Business Networking Advice

Kevin Kelly - Motivational Speaker and Entrepreneurial Authority

2009-11-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Kevin Kelly is an Internationally Acclaimed Motivational Speaker and authority on entrepreneurship, sales, creativity and personal excellence. Over the past two decades, he has keynoted at events around the world including the Middle East, Far East, Europe and the US. You can visit him at KevinKellyUnlimited.com.

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

Kevin Kelly: From my perspective effective networking is an organic phenomenen and happens at an energetic level.

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

Kevin Kelly: Believe it or not I am not an advocate of just knocking on more doors - I
believe the most effective networking strategy is to work on yourself.

Stanford Business School Advisory Committee asserts that self awareness is the key attribute that leaders should develop - I believe self awareness is the key to attracting an effective network into your life.

The more you develop yourself, the more you begin to attract the right type of people into your network.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share an example or two of how it has made a difference?

Kevin Kelly: Network members arrive in various guises - sometimes as students! At the start of this decade I was approached by a person who wanted to write a book.

After an energetic exchange he asked me what he could do for me. I declined his offer initially highlighting that I was happy to help. He persisted - I accepted his help.

It transpires that Michael was one of the top website designers around having worked on developing the site for one of the first banks and magazines online. He brought my site from absolute obscurity to the top of the rankings for some keywords... at zero cost!

Beware the student may be the teacher!

- Yours in networking success, Josh Hinds
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

David Paget - Founder and CEO of SalesAndMarketingForums.co.uk

2009-10-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

David Paget is the owner of a free sales and marketing advice site online and has been in sales and marketing since leaving school. He is a regular networker at road events and a formidabble networker online. Visit his website at www.SalesAndMarketingForums.co.uk.

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

David Paget: Business Networking is something that many businesses do (online and offline) without even realising it. Networking in a simple sentence is communicating your message to other businesses but also communicating their message to others 2. Building trust, loyalty and great relationships together.

Networking is a great way of generating awareness and sales for any business when it is carried out correctly.

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

David Paget: I would suggest sitting down and writing a list of the best benefits of using their service/product and trying to put this into a small 60 second pitch that delivers quickly and precisely. Something that adds a little humour may also help break the 60 seconds down nicely.

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

David Paget: Yes, I am a member at the largest business forum in the UK and had a wealth of information and potential customers at my fingertips. It took me a while to build a good reputation on the forum and meant that I spent time considering my posts before posting. Within 2 weeks of setting up my business I had a diary that was booked 6 months in advance just from that forum.

I believed at the time that the forum that I belong to covered too many generic areas in business so I went about setting up a free sales and marketing site that has really taken off in the short 12 months that it has been live with over 3600 members.

A great success story but networking takes time and persistance before it starts to really take off you cant just jump in there with cheap nike prices and expect a load of business to come from it.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Monique Terrell - Entrepreneur

2009-08-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Monique Terrell runs Sparkle Internet Image Solutions. Her company provides virtual marketing services to both national and international organizations.

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

Monique Terrell: Business networking is about meeting others to create and sustain business relationships. It's important for business-owners to be known within their community and it helps to create and strengthen conversations and knowledge about you and your business.

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

Monique Terrell: Idea: Just Do It! Start with attending 3 groups - one within your industry, one within your target market and one general networking/socialize group.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share an example of how it has made a difference?

Monique Terrell: Networking has played in important role in my professional successes. As a business owner, networking both online and offline has been the key ingredient to my business success in obtaining clients.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds
(Connect with me on Facebook)

*Josh Hinds is available for keynotes, breakouts and personal development trainings. Visit www.JoshHinds.com for speaker information.

Janet Hilts - Performance Coach

2009-08-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

Janet Hilts is a performance coach and stress-free speaking specialist, helping reluctant professionals confidently bring their gifts and passions to the world. She helps coaches, consultants, mentors and other professionals to open up their communication so their businesses can expand in new directions. You can contact her through her web site at Clearing-Pathways.com.

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

Janet Hilts: Ultimately, exchanging resources is what networking is all about. Those resources come in all shapes and sizes – support, information, products, services. Somewhere in the mix, the goal is to have part of that exchange be someone’s eventual purchase of your services or products.

Networking is making solid enough connections with people to the extent that you trust each other’s recommendations. And that doesn’t happen in 90 seconds. That takes familiarity, and usually a little time or repeated contact with someone – in person or online.

It’s really important because people buy from people they trust or from people trusted by someone they know. That word-of-mouth marketing is the best! The more interconnected we are, the more channels we have -- for finding exactly what we need for our own businesses and for getting the word out about what we do.

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

Janet Hilts: One tip for networking events is to act as if you’re hosting these people in your own living room at a party. Do the things you would do there: Keep circulating. Approach people who are standing alone and ask them about themselves to get them to open up. Introduce people to each other. Keep your focus on making other people comfortable. Be sure to spend a little time with people you’ve met before – to continue building those relationships. This keeps your authentic self shining through and that’s who people really connect with.

Josh: Please share a bit about the work you do, and in particular how one could go about overcoming the fear sometimes associated with stretching beyond their comfort zone and meeting and connecting with others in a professional networking setting. Could you describe how that might work?

Janet Hilts: With a combination of performance coaching and some cutting-edge body-mind techniques, I help people disconnect the actual cause of the fear from their networking behavior. This frees them up to be very relaxed in those settings, easily talking about whatever they want to – as easily as they would at their own kitchen table.

First we do some detective work to uncover the inner links to the nervousness. And then we use some mind-body work to unhook those connections so that the experiences or beliefs that produced the fear no longer effect their networking today. And it’s permanent. Now they’re free to just be who they really are in whatever setting they’re in – and feel confident and relaxed about it.

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

Janet Hilts: My story shows the benefit of networking with people in your own field – the ones some people might call competitors. I network with fellow coaches on Twitter, Facebook and discussion boards on BlogTalkRadio. I’m also quick to respond to comments on my blog, which is another form of networking.

A woman asked a question on a forum – not even looking for a coach. On that forum, another coach (who knew me through social media) recommended a blog post of mine she’d seen on Twitter. As a result, the woman read my post, looked around my website, and called me to book a coaching appointment. You never know through what roundabout channels your networking will serve you!

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Kathy Nelson - Business Success Coach

2009-08-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

Kathy Nelson is a seasoned certified Life and Business Success Coach. She challenges her clients to follow their vision, create their plans, use their talents, recognize their strengths and break through their limits. You can visit her and learn more about what she does at either OnTrackSuccessCoaching.com or Linkedin.com/in/ontracksuccesscoaching.

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

Kathy Nelson: Creating relationships and growing and contributing to community within associations and groups online or in-person. This can run the gambit from interest groups to business groups and philanthropic groups.

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

Kathy Nelson: 1. Help others get what they need and want. At BNI we have a saying, "Givers gain". I find that is true.

2. Get really good with your 30 or 60 second elevator speech or commercial. Make it about your benefits to others, not a brag op for you. The word *you* is more important than the word *I*. Practice it until it is natural.

3. Get comfortable about talking about the value and benefits of your services and share stories of how it has served others. Before and after stories paint the story too.

4. When you meet someone at a meeting that is interesting, follow up with an invite for coffee and make the date. You will build your network one great person at a time. Find the common threads to create rapport.

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

Kathy Nelson: I have found success with BNI, local Network groups, NAFE, NAWBO, Chamber of Commerce, Business Association meetings, Rotary, Kiwanis, PTA and Soccer groups, anywhere where people come together for causes and interests. What are your interests? Where does your target market hang out? There are many great groups you can join and get involved with. Check out their forums too.

If you are friendly, interested in meeting and talking with others you will strike up a natural conversation. Wear a T Shirt or Hat with your company logo on it or something that says what you do. I used to wear a badge and people would ask me about the real estate market and start conversations with me in grocery and drug store lines. I was not a Realtor, but I got some leads for some of my clients who were.

Online social communities work well too. I have become active on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and grown good relationships in the last 9 months.

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

Kathy Nelson: I joined a local BNI network close to my office over ten years ago. Not only do I coach a lot of our members, but I regularly receive referrals from them. I believe these groups accounts for a good 40% of my business income and I have great resources available to support my clients needs as well.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

David Hassell - Entrepreneur

2009-08-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

David Hassell is President of the San Francisco chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), an International network of entrepreneurs who each have businesses with annual revenues in excess of $1mil. He is presently engaged in launching a new software startup that provides organizations with better visibility into their operations.

He is also a co-founder of Kite Adventures, offering guided downwind adventure tours and pro-coached kiteboarding camps in northeast Brazil. Furthermore he is also the co-founder of Endai Worldwide, a NYC-based Internet marketing and services firm founded in 1999, and served as the company's CTO through 2006. Endai has been recognized on the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America.

Josh: David, how do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

David Hassell: You can easily infer the importance of a business network by comparing someone with a weak network to someone with a more powerful one. While people have the same amount of time and roughly the same amount of energy, all other factors being equal, the person with the more powerful network will consistently outperform the other in business.

Ultimately the person with the more powerful network has the opportunity to improve their quality of life. It does so by giving them the capacity to produce equal outcomes with much less time and energy that they can now choose to use elsewhere.

The way I define business networking is somewhat different from how I commonly hear it described. A metaphor I often use compares a powerful network to a very large bank account. Both a large bank account and a powerful network give you the ability to access what you need, when you need it, while paying you passive dividends all the while.

Just as having a large bank account allows you to get whatever products and services you want or need when you choose, your network represents your capacity to access the advice, knowledge, expertise or connections you need in any given situation. You can think of the dividends your network pays as unsolicited opportunities that naturally flow your way as a result of that balance.

Similar to the time and energy it takes to earn, save and invest to produce a large bank account, it takes time, energy and investment to create a powerful network, more so than most people realize. Just as you can't spend money before you have it (at least not without going into debt), you also can't call upon your network for any meaningful help until after you have invested in building it, so you'd better start building it now.

One pitfall I often see ambitious networkers fall into, is confusing the practice of accumulating a large stack of business cards or hundreds of LinkedIn connections with the way a strong network is really created. The measure of a powerful a network is not so much the number of people you've met or know, but the quality of the help you can get when you need it, and how many real opportunities present themselves to you naturally as a result of having invested in that network.

That brings me to my next point. Building a network is about investing in the success of the people around you by providing help, and producing trusted relationships in the process.

I once heard LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman give a talk to a group of member-leaders of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) where he said that the phrase "It's not what you know, but who you know" was trite and incomplete, and missing a some key elements. He said that instead it should really be "It's not just what you know, but who you know that trusts you." I think that Reid was spot on.

If you don't have you anything to offer, you can't give powerful help to people who may be able to reciprocate in the future. And, if someone doesn't already know and trust you, why would they be willing to stake their reputation on introducing you to an important connection, or providing you with access the knowledge and help you really need?

Josh: Can you share one idea that a person could put into practice which would help them to improve their business networking skills?

David Hassell: Remember what J.F.K. said. "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." Remember this when you're out meeting new people, or getting involved in a community of your peers. Focus more on offering help than seeking it initially. Learn about who each person is, what they care about, and what they're trying to accomplish. If you meet someone that you would like to attract into your network, think about both what you know, and who you know.

Can you make an introduction that might help this person? Do you have some skill or guidance you could offer to help them make progress on one of their goals? Don't give with the expectation of getting something in return. You will make a lasting impression if you can help someone in a meaningful way that contributes to their success. They too will likely want to know what you are trying to accomplish, and you may soon find unsolicited opportunities coming your way. Furthermore, some day you may find yourself in a situation where they might just be the one person who can really help you (and will be willing to help).

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

David Hassell: When I moved to San Francisco two and a half years ago, I had already been a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization in NY for three years. I'd also gotten a lot of value from my membership due to the fantastic education and networking opportunities accessible to me as a member of that community.

I decided to get involved and volunteer on the Board in San Francisco recruiting new members as a way to give back for what I'd received, and as a way to start building my network in a new city. I spent two years working with an incredibly high-caliber group of people, growing the chapter by nearly 50% and putting on some tremendous learning events all the while. I couldn't have imagined at the the time that two years later my latest business opportunity would come as a direct result of the work I was doing on the Board, and the relationships I was building.

I learned that one of my fellow board members had built some software for his company that I thought had broad commercial viability. I acquired the software making him my first customer and a member of my advisory board. Furthermore, one of the other members of the board who owns a legal firm represented me in the transaction. Had I not invested in those relationships, I would not have even known about this opportunity, and without the trust-based relationship we built over time, I would not have been able to complete the deal.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds
(Btw. you connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Tim Bursch interview - social entrepreneur and marketer

2009-07-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Tim Bursch is passionate about integrating business and social change. He is a social entrepreneur with interests in: recruiting and marketing but mostly connecting. Visit him at TimBursch.com.

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

Tim Bursch: Business Networking for me is all about relationships and creating connections. When I meet someone new I am thinking about how I can help them and who I can introduce them to. Connecting the dots. Networking is not about keeping track of favors or how many cards you can get. It is about sharing and helping each other for the long-term.

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

Tim Bursch: Josh, I get most of my ideas from the masters like Sanders, Ferrazzi, and Carnegie.

What works for me?

-Ask good Questions. When I make a new connection, I don't just ask "What do you do?". I usually ask a couple questions like: What gets you most excited right now? What is your biggest challenge? When you really listen to the answers to these questions, you learn a lot and you can go deeper.

-Give away something. When you check in with business connections leave them with something relevant. If you paid attention to their motivations and problems, share an article that might help. Connect them with someone or something that will just bring the greater good. It's worth it and it's personally satisfying to give away.

Josh: For some people knowing where to go to network in the first place is a problem. Can you share some specific resources, events, or places that you have found helpful for meeting new people and growing your business network (either online or offline)?

Tim Bursch: Lately, I have found Twitter to be a great place to start conversations with people. After you tweet with someone and see a purpose in conversing some more, ask them to meet for coffee. It could be as simple as building each other's network, but be clear about why you want to meet. I have found meet-ups and groups through Linkedin that have offline meetings. These online tools allow you to find groups in your niche and then you just show up.

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

Tim Bursch: I often meet other parents through my kid's sports. People usually talk about what they do, right? Well, I've just built the kind of relationships I'm talking about in these situations too - by listening and connecting.

Last spring I met a parent who had some job challenges, I listened and just threw him some connections. A year goes by and this spring the same parent now referred an unexpected but valuable client to me. It's cool when seeds from genuinely caring about others grow into valuable connections.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Networking Skills and Advice: From Facebook to Phonebook By Waldo Waldman

2009-05-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

The following is excellent food for thought when it comes to effective business networking. I'm pleased to share the following ideas from speaker & trainer Waldo Waldman.

From Facebook to Phonebook: How Wingmen Stay Connected...

Like many of you, I recently joined the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn craze and it's been great. I've re-connected with old friends from high school, college, and my fighter pilot days, and I've also met some very interesting people. And yes – like you, I can easily spend a few hours a day on these sites checking out profiles and looking at cool videos and photos.

Last week, I was driving home from a lunch meeting and was thinking of who I needed to re-connect with. David Greenberg (a personal friend and one of the best speaker coaches I know) came to mind. And I did something crazy. I didn't search for him on Facebook. Nor did I Tweet him a personal message. I didn't even send him an e-mail. I actually called him on the phone, and believe it or not, he answered! We connected, shared some cool business ideas, and I hung up feeling great.

Yes, I know I'm being a bit facetious here. But I have to say that if there is one thing that drives this wingman ‘wingnuts' is when people abuse this whole social networking thing. In many ways, it's gone from "Here's what I'm doing" to "Here's what I'm selling." From "Let me connect you to" to "Let me sell you."

Well, I've got news for you, ye social networking gurus. If I don't know you, I probably won't buy from you. The reason I said ‘probably' is because there are times when we will buy something from someone even if we don't know them. If it has value and can help our business/life, then hey, it's worth a look. And there's nothing wrong with occasionally sharing our great product, seminar, or book with our contacts.

Social networking sites are a tremendous way to expose our market to our value. But please, let's not put our sales links and impersonal offers in EVERY POST we make on Twitter or Facebook!

We need to be careful not to abuse the social networking sites and our connections. They are primarily for networking and making contacts, not direct sales.

I believe our phone book should still remain our primary method for building and maintaining our relationships. One phone call equals 50 tweets and Facebook messages. Phone calls are great at building trust, and trust what a wingman is all about.

So, here are some wingtips to augment your social networking efforts:

1. Make it a priority to call a few of your special contacts every day. Do this first thing in the morning if able. These include your top clients, vendors, and yes, your friends.

2. Use your phone judiciously. Before you head to the airport or Starbucks, make a list of a few wingmen to call while in your car or at the gate.

3. Give something of value to your contact on the phone (i.e. a referral.). Before you hang up, ask them this special question: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

4. ** If you really want to connect with a new e-contact, research their website and call them. I guarantee they will be impressed…and shocked.

In this high speed age of Twitter and text messaging where words on a screen are the norm, we need to hear each other's voices. Voices incur emotion and emotion is what connects people. And when connections are made, trust is built and relationships develop. How people make you feel is what initially builds relationships, not the product they sell.

So, if you want to be a Wingman - a trusted partner - to your network, don't forget to reference your Phonebook in addition to Facebook when flight planning your next mission.

NEVER FLY SOLO!
Your Wingman,
Lt Col Rob "Waldo" Waldman
_____________
Lt Col Waldo Waldman, The Wingman, builds team unity within organizations as a high-energy leadership and inspirational speaker. A former combat-decorated fighter pilot with corporate sales experience, Waldo brings an exciting and valuable message to organizations by using fighter pilot strategies as building blocks for peak performance, teamwork, leadership and trust. His clients include AFLAC, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, BG Products, NY Life, and Home Depot and his book Never Fly Solo (McGraw-Hill) will be released in Dec 2009.

To download Waldo's Top Gun Motivation mission briefing, visit www.YourWingman.com, e-mail info@yourwingman.com or call 1-866-925-3616.

-Lots of great ideas don't you agree? If you'd like to share your own thoughts please do so in the comments below.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Howard Bienstock interview - Entrepreneur & Founder OneDegreeConnected.com

2009-04-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Howard M. Bienstock is an Entrepreneur and the Founder OneDegreeConnected.com

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

Howard Bienstock: Business networking should be the sharing of relationships for the betterment of all. This is done by meeting people both online and live and helping them connect directly to the decision makers who you know that they can provide value to, and that they want to meet.

This is important because you not only quicken your sales cycle you deepen your relationship with both the person asking for the introduction and the person you are introducing them to... It's actively facilitating a mutually beneficial connection between currently 'unconnected' individuals.

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

Howard Bienstock: Practice. Practice. Practice. Did I say Practice? You don't get better at anything unless you practice, and networking is no exception. You need to get good at asking people how you can help them, and in letting them know how they can help you.

Be exact. Don't say; I'm looking for anybody. Instead say; I would like to meet the CFO of XYZ company. People cannot connect you to ‘anybody’, but they can connect you to a specific person or company. Try it, it works every time. The more you network and the more specific you are both in what you have to offer, and then in what you need (in that order), the more successful you will become in all networking efforts.

Josh: Do you see any common mistakes that people tend to make when it comes to attempting to make business connections? If so, what are they and what corrections could they make in your opinion which would help them to be more effective in their approach towards networking?

Howard Bienstock: One of the most common mistake I see is when people go to a networking event (either live or online), and don't have a specific target or channel that they want to meet. If you are not specific I can't help you. The next "big" networking mistake is pushing information overload on everyone you meet. Initial conversations should be about showing that you genuinely CARE about the other person and their needs.

Most initial conversations are a one-sided sales pitch... wrong move!

Make it a habit to, when you first meet someone, ask them what they do and what they are looking for and how you can help them. Once people begin to feel that you are genuine in wanted to help them, most will reciprocate without being prompted.

Josh: Can you give us a brief overview of OneDegreeConnected? What makes it unique, and can you share some specific examples where others have benefited from being plugged into what you all are doing there?

Howard Bienstock: What is One Degree Connected (ODC)? OneDegreeConnected.com is a confidential, permission-based, direct relationship-management website designed by business professionals.

It's geared to provide professional networkers, sales and marketing experts, executives, and business owners with a state-of-the-art alternative vehicle to shorten their sales cycle while improving the level of contact through meaningful relationship management and effective business development. We don't share contact information.

Our proprietary system helps to facilitate personal, credible introductions to decision-makers outside of someone’s current contact base "from" existing contacts with whom they (decision makers) already share a respected relationship!

Josh: How is ODC Different from other social networking tools?

Howard Bienstock: ODC is an online tool designed by professional business people to serve the needs of professional business people. It is not a social networking site, but it provides a means for subscribers to effectively ‘leverage’ their social networks!

ODC is a cost-effective solution to social networks newly developed "Business Solution" membership option. At $500/month, one of the "FREE" sites offer limited open correspondence to a new (unknown) contact.

In contract, for a mere $29.99/month (less than avg. cost of many professional memberships) ODC provides you unlimited access to request an actual personal introduction or direct referral to as many people as you have earned points to request (points earned by the number of contacts you have contributed to the secure global database) - with no expiration date.

There is no external advertising, banner ads, data farming, etc. We allow you to RATE your relationship levels to create more efficient referral requests. We provide the resources to help make sure you are getting the most out of the ever-evolving online referral process.

We help to create a "buzz" about you, your company or product by effectively leveraging fellow subscriber's relationships through multiple, personal introductions. We pay a cash bonus for each new subscriber that joins using your personal referral code referral code.

Josh: How does ODC work?

Howard Bienstock: When you're ready to accelerate your network, you JOIN, then set up your profile. (This is what other subscriber/members will see about you and your company).

UPLOAD your contact database to our secure server. You will earn points based upon the completion of your contact info (i.e., names, titles, rating, etc.) the more thorough the info the more points you earn to request introductions and referrals.

CONNECT. Search the member contacts for someone you need to meet (by name, job title/position, and/or company). The ODC search is specific which is how we can provide multiple, personal introductions.

REQUEST AN INTRO/REFERRAL/RECOMMENDATION: You can see who (fellow subscriber/members) knows the person you need to meet and send a system generated request for a personal introduction and/or referral based upon how well they are connected with that person (via the 5 star rating system).

Prior to granting your request, fellow subscriber/members will/should look at your profile to learn about you and how to best introduce you to their contact - then they will send you the contact info and e-mail the person you've requested to meet that you will be contacting them directly.

Receiving intro requests will cost you points.

GRANT AN INTRO/REFERRAL/RECOMMENDATION REQUEST: Fellow subscriber/members may need to meet someone in your circle of influence and request an introduction from you. If it's someone you don't know, then check out their profile to determine whether or not to approve the request to meet.

Approving intro requests will earn you points.

ODC WORKS because each subscriber/member is leveraging the others' existing relationships. When you facilitate getting people together with common interests/needs everyone wins. Existing relationships are enhanced, new relationships are formed and business gets done!

You can also INVITE your existing non-member contacts to JOIN One Degree to help them accelerate their networks as well. When your contact becomes a member, everyone can see his/her profile but more importantly, everyone is now only "1" degree away from all of his/her contacts as well!

Subscriber/members will earn $10 cash bonus for each new member who joins ODC. You can send a system invitation which tracks your member ID and will generate a check quarterly for bonuses due on all new members who've joined via your invitation. Additionally, you can invite anyone to join the website using your ID and earn unlimited cash referral bonuses!

ODC has helped its subscribers to double and triple business in less than a year. Example one of our subscribers a bookkeeping business wanted to me CPA's she new that if she met 1 CPA per week over the course of a year she could double her business. To do this she would need to spend 10 hours a week networking to be able to get the one meeting a week she needed to grow her business.

With ODC she was able to spend 30 minutes on the site each week and was able to be introduced (with multiple referrals) to the CPA's she wanted to meet and was meeting 4 per week so she cut her time down from 10 hours to 5 hours and raised her face to face with CPA's from 1 to 4 per week. So in the half the time she met 4(four) times the people and was able to meet and exceed her goal in 16 weeks vs. 52.

This has happened time and time again One Degree Connected is the most powerful Business tool available for the serious person wanting to get key introductions and referrals to the decision makers they need to meet.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Bill Tamminga interview - Founder of Tamminga Marketing and Consulting

2009-03-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Bill Tamminga is the founder of Tamminga Marketing and Consulting. Bill also recently started an online social networking group for service business owners. The community features dozens of free marketing tutorials along with the opportunity to share your expertise and meet other business owners. He received his MBA from the University of Colorado and lives on the outskirts of Denver.

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

Bill Tamminga: I define business networking as any activity where there is 1:1 communication going on between two professionals.

I work primarily with service business owners and I know how critical networking is - especially as you get into higher-ticket services like law, consulting, and medicine. Generally, the more you charge for your service and the more competition you have the more you will rely on networking to build your business.

Face to face interaction helps people understand that there is a person behind the company. When it's done right, it brings our natural defenses down and allows a relationship to begin outside the confines of financial expectations.

Josh: One of the catch 22's in a typical professional networking environment is that people don't want to focus only on themselves and what they do, but at the same time, they do want to communicate what they do to the other person. With that being the case, how can someone go about getting across what they do in the most effective manner?

Bill Tamminga: You've touched on a basic problem with networking today. Networking is often viewed as a short-term strategy or one-time event when the reality is that it's a long-term strategy.

If you join a group that meets monthly, but you only show up once or twice a year you'll probably feel pressure to tell people about what you do. But the year progresses and regular attendees start to build strong bonds with each other, the short-timers are forgotten, regardless of what they do or what they said at the events they went to.

If you are going to really network effectively, it begins with a conversation about the other people in the room. Ask good questions about their family? What do they do outside of work for fun? Where do they live? Where else do they network? Where did they grow up? Those are the questions that help you get to know someone and build relationships and I've found that the people who spend time asking those questions get the most out of networking events.

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?

Bill Tamminga: The essentials of a business card are your name, title or occupation, company name, phone number, email address, and website/webpage. Beyond that it's nice to have a physical address, social network (if you've started one), and your social networking pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

The point of the business card is to make it easy for a prospect to learn more about you and continue a conversation at their convenience. One of the reasons why I don't talk a lot about myself and my business at networking events is because it creates a certain amount of mystery for prospects. I'll give them my card and expect that they'll do their own research to find out more about what I do. I make sure to leave plenty of ways for them to do that on my card. Some people can go crazy with their cards. I choose to keep it really simple.

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

Bill Tamminga: My strongest networking events are the ones at which everyone has a common bond beyond being entrepreneurs or business owners. Events like non-profit fundraisers, Tweetups (for those who are on Twitter), and alumni groups have played an instrumental role for me.

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

Bill Tamminga: I'm a big believer in building community. Any time I am able to strengthen a bond and get another person in my corner so to speak, I consider it a success. I can usually tell if that's happened when I am still communicating with that person after the event via phone, email, social media, or what have you. That happens frequently and it sometimes results in incoming business in the short term. Other times it results only in a solid friendship, which is equally important.

-Yours in Networking Success! Josh Hinds
Let's socialize -- connect with me on Facebook or Twitter

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Lynn Pierce interview - Speaker and Author

2009-01-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

Lynn Pierce, the Success Architect, has taught people how to combine business and personal development to reach the pinnacle of success and live the life of their dreams for over 25 years. In addition, she is also the founder of one of the most exciting annual events for women entrepreneurs, "Women's Business Empowerment Summit".

She shares her keys to success and life mastery in "Breakthrough to Success; 19 Keys to Mastering Every Area of Your Life" and on her blog at YourBreakthroughToSuccess.com/blog.

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

Lynn Pierce: Business networking to me is building rapport first and then building a relationship based on how you can support someone else before you ever consider asking them to do anything for you.

Relationships are what life is all about and your business is an extension of who you are. The way you network is just your way of showing you care about other people. Nothing is more important than that.

It's not about how many business cards you can hand out or how great of an elevator speech you've created to tell people what you do.

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

Lynn Pierce: The first rule is to be sincerely interested in the people you meet, really want to get to know them.

It's important to bond with the person you are meeting and really connect with them personally, not just as a representation of their business. This is accomplished the same way in business as in becoming friends socially.

Find areas of commonality by asking questions in a conversation that show you are sincerely interested in who the other person is. Forget about the business end of it at this point. If you develop a real relationship, the business side of it will come easily.

I know I'm very shy in situations where I don't know people and lots of other people are nervous about standing alone and not knowing how to start a conversation. They would really appreciate you walking up to them and helping them to feel more comfortable by asking them about something they will enjoy talking about. It only takes 1 or 2 questions to find that commonality.

In the 25 year career I had in sales the way I always found myself at the top year after year was because I was able to build relationships instantly.

It's a learned skill of being sincerely interested in people and how you can help them. It's also learning how to ask the questions that will engage the other person in a real conversation, not one that sounds like a sales pitch.

You also network through the first impression you create, it's another point of bonding.

In person, the first impression you create is with your body language and the way you dress, before you say a word. Online or in print your photo does the talking for you before someone reads or listens to a word you say.

Always use your photo where you can, not out of vanity but as a point of connection. People feel they know you when they can see you.

Josh: Can you share some of the ways you use the internet for business networking?

Lynn Pierce: On my blog, in my ezine, on Facebook and Twitter when I interact with someone, I treat it as a conversation and approach that conversation the same way I would in person.

People need to connect with the real person, not just the expert or business owner. People don't connect with businesses, they connect with people. They also don't choose to do business with you unless they feel that connection.

I learned in the first year of writing articles for my ezine that some of the things people remembered the longest were stories about my life. That's because those are the points of personal connection that allow people to feel like you have things in common and you understand each other.

It's really important to be conversational and to be real. You don't want to finally talk on the phone or meet in person and find out that the person you connected with was not who you thought they were.

When people meet me I want them to feel like they already know me from reading what I write.

I would never let an assistant do blog comments or facebook comments or tweets for me. I don't care how familiar they are with the way I speak, they can't get in my head and respond authentically the way I would respond.

In my opinion, hiring someone or automating the process goes against the whole reason for networking, which is to build a relationship. You can't build a relationship if you're not even really there.

Josh: How do you generally engage a person in conversation upon first meeting them? I realize this is a bit of an open ended question, so let's assume it's someone you've just met in a semi-professional setting such as at an event, or local Chamber of Commerce type of meeting.

Lynn Pierce: I would introduce myself and ask them about their experience with this event or group to initially break the ice. Normally that's all it takes to build a conversation based on their experience and then sharing how my experience has something in common with theirs, or how I can help them feel more comfortable at the event. I would never start with, "What do you do?"

In the rare instances where there's nothing to talk about from their answer I can always find another question to ask to discover a commonality we can build a conversation on. It can be something as simple as asking if they live nearby. That question fits almost any networking event you find yourself at. And the conversation flows from listening to what they say in their response that you can build on.

It's so much easier with Twitter because you can just join in a conversation that's already taking place. You can make connections quickly by commenting, connecting and sharing who you are.

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

Lynn Pierce: Networking through relationship building has been the source of just about everything I've accomplished in my business. When I first started on my path of becoming an author and speaker I quickly became friends with people considered to be gurus. I think it was because I met them as real people I was interested in instead of the "guru".

Those personal relationships opened business doors because they recognized my sincere interest in them as a friend and not a means to an end. In many instances I was able to connect them with people they hadn't met. So don't ever think you have nothing to offer to someone you perceive to be on a higher level in business.

With online networking, last year I offered two speakers I had met on Facebook opportunities to speak at Women's Business Empowerment Summit. I had 5 other speakers referred to me by people I had met on Facebook. Learning how to effectively network benefits everyone.

- Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Liz Lynch interview - Networking Strategist and Author

2009-01-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Liz Lynch is the author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online and a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and insightful perspective to networking that has connected with a global audience. She’s appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USAToday as well as on Fox Business News, ABC News, CNBC.com and Businessweek.com.

Liz is also founder of the Center for Networking Excellence, a company that develops products, programs and seminars to help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their businesses, and accelerate their careers through networking. Her bottom-line approach grew from her experience in corporate America working at some of the top firms in their industries -- Goldman Sachs, Disney, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and Time Warner.

Josh: Liz, how do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it's important?

Liz Lynch: To me, a network is a support system that you can turn to for advice, ideas, information and feedback. So networking then is simply the process of building and maintaining that support system.

The main reason you’d want a support system in your life is to give you maximum flexibility to pursue the goals that you want to pursue and have a high probability of achieving them. Want to change jobs, start your own business, or do something completely different with your life?

As independent-minded as you may be, if a goal is big enough, you can’t get there alone. You’re going to need the help of other people and your network is a valuable source of that help.

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

Liz Lynch: I think mindset is the most important thing for successful networking. Tactics and technique without the right intentions will leave you spinning your wheels and potentially alienate a lot of people. Once you develop an intuitive sense for building relationships, you can get almost anything done. So here are a couple of tips for getting there:

First, think about being a connector rather than a collector. When you meet new people it’s not about getting their business card, but about making a personal connection on which to form an authentic and supportive relationship. This means you need to have a conversation and get to know them. Let that be your goal rather than just collecting another business card.

Second, if you want to get someone’s attention you have to take the attention off of yourself. For instance, here’s an example of a Facebook friend invitation I received the other day:

My web site is [url removed to protect the guilty]. Subscribe to my newsletter. It’s free. I CAN HELP YOU! Check out my book on Amazon.com. The book is for males AND FEMALES. I will be posting content for you soon."

Hmm, how’s that supposed to entice me to want to network? That message tells me that he’s only out to help himself and doesn’t care about me at all. Not a great way to start off a relationship. Needless to say, I didn’t accept the invite. Whether you’re networking in person or online, it’s important to put your agenda aside. Think about what’s going to pull someone into your network, rather than what you can push at them.

Josh: I get the question a lot from people who say, "those ideas all sound great, but they wouldn't work for me because I'm an introvert." What advice can you give folks who just aren't comfortable getting out there and connecting with others?

Liz Lynch: I’m an introvert too! One of the reasons I wanted to write this book is to let people know that you don’t need to be the life of the party to be successful with networking. You don’t even need to do it all the time, as long as you know how to be highly effective when you do get out there.

So if networking is uncomfortable, you can at least minimize the time that you have to do it while still getting great results. This is what smart networking is all about.

In my experience, I find that introverts may have a slight edge over their extroverted friends because they’re less prone to hogging the spotlight. Turn your introverted tendencies to your advantage when you meet people and ask lots of questions. People love to talk about themselves and will feel more connected to you because you’ve shown interest in getting to know them.

Josh: For some people knowing where to go to network in the first place is a problem. Can you share some specific resources, events, or places that you have found helpful for meeting new people and growing your business network?

Liz Lynch: I’m a huge Facebook fan for business networking. But again, I think there’s a trick to using it and some people just don’t get it. I feel people are more responsive when you post things about yourself (pictures, status updates, videos, blog entries, etc.) and let those who are interested in what you’re doing find their way to you, rather than trying to market to people directly by sending messages, inviting them to events and groups. It’s also important to engage people in conversation by commenting on things that they post, which helps you start to build rapport.

I’m also now starting to explore Biznik.com, whose tagline is "Business Networking that doesn’t suck." Not only have I met the nicest, most supportive people there, but it’s a company that believes in what I believe: that the best of business networking is the combination of online and offline. In addition to the site, they host events in different cities so people can meet face-to-face.

For in person networking since there are so many options, the best thing to do is ask your target market where they network and what groups they belong to.

Josh: Do you see any common mistakes that people tend to make when it comes to attempting to make business connections? If so, what are they and what corrections could they make in your opinion which would help them to be more effective in their approach towards networking?

Liz Lynch: Even though social networking is becoming more and more popular, remember that online sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are just tools. They don’t do the networking for you. All the same principles of building relationships offline apply to building relationships online because there’s a real person behind that profile. Don’t spam your "friends" with overtly promotional messages and don’t waste their time with frivolous applications and irrelevant event/group invitations.

-Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)
(you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Mike McAllen interview - co-founder of Grass Shack Events & Media

2008-12-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Mike McAllen is one of the cofounders of Grass Shack Events & Media worldwide boutique production company based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in Honolulu and New York City.

Mike spent several years running the production department of the largest corporate production company in California before starting Grass Shack Events & Media.

Grass Shack concentrates on communicating clients messages through corporate events & meetings, videos, and new media. Grass Shack has been involved with Social Media initiatives for several clients via podcasting, setting up blogs and other technology based communication tools to further the communications of their clients.

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

Mike McAllen: The landscape of interactions has changed dramatically in the last few years. With the addition of technology based sites for networking it has only enhanced the face to face meet up opportunities for all businesses.

I feel business networking is the foundation of good sales and marketing. Most all sales are relationship driven so always expanding your network is essential.

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

Mike McAllen: I think picking an online business network and a face to face network and concentrating on getting the most out of them is the best practice. For example join LinkedIn and a couple of industry groups in Linkedin and really get involved. Same with a face to face group such as the American Marketing Association or what ever industry association that correlate to your business. And get involved! Volunteer to help.

Josh: What is your favorite (preferred) business or social networking site? In your opinion what are the key features which are most valuable to you? What makes the resources you use most appealing to you, as opposed to the other online networking resources and sites that are available?

Mike McAllen: I built a blog/podcast called MeetingsPodcast.com which targets my companies industry this past year and have been joined by two industry friends. This site has been a great way for me to get involved with my community. We as a team have weekly roundtable podcasts and also weekly interviews with industry folks.

We also branch off and use Linkedin, Facebook, and twitter to enhance and find like minded people in our space. The Key features are to build relationships and help others in our business and to make friends. The most appealing thing about the networking sites we use is we are comfortable with them and they are the most popular sites.

I get a constant stream of new networking sites daily and you have to draw the line somewhere. But find the one or two you enjoy and stick to them.

Josh: Do you see any common mistakes that people tend to make when it comes to attempting to make business connections? If so, what are they and what corrections could they make in your opinion which would help them to be more effective in their approach towards networking with others?

Mike McAllen: I think going to a networking site and blurting out what your company does in every message you send or write has a negative effect and falls on deaf ears.

I read somewhere that you should treat social networking sites like a cocktail party. Would you walk up to a group of people and blurt out what you do for a living? Or would you say hello, listen for a bit and then comment and join the conversation? This is how I try and network.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share an example of how it has made a difference?

Mike McAllen: I have so many examples or finding a resource in some city I am visiting but just putting out on LinkedIn or twitter that I need some help. Just recently I was in Dallas for an event and needed a production assistant I had four great leads in an hour. But of course I try and spend time helping the community also.

Doing a little research to help someone when you see someone looking for help pays dividends. First it feels good to help someone and second you just made another connection which as you know could lead to more business. Plus that person is now part of your community.

- Happy Networking! Josh Hinds
(Follow me on: twitter)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Stuart Tan interview - NLP Trainer and Corporate Consultant

2008-12-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

Stuart Tan is one of Singapore’s foremost NLP trainers and peak performance specialists. He is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and corporate consultant in training and development. You can reach him at www.StuartTan.com

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

Stuart Tan: Business networking is about looking out for and acting in the interests of other people, while holding on tightly to the people who are looking out for you by building a deeper understanding of them and reciprocating.

Our environment controls us to an extent that we are not aware of. You behave in constant reaction to your surroundings. So, it's essential for you to create an environment that is suitable for you.

We are influenced heavily by the people around us. More importantly, their ideas can become thought viruses. Do you want to hang out with people who have a negative outlook of life? Or would you rather hang out with high achievers?

Since people affect us, we might as well find people who affect us in a powerful way.

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

Stuart Tan: The first thing is to never network more than you can respond. It's literally a sin. By building deep and intimate understanding with a few people, it helps you create a high quality in the relationship. I've seen people spend 10 seconds with people and make their business decisions just based on that. I mean, what kind of a moron does that?

A lot of people take business networking like some kind of commodity to be traded. If we simply started to treat people as people, be sensitive to their needs and empathize with them, it would be easier to find that networking isn't as mercenary as some people put it out to be.

Josh: We hear a lot about the importance of creating value for the people who we want to develop strong networking connections with. Can you share some ways people can go about creating value in the eyes of those they want to cultivate stronger working relationships with?

Stuart Tan: That's a simple question. By paying attention to what they have ahead of them, and helping to make the way easier for them.

Don't just say you'll support them, surprise them with action. If someone wanted to launch a product, do a pre-launch to help them with the buzz. You can take initiative and still benefit from it by simply feeling good that you've done a good thing.

Josh: Can you share some of the ways you use the internet for business networking?

Stuart Tan: Twitter is a great platform to use. Social networks like Facebook and MySpace are also great. I usually seek out interesting people to interview, just like what you're doing, Josh. This not only helps me to learn a thing or two, it also gives me a bit of time to really connect with my interviewees.

More importantly, I've learnt about the importance of conversations and what this does to us. It's no longer putting up a blog post, or a newsletter. It's about the "back and forth" interaction. We need that. As humans, I think we crave that.

Once I get to know people, I don't jump in and ask for a business contact. Okay, that may be stupid to some people, but I really need to know enough about someone to actually do something with them. That way, I can anticipate what to expect.

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

Stuart Tan: I have a few funny stories to tell about people I networked with in the men's room. Won't mention names, but as a newbie, it was great to have a captive expert in the urinal next to me and I just had lots of questions answered.

In 2006, I had the chance to meet Alex Mandossian because the person who was his event organizer had spoken to me and my partner about doing something together. I later volunteered information that helped to increase back of room conversions. Alex later offered to speak if I could organize a group of people (he was practicing), so I had 118 people registered in 4 days of promotions due to the "partnership".

This paved the way to more things to come. It was July 2007 when Jay Conrad Levinson was in Malaysia delivering a training program. I volunteered to emcee the event (something I learnt from Alex) and ended up making friends with the Father of Guerilla Marketing, and had the great fortune to spend some time being educated in the ways of guerilla marketing staying at his place in Florida just this year in June. He's an awesome guy to learn about life - not just marketing - from.

Josh: Stuart, thank you again for doing the interview. If there are any other ideas on this topic which you think are worth including please go ahead and include them.

Stuart Tan: Yeah you're welcome. I just wanted to add that some people might think that networking is not "them". That's just sad. If you didn't network, you'd be a social outcast.

Maybe that's just your comfort zone, and I guarantee that your quality of life is just not going to improve. Anthony Robbins once said the quality of your life is the quality of your communication. I'll add on to say the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your connection and connectedness.

I used to be introverted, and thought I was a social outcast in school. Just because you think you are introverted does not give you the excuse to not network. Introverts network in warmer and deeper ways, and allow you to forge stronger and deeper relationships.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, network for networking's sake. Expand your thinking by meeting people who think in different ways than you. You'll be wiser for it, and you'll be grateful for it someday when you connect the dots looking back.

-- Happy Networking! Josh Hinds

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Dan Schawbel interview - Personal Branding Expert

2008-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Dan Schawbel is a leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y. He is the author of "Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success". Fast Company calls Dan a "personal branding force of nature."

His Personal Branding Blog is consistently ranked in the top 100 marketing blogs in the world by AdAge, and has achieved syndication from Forbes, Reuters and Hoovers. Dan publishes Personal Branding Magazine, is the head judge for the Personal Brand Awards and directs Personal Branding TV. He is a social media specialist for EMC, as well as a speaker and adviser on branding.

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

Dan Schawbel: Networking shouldn't be limited to straight business. In general, I tell people to make their lives one big networking event. Having that mentality will get you really far because your family, friends, teachers, career advisers and coworkers are all part of your network already.

You should focus on networking more outside of your company than within because there is no job security anymore. Business networking is forming relationships based on mutual interest and it's important because social equity weighs more than capital equity.

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

Dan Schawbel: I think participating in social media can help you become more proficient in writing, reading, presenting and, of course, marketing. When it comes to business networking, the key is to become a great communicator and to be likable. If you have both of those working for you and are extroverted, then all you need to do if find the right people.

I would recommend networking with people who are more successful than yourself because they are the ones that can open up opportunities for you and make you smarter at the same time.

The more you network, the easier it will become. There is a snowball event with networking, such that, when your network gets larger, it becomes easier to be introduced to new people.

Josh: For some people knowing where to go to network in the first place is a problem. Can you share some specific resources, events, or places that you have found helpful for meeting new people and growing your business network?

Dan Schawbel: I would use your friends referrals, your teachers and social networking sites such as upcoming and Facebook, in order to discover networking events that match your interests.

Finding events that are related to your industry is extremely important because it's a whole lot easier to meet people you have something in common with. If you are a known entity, people will typically invite you to events, either as a speaker, panelist or as press.

The more people you can meet online or in face-to-face situations, the easier it will be to find out where the next event is because they might already go to them.

Josh: How do you follow up with the people you meet? Do you have any particular system in place for keeping up with and managing the relationships in your business network?

Dan Schawbel: I think everyone in the world should have a business card, regardless of age or career stage. This includes college students, who don't work for companies.

Aside from passing out your "creative" business card, you have 24 hours to send that person a message. It's typically better to beat them to the punch, when it comes to the follow-up because it shows you care and value the relationship.

I use Microsoft Excel to manage relationships, but it gets harder as your network grows. I know there are online services that offer this service, such as LinkedIn and JibberJobber, but you can always keep tabs on it on your desktop if you want.

Happy Networking! Josh Hinds

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Gina Bell interview - Co-founder of The Networking Masters

2008-11-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

Gina Bell is President and co-Founder of The Networking Masters, creator of Joint Venture Mavens; co-author to "The Power of Mentorship for the Home Based Business" and "The Networking Masters to the Rescue" series of books as well as forthcoming author to "Soulful Networking".

For years, Gina has been teaching entrepreneurs how to effectively leverage their networks and accelerate their success thru purposeful networking and relationship building strategies. She offers a free Networking Success Kit available at TheNetworkingMasters.com.

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

Gina Bell: To me, business networking is really about being genuinely attentive to the needs of others, being in service to others, helping others achieve their goals and cultivating a network of equally relevant, responsive, caring and loyal individuals (without expecting anything in return).

I love being a connector and helping people... it feels good and it’s the right thing to do. Even though I’m shy by nature, the very essence of this intention allows me to leverage (true) networking in a very powerful way.

This definition of networking is very important because networking is a concept that is largely misunderstood to the detriment of entrepreneurs and small business owners everywhere! A vast majority confuse networking with selling, prospecting and brokering ~ never having experienced true networking at all. After sabotaging themselves with a misinformed definition they walk away believing that networking doesn’t work... it’s sad and unnecessary.

When we give to others or do things to help others in some way it helps to build trust... and trust is a critical component of profitable relationships (in business and life).

Think of it this way... Your Network Is Your Net Worth. I teach my clients how to build and evaluate their networks the same way they would build and evaluate an investment portfolio per se but, rather than building and strengthening financial capital we focus on building and strengthening social capital thru the cultivation of a relevant, responsive, loyal and caring network or "tribe".

The really cool thing about social capital is that it IS tied to your financial capital! The currency or benefits of building and strengthening your social capital comes in many forms (all of which are based on relationships with others)... referrals, information, advice, recommendations, joint ventures, strategic alliances, you get the picture... so while we’re not crunching numbers when we talk about building social capital, all of these results, can have a big financial impact.

Tip: Shifting your focus in this direction during economic uncertainty is very, very smart and something that you CAN DO in spite of it! If your social capital is high, you can literally leverage your network to fill any gap that exists in your business!

Looking at networking from a social capital point of view allows you to be very purposeful and strategic (not in a manipulative way) but a smart way... because you can build a network that becomes your insurance policy for success!

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

Gina Bell: A common barrier to effective networking is a fear of talking to strangers... This is a common fear that stems from our childhood. Think of how often you heard "Never, never, never, talk to strangers!" from your parents, teachers, grandparents, etc... Many of us have carried this fear into our adult lives. As children, this belief served us well but as adults, it no longer serves us, does it.

I have 3 simple recommendations to help you bypass a fear reaction:

1) Act like a host... Acting like a host not a guest is one of the best strategies for overcoming your fear of strangers. There is an obvious difference between the behavior of a guest and that of a Host.

* If you are the host of a party or event, wouldn’t you introduce yourself to people you didn’t know and introduce them to others?

* Wouldn’t you make sure your guests were properly welcomed, knew where to hang their coat or where to get food and beverage? Of course you would!

* A Host is active and focused on doing things for others. A guest tends to be more passive and reactive, i.e. they sit back and relax.

2) Ask for Introductions... If you arrive to a networking event and don’t know a single soul, find the event host and ask them to introduce you to someone. Make the most of the opportunity by telling them (specifically) the type of people you’re looking to meet. (That means, you need to put some thought into your target market BEFORE you go!).

3) Buddy up... Does walking into a room full of strangers scare you enough to keep you at home? Rid yourself of this self-sabotage by finding a networking buddy. You can approach others together, make introductions on each others behalf, and exemplify each other by sharing testimonials and more.

Josh: With first impressions being so important -- in your opinion how can someone go about making a positive impression upon meeting someone else?

Gina Bell: Let THEM do 80% of the talking... and REALLY LISTEN. Then, go the extra mile and connect them with someone you know they should meet. When you make the introduction, share WHY you thought they should meet, get them talking and then disappear.

I guarantee you will be the only person to do this for them and they will remember you for it. When you follow up, ask them how the connection is working for them. (And always follow up!)

Josh: We hear a lot about the importance of creating value for the people who we want to develop strong networking relationships with. Can you share some ways people can go about creating value in the eyes of those they want to cultivate stronger working relationships with?

Gina Bell: I sure can! In fact, I’ll share an example...

Maybe you’ve heard of Joe Girard. He’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Greatest Salesman.

All by himself, Joe sold more cars per year than 95% of all the other dealerships in North America. And he managed to do it for 14 years in a row!

Not only that, Joe consistently sold more than twice as many cars as whoever finished second each year.

So how did he do it? He applied his Law of 250.

Girard believed that everyone knows about 250 people. If he could get everybody he came in contact with to remember him and recommend him to their friends, it would expand his marketing efforts 250-fold.

Joe committed himself to staying in touch with every lead, prospect, and customer he had ever acquired and he did this with greeting cards.

Would you believe he sent out over thirteen thousand cards every single month, each of them personally signed.

Keeping in touch with and building relationships with our contacts is a lot easier these days with email and social networking.

The key -- and this is VERY important - is to cultivate relationships with the people in your network to a point where they feel good about you, they know you, like you, trust you... they really care about your success and you care about theirs too.

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?

Gina Bell: Great Question...

A perfect business card for me has the following 3 elements:

a) My photo. The real estate you can leverage on a tiny business card is very minimal. If you have to choose between a photo of you and your company logo... go with the photo!! (People will remember your face before they’ll remember your name. And, this may sting a little but; your logo may potentially mean nothing to the person holding your business card).

b) My most relevant contact information... What I mean by relevant is... How do you "really" want people to connect with you? Do you want to receive faxes? If not, don’t put your fax # on your card.

c) High Quality: Thicker stock and professionally designed to capture the image I want the card to represent. Say "NO" to print-your-own perforated edge business cards -- please! Don’t buy into "it’s better than nothing" mindset here. Sometimes it is better to attend an event without business cards... Simply include them with a follow up communication.

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

Gina Bell: I sure can! In early 2004 my husband and I launched a new business, a Coffee News franchise, here in Regina, SK Canada. Shortly after our launch we attended an International Conference for franchisees and the resounding message of what to do first was... NETWORKING, particularly to join a BNI Chapter (Business Network International).

We didn’t waste any time contacting BNI Canada just the moment we got home... One problem... BNI did not have any chapters in our province. Without skipping a beat, we decided to start one. With the help of the National Director we invited literally everyone we new in business at the time (89 invites to be exact) and managed to get 39 of them together in a room for an information session. Shortly thereafter, the first BNI chapter in Saskatchewan was chartered.

Our colleagues were absolutely right... we were able to generate more than 35% of our new advertisers through referrals from fellow BNI members the first year and over 50% the second. Not only did we receive a lot -- we gave a lot too and statistically, the biggest givers in a BNI chapter receive the most referrals too. Interesting isn’t it... It’s no wonder, that BNI’s motto is "Givers Gain". They really do!

Happy Networking, Josh Hinds

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Mike Michalowicz interview - Entrepreneur and Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

2008-11-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

Mike Michalowicz was 24 when he started his first business. With limited resources and no experience, he systematically grew a multi-million dollar technology business. After selling his first company, Mike launched a new business the very next day, and in less than three years, sold it to a Fortune 500. With his newest venture, Obsidian Launch, he fosters startup businesses with his "get rich right" approach.

Mike received Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards multiple times. He is a recurring guest on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR), and in the New York Times, Smart CEO Magazine, and other publications. He is the author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

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

Mike Michalowicz: I define networking as I do communicating - give and take. The key to networking is to actively be out there trying to help other people succeed. The more I do to help other people's endeavors, then my value to others increases... and it brings me more opportunities. To do it successfully, I need to deliver my best on both paid and non-paid opportunities. The return value of introducing two people to do business together is just as great as getting an opportunity for myself.

The second part of networking is persistence. I can't be there once, I need to be there "always." So I join a select few organizations, but I make sure I am there all the time.

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

Mike Michalowicz: There is a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth, we should listen twice as much as we talk. The biggest improvement anyone can make in networking, is simply asking someone else what they do... and listen.

Let the questions flow, and you will build a good rapport. I often try to discover a new skill or lesson or cool story every time I meet someone else, it makes the listening very fun.

A second tip is to dress consistent with your business. At a traditional networking meeting, everyone is in a suit. But if you are a landscaper, jeans and a sweat shirt are way more fitting. Here is the deal, this is not a license to dress like a slob... you need to be neat, clean and put together. But your outfit should be true to your business, you will stand out from the crowd.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share a few examples where it has made a difference?

Mike Michalowicz: Networking is everything. Because of it, I built and sold a company within 2.5 years to a Fortune 500. I met my partner for that business through networking, and we were introduced to the buyer through networking. Also, for my companies, I hire over half my colleagues that I met through networking.

Josh: You're the author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur -- can you share a few specific ideas from the book?

Mike Michalowicz: The golden lesson in the book is that entrepreneurial success, as the media presents it, is not typical. There is a far more common path, and it results in tremendous success if navigated properly. That path is the one of the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (TPE).

In short, most entrepreneurs will not have an opportunity to start with a full roll of cash, or a strong business network, or any experience for that matter. The funny thing is this common starting point is VERY navigatable. And with the right balance of beliefs, focus and persistence, you can grow a wildly successful company that brings both wealth and happiness to you. I have built three companies this way, and want readers to know how to do it too.

Happy Networking to you! Josh Hinds

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Ronn Torossian interview - CEO of 5W Public Relations

2008-11-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Ronn Torossian is the President & CEO of New York City based 5W Public Relations. Since founding the firm, he has overseen the company's rapid growth and expansion to the Los Angeles market, and provided advice and counsel to hundreds of companies, global interests, high-profile individuals, regional businesses, government agencies and academic institutions - both on routine public relations matters and extremely sensitive issues.

Torossian was named to Advertising Age's 2006 "40 Under 40" list, PR Week's 2007 "40 Under 40" List, is a regular lecturer at Universities and conferences, a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of numerous non-profit organizations.

It's my distinct pleasure to bring you Ronn Torossian...

Josh: Ronn, how do you define Business Networking and why do you feel it is important?

Ronn Torossian: Business networking for me is about meeting people in a variety of industries, with the ultimate goal of increasing the sheer number of people you know. For entrepreneurs, or any professionally successful person, it's important to continually build a network - the people you meet and know and interact with.

Networking is vital for increasing sales, visibility and market knowledge. I believe that if you put smart, successful people in a room together, they will figure out a way to make money.

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

Ronn Torossian: Networking only works when it's done regularly, without the intent to "sell." Go with the purpose of meeting quality people, and giving contacts as well as getting contacts. Offer to introduce people to one another: it's one practice that often comes back to you many fold.

At an event, focus on meeting a few people and leaving a lasting impression on them, rather than working the entire room. And always be sure to follow up.

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

Ronn Torossian: The only online site where I have found networking to be effective is linkedin, and even then it's often minimal in terms of actually meeting people.

I find breakfast and small private events to be the most useful. Breakfast events work because there's an actual start and a finish. People come with a target and an end in mind. In the evening, with the potential for drinking or flirting, it's more open-ended and harder to get people to focus.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share a few examples where it has made a difference?

Ronn Torossian: Networking has allowed me to build 5WPR into an INC 500 company, and one of the 25 largest independent PR agencies in the US, without ever making a new business call or having a dedicated new business department. We have grown our business entirely through networking, referrals and helping our clients with introductions. Specifically, we host very high profile speakers in our office and invite our contacts to come meet one another.

Once a month or more, we host 20 to 25 CEO's at a private lunch event, where we invite our clients to get to know one another. Events of this manner have made a tremendous difference in terms of our ability to network and meet more people.

--Happy Networking! Josh Hinds :-)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Eyal Danon interview - CEO of Ignite Advisory Group

2008-10-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Eyal Danon is CEO of Ignite Advisory Group, a customer advisory board consulting company. Ignite offers B2B companies an innovative way to connect with executive level customers through the creation of powerful customer advisory boards.

Danon served as senior corporate executive for several publicly traded and privately held software companies, as well as a leadership development expert for the InterContinental Hotels Group. He holds an MBA from Boston University and completed the leadership and coaching program at Columbia Business School.

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

Eyal Danon: I define business networking as the "secret ingredient" that is responsible for the tremendous success of customer advisory boards. These boards are made up of groups of business leaders in a given industry.

The company that is "sponsoring" these boards does not pay for these executives to attend customer board meetings. The customers are really there to expand their professional network, make valuable connections and hear how other members are dealing with the same challenges and opportunities.

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

Eyal Danon: First and foremost, you need to provide real value to others. A customer advisory board is a classic example - all the members need to add real content and ideas in order for the board to be successful. One important lesson is to do your homework prior to the meeting.

Recently I participated in an executive conference that had about 100 participants. I reviewed the list and narrowed it down to 10 potential customers for my business. Then I actively pursued them, and when I met them, I was able to intelligently talk to them about their business needs and how a customer advisory board can solve these needs.

Out of the 10 prospective customers I was able to form a long term relationship with 7 of them - more than I initially hoped for!

Josh: Upon meeting someone new, inevitably the question of "what do you do?" comes up. In your opinion what is the best way to go about communicating what one does, and how can they leave a positive impression when they explain what they do to others they've just met?

Eyal Danon: In order to be effective at communicating what you do, you need to customize your message based on the person you are talking to. If I am talking to a business executive, it's fairly easy to explain what a customer advisory board is all about and what are the personal and corporate benefits of setting it up.

The challenge arises when you talk to someone who is not familiar with marketing and customer participation programs. This person can be a valuable bridge between you and a prospective customer. What do you do in this situation? What I have found to be effective is to distill my message to a simple one or two liner.

In my case, I simply say - "Ignite connects executive customers with your company". If the person then asks "how do you do that?" I reply "By setting up a customer advisory board, made up of customers that are in the same level". This usually gets the job done.

Like I said before, you have to customize your message based on the background and knowledge of the person you are talking to.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share a few examples where it has made a difference?

Eyal Danon: Networking has been my primary sales and marketing strategy. I do not advertise my services as in my line of business, it's all about networking and making personal connections. No one is going to buy a consulting engagement from me based on an email blast.

I was able to close a major deal as a result on a business networking event in NYC - just a meet and greet type of an event. I had received the attendee list in advance and focused on a particular executive that I wanted to target. I asked the host of the event to introduce me to this lady as soon as she arrived. Then we had a great conversation over lunch and several weeks later I was awarded a 6 month contract. It was certainly worth coming to this lunch!

Another example relates to the importance of finding a "Power Networker". These are people who pretty much know everybody and are willing to share their connections with you. I was able to befriend such a person, then I recommended his services (advertising) to friends of mine that hired him.

After that, I had access to more than 500 relevant contacts! He sent an email to all, introducing Ignite Advisory Group and the services we provide. Within 3 months, I closed 2 new deals and the pipeline is looking really good!

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

**Btw. if you're looking for a keynote speaker contact Josh Hinds your host here at Business Networking Advice.

Ted Wood Interview - Executive Consultant

2008-10-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

Ted Wood is a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst. He regularly works as an Executive Consultant to top companies including Coldwell Banker, ERA National, Franklin Covey and Larry H. Miller Automotive Group. You can visit him at the Sales Development Center.

Josh: How do you define Business Networking? And why do you feel it’s important?

Ted Wood: Business Networking isn’t important, it is imperative! I have had my share of major clients as a business consultant. But, Josh I never got a single major client where I wasn’t referred in by someone they trusted.

Even when you have relationships inside the company you are trying to sell, the most important person in the beginning stage of the relationship is your internal advocate. Hence you network to get into the company and you network to stay.

If we define business networking as parlaying one relationship into another profitable relationship, networking’s value becomes clearer.

Here is an example: Most of us have heard of the movie "Good Fellows." Because this was a mafia movie the money people wanted Robert DeNiro to play a key role in the movie. They knew he would sell tickets for them. Robert recommended that they cast his friend Joe Peschi for a particular part in the movie. Joe was presold by the big star Robert DeNiro. But, here’s the kicker. Joe not only got the part but convinced them to give his mother a part as well. With the big money they pay actors, you would have to call that Business Networking.

Josh: Ted, can you share some examples of how business networking has helped you in your professional life.

Ted Wood: Thank you Josh and first off you are helping me right now by allowing me to present myself to your friends and readers. You would have to call that business networking.

One day a friend of mine asked me if I would go with him to a company he was trying to sell his Advertising Agency services to and bear my testimony of him to the Marketing Director. This I did gladly. My friend began to do business there and do it well. Every time I went to a show I chatted for a few minutes with this VIP Marketing Director I had referred my friend to.

A year or two later I saw something I could do for this company and called my new friend, the Marketing Director. He introduced me to the Vice President who hired me as a consultant. They paid me from 5 to 6 thousand dollars a month for about 5 years to help them with their networking and networked me in by referral to several more clients who paid me that much or more.

Josh: Can you share an idea that helps people improve their networking skills?

Ted Wood: Yes, Josh the number one recommendation I would make is that they take a lesson from what you do on your websites and be willing to share. Always offer well thought out content in all your relationships.

As a CPBA, Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, I can tell you that most people separate into one of two categories. Either they are task oriented to the point that it is difficult for them develop networking relationships with people. Or they are so people oriented in an unfocused way that the relationships they develop don’t get them the referrals they seek. In order to succeed we must Network with people who both care about us and recognize our competence.

Let’s go back to Joe Peschi. There is a scene in Good Fellows where Joe’s character, goes to his mother’s house with two of his friends and his mother serves them some spaghetti. Now Joe’s real mother is no famous actress, but you would think she could play that part of his mother serving him and his friends spaghetti. So recommending his real mother for the part was not a tough sale for Joe. As you would expect Joe’s real mother played the part of his movie mother quite well. And Joe played his part well vindicating Robert DeNiro.

So my advice would be to know who you are and what you can do and Network up some relationships that will allow you to do some business while you make some lasting friendships.

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Networking Tips - Introduce Your Customers to Each Other for Their Benefit By Josh Hinds

2008-08-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

We hear the term "do business with those who do business with us" all the time. I think that's a statement worth considering.

You see, as it relates to networking look at the commonly accepted definition of networking which states: networking is simply developing mutually beneficial relationships with others -- be they personally, professionally, or a combination of both.

The idea makes sense if you really give it some thought...

If you believe in one of your vendors or service providers enough to use them, doesn't it also make sense that you should naturally be on the lookout to help them grow their respective businesses by referring them to other folks you know (i.e. those in your network, even among your own clients and customers) as the opportunity to do so arises? Sure it does.

Doesn't it also stand to reason that the vendors you use should want to make a point of doing the same for you? After all, doesn't your accountant, family physician, lawyer, or for that matter just about anyone you choose to honor by being their customer have a vested interest in your business also growing and becoming prosperous? I think so -- yet I'm constantly amazed by how many lost opportunities to do so go by the wayside because neither party has made a solid commitment to keeping the best interest in mind of the people they themselves do business with.

Allow me to share an example which should further illustrate the importance of what we're talking about...

Recently I was speaking to a friend who happens to run a local business in my area. He mentioned that he had a piece of commercial property, an office space that he was looking to rent.

He mentioned that up to this point the advertisement he placed for it in the local newspaper had resulted in a big fat goose egg in the number of leads (for those unfamiliar with the term it means it had produced none, as in zero results).

I really wasn't surprised that going that route hadn't yielded satisfactory results. However, I was surprised that he hadn't thought to tap his network (friends, colleagues, and associates he'd already forged some type of win, win relationship with) for help though.

We came up with a solution based on an idea which I'd heard about that had been used effectively, which I believed would yield similar results for my friend.

The solution we came up with was based on an example I'd heard about where a local attorney would always make a point of asking how he could help his clients (beyond the obvious things related to the service he offered).

He would go as far as playing the part of match maker between his clients for their own genuine benefit. He made a point of matching the needs of his clients -- by tapping the products and services which his existing clients had to offer.

While it is true that the intent in helping his clients was not for his direct benefit -- indirectly he was being rewarded by putting their needs first.

Here are several examples of how putting his clients first yielded positive returns:

1. he was viewed more favorably in the marketplace for having matched two of his clients together who needed what each had to offer, but likely wouldn't have connected on without the introduction from the clever attorney.

2. by placing a focus on improving the revenue of his clients he in turn increases the likelihood that both clients will grow and prosper, and in turn be around longer so that they can remain as his clients.

3. By becoming known as a person who helps his clients actually grow their businesses he develops a bond which if continually cultivated and taken care of will be virtually impossible for a competing attorney to take those clients away from him.

I could go on and on listing benefits and reasons for doing what I mentioned above, but I won't waist your time with that. Instead I'll assume that you get the point :-)

The point being that it's well worth developing the habit of positioning yourself as a person who truly has your clients best interest in mind. Yes, even to the point of matching your own clients with each other when it's truly to each parties genuine benefit for having done so. When you are the match maker, you're in the perfect position to connect your clients, as both parties obviously know like and trust you, otherwise they wouldn't do business with you in the first place.

Now back to the story of my friend, and what we decided would be the best plan of action in his situation...

I suggested he think about his vendors -- in particular those who would be the most likely to have clients which might have a need for what my friend was offering (in this case it was to rent an office space).

The answer came quickly in the form of his accountant, as well as the separate company he uses for book keeping services.

I suggested he ask both of his respective vendors (his accountant and bookkeeper) to ask their clients if they have a need for what he had to offer (after all, he was their client -- so wouldn't it be in their best interest to lookout for him? Of course it would. Not to mention his clients who wanted this need filled would be appreciative to him as well. HINT: That's what we call a win, win).

Needless to say I'm confident that if his vendors (i.e. book keeper or accountant) understand the value in "networking" the win, win way (i.e. going beyond their own self interests) there are going to be some exciting results which go way beyond the obvious one being that the property is rented. Here's what I mean...

My friend's happy because he is able to fill his need. The person who had the need which is filled is happy. And of course the accountant or bookkeeper (whichever happens to be the matchmaker in the deal) builds a tremendous amount of goodwill and "value" in the eyes of not only his own clients, but all the people who happen to hear the story about how their accountant or bookkeeper really has their best interest in mind to the point that they even help them increase revenues and fill needs beyond their core services.

Of course the really exciting results kick in if the particular vendor or service provider decides to go beyond simply doing this as a one time deal -- and instead adopts this as an ongoing way of doing business!

If you're not putting the ideas shared above into practice in your own life (personally or professionally) give some serious thought to starting now. The sooner you do the sooner you will begin to find yourself in a truly enviable place in the marketplace... at a point where it will be all but impossible for the competition to separate you from your current customers.

Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)

* Josh is available to speak on topics related to professional networking and becoming a person others look to do business with. Get details on having him speak to your group at www.GetMotivation.com/speaker/

(c) All rights reserved.

Henry Pellerin interview - sales training expert

2008-08-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Henry Pellerin is the co-author of the Strategic Selling Process and President of VantaEDGE(TM), inc. a company that specializes in developing custom sales training programs for companies and is also in the process of releasing a new program that provides training on demand and just in time training. Henry also offers a free report entitled: The Red Flag Report, which details the top 12 mistakes that lose sales.

I'm pleased to bring you Henry Pellerin...

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

Henry Pellerin: Business Networking is one of the first steps to building relationships.

Unfortunately most people I see at business networking functions, and even online, are trying to skip over the first few steps of relationship building and go directly into trying to sell their product or service.

So if we can agree that Business Networking is one of the first steps to building relationships, I would more specifically define it as meeting people to determine if there is a fit, common interest, or something that makes sense to go to the next step of the relationship building process.

What is interesting is you pretty much approach prospects the same way. Meaning, we don't just go up to a random person and ask for an order... right?

We first build some rapport, establish trust, then move onto uncovering needs, etc. before we even ask for an order.

The other aspect I will mention about Business Networking is at the end it is not who you know, it is who knows you.

Here is a great tip, when you leave a networking function ask yourself these two questions:

1. Did I establish some quality (quantity is not the key) contacts?

2. If they were asked who they met at the function,

a. would they remember me?
b. would they have reason to say something positive about me?

If you can answer yes (honestly) to those questions, that should give you an indication you are on the right track.

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

Henry Pellerin: I think first and foremost is to have the right attitude before attending. Having the right attitude is NOT:

1. Focusing on how many business cards you can collect.

2. How many "elevator" pitches you can give - fyi - most Business Networking functions are not held in an elevator.

3. You get the point.

The right attitude is planning to focus on how many quality conversations you can have? And focusing on the people you meet and not the person wearing your shoes. If you have the right attitude you will attract people, which is a lot more fun (and easier) than trying to chase people away.

If you follow these simple rules, people will ask you what you do and want to learn more about your business.

I guess it all boils down to focusing in on helping others. There is an old Zig Ziglar Quote, "if you help enough other people in life, you will be rewarded in return". That might not be the exact quote, but it was something like that.

This is so true, I just like to leave off the last part, about being rewarded or getting what you want in return - that whole reciprocity concept. The reason I like to leave that last part off is so many people have that as an expectation and get upset if they help someone out and that person does not do anything for them. Which is not the point of the concept, too many people are trying to keep score. So I really think it is best to focus on the front part, focusing on how many people you can help.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share a few examples where it has made a difference?

Henry Pellerin: Business networking is the life blood of my company. To this point 100% of our business has been through word of mouth. I read a statistic last week that 84% of all sales began through word of mouth. So Business Networking is essential.

Also, before starting my own company, the majority of my sales came from strategic alliances. I have two specific examples I would be happy to share. The first is with traditional Business Networking. The second is an example with social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). I wanted to include this one because it took me a little while to grasp the concept and see the value.

Two years ago I donated my time to provide some free sales training for the members of our local Chamber of Commerce. I conducted these programs with a friend of mine once a month for an entire year. We did not charge for these programs, we did not have a goal that these would be lead generation programs, and we did not offer any products or services for sale during these programs. They were 100% focused on the members and jammed packed with valuable content.

Some might say that is really volunteering and not really a business networking function. I really disagree, something does not have to be labeled "a Networking Function" to be a networking function. In fact, for those that are looking to start networking I would recommend avoiding the status quo and look outside the box. There are lot of other places to network and quite frankly, they are typically a lot more productive and effective.

In any event, during this time (and still to this day) we would have sales managers call to thank us and then ask if we could customize a program for their teams, other organizations heard about the value we were providing and asked if they could hire us.

Besides creating a lot of business opportunity for me, it also really added to the credibility of my company, which has allowed us to do some pretty unique things. For example, we have had panels with purchasing managers from several large corporations and since these companies respect us and find us credible it makes it really easy to get people to participate.

In fact now people actually contact us. And honestly, we did not expect any of that because we were focused on putting together high quality programs for sales people and business owners.

When I was first invited to participate in social networking four years ago I avoided it, in fact truth be told I have only been networking online for about four months. Actually Josh, that is how we met, through a mutual friend that I met in a social media environment. That is a great example, but there is another I want to share.

When I first opened a Facebook account I made a connection with this person and noticed he had a membership site. Since I was planning to start a membership site I checked his out. He really has a great membership site. So I sent him an email to compliment him on his site and told him I was just beginning the process.

He replied back and said thanks for complimenting his site (and actually taking the time to really look at it in detail) and offered to help out or share his trials and tribulations with me. So we then talked on the phone. Well, long story short, that person was John Morgan, President and CEO of the internetfuse.com.

Since then we have become good friends. I am really excited for him because John and his wife Brooke are expecting their first child in October. In addition to having a great new friend, John offered to be my first affiliate. But, this did not all start out with any expectations, I did not contact John to try to be sneaking and "pretend" to care about him (I really was interested, and I really do like his site, etc.) and I did not beg him to be an affiliate, he offered.

The point being is this relationship began with me focusing on him and having a legitimate interest in him and his business.

Josh, I know we are nearing the end of this interview, but I did want to thank you for taking the time to put together such a great resource for everyone to learn from - great job and I am sure people visiting this site will change Business Networking as we know it today!

-Join the Conversation: Care to share your thoughts? Did you find anything particularly helpful or insightful? Let your voice be heard in the comments section below... Happy Networking, Josh Hinds :-)

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Gail Sussman Miller interview - networking expert and coach

2008-06-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Gail Sussman Miller is a marketing obstacle buster for women solopreneurs. She coaches women to move past obstacles and get in action by shifting their mindset and leveraging their strengths rather than improve their weaknesses. She teaches women to operate from inspired choice rather than from obligation in business and in life.

Gail offers a free worksheet to enhance your networking. Get this tool to help you develop your 1-line, 3-line and longer "elevator speech" by focusing you on your WHO and WHAT at www.HowToLoveNetworking.com.

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

Gail Sussman Miller: For me business networking stems from simple human interaction for the sake of business. In a workshop I teach to small companies, associations and entrepreneurial groups, called How to Love Networking, I define networking as simply connecting with like-minded people for the greater good.

It is critical in business to build relationships, build a network or community, and have support for your goals. Especially for the solopreneurs I work with, it is so important to have resources to help avoid isolation, make connections, brainstorm ideas, and get the joy of helping others.

Being generous, genuinely compassionate, and helping others generates energy and creativity to fuel our own work and dreams.

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

Gail Sussman Miller: Whoa, just one? (smile) Let me share the nugget of a powerful reframing process I teach as a way to help those who don’t like networking. Typically there is discomfort that comes from not knowing how to start conversations, worrying that you are not interesting enough or good enough, the feeling that you are imposing or have to be pushy and extroverted to succeed. Sound familiar?

Ok, BNA readers. Try this out. For a moment, focus on something you love to do, like buying a new book to read. You start shopping with a little research based on your desired outcomes from this book. Then you decide the best store to shop in, walk over to the right section, and cock your head to the side and start skimming titles.

When a book catches your interest, you might skim the jacket and table of contents. All the while, you are filtering how this book makes you feel, how it fits your needs, and decide if you want to read more. Ultimately, you make some leap of faith that you are ready to make a purchase. This is a relatively simple, self-directed process that you’ve done many times with little or no fear, pressure or self-judgment.

NOW I want you to see how you can network the way you shop for a book! At times, you have many reasons for networking; getting new clients, speaking opportunities, a new job. Just as with the book, decide what need you want to focus on.

If you are looking for places to speak, for example, you’ll need to know who your target market is and what you do for them to fuel your topic. With that goal in mind, you choose the best networking environment in which to go "shopping" for speaking opportunities and people who can help you find them.

Now, let’s use our book shopping metaphor. Imagine walking into a room of people and skimming their titles, literally labeled on their name tags. You say "Hello" and skim their table of contents by finding out what you have in common.

As you talk, you learn the theme of their story. See how easy this can be! And it works. You get a feel for whether this is a person who fits your interests and your goals or if you can be of service to them.

As you talk to them and build rapport, you may ask if they belong to an organization that is looking for speakers. You may discover they can support another need in your life. You ask for their business card to "bookmark" to save your place to come back to this book and learn more later.

It can be that easy and free from worry and fear. Networking is all about browsing connections that feel right and building relationships for short- and long-term mutual benefit. I wrote an article on this reframing process for TCW that will take this idea deeper.

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

Gail Sussman Miller: That’s a great question and even keeps us in our book shopping metaphor! All of life is a story. Well, networking is the primary marketing method that brings me speaking and training opportunities, introductions to prospects, and media placements. In my success story, one contact over the last 3-4 years has led to all of the above!

I was active on a Chicago women’s networking list serve and a woman emailed me offline based on my tagline about teaching women solopreneurs how to love and overcome marketing obstacles. She approached me to make me aware that her business might be a resource for my clients if they wanted to start a business by buying a franchise. I added her email to my distribution list.

The very next time I announced a "How to Love Networking" workshop, she called to say her company was looking to do a training session on networking skills at just that time. This led to my delivering a customized session for her business in 2004.

Over the next 3 years or so, this one relationship continued to bear fruit. This led to my being interviewed on a radio show co-hosted by my contact. Recently, after she appeared in a local newspaper article, I asked for an introduction to the reporter and now only a month later, he is doing a feature article on my "How to Love Speaking" spinoff workshop.

This relationship is nurtured by an occasional lunch or phone call or when a need arises for either of us. We do not have any forced follow-up schedule or obligations or "shoulds."

That is networking at its best. I operate using my natural style and personality, it’s based on making an authentic connection, is motivated by genuine compassion, and breathing room to allow outcomes that flow organically.

*Brought to you BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com.

**Josh Hinds, your host here at BusinessNetworkingAdvice speaks on topics including Business Networking -- get details on having him speak to your group.

Mari Smith interview - Relationship Marketing Expert

2008-04-12T21:33:00.001-07:00

Mari Smith is a relationship marketing expert, trainer, and author of several e-books and e-courses.

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

Mari Smith: Businesspeople have been networking since the dawn of commerce. Business networking is quite simply the art of relationship-building. We reach out to connect with new people, seek commonalities to build rapport, and strive to nurture the relationship for mutual benefit.

What we're seeing now is a huge upsurge in online social networking platforms. And, we must keep in mind these platforms are designed to be social, first and foremost. So, where we might attend an in-person business networking function and expect to come away with strategic business contacts, with social networks we need to focus on building relationships first, and engaging in business second.

Both business networking and social networking are vital to the solo professional, small business owner, and entrepreneur. It all comes down to the saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know." And I like to add, "... more importantly, who knows you."

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

Mari Smith: Sure. I believe it's important to have a strategy before beginning to build out your business community through networking. You need to be clear on what it is you have to offer, what problem your products and services are the solution to.

Then, everywhere you go - whether online or offline - be yourself. Be genuine, seek to be interested vs. interesting as Stephen Covey says in his Seven Habits book. Look for ways to join an existing conversation and add value. Ask good questions. Read your friends' Facebook profiles. Follow them on Twitter. Get to know them. Reach out and connect and see how, just by being your authentic self, you can uplift people's spirits.

Also, there's a fine line between our personal and professional worlds, especially for solo-entrepreneurs. The more transparent you're willing to be, the more people will want to get to know, like and trust you -- which is one of the cornerstones of a successful business. On this topic, I recommend the book, Radically Transparent by Andy Beal.

Josh: Upon meeting someone new, inevitably the question of "what do you do?" comes up. What is the best way to go about communicating what one does, and how can they leave a positive impression when they explain what they do to others they've just met?

Mari Smith: To effectively answer the "What do you do?" question, it's important to have a clearly defined "tag line" or "30-second elevator speech." You might want to work with a coach or colleague to help you fine-tune your soundbite.

I recommend focusing on the result you help your clients create. E.g. instead of saying "I'm an Internet Marketing Consultant," you might say something like, "I help my clients implement online systems to increase their profits while freeing up more time."

Studies show we make up our minds about people within the first 3-5 seconds of meeting them. This applies whether we're connecting face-to-face or looking at someone's website, blog, Facebook profile, or other online presence. So, you definitely want to keep a close eye on these areas to maintain a quality professional presence.

Regarding leaving a positive impression, I typically look for ways to contribute to someone I want to connect with. Social networking sites like Facebook make this very easy to do. By first reading through their profile, you can find something of interest to comment on, a resource to recommend, a helpful tip, etc.

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

Mari Smith: Facebook is my top pick. Twitter is a close second. I also have a presence on LinkedIn, Plaxo, a couple of Ning groups, and a slew of other similar sites -- but I spend the bulk of my networking time on Facebook and Twitter.

As for activities, I recommend being active consistently with valuable and relevant posts. There are so many possible touch points to reach our marketplace, as well as entrance points into our businesses; the key is to find the right mediums for your business and be visible in many places.

Josh: Mari, you're an expert on helping folks to get the most out of Facebook.com -- can you share some specific ideas that would be beneficial to people who want to use Facebook as a source for growing and expanding the quality of their professional network?

Mari Smith: Yes. First, I recommend already having a defined business plan, strategy, website, blog, etc. But, if someone is just starting out in business, they can always set up a Facebook profile and reach out to find the support they need via Facebook.

Then, register for a Facebook account at facebook.com. Set up your personal Profile. And, also create a Facebook Page for your business. It's important to note Facebook disallows duplicate accounts or accounts in any name other than your own personal one. So, you'll also want a Facebook Page. You can gather up to 5,000 friends on your personal Profile, but on your business Page you can have unlimited "Fans."

Next, populate your Profile and Page with instructive information about you and your business.

Now, you're ready to:

* Join Groups.
* Update your Status regularly.
* Use Posted Items to share useful links.
* Add brief comments to your friends' Walls, Notes, Posted Items, Photos and Videos.
* Write informational Notes and tag key Facebook friends.
* Write a blog and import your feed using Notes and/or one of the third party blog applications.

Josh: Do you see any common mistakes people tend to make when it comes to attempting to make business connections? If so, what are they and what corrections could they make in your opinion which would help them to be more effective in their approach towards networking?

Mari Smith: Absolutely. I see heavy-hitter internet marketers using pushy and aggressive tactics on the likes of Facebook and, in my opinion, it is actually counter-productive. These tactics include: adding your signature file on every wall post, uploading irrelevant content to groups you belong to for the purposes of pushing into your friends' News Feed, posting spammy comments, and just generally being "all about the numbers" as I put it.

I believe there are two types of marketers: numbers-based and heart-based. The numbers folks have tunnel vision for the dollars, list-size, group-size, conversion rates, etc. The heart-centered folks genuinely care about their marketplace and see their prospects as real people with real needs, wants and challenges. In fact, just by reading someone's Facebook profile, you can tell which marketing camp they belong to.

The good news is, we have the ability to "unfriend" someone on Facebook. It's essentially a spam-free zone, unlike our regular email systems where spam can be tough to control.

And, because Facebook hyperlinks to your personal Profile *anytime* you take any action anywhere on Facebook -- whether writing on walls, posting items, comments, etc. -- whenever someone likes your vibe and likes what you're saying, with one click, they can read all about you on your profile. I like to think of Facebook profiles as a business card, brochure, website, blog, photo album, storefront and more -- all rolled into one page.

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

Mari Smith: It's hard for me to pick just one! I've set up two new blogs since I joined Facebook in July '07 and 90% of the traffic and subscribers comes from my activities on Facebook and Twitter alone.

I teach a free introductory Facebook course on Podclass.com and currently have over 800 students and I just launched a paid course, Facebook for Professionals, with well over 100 students.

I've increased my hourly consulting rate by 50% and I predict my income will at least triple this year as a direct result of the relationships I've built using social networking tools. All this while living a completely mobile lifestyle, traveling the US in a big motorhome with my husband!

*brought to you by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Colleen Wainwright interview - writer- designer-consultant, the communicatrix

2008-03-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

Colleen Wainwright is a writer-designer-consultant who started calling herself "the communicatrix" when she hit three hyphens. After spending almost two decades acquiring ninja skillz in some dubious fields of communication, she now uses her powers for good and not evil by sharing her knowledge wherever she can, including her free, monthly newsletter, "communicatrix | focuses," which she hopes you'll consider signing up for!

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

Colleen Wainwright: Gaaaah! Those words! So scary and off-putting, especially when capitalized!

At some point in the past couple of years, I remember stumbling across the definition of "networking" that finally de-toxified it for me: Networking is meeting people. That's it.

Given that as a basis, I'd say "business networking" is just "meeting people in a business setting" and/or "meeting people for business purposes." Neither of which is wrong or bad. But I think the most effective kind of meeting people is just to meet them with a strong sense of who you are and what you have to offer the world, and when you do meet them, to not see them dressed up as big, tasty, potential clients, but as people.

Basically, when you meet people, you are a walking ad or promotion for you. As wine guru/explosive social networking presence Gary Vaynerchuk pointed out recently in a terrific video, there's no separating the Business You from the Personal You anymore. You can't be a shark at work, a good guy in meatspace and a sh*t to your dog; the transparency of the Internet has removed places to hide.

As to why networking of any kind is important, no man is an island. We all need each other at some point: for work, for help, for companionship... you name it.

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

Colleen Wainwright: Numbers 1, 2 & 3 on my list are probably "loosen up." Nothing turns me off faster than someone getting all car-salesman on me. Yes, it's good to have a 10-second statement and elevator speech and business cards, etc. But the main thing is to relax, take in and enjoy. Remember, you're meeting people, not selling to them.

Also, king of all networkers Chris Brogan has great tips on this. (You'll have to dig around on his site to find them, though, since by his own admission he's not the best at tagging and organizing his vast store of info.)

Josh: One of the catch 22's in a typical networking environment is that people don't want to focus only on themselves and what they do, but at the same time, they do want to communicate what they do to the other person. With that being the case, in your opinion how can someone go about getting across what they do in the most effective manner?

Colleen Wainwright: Well, first off, I'd say "avoid typical networking environments." :-)

But if you can't, here are good things to remember (I'm constantly reminding myself, so I know whereof I speak).

1. Don't worry about turning the focus on you.

Chris Brogan (my hero) has never talked about himself with anyone I've seen him meet. The first time we met in person, we talked for an hour, and while I'm pretty sure he asked me about me, I'm positive he didn't talk about himself. Instead, he engaged me in lively, wonderful conversation. As a result, I did the legwork of finding out all about him. Now that is some high-level network-fu!

2. You don't have to meet everyone.

Part of why it gets so nuts is people are racing to collect the biggest stack of business cards possible. Why? So they can spend hours entering them into a database and never call them again?

Focus on one or two (or more, depending on time and your energy/abilities) quality conversations. I'm still doing business with the people I did that with. And it's fun business!

3. Be your business.

No matter what you're selling, what you're really selling is (a), yourself and (b) how you will serve me in whatever it is you do. If you are polite, attentive, interesting, charming, etc., I'm probably going to look for ways to find out what you do, and how to either work with you or help you.

My friend, writer Dave Greten, has a great story about how this attitude basically changed his life and started him out on the career path he's still on today.

Josh: How do you generally engage a person in conversation upon first meeting them? I realize this is a bit of an open ended question, so let's assume it's someone you've just met in a semi-professional setting such as at an event, or local Chamber of Commerce type of meeting.

Colleen Wainwright: As you say, there's no one way. But I try to be in the moment, and work off something that's actually happening. Sometimes, the person will be wearing a suit or shoes or something that's really cool I can comment on. Sometimes you can talk about the food (a great thing is meeting people in the food line) or the speaker or even the traffic (lame, but this is L.A. and it's a legitimate topic here.)

The greatest thing to do is some research before so you're not meeting them cold. Then you can say, "Oh, are you the so-and-so who..." or "I was checking out your website before the event and..." or whatever. Don't be creepy or stalker-y, though. If you can't toss that off naturally, then stick to the basics: "Hi, I'm/and you are?", etc.

Josh: How important has networking been in your own professional life. Can you share a few examples where it has made a difference?

Colleen Wainwright: Before I started designing full-time, I did it as a hobby for years. When I wanted to make the transition, I knew I'd have to have "real" clients: working for "fonts money" wasn't going to cut it.

So with the help of my mentor, Ilise Benun, I targeted certain places to begin meeting people (see me avoiding the "networking" word?) and also began practicing ways of introducing myself.

The results were extraordinary almost from the outset. I'm still doing subcontracting work for one presentation specialist I met during my first round of networking, and that first year, I picked up four or five clients just from attending events-clients I'm still either actively working for or in good touch with.

Possibly even more important is how much visibility my meeting people, both online and off, has given me. My web presence has grown astronomically since I went online and started blogging, contributing to the conversation on people's websites, Twittering, etc. Since my long-term goal is to write and speak for a living, raising my visibility and gathering a critical mass of fans is really, really important.

Sometimes, meeting people is a long game.

Josh: What is your favorite (preferred) business or social networking site? In your opinion what are the key features which are most valuable to you? What makes the resources you use most appealing to you, as opposed to the other online networking resources and sites that are available?

Colleen Wainwright: While I'm on most of the pure business networking sites so people can find me, I find I like the social networking sites the best. I'm over the moon about Twitter. While it takes a while to get used to, it's a great way to stay in touch, to discover new things and to improve your short game, writing-wise. It was indispensable at SXSW this year, where I was running around from here to there and so was everyone I wanted to meet up with. The "public IM" functionality of Twitter is unparalleled right now, I think.

Of the rest, I'd say I like StumbleUpon, Google Reader (shared items), Clipmarks, FriendFeed and yes, even del.icio.us, although it's been somewhat less useful since the advent of these other sites.

I am not a huge fan of MySpace, because it's so hideous and clunky, or Facebook, because it's a closed system. But I appreciate that many people are on them, and it's not a huge effort to throw up a page there (emphasis on "throw up"), so I did.

The most important thing to me, at this point, is signal-to-noise ratio: how much valuable info am I getting relative to crap, and how much can I control it. For me, Twitter has the tools, rudimentary as they are, for keeping things manageable. I just hope the spammers and gross self-promoters can be kept at bay, at least until someone comes up with an even better tool!

*brought you to by BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com

Sponsor: Josh Hinds -- your "host" of Business Networking Advice is an entrepreneur, speaker and author. Get details on having him appear at your next event, seminar, or company meeting.