Networking Comes in All Styles and Flavors

Entrepreneurial Networking with Lydia Sugarman

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Just like everyone else, I'm being bombarded by media from all sides and in all forms with regards to the worldwide economic emergency we are experiencing. It isn't always easy to see the relationship between seemingly disparate events that are coming at us from every direction but add up to a global crisis. Media, by and large, fall into two main categories. The first is "doom and gloom." The second is "lemonade from lemons." Or, half-empty glass versus half-full glass.

I do believe that for entrepreneurs and other self-employed business people that the glass is more full than empty. There are those, like me, who are experiencing a boost in business. When the economy is booming, people do email marketing. When the economy sucks, people do even more email marketing.

This is a time that we're reminded that opportunities abound if we bring to bear energy, imagination, and, probably most importantly, every network at our fingertips.

As I read this Special Section on Leadership: Moving Forward in Challenging Times - Knowledge@Wharton, I was inspired by the examples of agile entrepreneurial strategy, even inside established, large corporate structures and the diverse networks that contribute to success, formal, informal, inside and outside the corporate "membrane." From the girl who grew up in Indiana who now runs Burberry and balances that with a family that includes three children to a CEO of an investment bank that's hiring to the Chairman of a sports ownership group to the CMO of General Mills, all these heavy-duty executives offer great examples of entrepreneurial thinking, innovative action, and creative networking.

We may or may not have the opportunity to personally network with these people, but the virtual networking we can do via these articles is a pretty good substitute!

So, I just really wanted to share this incredibly rich resource. If you aren't already familiar with Knowledge@Wharton, I saved the best for last. It's free!

Enjoy the articles and podcasts and please comment, send me emails, let's get a dialogue going!

And, thank you for reading what I write! I offer it in service to you.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free RSS feed, go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com.
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Networking Comes in All Styles and Flavors

CANADA: Donna Messer, Canada's Own Marketing Guru - Gives Advice on Networking

By Kensel Tracy, Canadian Bureau Chief

When you reach Donna Messer, Canada’s “Networking Guru”, on the phone, her cheery voice answers as if she has known you for life time. Two minutes into our conversation she drops her first bit of “social capital”. She is sorry she is a bit late as she just got back from lunch with a Senior Vice President from Petro Canada, one of Canada’s largest petro chemical companies. To Donna, “social capital” is the byproduct of networking and the term she uses extensively to cultivate value for her network.

“The key to understanding “social capital” says Donna “is to learn as much as you can about the person you talking to so that you can develop and understand what you can offer and later on potentially receive”, one of her golden rules of networking. “Social capital” she says also means to: “never ask for money, never sell and always find out what others want to buy, then have something that you can offer that fits the bill.”. You can now see why Donna Messer is called Canada’s “Networking Guru”.

Donna was born a networker. Starting out working for the Director of Agriculture for the State of Illinois, one of Donna’s first jobs was to help build business with the State’s biggest trading partner Canada and Canadian companies wanting to do business in the State. She became a major corporate match maker finding out what companies had for sale and providing buying opportunities for everything from the famous “No Name Brand” brand of products, dairy and other agricultural products including working with the one of the first exporters of shitake mushrooms.

From there she formed her own company called “Connect Us” which was a bit of play on words for her business and soon she had a thriving database of high level contacts from which she has built an impressive array of business by linking individuals from her network with other individuals or with outsiders wanting in.

Her business is also an extension of her own personal ethical business philosophy. She gives much more than she gets and has a significant amount of business referred to her directly based on her own “social capital” and the relationships she has formed and gifts of gold that she has given to others. One of her strengths and one of the things she says that that others should consider when building their network “is to develop a database of contacts, to cultivate a contacts “social capital” and to keep intensive records on your computer so that when you recognize an opportunity for someone in your network and then you can pass it along right away.” Donna has over 10,000 people in her own personal database.

Donna has also built a network of clients and fans through getting out there and talking with others through ongoing paid public speaking engagements, training others on networking and using the media, by writing articles on networking and by launching a women’s magazine called “Business Women Canada”. She has also written a Canadian bestseller called “Effective Networking Strategies” which is available at Amazon.com or can be downloaded for free from her website.

Constantly on the road speaking to groups, organizations and companies, she recently finished a stint coaching public service employees for the Ontario Government on how to network amongst other government departments in order to make contacts to get major projects completed.

Besides using the term “social capital”, Donna also preachers and uses a term which she developed called RISE™ which has become the firm’s personal strategy for successful networking. RISE ™ stands for: Rapport, Information, Solutions, Ethically. It’s a simple process and one worth noting for any personal networker which includes working inside a culture of integrity. Donna’s company now works world wide developing rapport, gathering information, coming up with solutions and doing it in an ethical manner. Her RISE™ system is used extensively for networking throughout international markets in helping to build business for companies throughout Canada, the U.S. and internationally.

While she agrees with the smaller structured networking groups and clubs like BNI and Business over Breakfast (BoB) Clubs for small businesses or individuals just starting out, she believes that everyone needs to be open to understanding what another company or person needs and doing their best to try and help others; which is the true point behind effective networking. Donna’s company has also worked with all kinds of groups including individuals with special needs, seniors, not for profits, for profit, government organizations and major corporations. A lot of people call themselves a “Networking Gurus” however Donna Messer is truly someone that walks the walk and talks the talk

Thanking Donna, I am just about to hang up the phone and she stops me saying “I need to know about you and your “social capital” Kensel and what is it you do and what is it that I can help you with”. I promptly say “well nothing really”. Within minutes, Donna has me talking about marketing and my marketing coaching company, The Corporate Coachworkz Inc. and then gives me two people which I should contact to help me build my business following up with an email after our interview to remind me; the sign of a true networker and a true “Networking Guru”.

To reach Donna Messer to get more information on how Donna can help you personally or your organization, see Donna’s Website at www.connectuscanada.com.

Kensel Tracy the Marketing Coach is a Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. a coaching company that specializes in marketing, coaching and executive coaching and helps small, medium and large sized businesses grow and prosper.
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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free RSS feed, go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com.
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CANADA: Donna Messer, Canada's Own Marketing Guru - Gives Advice on Networking

TNNW, November, 2008, Weeks 3&4: "Giving Thanks, 2008"

By Adam J. Kovitz CEO, Founder & Publisher

Approaching the end of November, we look to the Holiday Season as a time of joy. Ushering in this time of the year (at least here in the U.S.) is the end of the Fall Harvest and the celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving allows us the opportunity to network in a variety of ways, including getting together with family and friends for eating together, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade televised live from New York City, watching (American) football, and did I mention eating? The kids begin pouring over Holiday catalogs and commercials and networking amongst each other to discuss their individual "toy acquisition strategies".

Despite bleak economic underpinnings, we accentuate the positive by being thankful for what we do have: roofs over our heads, food on our table to share, being with those who are important to us. As we appreciate the quantity of what we do have, we look to those who don't have as much and network to help them. For some of us, we donate non-perishables to food shelters. For others, we invite those who cannot be with the ones they love this year to our dinner table to share in our surplus. I am reminded of the Americana Diner in East Windsor, NJ (the town where I grew up) who, each year, receives donated turkeys, closes its doors to the public on Thanksgiving and opens them to the homeless for a traditional meal. I find it interesting that once we begin to recognize all the things we do have and feel that sense of gratitude, we look for ways to share our good fortunes with others.

This year I, myself, am thankful for the following:
1.) YOU and the rest of our growing number of subscribers for reading this and the rest of TNNW, listening to our podcasts, getting our RSS feeds, etc.
2.) Our writers (past and present) from across the globe who share my passion for bringing you what's working with Networking four times a month
3.) My good friend, co-conspirator and brother from another mother, Douglas Castle for helping me through a tough year and helping me to take TNNW closer to fulfilling my vision
4.) My tremendously supportive family: Wendy (my wife of nearly 16 years) and sons. You are all worthy of sainthood for putting up with me.
5.) My mother, Susan and late father, Joel. Though you are no longer with us this year, Dad, your presence and inspiration are still felt.
6.) G-d.

We are also thankful for a new member of the TNNW family and new featured columnist, Joyce Grillo, CEO of Grillo Leadership Initiatives, a New York City-based coaching and consulting firm. Joyce debuts her new column this week, "A View From the Top". WELCOME JOYCE!!!

One of the ways we wish to share our surplus with you, is to give you a "jam-packed" double issue of TNNW this week as we present both weeks three and four together. And if you feel any sense of loss by not receiving our next regular newsletter until December 7, 2008, you can always get our regularly streaming content plus other extras from our RSS feed or widget available at our blog (http://thenationalnetworker.blogspot.com).

To all our friends in the U.S....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

To everyone else...WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST!!!

As always, I look forward to Networking with you...

- Adam
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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free RSS feed, go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com.
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TNNW, November, 2008, Weeks 3&4: "Giving Thanks, 2008"