Fortunately, the techniques used by successful people are available to all of us.

Defining your success goals is the first step.

Do you want freedom?

Lots of money?

Status?

Once you know what want it’s easy to create a plan to get it.

In this seminar, Steve Bell, co-Founder of The Networking Masters will reveal:

• How you can invest in your most valuable business asset…you!
• How top performers others organize their lives, set priorities, condition their way of thinking and behave differently.
• Get inspired and hear what it really takes to achieve all of your personal and professional dreams!

To register by email, simply click here now.

A business accelerating special event for motivated entrepreneurs, business owners and commissioned sales professionals!

Get Your Networking Working Blueprint Workshop

September 9, 10 and 11 2009 at the beautiful Castle on the River Saskatoon, SK Canada

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Join Us for 3 Days This September and Discover the exact steps, shortcuts and must-have mind sets you need to build purposeful and profitable, win-win business relationships that boost your visibility, credibility and cash flow fast! GUARANTEED!

Stay tuned for website and registration details… coming soon!

Imagine THREE High Impact, Content Rich Days filled with exact strategies that you can implement quickly with minimal effort to finally get your networking working!

What do we mean by “get your networking working”? We mean greater visibility, credibility and cash flow through referrals, alliances, introductions, endorsements, joint ventures and more!

It will all come together during International Networking Week on February 2, 3 and 4, 2009.

Our Expert Faculty of Networking Masters will teach you how to…

* Unlock the door to unlimited referral revenue and multiple streams of income
* Capture the attention, minds, hearts and wallets of your ideal customers
* Craft a memorable message that grabs the attention of your prospects and generates results
* How and where to network for the best results
* Get your customers to market for you at no cost by word of mouth
* Start and continue meaningful and genuine conversations with people you meet at networking events
* Build customer loyalty with proven follow up and keep in touch strategies
* Exact steps to creating your personalized word of mouth marketing plan
* Add the one secret success ingredient that will guarantee you will benefit from this event…
* And much, much, much more!

On these calls we’ll be bringing together our faculty of experts ready to share world-class information and tips…and we’re doing it for FREE.  Not only that, we’re going to give you access to the call recordings too!  You could gain enough new knowledge and ideas to make a real and positive impact on your business!

All you need to do is subscribe to the Networking with Ease eZine. You’ll receive our Networking Success Kit as a thank you!

Event agenda coming soon!

Subscribe Now

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Breaking In

There are several ways to do that. One way is the lesson learned from shy people: arrive within fifteen minutes of the appointed hour. That way the room is not full of already formed groups. When we do see many groups in any room, find the group with three or more people who look and sound like they are having a good time. Stand in the periphery and when acknowledged step in and respond. BONUS TIP: When you see someone in your group’s periphery, step back. In doing so, you will have included the excluded and that is memorable.

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Gracious Exits

Parting is such sweet sorrow but we must exit and move on.

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Exit One

After an interesting conversation, interrupt yourself, indicate the conversation was pleasant, interesting, and informative and offer a phrase or sentence that summarizes the conversation. Offering a hand for a handshake, signals “the end”. One colleague smiles and says, “I could monopolize your time but you must want to meet others.” It works for her.

Ask for a card if appropriate and offer one of yours. Then walk a quarter of the room over to another individual or group so your conversation partner won’t think you just turned your back.

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Exit Two

After a conversation that is belabored, still be polite because doing otherwise could cause a problem down the road. Offer your hand for the handshake and in a most upbeat voice, “I hope you enjoy the rest of the meeting, party, game, and conference.” And still walk a quarter of the room away from the person. Chance is an interesting game because we never know who will reappear in the rooms of our life and be the key contact.

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Exit Three

Another way to exit is a ‘bring-along”. Instead of excusing yourself, offer to introduce your new contact to others. An introduction spoken with respect, interest and energy is infectious.

Helping others increase their contact base is kind, smart and memorable! It’s a way to develop your business, your reputation and your bottom-line.

Whether it’s a conference, a meeting or an event, Susan RoAne helps people increase their communication, interactions, comfort and confidence in every room.

I also network, engage in learning with mentors, and a lot of the time I simply go left when everyone else goes right. I am a rebel that way and it works simply because it helps my companies stand out in a crowded marketplace.

SWOT is my favorite tool to help me understand at the strategic level how to go left when others go right.

SWOT is a business acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

EVERY single company, no matter what size it is, has SWOT.

Success is achieved based on how you leverage this tool. Here is how I apply SWOT to my companies:

* I decide what my acceptable weaknesses will be
* I predict the threats to my business
* I capitalize my strengths
* and finally I seize opportunities!

I have been known to say “yes” quite a few times to risky opportunities even when I have no earthly idea how the pieces will ever fall into place. I know that if I don’t say “yes”, someone else will and that my simply saying “yes” allows me to move forward and signal the universe to send those “pieces” my way.

Your overall goal in business is to communicate your strengths to your current and potential customers via your website and all of the communication systems (newsletters, blogs, podcasts, etc.) you use.

Sheri McConnell is the President of the National Assn of Women Writers and the Assn of Web Entrepreneurs. She teaches online entrepreneurs how to discover, create, and profit from their intellectual knowledge. Get free reports and audios at http://www.nawwfreereport.com or http://www.awefreereport.com

It’s her ninth book and in Publishize you’ll find all her best self-publishing secrets that made it possible for her to self-publish 8 books in less than 18 months.

Today only Susan is offering free shipping on the book and a slew of bonuses from many people in the publishing and business world. You’ll find audio and print bonuses from Marcia Yudkin, Shel Horowitz, Fern Reiss, Sheri McConnell, and many other people ~ including Yours Truly!  Check out http://www.publishize.com and you’ll see the incredible list of freebies Susan has collected.

Of course, you also get the book itself, which is chock full of all the information any aspiring self-publisher needs to finally realize that dream of publishing a book.

Here’s what a few publishing pros have said about the book:

A roadmap to turn businesspeople into published authors.” — Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual, ParaPublishing.com

“Well-written, honest, pulling no punches, and full of good advice. Read Publishize to make informed and profitable decisions about the entire publishing and marketing process.” — Shel Horowitz, award-winning author of Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers and six other books; www.GrassrootsMarketingforAuthors.com

“Susan Daffron offers honest advice and breaks down self-publishing into manageable steps any business owner can implement.” — John Eggen, President, The Mission Marketing Mentors, Inc.; www.MissionMarketingMentors.com

Susan Daffron eloquently nails the why’s and how’s of self-publishing in her new book, Publishize. This book is a great gift… I highly recommend it.” – Fern Reiss, Director of the International Association of Writers, and CEO of PublishingGame.com

Susan Daffron explains the ins and outs of print-on-demand printing without the subsidy press stigma and offers a great overview of the latest online book marketing methods. I highly recommend this book for all the women writers I serve!” — Sheri McConnell, CEO of the National Association of Women Writers, www.naww.org

You can read more testimonials here -  http://www.publishize.com/praise.htm

I hope you can take a moment today to check out Susan Daffron’s book and all the great bonuses at http://www.Publishize.com

Now, there’s no need to fret or fear… The Networking Masters are here and… we’ve got back up!

“Smart Networking” to the Rescue!

If you’re not sure how to leverage networking in a way that works for you, this brand new book “Smart Networking” by Liz Lynch is a must-read.

And, today, you can enjoy a sneak peek into Liz’s insights and advice through a special interview that narrows in on some key questions to help you… get your networking working!

Gina: Liz, In your opinion, what is the biggest benefit of networking and why?

Liz: While networking can help people gain enormous tangible benefits in landing a new job or getting new clients, etc. I’ve really come to feel through my own experience that the biggest benefit of all is something more intangible. It’s knowing that you have a support system there for you when you need it, for whatever you want to do, whatever goal you set for yourself. Knowing that you can accomplish anything, in my opinion, is absolutely priceless.

Gina: What are some of the reasons why networking might not be working for someone and how can they flip the results?

Liz: One reason is expecting instant results. You wouldn’t plant grape seeds and expect vintage-quality wine in one week, but some people think that if they don’t meet someone at an event who can hire them or give them business right away, it’s been a waste of time.

A related reason for failure is being too focused on one’s own needs. People are willing to help you because they know like and trust you, but also because they know that you’re willing to help them. To be successful with networking, you have to see it as a two-way street, and give the relationship time to develop.

Gina: Networking is a concept that seems to be largely misunderstood. In your opinion, what is the biggest myth or misconception surrounding networking today and how can networking professionals move past it?

Liz: One of the biggest myths is that you don’t need to network unless you need something, which then leads to the approach of networking ONLY when you need something. This thinking gets in the way of effective networking because you’re too focused on your own needs.

If you take a broader view of networking so that when you meet people you aren’t asking “What can they do for me?” but rather “What can they do?” you begin to see how much value every single person has to offer. People become more interesting to you, you see how you’re able to connect them with others in your network, and networking becomes so much more fun. And believe me, when I started, I didn’t like networking at all. So this mental shift has been critical for my own networking and business success.

Gina: For some people, the thought of networking with “strangers” is very scary, what advice do you have to help alleviate networking jitters?

Liz: I faced the exact same thing when I started my business! The first networking event I attended I lasted 5 minutes! It was very overwhelming. So I changed my strategy to reconnect with people I already knew but hadn’t seen in a while, like former coworkers, bosses, school mates. In fact, almost all of my clients my first two years in business came from those dozen or so meetings. Once I began to see success from those networking efforts, I was able to meet strangers with a great deal more confidence.

One trick I had was to arrive at events early. It was less intimidating to talk to a few other early birds than to arrive when 200 people were already engrossed in conversation.

Gina: Combining face to face and online networking is proving to be a highly effective combination… why do you think this is?

Liz: Smart networkers do indeed combine both. I think face-to-face is still very important for making an impact, and in particular, for connecting with high-level people who normally have gatekeepers screening their calls and emails. What makes online networking so valuable is the diversity and sheer numbers of people you can reach without leaving your home. For example, Gina, you and I would never have met since you live in Canada and I live in New York, but through online networking we connected and are now helping each other. And if we ever do meet in person (which I hope will happen) we’ll have had such a big head start in building our relationship that we can talk about doing bigger things together.

Gina: Liz, thank you so much for sharing your valuable advice and insights! I would love to see a face-to-face meeting in our near future too!

Everyone stay tuned… we’ll bring Liz back soon for a more in-depth audio interview.  If you’d like to be notified when this happens, simply click the big orange subscribe now button to your right… It’s free and you’ll benefit from some other valuable bonuses too.

To learn more about Liz Lynch and her new book “Smart Networking” go to the Smart Networking Blog now.

ABOUT LIZ LYNCH: Liz is the author to “SMART NETWORKING”. Packed with powerful strategies tested by years of experience, as well as real-life stories from the field, Smart Networking describes how to integrate face-to-face techniques with a strong online presence. You’ll get low-cost marketing tools that are designed to expand your professional circle exponentially. Lynch will also help you to:

* Identify the gaps in your network and develop a plan to fill them.
* Tap into existing contacts and master the art of the ask.
* Increase visibility through speaking, e-zine publishing, and blogs.
* Expand your reach with social networking tools.
* Develop a winning mindset to guide all your networking activities.

Liz Lynch is also author to 102 Secrets to Smarter Networking and founder of the Center for Networking Excellence. This company develops products, programs, and seminars that help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their businesses, and accelerate their careers through networking.  http://blog.networkingexcellence.com

During the interview Steve and Joan discuss:

• The difference between prospecting, brokering and networking.
• The definition of “true” networking.
• Various true-life examples of the benefits of effective networking
• and more!

You can listen to the complete interview here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/JoanSotkin/2008/11/28/The-Power-of-Networking-with-Steve-Bell

Enjoy! We’d love to hear your comments

Happy Networking!

Wednesday December 3, 2008 at 3:00 pm CST
(visit www.time.gov for other time zones)

Becoming the center of influence in your chosen niche is an excellent way to build your brand as the expert of choice. An underutilized strategy by many leaders in professional services is establishing your own membership-based business. Find out why the membership-based business model is a smart way to generate more profits and position yourself as the expert in your industry almost immediately.

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs-AWE.  Under the same corporate umbrella she is also the owner of two high-level product and consulting companies: Create Your Group and My Millionaire Friends. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

You will learn:

• The many benefits of the membership-based business model including free publicity, immediate platform, and more
• How to leverage your position as a gatekeeper
• Core elements to consider before creating your own membership-based company
• Key roles as the leader
• How to select your team of professional experts
• What systems you need to implement to run a profitable membership-based company

There are two ways you can access this call:

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Already a member? Just login to the Inner Circle Mastermind Forum and enjoy the benefits of being a member of this exclusive group today like networking tips only seen there.

It’s a great article and the highlight for me is his differentiation between prospecting, brokering and networking. Could it be that your networking isn’t working because you haven’t really been networking? Let’s take a look:

Prospecting: When you walk through a reception or meet-and-greet with a handful of business cards looking for new prospects (you are not networking!).

Brokering: When you connect two people, then expect to be repaid for it (not networking!).

Networking: When done correctly, networking is when you connect two or more people who should meet. In other words, true networking is a gift you give to others.

Connecting others without an expectation of being repaid works in line with The Law of Reciprocity which is what Tim refers to as “The Secret” of the business world. The law states that people will give back where they’ve been given to. In other words, “what goes around, comes around” (just not necessarily directly from where you’ve given… that’s the catch!).

Tim’s article goes on to share the story of Elmer Letterman, a successful New York insurance salesman from the 1930’s. “Elmer hosted networking lunches every Friday at the Four Seasons Restaurant. His strategy was simple: Invite three business people who should meet due to mutual interest. He did his homework too, arriving with ideas on how the three could work together. For example, Letterman might invite a chef who wanted to start a restaurant, a banker who could finance it and a construction executive who could build it. He’d explain why each party was credible, get conversation started, pay the bill and then disappear.”

You may be wondering how this strategy worked for him. Here’s the math: 3 people times 50 weeks a year equated to hundreds of business owners in New York who had Letterman to thank for part of their success. Cool story huh!

Now here’s what’s really exciting… this strategy can be duplicated to produce surprise and delight and long lasting loyalty for those in YOUR network! Now think about what this small investment in “networking” could yield for your business in a very short time!

Action Steps:
1) Identify three people in your network who should meet
2) Schedule a networking lunch with these three individuals
3) Introduce them revealing the connection and relevancy, get the conversation started and disappear.
4) Do this every week for one full year and watch The Law of Reciprocity work in your favor.

Tip: Starting today, when you get a business card, enter it into your contact database and think about who you know that this person should meet. Tim suggests that you can use the “miscellaneous” or “other” field as a “should meet” field.

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ~ Dale Carnegie

If you like the concept of GIVING as the foundation of your networking strategy, you’ll enjoy reading “The Greatest Money Making Secret in History” by Joe Vitale and you’ll want to mark your calendar for the JV Mavens Partner and Prosper 5 week Tele-series. It’s f.r.e.e. to attend and we will explore in great detail how you can leverage this concept to grow your business. You’ll find more information at http://snipurl.com/4qcql.

Happy Networking!