The new video for International Networking Week® 2011, is now available on YouTube! The short, eight-minute video, sponsored by NetworkingNow.com and the Referral Institute, discusses the history and significance of this exciting, celebratory week which will be recognized across the globe this coming February 7-11, 2011 (Mark your calendar now! ), and it also explains a concept many networkers fail to recognize but which all networkers need to be aware of–the ‘networking disconnect’. This is the fi...
read moreI recently had a phone conversation with someone who was asking me about the importance of eye contact when networking. I answered his question with an interesting story about Richard Branson and I’d like to share that story with you here because I think it demonstrates a point that’s definitely worth remembering. One of the many intriguing things about Richard Branson is that he has this laser-focus eye contact. When he is talking to you, he’s not looking to his left, looking to his right, or anywh...
read moreBeing Right But Doing It All Wrong! 12/16/10
The business I’m in involves a lot of coaching and guiding of franchisees to teach them how to coach and guide entrepreneurs, salespeople, and professionals to generate referrals for themselves and others. Sometimes this feels a little like ‘herding cats’; entrepreneurs hate being told what to do and it takes a real skill set to move them in a direction that involves a lot of hard work but will help them achieve the results they want. One of the biggest challenges I have in this process is not w...
read moreA friend of mine, TR Garland (pictured with me in the photo at right), just wrote a great blog entry which contains some very timely information for many people across the globe and I’d like to take the opportunity to share it with you today as a guest blog. Enjoy . . . “New Year’s Resolutions and Networking” by TR Garland In about 30 days, the majority of people around the world are going to be faced with the same thing we’re all faced with once at a certain point every single year. N...
read moreYears ago I wrote about a great technique to get people to come to me for their referral needs. However, I recently saw a modern twist to this great idea that I’d like to share with you today. Here’s a little background information on the original concept: Since the late ’80s I’ve been training people to use a little networking trick that will enable them to give referrals to more people (which of course leads to getting more referrals for themselves). I talk about this trick in one of my ...
read moreHow's Business? 12/06/10
I’m taking a survey on how business is today compared to a year ago. If you have a few minutes, please answer these three short questions. I’ll publish the results next month here on my blog. Take the Survey Here Use this link to pass on to other people so they may take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BNIBusinessIndexDecember2010
read moreThe Five Key Competitive Strategies 12/02/10
A few weeks back, I encouraged you to assess your company’s competitive position and find out whether you’re positioned for success or if your competitive position is in dire need of improvement. If your position happens to need some help, read on . . . Your competitive strategy consists of the approaches and initiatives you take to attract customers, withstand competitive pressures, and strengthen your market position. According to Arthur Thompson and A.J. Strickland in Strategic Management: Concepts...
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