My friend Harvey Mackay, bestselling author of Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, has a new book out called Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You.  In light of the current economy, many people are searching for new jobs, and Harvey is determined to empower people to land jobs that they love and change the job market.  Harvey is a huge proponent of the idea that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. He also knows that t...

One thing we know about referrals is that it’s easier for your referral source to close the deal than it is for you because your source already has a relationship of trust with your prospect.  A referral where your referral source has already closed the deal for you before you even contact your prospect is the absolute best kind of referral you can get; it’s considered a level 10 referral. Last week and the week before, I wrote blogs explaining the differences between referral levels 1 through 3 and re...

According to a recent survey that I conducted of more than 12,000 business professionals from all over the world, these are the “greatest strengths” that people identified as having in networking. Developing quality relationships Connecting other people Meeting new people Good at following up Turning relationships into business opportunities What are your greatest strengths?  Do agree with this list? If you’d like to see what people said were the greatest weaknesses, take a look at my March 4 blog ...

Last week I wrote a blog explaining that all referrals are not equal and that there are different levels of referrals.  The more time and effort your source puts into qualifying, educating and encouraging the prospect before you become involved, the higher the quality and level of that referral.  In level 4 through level 6 referrals, the quality of the referral is higher than level 1 through level 3 referrals.  Here’s why . . . Level 4: General testimonial or letter of recommendation. Getting a referral sour...

A referral is better than a cold call because you have the name of the prospect and, if you’re fortunate, you can use the name of the referral source to open the door. What more could you hope for? Actually, there’s quite a bit more you can expect from referrals that have been properly developed by their sources. You see, all referrals are not equal.  Referrals come in many different grades and they vary in quality according to how much involvement your referral source has invested in preparing the refer...

If you are in Southern California on April 27th, you are invited to hear me speak at the University of La Verne at 10am.  It is open to the public and it is FREE!  To RSVP, call ULV at 909-593-3511 ext. 4202. They invited me even after my last blog!!!!!  I will be doing material from my latest book; Networking Like a Pro!

My recently completed Referral Institute study of more than 12,000 business professionals from all around the world has ended, and I’ve been going through mountains of statistics and data (oh joy).  I thought I might share an important one with my readers.  This statistic will not surprise anyone in the real world (yes professors, I’m saying you live in a fantasy world):  91.4 percent of all respondents claimed that networking played a role in their success.  Only 6 percent said it did not, and I...

No matter who you are or what part of the world you live in, Givers Gain is the No. 1 rule to remember when networking. You should always be thinking, “How can I help this person?” After all, networking is about building relationships; and helping others is the absolute best way to begin the relationship-building process. Put simply, helping equals opportunity. At a social event, you usually ask somebody, “How’s it going?”  What’s the typical reply?  Probably something like, &#...

Today’s blog posting is from Betty Jo Waxman of Productive Learning and Leisure. I saw a presentation she did recently and really liked her material, which she has allowed me to share here: You always have an intention –and it’s always working.  If you haven’t set one consciously, then your unconscious intention is in play! Project yourself ahead, to some point in the future. Then, looking back, what would you like to come away with and how do you want to feel about it?  Answer = your intention. W...

Based on a survey that I just completed of more than 12,000 business professionals from all over the world, “being unable to turn relationships into business opportunities” and “using a follow-up system” are the two greatest weaknesses that people identified relating to networking (see the graph below). This tracks well with what I’ve seen over the past several decades relating to the concerns that businesspeople have regarding their networking efforts. Turning relationships into busines...

I love a company that takes care of its employees.  When times are tough, you hear one story after another about companies callously letting go of the very people who drive the business.  Well, here’s a story that I think every company should emulate. A number of years ago, Xerox had some big cutbacks.  A large government contract had not been renewed and Xerox was forced to close down work being done in one of its large plants in Southern California.  Unfortunately, three buildings had to be shut down, and vir...