Sick of Politics and Power Trips?—You Might Be an Entrepreneur 04/11/11

BNIBusinessIndex.com has released its worldwide business survey findings for the first quarter of 2011. Almost 1,500 business people participated in the survey—people from every populated continent around the world—and the results (see graph on the right) indicate that, overall, the global economic state is improving. 69.4% of the respondents for the first quarter of 2011 feel that business is growing or growing substantially (compared to this time last year). This number has increased since the prior BNI...

Personality in a Deck of Cards 11/24/10

Everyone wants to learn about their personality style. This is especially true with people who understand the value of networking. But most people don’t like taking boring written quizzes and assessment. Enter “Personality Poker” – what I think is a fun and interactive way to learn about your personality. Personality Poker is played with a specially designed deck of cards. They look like regular poker cards except they also have words printed across the faces. The words are personality descriptors like o...

The Handy Guide to Networking 10/25/10

I have just released my first e-book. It is called The BNI Handy Guide to Networking and is available to the public for FREE. The book includes topics such as: 6 Types of Networks Every Networker Must Know About, The Top 10 Traits of a Master Networker, The 5 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid, The Layman’s Guide to Networking Online, Using Technology to Network Better , as well as other topics. You may download the book for free by going to this link: The Handy Guide to Networking . Download the b...

The Networking Disconnect 09/16/10

I was at a big networking event with more than 500 people in the UK this summer, and the person who spoke before me asked the audience: “How many of you came here hoping to do some business–maybe make a sale?” More than half the people in the audience raised their hands. He then asked, “How many of you are here hoping to buy something?” No one raised a hand–not one single person! This is the networking disconnect. If you are going to networking events hoping to sell somethi...

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Make the Connection 05/20/10

One of my employees told me this week that she passed some advice from one of my books on to her cousin; it was about making connections at networking functions. She told me that her cousin, Greg, recently joined a chamber of commerce to promote the new business he started after being laid off from the company he had worked in for a number of years and he felt clueless as to how to form connections with the strangers he came in contact with at mixers. My employee remembered reading an article by Alice Os...

Learning to Use the Law of Reciprocity: 4 Tips 05/13/10

I posted a blog this past Monday explaining what networkers need to know about the law of reciprocity, and I promised that I’d follow up today with some tips on what to keep in mind as you learn to use the law of reciprocity in your networking efforts. Below you will find four very important things to remember: Tip No. 1–Giving means helping others achieve success. What is your plan to contribute to others? How much time and energy can you spare for this? Do you actively seek out opportunities to help...

Time Equals Money in Networking 05/06/10

The secret to getting more business through networking is . . . spend more time doing it! OK, well, it’s a little more complicated than that because you have to spend time doing the right things. However, based on the recently completed Referral Institute study on business networking, we finally have a definitive answer about how the amount of time spent networking impacts the amount of business that is generated. The most dramatic statistic I have found shows that people who said “networking pla...

Top Traits of a Good Networker 05/03/10

I’ve been sharing results from my Referral Institute study on networking. This week I’d like to share with you the findings that we have gotten regarding the “Traits of a Good Networker”. Below is a list of the Top 5 Traits and then a graph of the Top 10. Enjoys Helping Others Is Trustworthy Works Follows Up Is a Good Listener What do you think of these results and do you think there is something that was left off? Here’s a handy key, organized by color, that makes it easier to dis...

Guardian at the Gate 04/22/10

When I started my first business, I knew I wanted referrals to play a key part in my overall growth strategy, and I began to realize I wasn’t the only one trying to get more sales through referrals. A lot of other business professionals were trying to do the same thing. So I thought, “What if I became the hub?” If all the other people out there were trying to do the same thing as I was, why couldn’t I position myself as the gatekeeper of sorts between other people’s networks? Then, i...

Have You Made Your Word-of-Mouth Campaign Checklist? 04/15/10

If you want to develop an effective word-of-mouth campaign, you’ll need to have an arsenal of credibility-enhancing materials at your disposal to make the most of every networking opportunity. Below is a checklist of items you may already have available or wish to begin assembling, which can be used as collateral materials in developing your desired image. Testimonial letters from satisfied clients Photos of yourself and your office facilities, equipment and products Photos of your key customers Photos of awa...

Three Essential Questions 04/12/10

How can a time-strapped businessperson figure out which networking events she should attend and which she should let go by the wayside? The answer: Develop a networking strategy. Here are three easy–but definitely essential–questions you need to answer in order to create a plan that will work for you. Who Are My Best Prospects? It’s important to know that each target market will have a strategy that requires you to network in different places. If you’re not sure who your target market is...