral driven and relationships tend to suffer. Since most of them only let one type of business in, there is often a disparity of referrals. A gift-basket sales person may get tons of referrals while the building architect may get one referral a year.

Chamber of commerce events are fun and potentially rewarding however, it's usually a feeding frenzy for sales people. (and I say that being one of them...) Although I don't normally recommend moving through a crowd quickly, in this case, it helps. Make quick introductions, decide if there is a potential relationship is possible. If so, stop and spend the time. If not, move on until you find someone interesting.

Josh: Kevin, you're the founder of ChamberFish.com -- can you share a quick overview, as well as some of the benefits that folks will gain from plugging into what you all are doing there? Also, what led you to start ChamberFish.com?

Kevin M. Butler: I find that many small to medium sized business owners are at work and do not spend alot of time networking. They are speeding 10-14 hours a day managing their business and don't feel the value of networking. By providing an online venue for networking, they have the ability to network on their own time.

Also, Chamberfish provides the ability to send, receive, and manage electronic referrals within your own personal network. You can also post "projects" that you would like to have other members refer their network to. For example, let's say you want someone to mow your lawn. Once you post your project, other members will see this and can either refer themselves or someone in their personal network.

Chamberfish.com is free and will be supported only by very modest ad-space sales.

Josh: Can you share a personal "networking" success story with us?

Kevin M. Butler: About a year ago, my wife started talonbookkeeping.com, a bookkeeping service for small to medium sized businesses. We posted a craigslist ad and received our first client.

Charlie was a former baseball player looking for bookkeeping services. We met with Charlie and upon hearing about his background and goals, I thought he would be a great person to introduce to my friend Scott who had a similar background and goals. We introduced them and they decided to go into business together as sport agents and started Winning Edge Sports and Entertainment, LLC.

Since then, Scott was recruited for several local marketing campaigns, manages several athletes, and is now in the process of developing a local cable television show highlighting amateur athletes who are working towards the pros.

The only effort it took on my part was listening and connecting two people together who could complement each other. I expected nothing in return but it has truly enhanced my friendship with Scott and I look forward to his success. Chances are, when I need a resource or connection, he will be there for me too.

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

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Trevor Brooks interview - CEO of IdeaCloud

Trevor Brooks, business consultant and CEO of IdeaCloud, a full-service, outsource, multinational Web development group. He has over 13 years of experience offering design and implementation of Internet and intranet sites.

Trevor has worked extensively developing Web solutions for various companies such as Century 21, Ingersoll Rand, Starbucks, PepsiCo, Whirlpool, Genentech, and Palm. IdeaCloud has built a number of very popular Facebook applications.

Josh: How do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Trevor Brooks: My guiding principle with business networking is "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Business networking is pretty basic in its raw form, it's simply meeting people through other people. The trick is in knowing the right people so you can get connected to the other people you want to get connected to.

Josh: Can you share an idea or two that someone could put into practice that would help them to improve their business networking skills?

Trevor Brooks: Some people think that it is inappropriate to name drop. I think it's the other way around, it is imperative that you name drop. Connecting with someone through someone else is the most powerful introduction you can have.

So be proud to name drop your clients and business partner names and companies. You would be surprised how many doors open when you find out that you have mutual acquaintances with the person whose door you are trying to enter.

Josh: Based on your experiences, which places and activities (online or offline) have you found best for meeting new people and expanding your business network?

Trevor Brooks: I don't think there is a "best place". However, there are "best people". It's the six degrees principle. I am connected to about 20 people that have such an impressive business network that they do my networking for me! All I have to do is call one of them up and say, "Hey so and so, I am trying to get into GE do you know anyone there?" and their answer is typically "yes let me get you in touch with XYZ" or "no, but I have a buddy who does."

Josh: Trevor, you all have developed a new Facebook application called Kuhnektid. Can you first give a quick overview as to what a Facebook application is, and then touch more specifically on how the Kuhnektid application will benefit folks who have an interest in growing their personal/professional networks.

Trevor Brooks: A Facebook application is just an external Web application that has access to a variety of Facebook's information through their API so you can create a Facebook centric aspect of your application.

Kuhnektid is a business networking application built on the principle of six degrees of separation. Ultimately it is a business networking search engine. You can search for people's names or companies and find out if you are connected to them or to that company through your Facebook friends network.

The more friends you have and the more of your friends that use kuhnektid you will quickly realize through the principle of six degrees of separation that you are connected to a lot more people then you thought. So, now I don't have to call up one of my 20 best people to connections into companies I can just do a search through Kuhnektid and see how I am connected.

Josh: As a side note what are your thoughts on OpenSocial?

Trevor Brooks: I think that it is smart when companies open up their networks to outside developers just take a look at what it did for Facebook. So with that OpenSocial is a good thing. Will it be successful? That remains to be seen. Everyone has the mindset of advertising being the key to monetization but I am not convinced that is the case yet.

Josh: Trevor, can you share a personal "networking" success story with us?

Trevor Brooks: One example of a success story is through my experience with Facebook. IdeaCloud was the company that built the Chase +1 Facebook Group application that was the first real "application" even though it was built within a sponsored group.

After our work on that Facebook eventually took the API they developed and opened it to everyone else on the planet. That application was a mashup that included Amazon.com and I was contacted by another company looking for application support through one of the Amazon programmers we worked with on Chase +1. Like I said before, "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

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Networking - Developing Expert Status Through Writing Articles and Essays By Josh Hinds

I make no bones about it, I'm a raving fan of writing articles and essays. Particularly when it comes to writing on topics which relate to your given industry, or on things that are of interest to those who also operate in the industry you want to network within (i.e build strong connections).

If you're thinking about passing on reading this, because you think you're not a writer, don't. I'll dispel the myth that it takes some magical formula to produce worthwhile content below. For now, allow me to explain a bit more on what a positive difference writing articles can have on your networking efforts.

Writing Articles Changes the Typical Dynamic that Exists in Building Strong Networking Relationships...

Articles allow you to change the dynamic that generally exists in a typical networking situation. For example, where you have someone you want to meet, normally you would reach out to that person, and over time build enough value/rapport between you and that person that a connection grows over time.

However, as a writer of high quality, valuable articles and essays, people seek you out, which gives you a much greater perceived value when starting the connection/relationship with the person you've just met. It can greatly reduce the amount of time that it would take otherwise to achieve "trusted" advisor status with the given person.

In addition to Networking, I also speak and teach on what is called Personal Branding. Without getting into a long discourse on all the ins and outs of what Personal Branding is, it works like this... You want to self-package or present yourself in a certain way to others (i.e. the marketplace). When you do it right, the natural progression is that you begin to be viewed as an expert in your given area.

Some of the ways to do this (though certainly not an exhaustive list) include:

* writing articles and essays
* writing a book
* writing a booklet
* appearing on, or even hosting a radio show (or podcast)
* appearing as a guest on a TV show, or being quoted in a news story
* video clips where you share your knowledge
* speaking to groups and organizations
* Being a guest on (or hosting) telesminars or teleclasses

Essentially it's all about positioning yourself as the go to guy or gal when it comes to what others need in your given industry. Again, the list above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways to build your personal brand.

Before I get ahead of myself let's get back to the point of this particular article. That being writing articles and essays in order to better position yourself as an expert and trusted source.

I'm convinced that most people have a tremendous amount of knowledge to share which relates to their particular field or industry. The problem is that there seems to be a misconception that in order to write articles one has to be particularly skilled in the art of writing or journalism in order to do so.

While I'm certainly not going to discredit those who have more formal training in writing, I have seen enough people with little if any formal training write and share their thoughts in the written form and gotten some amazing results.

I'm an example of the group that has virtually zero formal training in writing. Would I be a better writer if I'd have first received formal training? Perhaps, then again, I'd likely have never written anything to start if I'd have not allowed myself to simply write the only way I knew how to start with. With that said, I'll share how I go about writing articles.

Please keep in mind that there's certainly no one way to do it. I'm sharing what works for me in the hopes that some of the ideas will be helpful, and that ultimately you'll realize that the main thing is to get started. Over time, and through writing in the first place you will improve.

First, I write just like I would if I was speaking. Whatever comes to mind I write it down. I resist the urge to edit along the way, though admittedly at times I may do so just a bit here and there.

At first you may find that your urge to edit may be very strong, but resist it just the same.

If a thought comes to mind that I want to include that doesn't fit in the particular section I'm writing on at the moment I'll go to a different section in the article and write it there. Then I'll come back to the particular section that I was writing on before.

What I just mentioned about moving from topic to topic as it comes to mind may not work for you. I mention it only because it's something that I find works for my particular style of writing. As I mentioned before, this isn't about the right way to do something, this is about moving you past all the reasons you think you can't write articles yourself, and getting you to the point of doing so.

After I've finished writing my rough outline of the article, I use a program called, ReadPlease 2003 (you can search for it in Google or your preferred search engine). The program allows me to copy and paste the text I've just written and it will read it back to me. I happen to prefer this program as the voice that it reads back in isn't near as robotic sounding as others I've tried seem to be.

The advantage to having it read back to me is that it's like having an editor reviewing what I've written in a voice other than my own. Plus, as it's reading back to me the particular program also highlights the words as it reads. Allowing me to both hear and see what I've written. Then when I pick up errors, either grammatical, or when something I've written just doesn't seem to make sense upon hearing it read to me I can pause the program and edit my article.

Having written articles prior to using the ReadPlease 2003 program for editing purposes I can tell you this has been an invaluable step in the writing process for me personally.

One thing I forgot to mention is that when I fire up my word processor the first thing I do is write a title for my article which acts as an overview of what I'll be writing about. So once I've completed writing the article, and have it all edited to my liking I look back at the original title I chose and change the wording as needed. Since I choose to write just like I would if I were speaking, on occasion I find that the focus of the article I started writing will change enough that changing the original title only makes sense.

There you have it, the exact process I use to write articles. I'm certain that those who are far better trained than I will have any number of suggestions and reasons why my particular approach isn't the best, but as I mentioned before, it works for me. It's what's comfortable to me, and judging by the feedback I've received, and the many places both online and offline that have shared and published my articles and essays it seems to be an approach that works well enough :-)

Because I am sure there is at least one person who happens to be reading this who just doesn't believe they possess the skills to write articles themselves, but realizes the value in doing so, allow me to share a few other ideas for doing so that will give you the same end result... writing your own articles and essays which will better position you in the minds of others.

Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to actually write in order to write articles. It sounds like a contradiction I know, but here's what I mean...

Two approaches to writing articles and essays for the non-writer...

1) you could record your thoughts just as you would if you were writing them. Remember, I choose to write my thoughts, just as if I were speaking them. You could always record your thoughts and have them transcribed into an article.

Once you've got your "article" recorded find someone to transcribe it, you can likely find someone in your area by looking in the phone book, or you could go online and search for "transcription services" or some variant of that and you'll find a tremendous number of sources. You could also try a site like elance.com.

Once they've transcribed it for you, you'll have it all in a format you can load up in your word processor and edit yourself if need be. It may not be the traditional approach to writing, but the end result is the same -- your expertise will shine through as others read your words of wisdom.

2) Another approach, could even be what is referred to as ghostwriting. Where you have someone else write an article for you with the understanding that you will have your name attached to it as the author.

A variant on this approach would be to work hand in hand with the person doing the writing and allow them to write your thoughts on the particular article. So that they are your own thoughts, but they are the one doing the actual writing, where you include your name as the author.

Again, you can do a search for ghostwriting and you'll find a number of sources if that's something you want to explore. You might also consider finding a writer or journalism major who would be willing to work with you to write articles for you. If you have a local college in your area something as simple as giving the school a call and letting them know what you're looking for should yield good results.

These are just a few alternative approaches you can take. As I said before, my intent isn't to write an exhaustive tutorial on how to write, as much as to get the important point across that no matter what level you happen to rate yourself as a writer, with a little creativity and willingness to think outside the box you can create articles and essays of your own, and benefit from the expert status that doing so gives you. Give it a try, and watch for yourself how the marketplace will reward you.

In summary I'd like to share the following example of just how important writing articles has been in my own professional life. When I started out with what would become my first personal development web site no one knew me from Adam's house cat. Literally :-)

I did two things initially that I believe made a tremendous difference, and have played a huge part in where I an now. First, I made a point to continuously network with and meet people in the personal development industry. And secondly, I started writing my column that included my own thoughts and advice on personal and professional development topics.

In both instances, I didn't stop to think of all the reasons why I couldn't do what I wanted to do. I didn't allow the thoughts that crept in like, "you aren't qualified to write" or "who are you to connect with that person, they're well known, and you're a nobody" -- I didn't allow those thoughts to stop me from taking the simple actions I knew I had to do in order to get the results I wanted to have occur. I simply did what needed to be done ongoing. I wrote as if I were speaking. And I connected with everyone and anyone that I could in my given industry. Years later I still do these two things.

It's my sincere belief that as you adopt the approach of sharing your thoughts and knowledge with others you to will benefit greatly as a result of making the choice to do so. You will see a tremendous difference in the quality of connections you are able to make, and your network will grow beyond what you are likely to believe is possible at this moment in time.

Happy Networking and Personal Branding, Josh Hinds :-)

* Josh is a speaker, trainer and author who teaches on topics including: Networking and Personal Branding. To learn more about having him speak to your group, company or organization visit www.GetMotivation.com/speaker/

Networking - Let the Meat and Potatoes Cool First By Josh Hinds

Often one of the hardest things for people who are beginning to embrace professional networking to grasp is that it's not simply about sharing their product or service, but rather about first building some basic rapport with the person they've just met.

The other day I was having a conversation with someone and they said to me point blank, what you say about givers getting, and creating value for others first sounds good... but it's all a bit to goody two shoes sounding for me. What I want is to get down to the meat and potatoes and see some real business taking place.

Fair enough I said. But would you humor me for just a moment and consider that without first having even an inkling of rapport and good will established with the person you've just met, that you have no "meat and potatoes" cooked yet?

Aside from it leading to a laugh, I had his attention.

I went on to explain that the reason focusing on the other person first works, is because, to put it plainly -- so few people out there take the time to do it. Therefore by doing so you stand a much better chance of positioning yourself as someone who has that persons best interest in mind.

They're no longer thinking, this person wants to simply "sell me what they have to offer" and move onto the next person. Certainly we want to offer our product or service, and it's perfectly fine to do so. The key is that we're not investing the time to build a connection solely for that purpose alone.

The "goody two shoes" approach to networking ensures that you will not only be thought of in a favorable light -- you will remain there for as long as you're willing to commit to keeping that connection going. The more value you create for the people you connect with -- the greater the likelihood that they will not only end up a customer of yours, they'll even seek you out as a trusted advisor when they have a need that they feel you might be able to help them with.

Certainly, to some this is going to require a bit of a mindset shift, from immediate, right now thinking -- to a more long-term customer, friend, connection for life approach.

For example, hopefully you already take into consideration the value of a customer for life. In other words, rather than seeing a sale or transaction as a one time occurrence you take the time to stay connected with that person. You follow up to make sure every thing went well and that they are happy with their purchase or the service you rendered. And of course you touch base every so often just to let them know you're thinking about them -- and remind them that if you can help them in the future to let you know. Such a simple thing to do, but oh so effective!

Here's a quick list to consider when looking for ways to build life-time value with those you meet... so that when it's time to eat your "meat and potatoes" you've got some already cooked :-)

1) Upon the initial meeting, take a sincere interest in the other person first. Where appropriate, ask about their business. How did they get into that field? What do they enjoy about it?

Take it a step further and let them know that since you're always meeting new people you'd be willing to keep an eye out for potential sources of business for them. Let them know that in order to send business their way you'd like a few of their cards to pass along -- and perhaps ask them what their ideal prospect would look like. The idea I just mentioned works well, but you can't just give it lip service, you have to be sure to actually send referrals their way as you run across them.

2) Be on the lookout for things that are of interest to the folks in your network -- and pass them along to them. Here, it could be a conference, or new source of business that would be good for them (if you follow the steps above you'll have a good idea of what will be of interest to them). If they have a hobby, and you run across something along those lines drop them a note with the information you found. You could also send a quick e-mail, or pick up the phone to share it with them.

Think of this as sprinkling some sugar on the folks in your network. It's a terrific way to stay in touch, while being valuable to others. One point, make sure what you send is relevant to the person you're sending it to. And don't go crazy sending tons of emails, valuable info here and there will be appreciated (as it will let them know you are thinking about them) -- but overloading their inbox is likely to leave them thinking... oh no, not them again :-)

3) Every so often drop a quick e-mail, greeting card, or note to someone you may not have touched base with in a while. Something as simple as "it's been a while so I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you" can do wonders to position yourself in a favorable light. With the multitude of ways to drop a quick hello message there's no excuse for letting your connections go stagnant.

4) Be ever on the lookout for opportunities that will be of benefit to those in your network. We touched on that before, but it's so important, I wanted to mention it again. Doing so is as easy as keeping your eyes open for news you might read, or listening to what others have to say.

Recently, a good friend of mine was on the lookout for a web developer/designer for a friend of his. I quickly sent a note to some of the folks in my network who I thought might know someone (or offer this service themselves) who would fit what my friend was looking for.

As the recommendations came in I passed them back to my friend. As a result, he ended up connecting me with his friend whom he was originally requesting the information for. While there's no telling what the future will hold with the new person I met as a result, the point is that the connection never would have been made had I not been willing to tap into the folks I know and make a connection solely for the benefit of my friend, and the members of my network.

The example above in a nutshell illustrates the benefit of creating ongoing value for others. Make the commitment and you'll find that others seek you out when they need help in some way. It's an enviable place to be in the marketplace, and fortunately, it's not hard at all to position yourself in this way.

Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)

BTW. If you'd like to learn about a powerful keep in touch -- referral system that I both use and recommend click here.


* Josh is a speaker, trainer, and author on topics including: Networking and Personal Branding. You can learn more about having him speak to your group or organization at www.GetMotivation.com/speaker/

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