What’s In Your Network?

Here is a fantastic article from Stephen Bell, co-Founder of Networking Masters International to help you get your networking working…

What is a network?

Well dictionary.com states

net⋅work
Pronunciation [net-wurk]

an association of individuals having a common interest, formed to provide mutual assistance, helpful information.

I think this perfectly describes a business global network such as BNI.com; BNI is the worlds largest and most successful business organization in the world they pass millions of referrals between members each year resulting in BILLIONS of dollars in business. Simply incredible.

But what REALLY makes a network. Is it the countless numbers of members? Is it the formality or informality of the group.

Does it really matter how many people are in your group if you don’t really know any of them.

Every single person has a network. They just don’t consciously think about it. Lets look at some other networks.

Now some of you may know what these two symbols represent and for those who do not let me give you a little bit of a background. This network contains approximately 11 Million users world wide. Many of them business professionals, all of them consumers, and are loyal to their network.

This Network has users world wide and covers most of the globe just like BNI. This network is called World of Warcraft its primary purpose is for entertainment online gaming not passing business or creating joint business connections like BNI. I know .. some of you right now are saying Steve… your getting a little off the deep end on this one! BUT do you REALLY know who is in your network.

In my particular network in the online gaming world know as World of Warcraft I have learned I play frequently with a registered nurse, and area directors for a grocery chain, a professional dj, best selling author, professional contractors, bankers, sales professionals and many of them connected to very large companies. I did not realize how powerful my online social gaming network was until I needed computer help, traveling advice, sponsorship and door prizes for business & fundraiser events I was hosting. My network may not be a source of business referrals like BNI but it is a source of information, friendship and connections to people or businesses I would have never had the chance to have if I wasn’t involved in the online community.

There is many other forms of networking such as social media like twitter, facebook, linkedin etc etc. but I am not going to focus on them right now because I want to focus on networks like BNI or World of Warcraft where I can have instant and quick two way communications through live voice or personal conversations face to face.

One time I was sitting down with a business college of mine and I asked her what are your networks you invest time with and she quickly replied My Church. I has to pause for a second and think about this response it intrigued me so I asked her how many people go to your church she replied just over 500. I thought that was a good network but how well do you really know them and how many do you know by name and she replied almost all of them she was heavily active in her church and had been going there for several years. I then found out which church it was and realized someone I had been trying to connect with for business went to her church. I then ask her if she knew this person and of course she did and through that connection she was able to set up a personal appointment for me and I was able to then connect with this elusive business professional who until now was impossible to get a hold of.

What lessons can we learn?

1. You need to share your networks with others (talk about them)

2. You need to ask other people what they do (listen it is the best way to network)

3. Be consistent in the networks you are part of (that is how you really get to know people)

4. Every Network has a primary purpose but that doesn’t mean you will not benefit from it in other ways.

Let me give you some additional advice…

Just because you are part of a network will not build you credibility doesn’t matter if it is a business or gaming community. You need to earn it. Help others, participate, be a leader and truly care by giving without the expectation of receiving.

Next know this if you leave a network and come back you will have to start building social equity all over again. You will not have the same level of respect or connection as you had when you left. Remember what the primary purpose of your networking group is, no matter if it is, charity, online gaming, sports, or business, the primary function comes first and the referrals, friendships and connections will always come next to those who are key members.

Kind of like Capital One – Do you know whats in your wallet network?

Effective Networking on Twitter: Do What Good Tweeters Do!

Being a woman in business online, one of my favorite  – and highly effective – marketing / networking strategies is social media and I was thrilled to be recently identified as one of the “Top 20 Responsive Women You Need to Follow on Twitter” – By Holly Reisem Hanna founder of The Work at Home Woman.

The recognition sparked a question from my friends, followers and fans: “Gina, how can I be viewed as a responsive on Twitter too?”

My answer begins with a question for you:

When you login to Twitter to update your status, are you looking at the mutual benefit OR do you have a more singular “what’s in it for me” focus?

Now, don’t get me wrong. We are all in business to be successful and a BIG part of that is making money. And we all want to capture people’s attention (in a good way). The problem is that when we lead from a “what’s in it for me?” intention it comes across as salesy and one-sided.

Think of any relationship in your life… If it was consistently one-sided how long would it last?

People love to buy but they don’t like to be sold to. At a consumer level you already know this so why then do you keep trying to SELL?

The key to attracting new clients and making money through Twitter without being salesy is to shift your intention.

Be interested in others first rather than trying so hard to be interesting to them.

If you are using Twitter for business, do it in a way that adds value and increase to others rather than a blatant sales pitch – Yes, there IS a difference. It may seem counter-intuitive at first but it really works.

Below are two specific things that I do consistently to be responsive.

I believe that adding value and increase to the lives of others without expecting anything in return is the key to reciprocity. What goes around comes around.

Everyone who follows me receives an automatic direct message (auto-DM). I stopped using this technology for a while when people started to abuse it but I’m using it again very effectively.

I don’t know about you but I get DM spam in my twitter inbox every day. Anything that’s similar to “Hi! Thanks for following. Check out my website here …” or “Hi! It’s great to meet you. Here’s my FREE report” gets deleted immediately.

So how do you get YOUR auto-DM to stand out from the crowd? Remember… you’ve got to shift your intention. The example DM’s above are me-focused and salesy. What can you say that shows genuine interest in others and even gets conversation started?

Here’s mine…

“Hi! Thanks for reaching out! What do you love to tweet about the most? ~ Gina”

And guess what…

People respond. People tell me every day what they love to tweet about most. And just the other day someone added that they normally don’t respond to DM’s at all but mine was self-centered at all and they liked that.

The difference between the spammy salesy DM’s and mine is that it engages conversation and builds rapport and opens a door to what really matters… real relationships with real people.

The second thing I love to do is to connect people that should meet. This one’s easy but the key is to pay attention. Read people’s Twitter bios, take notice of what others tweet about and connect like-minded people. This is a great way to make sure you’ve shifted your intention to being interested in others first.

Twitter is where I meet my best joint venture partners too. It’s really become the hub for a lot of my joint venture marketing strategies. If you’ve been wanting to develop joint venture relationships there’s still time to join me for the Ready to JV 4-week Tele-Course starting March 10th. Just one successful joint venture can dramatically up-level your business.

So now YOU can do what good tweeters do. Give it a try and keep me posted on what you experience as a result okay. I’ll share more tips on how to be more responsive on Twitter again soon.

Wait! While you’re here, I’d sure love for you to share your thoughts and experiences below okay.

~ Gina xo

Get Your Networking Working With Confident Conversations

Taking the time to prepare BEFORE networking face-to-face or online leads to confident conversations and meaningful connections.

If you’ve ever stressed about talking to strangers at networking events or have found yourself paused in front of your computer screen wondering how to start a conversation within a social network there are simple things you can do.

BEFORE you go to a live networking event or, login to your favourite social network, develop an inventory of open-ended questions and interesting discussion topics that you can leverage to get conversation started with the people you meet.

The key to networking with ease and confidence is to use “open-ended” questions which require more than a one word answer to get the conversation rolling – naturally.

Prepare Opening “Conversation Starter” Questions:

• Do you find these meetings helpful to your business?
• I’m new here. What can you tell me about this group?
• Hi! I don’t think we’ve met yet…I’m Gina Bell, and you are?
• What brought you to this meeting?
• That’s a great pin (suit, scarf, purse…etc), where did you get it?

If you’d like to continue the conversation to get to know them a bit better you can ask them:

• Where are you from?
• How do you keep yourself busy when you aren’t working?
• Where do you work?
• What is it that you do?
• How will I know if I meet someone that could use your product/service?

Notice that these “get to know you” questions focus on the person you are speaking with rather than the organization, or event itself.

According to Susan RoAne, Author of What Do I Say Next? “Small talk is what we do to build to big talk. It is what cements relationships and success.”

Where can you find “Small Talk” Topic Ideas?

• Current Affairs
• Best Selling Books
• Movies
• Business News
• Industry Trends

Consider your personal interests and areas of expertise to come up with additional topic ideas. Start and develop a journal of interesting topic ideas for future reference.

Good Resources for “Small Talk” Topic Ideas are News (Local, National & International, Paper, TV, Internet, Radio), Magazines, Books, Movies, etc…

Why worry about small talk? Small talk in conversation allows you to find common ground, something in common to spark a connection…this is the catalyst for confident conversations, rapport and the beginnings of developing a win-win business relationship.

Small talk leads to discovering fascinating facts about the people you meet. These facts are the key to becoming a valuable asset in their network and building social equity with them. Based on these findings you can follow up in a memorable way (they’ll be very impressed that you remembered the conversation); make strategic introductions for them, send them information, resources and referrals that will help them and more.

When you become a valuable asset in the network of others, your social equity grows and this always has a positive reflection on financial capital to. What goes around comes around.

TIPS:

1) Listen. Really listen to people and remember the fascinating facts. Write them on the back of business cards, enter them into your contact database notes.
2) Use the information you discover to be a connector and someone of value to THEM. This is true networking.

3) Allow the conversation to unfold organically. (i.e. Don’t grill them with question after question! Get in on the conversation too but again, try to listen more than you talk).

Happy Networking!

December Inner Circle Mastermind Teleseminar: Why Creating a Membership Based-Business Is So Smart with Sheri McConnell

December 3, 2008
3:00 pm	to	4:00 pm

December Inner Circle Mastermind Teleseminar: Why Creating a Membership Based-Business Is So Smart with Sheri McConnell

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:

1) Become a FREE Subscriber Now for complimentary access to the live teleseminar.

2) Become an Inner Circle Mastermind Member for VIP access to the mp3 recordings and CD’s of the month. You can jumpstart your membership today and get 3 months for the price of 1.

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.

Business Networking Demystified: *F.R.E.E. Teleseminar

October 8, 2008
6:00 pm	to	7:00 pm

Join The Networking Masters co-Founder, Gina Bell for this business accelerating call!  It’s time to Get Your Networking… WORKING!

Wednesday October 8, 2008 at 6:00 pm CST
(Visit www.time.gov for alternate time zones)

Topic: Business Networking Demystified
Expert: Gina Bell, The Networking Maven
Host: Murray Marder, Small Business Teleseminar Series

Register now at: http://snipurl.com/40rou

On this special call you’ll discover:

• How underestimating the power of networking can sabotage your success
• How to build your network to fill gaps in your business
• Common myths and misconceptions and how NOT to fall victim to them
• Things you may be unknowingly doing (or not doing) that can undermine valuable business relationships before they even get off the ground
• What to do if your networking is not working
• and much more!

Effective networking can be a reality for you… Join us for this call, we promise you’ll begin to see networking in a new, positive and very promising light.

This call is open to the public however, you must register at the link above.

Love to learn?

Join us again on October 15th for The Networking Masters Inner Circle Marketing and Mastermind Teleseminar with MaryPat Kavanagh and learn How to Leverage Linked In for your business!

Are You a Networking Insider?
Whether you are new to networking or an entrepreneur who really “gets” how important networking skills and technology are for results in your business, these topic calls are a wonderful source of information, motivation and advice.

Networking Insiders have access to each teleseminar recording and receive a hard copy CD in the mail. This means that even if you’re able to join us for the live calls, you can listen to the lessons over and over as needed and at times that are most convenient for you. (And that’s just a fraction of the valuable perks you’ll find inside the inner circle mastermind program!)

If you’re not a member yet, you can join us now here: http://www.thenetworkingmasters.com/benefits

Next Page »