TNNW BULLETIN AND ARTICLES, APRIL, 2009, WEEK 2

Major Developments, Forward Motion, Events and Actionable Items.

April 13, 2009

Bulletin # 11

"PUTTING THE 'BULL' BACK INTO BULLETIN"

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THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - THE HUMAN FACTOR - REVISITED
A Brief Commentary by Douglas Castle

What is the difference between THE NATIONAL NETWORKER and every industry publication, every listing service, every social networking media platform, and virtually every other purported "provider" of get-branded, get-noticed, get-rich quick media group, product or approach?

Take a look at the myriads of postings on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, eCademy -- they are either about people looking for jobs or employment, or about how to make the best use of social media. Take a look at the product solicitations for bringing "traffic to your website". Take a look at the typical affiliate link, or ad. Take a look at the terminology-laden but completely nebulous descriptions of people's profile on Linked In and elsewhere -- especially those folks who boast thousands of contacts.

In this split-second, pop-culture talk, high-technology society, we have become a collection of indoctrinated automatons. We can no longer differentiate one person from the next. We are becoming commoditized, sterile and servile. We have all but eliminated THE HUMAN FACTOR...that divine essence that makes each of us unique (we prefer to speak about branding), and that very magnetic force that creates friendships, partnerships, alliances, teams, great new ideas and civilization.

We are letting ourselves be depersonalized -- we speak in acronyms and write in templates -- we restate facts without committing ourselves to suggestions or opinions. We have made ourselves into people without personalities; people who say things of no consequence. We are increasingly substitutable and modular. We have lost sight of the ability to connect...to bond...to be opinionated...to share laughter. I think that we have technologically evolved and socially declined. We run from originality. We are afraid to reveal ourselves as people, with experiences, with preferences, with loves, with fears, with FEELINGS and OPINIONS.

Ritualistic de-humanization sickens me. I love humanity, with all of its frailties and failings. I cherish opportunities to laugh about myself and praise others. Humans do business with other Humans...and not with resumes, companies, machines and brands. Contemporary society screams out for signs of real humanity. Share a cab. Share a dinner. Share an umbrella. Share an inside joke. Be unique -- you were made to be.

1. Your greatest gift is your individuality. If people don't see it, they will not know YOU;

2. People are fascinated by other people who are a bit different - be different, be special, stand out and convert contacts (a shallow term) into connections - and convert connections into friendly collaborations;

3. Be a person - let yourself out and let others in. People prefer to do business with people whom they like. Bond, baby...bond;

4. Communicate like crazy - don't let anyone forget you. And don't let anybody think that you've forgotten about them;

5. Jog your memory and remember how to be a friend;

6. Reach out to strangers;

7. Speak your heart as well as your ingrained MBA business mantra;

8. Lighten up on the tech-speak and acronyms -- don't be like those other LIONs, Ph.Ds and SOBs;

9. Touch people by listening to their stories and by offering your hand to help;

10. Let people hear your voice and know what you look like;

THE NATIONAL NETWORKER is:

• A publisher of wonderful newsletters, RSS feeds, bulletins, suggestions, tips, tools, tricks and a source of ideas, as well as contacts;



• A provider of a unique suite of services to help every entrepreneur, executive and professional to prosper, and to accelerate and enjoy the journey;



• A resource for CONNECTING INTERPERSONALLY. We facilitate personal introductions, help put deals together, and give our subscribers and members PERSONAL ATTENTION, PERSONAL ADVICE, and PERSONAL, QUALIFIED INTRODUCTIONS.

I give of my time to those people who need my services (http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/) , and I bring out the best in them. No matter how I bill myself, I am a coach and a catalyst, and I bring out the very best in every single one of my clients.

THE NATIONAL NETWORKER is an interconnected, interpersonal community, with a shared armory of great tools, resources and PEOPLE.

Forward this message to everyone whom you know. Within a short period of time, there will indeed be two types of people --- Members of the TNNW Community - and - robotic drones. I recommend that you be one of the first type -- and I also recommend that you get every single one of your friends to get in. Now. We build together for each and all of us.

Faithfully, and with great respect,

Douglas Castle

douglas.castle@yahoo.com or 888.317.6498 (Extension 3 or 5)

p.s. Explore our sitemap. Go to http://tnnwindex.blogspot.com . Then, check out every single link. Learn more about what we have built for you. Enjoy the articles, too!

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TNNW BULLETIN AND ARTICLES, APRIL, 2009, WEEK 2

POWER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: Choosing Your Most Powerful Networks, Part 2

Power Thought of the Week with Patricia Parham, Ph.D.

Substitutability

Some networking organizations allow only one professional of a kind to participate in its network. These organizations value low substitutability. They want each of their networkers to have a monopoly over the resource offered. You gain substitutability when you provide a task, have knowledge or a unique resource or use a process for which clients must come to you. Clarify your niche and market your uniqueness.


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POWER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: Choosing Your Most Powerful Networks, Part 2

ASIA PACIFIC: Relationship CV

by Victor Cattermole

Asia Pacific Bureau Chief

This past week I had to venture up to Japan for some business and pleasure.

While there I met with some friends who it turns out were feeling challenged in their personal relationship, after more than 20 years of marriage things were really a battle.

The interesting thing about this is that in the Japanese society everything relationship wise appears to be so structured and disciplined. These wonderful little Japanese wives shuffle around the house as quiet as a mouse serving in such a humble way, society seems so passive and respectful and yet behind closed doors you can’t help feeling things are different.

All of this and lots of discussion with my friends got me really thinking about our relationship compatibility and what it would be like if we had a Relationship CV.

I really felt challenged by the concept of a Relationship CV and so it’s something I plan to introduce in to my business in the Endeavor Plan Life Planner later this year. My dyslexic thinking and sense of humor could spend days on this, the challenge goes out to readers to consider what does your Relationship CV look like (compared with your career CV) and what are you looking for in others.

Some things to consider:

· Is experience important?

· What are my long term goals?

· Am I looking to continue part time experience whilst maintaining a full time relationship?

· What are my references like, are their many?

It’s easy to have a laugh about it, and good to as well, then there is a serious side …. Time to draft your Relationship CV, how does it look? Would you enter in to a relationship with yourself?

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ASIA PACIFIC: Relationship CV

CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: The Importance of Networking in a Recession

Connecting is Not Enough with Andy Lopata

We may be facing tough times, with businesses going to the wall, budgets being slashed and thousands of jobs being lost. There are things we can do, however, to give ourselves the best chance of surviving, and even thriving in this crisis.

The ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of business painted by TV programmes such as The Apprentice is not necessarily the way forward in business today. Instead businesses are more likely to achieve positive results through collaboration. Sharing experiences, expertise, ideas and contacts is essential to business success.

In short, networking is vital. It helps businesses become better known, better equipped and achieve better market penetration than they could manage on their own.

So, how can networking help you get the edge you need to succeed and overcome the current recession?

First of all, networks can help you to build your profile and your reputation. We all know the phrase ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. Well, more important is who knows you….. and what they are saying about you.

A lack of profile will not help any business succeed. Whether that profile is widespread or among a very closely defined group of people, your reputation counts.

The most traditional way of raising profile, particularly for bigger companies, is through advertising and sponsorship. Yet for so many people, particularly in the current economic climate, such opportunities are out of reach. Instead, networking plays a key role.

LOCATE ANY PERSON, ANYWHERE - EXPERTLY AND QUICKLY

START YOUR SEARCH BY CLICKING ON THE BUTTON BELOW --

Successful businesses recognise the value of having a team of people talking about them and associating them with excellence in their field. More than ever we are inclined to listen to our peers when making buying decisions, and a strong reputation can prove to be the right foundation for building a business.

Understand where you want that profile to go and pick your networks accordingly. Are your potential clients based in a geographic area, within one or more industries? Do the people who decide to use your services tend to be from one or two key roles within organisations, such as Sales Directors or Heads of HR? Wherever you need the word spread, understand who those people will be talking to, where they are most likely to hear about you and network accordingly.

The growth of online networks has made it even easier to raise your profile and spread the word. Clearly, online networks are a much easier way to reach a wider audience and grow a global reputation, but there are also a large number of niche networks on the internet, serving different industries, interest groups and locations.

A word of warning here, it is one thing to spread the word about your business, online or off. It is quite another to manage what is being said about you. It is important that you have a clearly defined view of what your message is and what you want people to say about you.

Attending networking events and continually moaning, whether about the state of the economy, other people in your network or even the quality of the food on offer, is not going to endear you to others. Nor is it likely to encourage them to talk about you positively.

In a similar vein, simply being seen is not enough. Sure, the more people you connect with, the more will be aware of you. What will they think of you though? What will they be saying to others?

Managing the message that others communicate on your behalf is the key to developing a strong reputation networking strategy. Ask yourself the question before you connect with anyone else as part of your business strategy, ‘After someone has met me, how would I want them to describe me to someone else?’

You can be in control of what others say about you, the key is to think about it in advance. Picture the impact you have on others, does it reflect how you would like to be seen? Do people understand what you do, who you do it for and why others would want to know about you?

Naturally there are other dangers, much talked about elsewhere, to your reputation from social networks such as Facebook. It can be easy to be drawn into arguments or banter with other people in your network and forget that this is a window to the World. Have fun, show your personal side by all means, but it is important to ensure that you have your professional image in mind at all times.

Apart from profile building, networks also act as a very powerful self-development tool. As John Donne said, ‘No Man is an Island’ and this is particularly true now. We need to learn from others, benefit from their experiences and expertise and open ourselves out to new ideas if we are to achieve as much as is possible.


Our networks can provide a lot of that support, both formally and informally. There is a good chance that you already have a network of people who want you to succeed and have already been through the challenges you are facing. Have you asked for their advice? Have you sought their support?

If you don’t have the relevant experience in your immediate network, or if you don’t feel comfortable asking the question, there are many networks set up specifically to provide those resources. From the blogs and clubs on social networks to events with speakers, the support is there, you simply have to seek it out.

Many people attend networking events with speakers without any concept of what they want to gain from the talk. Next time you go to such an event have a look around the room and see how many people are not taking notes, or are checking their phones for the latest emails!

Instead, outline your key self-development or business-development needs and seek out the events with speakers who address those issues. Set out a list of questions in advance that you would like answered and listen carefully for the answers to those questions during the talk. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can get from such an event when you have a greater degree of focus.

In addition to listening to talks from experts in their field, there is much you can learn from other people in similar positions to you. One growth area in networking is peer-support, or ‘Mastermind’, groups. These range from formally organized membership groups to many independent meetings, business people at a similar level to each other meet regularly, share their challenges and offer their feedback, advice and suggestions. In the best groups they will also hold each other to account for their actions.

Additionally, you can gain a lot of the knowledge and skills you need from industry associations and networks. I developed my speaking business through lessons learnt over six years of membership of the Professional Speakers Association (PSA). I only did so by attending a large number of meetings and conventions, listening to the speakers at those events and interacting with many fellow members.

A lot of the people I learnt from in the PSA were, and are, on one level competitors of mine. Yet we have a culture of sharing, one that recognises that there are enough opportunities out there for all of us but we stand to make much more of those opportunities if we work together and are prepared to help and learn from each other.

The third way in which networking is a key activity in difficult times is probably the most obvious, and that is as a referral-generation tool.

Please note, I didn’t talk about sales, but referrals. Networking is not selling and should never be treated as such. The people who will really benefit from their networks at present are those people who have been building their relationships over a long period of time. As the old adage goes, ‘making friends while they could, not when they need them’.

You need to be patient if you are to build a referral network. People refer others who they know, like and trust and that doesn’t happen overnight. During tough times though, those referrals are invaluable, opening doors that have been slammed shut on vendors generally and bringing your business to the top of the pile.

It’s not just businesses who depend on referrals. With the number of redundancies being made at the moment, any good job being advertised will be swamped by high quality applications. Yet I would venture that in most cases the job will have already effectively been filled beforehand, by someone who was recommended to the recruiter.

For people to refer you, two things need to be in place. And both have been discussed in this article.

First of all, they need to trust you. You might get introductions from people you have just met, but the better someone knows you and the more they have belief in you, the more likely it is that they will go out of their way for you and offer a strong referral.

They also have to understand your business. They need to be able to recognise your prospects and the problems those prospects have that you can resolve. Above all, they have to be able to convince that person that they want to speak to you and find out what you can offer. That also takes time to develop.

If you surround yourself with people who do have that level of trust and understanding in you, you can ask for the connections you need to drive your business forward in good times and bad. Doors will open for you that others will be struggling to break down and you can manage the quality of business you attract.

Times may be tough, and they may get tougher yet. There is no denying, however, that there is still something you can do about it. Build a strong network and work with that network to ensure you are better known, better equipped and have better market penetration than you could ever manage on your own.

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Are you struggling to put an effective networking or referral strategy into place? Do you want to know more about how to ensure you get the maximum possible return from your networking?
Andy's new Audio programme 'Networking in Ninety Minutes' will give you the tools you need to make the most from your networking. Available in CD or mp3 format here.
Andy Lopata's newsletter archive
Andy Lopata's LinkedIn profile
Tune into Andy's weekly networking tips on yourBusinessChannel



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CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: The Importance of Networking in a Recession

THE POLITICAL FRONT: Being Consistently Inconsistent

The Political Front with Douglas Castle

Dear Readers:

During the two-term reign of the Bush administration in the United States, it was very politically fashionable to be any or all of these things:

• Pro-U.S. ;



• Anti-Eastern;



• Anti-Muslim;



• Anti-Abortion;



• Anti-Stem Cell Research;



• Isolationist, Xenophobic and Paranoic;



• Anti-Negotiation/ Pro-Military Threat ("the hawk eats the dove for lunch");



• Unapologetic and Humorless;



• Unquestioning of Executive Decisions, Powers and Wisdom;



• An Unwavering Bush Loyalist;



• Pro-Fossil Fuels (and "Big Oil");



• Anti-Environmentalism;



• Pro-Big Business, Monopolism, and Privately Negotiated Contracts with Favored Companies;



• Pro-Detention and Incarceration Without Respect to Deterrence or Political Implications;



• Secretive, non-Transparent and non-Compliant (i.e., above the law) on all matters of Executive Privilege and National Security;



• An Amnesiac with respect to Constitutional Due Process, Human Rights and other "old-fashioned " American notions.

Now, in the Obama Administration, and in an environment where both the Executive branch and the Legislative Branch are dominated by the newly-reinstated democratic party, it is becoming politically fashionable to be any or all of these things:

• A globalist;


• An open George W. Bush detractor;


• A beggar to the public sector to subsidize (via bailouts and other) private industry failures;


• An inquisitor of all of the "abuses" of privilege and law of the Bush administration -- especially if you like to say "Who knew what? and When?";


• An "Earth-Friendly" environmentalist;


• Outspoken and fearless of reprisals;


• Compassionate in matters concerning the poor and underpriviledged;


• Hateful of big business interests, despite the fact that they may have employed us earlier;


• A fan of "transparency" and "disclosure";


• Openly questioning of leadership and governmental decisions.

It is interesting how we, the Body Public, so readily adapt to whatever the party in power favors. We are consistently inconsistent. We swing back and forth, like pendulum, or a sine wave. We are predictable, and we adhere to the sentiment of the moment. This wavering back and forth keeps us trapped within parameters which confine us to a zero sum game of no real sociological or political progress over time.

We are in the throes of an unsolvable economic conundrum because we have ceased being people of ideas and principles, and we have started becoming "adapters" instead of "agents of change". I do not like to believe that Humans are completely herd-dominated faddists. Sadly, I prefer to believe that a feeling of accumulated disillusionment, combined with the frustration of thinking that single person or a single idea can no longer difference has dampened our creative and progressive spirit.

Adaptation is a skill required for social acceptance and societal infiltration. But being an Agent Of Change is the the only way to create progress and build success. And despite the ironic terminology, being an Agent Of Change requires focusing on a target and consistently working toward it -- despite fashion trends, pop-culture and the very natural propensity for mere survival instead of great victories.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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THE POLITICAL FRONT: Being Consistently Inconsistent

U.S., NORTHWEST: 5th Annual Grand Networking Event for Oregon Women

by Lori Richardson

U.S., Northwest Bureau Chief
(Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon)

The Women in Business Party & Expo is a showcase event that any city wanting to put on an event focusing on women in business should take a look at. The people of Portland, Oregon are lucky that it happens in their city.

I had the pleasure of attending about five years ago, and never forgot the feeling I had when I left the event.

"What a fun party!" I exclaimed to my friend Michelle as we headed on our three-hour drive north. Our shoes were off, feet sore from walking around this huge venue - but we had smiles on our faces and a bag full of SWAG and business cards of people we'd like to further connect with.

It had all the elements of fun - immediate donation to Dress for Success as we entered, great live music, trade show booths, food, wine, and awards, called "Orchid Awards" for outstanding women who had been nominated for various business categories.

What I remembered about all the raffle prizes that the 70+ vendor booths had were that they were all really GREAT prizes - the ones you don't mind putting your business card in for (knowing someone will ultimately follow up with you.) One booth would have a $100 Nordstrom gift card, the next would have a $200 floral arrangement, then a $100 coffee card. I knew then that these trade show exhibitors knew how to collect business cards.
Non-stop (or so it seemed) music with various groups played and appetizers were passed throughout this huge convention center floor. I think that the large space made it seem even more of a "big deal" because typically women in business events that I have attended are not that large.

This year, on April 23rd, will be their 5th annual event. Sponsors are Portland State University School of Business Administration and Wells Fargo in addition to supporting and media sponsors. The theme is "Lady Luck" and will have a "Las Vegas-y" feel to it.

The category for awards will be Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Woman Executive of the Year (small/med. company), Woman Executive of the Year (large company), and Woman Executive of the Year (nonprofit).

Check in with me later to see whether I wore showgirl sparkles or a more dignified gambler's look. Either way, it is sure to be a great place to network with some of the most successful business people in Oregon.


Lori Richardson is author of "50 Ways in 50 Days...to Score More Sales" and as "The Sales Detective", trains and coaches sales teams, entrepreneurs, and business owners to solve sales issues and grow revenues. Reach her at lori@scoremoresales.com, or on Twitter @scoremoresales

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.



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U.S., NORTHWEST: 5th Annual Grand Networking Event for Oregon Women

POWER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: Choosing Your Most Powerful Networks, Part 1

Power Thought of the Week with Patricia Parham, Ph.D.

Centrality

Your best positioning in networks is in the center. When you work interdependently with those in your network and are key to its success, you occupy a position of centrality. If you left, your loss would be keenly felt and the network would work to replace you. Ensure that centrality describes your participation in at least one or two networks, if necessary, starting one of your own!

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.



To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com.

For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com.


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POWER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: Choosing Your Most Powerful Networks, Part 1