0

In this fourth installment of the Networking Faux Pas Series, I talk about the faux pas which I see happen most out of the faux pas topics I’ve discussed thus far.  It also happens to be the faux pas which frustrates me the most (Seriously–it drives me crazy!)–it’s when you give a networking partner a referral and they drop the ball and don’t follow up on it. Remember, if you aren’t following up when your referral partners call you and/or aren’t following up on the referrals...

 1

Last Thursday I posted a blog in which I explain why confusing networking with direct selling is one of the worst faux pas you can make while networking as it completely undermines any chance you have of being a successful networker.  The fact remains that if your idea of networking is walking around, shaking hands, and closing deals, you are not going to achieve real results or significant business growth from your efforts. Today, I’d like to share a fantastic new video with you which not only drives home the...

 0

In this third installment of the Networking Faux Pas Series, I discuss the danger of confusing networking with direct selling–it is often this specific point of confusion which really causes networking to go all wrong. If your idea of networking is walking around, shaking hands, and closing deals, you owe it to yourself to watch this quick video explaining what networking is really all about and how to make sure you’re not going about it the wrong way. If you’ve had experiences with people trying to...

 2

In this second installment of the Networking Faux Pas Series, I talk about Premature Solicitation (a term you certainly don’t want to attempt to say three times fast as it very well may get you into a little bit of trouble . . .)–a classic example of how NOT to network. I share a personal story of an occurrence where somebody tried to prematurely solicit me and I explain how I handled it–suffice it to say, that “somebody” will not get a second chance to make a first good impression. As...

 0

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Sweden on business and my wife Beth and I had the truly unique and memorable experience of staying at the Ice Hotel®.  The owner of hotel happens to be a member of BNI®, the global networking organization I started back in 1985, and during my time there I had the opportunity to not only spend time with some of the members of the nearby BNI chapters,  but also to record this short video with Gunnar Selheden (National Director for BNI Scandinavia). In this video, Gunnar and I di...

 1

In this video, I talk about the two factors that I firmly believe are what make people successful in any situation–hard work and good choices.  The truth is, you can’t achieve success without both of these things. People talk all the time about the necessity of hard work when it comes to success and though they’re one hundred percent correct about the importance of hard work, I’ve seen people work hard for decades and still not achieve the results they want because they consistently undermine...

 6

This is the first post of a series of video blogs I’ll be doing on networking faux pas.  The faux pas I talk about in this video is what I call “abusing the relationship.”  I tell the story of a woman who used her relationship with another networker in a way that was very wrong and even somewhat deceptive. Over the next couple of months, I’m going to do videos from time to time on some of the most egregious faux pas I’ve seen over the years when it comes to networking. I’d love t...

 9

There are little ways and big ways of making a difference in someone’s life.  More likely than not, there’s someone you can immediately call to mind who has impacted you and really made a difference in your life, whether it happened recently or even back during your formative years. There are definitely certain individuals in my life who have made a big difference for me and in this five minute video, I tell the story of how one of these people in specific really made a positive impact on my life back in...

 26

When it comes to business, having fun is something that’s almost never talked about–it’s almost like people think fun and business are two completely unrelated, and mutually exclusive things.  However, I don’t share that opinion at all.  I definitely think it’s important to have fun in business; in fact, over time I’ve learned that having fun is something businesses and networking groups alike need to do in order to truly enjoy lasting success. In this video, I talk about how imp...

 1

Are you using coin-operated networking? In this short video, I discuss coin-operated networking vs. Givers Gain networking and I explain why the transactional process (I will give you this, now you have to give me that) doesn’t work because there is always a scorecard. The value of the referrals may also be the different — think of the monetary value for two referrals to a florist vs. two referrals to a realtor. If you try to use coin-operated networking, it will absolutely, categorically fail.  To get m...

 0

NOTE: My apologies for the poor sound quality of this video–Please turn up your speakers.  Nice as the breeze may have been, it was unfortunately far from ideal for filming purposes. In this video, Jack Canfield (co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series) and I discuss the new book we’re writing about networking along with our co-author Gautam Ganglani. Because the power of a story is the most effective way to demonstrate a point, we’re searching for real life networking stories that will h...

 2

This video from NetworkingNow.com explains the powerful impact your business card can have and why it’s so important to tailor your business card to coincide with the exact business image you want to present.   This video is just one example of the vast array of educational content offered on NetworkingNow.com–there are literally hundreds of business and networking downloads available in the site’s online library and you can access all of them for FREE for six months by entering the free subscripti...

 3

For those of you who think the referral process is the safest form of doing business, here’s some information that may surprise you . . . the referral process is, in reality, the least safe form of doing business yet it is well worth the risk if you do it right and it can significantly enhance your reputation and contribute to the growth of your business. In this brief video, I talk about how referral marketing can not only enhance your reputation but can also result in a “win-win-win” situation for...

 8

In this video, I talk to bestselling author Stewart Emery about his concept “Who’s in Your Room?” which prompts people to practice discernment in regard to those they let into their life. Just imagine you are going to have to live your entire life in one room with an entrance door but no exit door–who would you let in and who would you keep out?  Knowing the answer to this may be more valuable than you realize . . . What do you think about this concept?  Does it encourage you to be more care...

 0

I recorded this video a few years back for an organization interested in learning about business networking and when I ran across it last week, I thought it would be good information to share here as what I discuss is still just as important as ever. If you don’t know what a Contact Sphere is, I urge you to watch this short video because developing a Contact Sphere is one of the most important steps in business networking.  After watching the video, think about who might be a good fit for you in creating a Con...

 5

At a recent Referral Institute Conference, I was interviewed by Tiffanie Kellog (Trainer for the Referral Institute in Tampa, Florida) about the most crucial component for referral success.  Before you watch this short video where I give Tiffanie my answer, try to come up with a couple of possibilities for what my answer may likely be.  After watching the video, I would love for you to share in the comment forum below what your initial guess or guesses were regarding what you thought my answer was going to be.  I&...

 1

Last October, I posted a video I did with referral marketing expert Eddie Esposito on emotionally-charged connections (CLICK HERE to view that video).  On a recent vacation in Bali, I had the opportunity to do this new, five-minute video with movie producer Barnet Bain (producer of the Academy Award winning film “What Dreams May Come”) which is a perfect follow-up video to the one I did previously with Eddie. Here, Barnet shares his two-step process for unlocking the key to being able to connect emotiona...