UPDATES! - June, 2009, Week 4

JUNE, 2009, Week 4
UPDATE ISSUE 1 (New Format)

The NATIONAL NETWORKER is the process of dramatic change. We expect to implement these innovations, improvements and upgrades in Beta in the month of August. Of course there will be power outages, downtime and lots of excuses masquerading as explanations (i.e., "the long time to load the site was obviously caused by Global Warming'... and that sort of baloney); but then, all the big guys have that stuff, so these abnormal events will probably add to TNNW's credibility.

1. Our Newsletter will have an updated and upgraded look, increased interactivity with subscribers and richer, more useful content than ever before. It will be easier to find and follow your favorite authors (and to forward their articles). You will also be seeing some exciting new columns from some brand new authors who have honored us by joining us -- authors with unparalleled expertise, experience, writing style and messages of tremendous importance. Authors with whom you will be invited to interact, personally and professionally. Long story short - You got people. You know what else -- the Newsletter will continue to be free.


2. Our special blended Newsfeed (provisionally called the "National Newspicker") will contain the most important top stories and breaking news from a select group of the best media resources available on such subjects as (just to name a few): networking, communications, social media, navigating the New Web, leadership, team-building, growth through joint ventures, global relationship-building, new technologies, sources of capital for smaller and entrepreneurial companies, business plans and presentations, career growth, public relations and publicity, and new contacts and tools which can use. Our TNNW Select Newsfeed will be the only feed that you will need to read every day. You will make it a Favorite. It will also be available as a high-utility gadget. One day in the future, everything will be available as a Google Gadget.

3. Our completely updated and high-utility suite of Member Services will be more readily accessible, more user-friendly and more powerful than ever before. Subscribers will want to graduate to full Membership. Our new Interactive Calendar Of Events will revolutionize the way you promote your brand, services and meetings...in fact, the NATIONAL NETWORKER will dramatically change the way in which people organize their daily schedules and utilize their precious time. You will be impressed and enthralled.

4. We will be offering more partnership, capitalization, mentoring and joint venturing opportunities than ever before. The Networker will be rolling out a bunch of DIRECT CONNECT services where we will bring good people together. We won't be just talk - we will help you (as in "hands-on") to build beneficial relationships. We are not just writing...we are action. What other social media or "connection" service can make that claim? Look forward to cutting-edge proactive.

5. We will make you glad that you joined us and became a part of our growing, interactive international community. And of course, they'll be plenty of buttons...





6. If you haven't already taken TNNW Survey #88 on LEADERSHIP ["What must an effective leader do..."], please take a moment to take it now. It is very quick, and the results promise to be fascinating. Get the survey at http://twitlik.com/Response88 . Note: The deadline for submitting your opinion and thoughts is July 10th, and the results will be published publicly on July 18th. Every noteworthy organization in the world today, whether private sector or public sector, is facing a leadership crisis. We must identify those things that make certain persons leaders, find those people and persuade them to assume the responsibilities of leadership. Weigh in at http://twitlik.com/Response88.

7. Are you part of the ONE PERCENT? Find out: http://twitlik.com/OnePercent


As always, thank you for being a Subscriber, and for reading us. By the way, the re-formatted website will be a snap to navigate. We swear (too often).

With Great Things to Come,

Adam J. Kovitz and Douglas Castle






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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) 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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THE REHUMANITIZATION OF NETWORKING - Why Should I Listen to You?

Whoever You Are:

This is my newly-featured column. Adam J. Kovitz (who loves to see his name in print) appeared to me in a vision and said, "Son, I believe it is time for you to write about whatever you want to write about, instead of the usual insipid, prosaic pap that I force you write about. Go off and build a life for yourself. Make me proud. Try not to be too graphic or use too much profanity."

I ask everyone -- WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?

I receive more than 100 emails per hour, I belong to well in excess of 100 "social media" groups (and that's not including LinkedIn), and I literally receive dozens of news alerts, blog comments and ezine bulletins weekly. I am inundated (as is everyone else) with sensorial input. Most of what I receive is useless, meaningless junk.
For example:

- "How I get more followers on Twitter!";

- "Great App (Application) for Social Media -- MediaMashup";

- "Make money with your website...it's automatic...you can't stop earning money with this system (even if you want to!)";

- "Optimize Your Search Engine Ranking with Adwords!";

- "Coverage of the Business Roundtable Power Breakfast and Bowling Event in Izzard, Iowa.";

- "Make Your Summer The Best Networking Season of Your Year";

- "Biggest Payouts in the Industry!";

- "A Firmer Handshake -- A Better Connection";

- "Get Your Piece of The Government Bailout";

- "How Helping Others will Make Your Rich!';

- "How to get 25,000 Fans on your FaceBook Fan Page.";

- "Attitude Makes All the Difference";

- Viagra and Cialis solicitations in Cantonese;

- Offers from various corrupt, but very polite African Bankers from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Liberia, and Diptheria whose rich client died (usually in a tragic plane crash) without heirs, and who want my personal cooperation (e.g., money) to access my unlawful inheritance, which I can then share with them. Note: They have sent this message to me because they have heard that I can be trusted -- probably as much as the rest of the persons on the 'undisclosed recipients' list of their email correspondence;

- A steaming, fly-laden manure mountain of open-ended, boring, questions like: "How Are You Going to Use Linked In to make 2010 Your Best Year Ever?" ... "Do you think that Blitter will make Twitter Obsolete?"

- "Five HOT Technology Stocks to Watch."

- "Personal Success Coach wants to show you how to become a winner overnight!";

- A veritable cesspool of stuff about branding, image-building, ranking, SEO, and other pop-culture or techo-fad acronym-laden stuff which someone thinks that I should be interested in.

Lastly, there are numerous items from various "Life Coaches" who do not, in fact, have lives of their own, "Success Coaches" who have yet to experience a single, credible success in achieving anything, and a host of other panderers who want to tell me things about having plenty of business cards handy, smiling, making eye contact, preparing a "one-minute commercial" for myself, and harnessing the power of The Law of Affinity.

This material (I've alluded to what the specific material actually is) is wasteful of my eyesight, my computer capacity of and my precious and fleeting time. When you waste my time, you insult me, you keep me from accomplishing other things, and you make me indifferent to you. You will have become a part of the increasing ambient background noise in a society where everyone is loudly hawking intangible, undefinable "stuff", and nobody is really buying any of it. I will not give you a second chance. Very few other people will either.

[By the way, this is not the time to utter something trite, like: "You only get one chance to make a first impression!" -- Don't speak in cliches and "conventional wisdom" -- Don't talk down to me, as if I were as stupid as my college transcript would indicate. I would like to think that you believe me to be intelligent...most people want to be thought of as intelligent, and to be treated as if they were].

You Ask (in a cynical, skeptical, perhaps even sarcastic tone, with your hands on your hips, or with your arms crossed over your chest) -- THEN WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU, DOUGLAS CASTLE?

I Respond (with a haughty attitude) -- You will listen to me because...

1. I will tell you important things that you don't already know, and which will improve your social, professional and financial success. Each will have an immediate, practical application. You will have actions to follow. Each will give you results.

2. I will engage you, and capture your attention and interest. I won't bore you with a trowelful of crap. I will offer you information and tools which you cannot find anywhere else.

3. I will be candid, and I won't patronize you. Ever.

4. I will occasionally make you laugh...either at me, at yourself, or at others. You will (despite yourself) enjoy what I write.

5. I will talk to you on a Human-to-Human basis.

Incidentally, if you want me to listen to you, here's what you should do:

1. Get my attention, in any way that you can --

2. Tell me something important and interesting ... speak with authority ... and put your unique personality into it ... make it about you and me ... if you are eccentric, it might actually help --

3. Give me an action or actions to take. I will await your command.

Here's a rule:

"If it's not interesting to you, it won't be interesting to your audience."

Tell me about what you know; what you are actually interested in; something which have a personal passion for. Don't be conventional. Conventional people never change anything, and they are boring as hell. Take your personality out of the moth balls (by the way, have you ever smelled moth balls?), brush it off and tell it, in no uncertain terms that it is your greatest personal asset. It is what separates you from the rest of the crowd.

Please stay tuned for my first real article, which should be coming up soon.

Thank you, one and all.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

*Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS
*Check me out: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW):
PRESS OUR BUTTONS & CLICK OUR LINKS...

SOUTH AFRICA: Seek First to Understand

By Karl Smith
South Africa Bureau Chief

It is generally agreed that the way we see things through the eyes of our minds has a significant impact on our own success. This picture is also referred to as our frame of reference, our paradigm…a perception of reality through which we integrate, evaluate, and interpret new persons, events and ideas… I have worked with thousands of people in my career and I was often frustrated by the many change management and teamwork interventions we embarked upon because it was a decision made by the top executives. None of these intervention experts even considered our current frame of reference relating to change, teamwork and other issues. They failed to invest time to see where we come from, our frame of reference. If everyone could live by this principle to always attempt to understand one’s frame of reference, which perspective we come from when we speak or do something, then it will be must more happier or productive place.

When we employed our first Xhosa speaking staff member at one of the many companies where I worked, some of my staff were up in arms, because in their minds he had no planning skills for the many school related projects for which he was responsible. It was only when I told them that he hails from a community where you provide for unexpected guests because of their culture to be hospitable when they showed empathy for his challenge. Through my facilitation to always understand where people come from I have build a formidable team who achieved success beyond expectations. Today, that staff member is a Chief Executive Officer and I have many other similar success stories. You foster better business relationships if you understand where people where they come from. It is a skill so needed in business today from employee to the boardroom, to connecting with people and to dealing with difficult people. The ability to show “empathy”, to put yourself in the shoes of others, to exchange places is a vital skill in building business relationships. “Seek first to understand” requires deep paradigm shift. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to answer.

I am a keen reader and I frequent coffee shops with a book in the hand. One day, I overheard the manager shouting at a waiter for accepting and paying for an order without having the delivery note signed. The poor waiter cringed and he tried to explain that the manager was not there when the delivery arrived and that he just wanted to help! In my mind the manager should have listened and understand that somewhere along his short life this young waiter was taught to be helpful in the absence of a manager. He should then have empowered the waiter by explaining the procedures and then give him a second change. What a benefit to the waiter and the manager! You see networking skills benefit people wherever they have interaction with others.

Extract from Karl’s book entitled, “Beyond The Business Handshake - Dare To Build High- Trust Business Relationships. Karl is the owner of Business Networking South Africa, a division of ExecuEdge Consulting- a successful consulting and business relationships training company.

Visit www.businessnetworkingsouthafrica.co.za to see Karl in action, see what Karl’s clients says, book Karl to speak or to do in-company training, attend a public event, subscribe to his newsletter or to use the free networking resources or him at karl@businessnetworkingsouthafrica.co.za

For more, check out Karl's TNNW Bio.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

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

You are also invited to click our buttons:




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SALES AND MARKETING: Appreciation Marketing

Sales and Marketing with Bill Doerr

15 Second Executive Speed-Read

In the highly competitive, over-crowded marketplace of 2009 where more media seems to produce fewer results there's a growing concern among small business owners about how to best use increasingly limited resources to achieve their marketing objectives. Enter Curtis Lewsey, author of his latest book, Appreciation Marketing / How To Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude. The principles and practices he shares may hold some of the answers that many, perhaps even you, are seeking!

The Magic Wand of Marketing

If I gave you a 'magic wand' for your marketing, you'd probably use it to create a steady stream of highly qualified prospects who all know you through the influence and prestige of people you know in common. That's the positive consequence of having developed a network of people who know, like and trust you personally and respect you professionally. Over time, you'd find you have more people to process than time to do so. Nice picture, right?

The Reality of Marketing

Wake-up time! If the above scenario doesn't exactly reflect your own reality, take heart. It doesn't have to stay that way. But you do have to do something differently in the future than you've been doing in the past.

Curtis Lewsey and his new book Appreciation Marketing may hold the answer to what you need to do to get better marketing results.

I met Curtis over a year ago at (what else!) a business event. Everyone I was meeting was buzzing about "that guy" across the room.

When I got the opportunity to meet him, I understood why everyone was his 'raving fan'. He was on a personal mission to enjoy the reality suggested by the old saying, "See 2 people a day to bring (financial) freedom your way". Curtis believed it and was living that truth with everyone he could at every chance he got.

As a recent Sacred Heart University grad, Curtis was developing quite a business for himself. Like Johnny Appleseed he was committed to 'sharing the word' about keeping-in-touch to stay-in-mind and create value-for-all with his people -- small business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs.

Since then, he's impressed me more by his actions than his rhetoric. Although both are very impressive!

Common Sense and Common Practice

Curtis shared that, according to a recent CNN poll, a majority of smaller firms are expecting a decrease in revenues for 2009. Most also indicated that they plan to invest less on their marketing in 2009, too. Folly? I'd say so. Understandable? Absolutely. On the surface, it seems to make sense. But, it's a costly strategy in the long-run.

The problem isn't that an investment in marketing is bad. Investment in bad marketing is bad! And, in 2009, a throwback to the 'good old days' where marketing meant building relationships with your market members may be back in style.

It's The Relationship That Matters!

Curtis has achieved a level of success at an age when most people are still trying to get traction on their careers. Part of why he has achieved so much so quickly is his network of people who know, like and trust him. "I've got close to 4,000 people in my database whom I've met personally in a 1:1 setting and I know a) what they do and b) who is most likely to benefit from their expertise". That . . . is awesome!

Connecting is Not Enough

As laudable as knowing 4,000 people is, it's not enough to realize value from those relationships. Curtis also knows he must stay 'top-of-mind' with these people or he risks falling off the 'mental shelf' in the category he wants to occupy with them.

Old School is Cool

"In a Google age, you can always find a cheaper alternative for anything". So we're all at risk of being viewed as a commodity. And the only way to differentiate a commodity is on price -- and a lower price is a sure-fire strategy to marketing Hell.

An alternative approach is to develop a personal relationship between you and your prospects, clients and centers-of-influence so you can leverage the relationship in a mutually beneficial manner.

Curtis likes to say, "Success reflects the connections you make and the relationships you maintain over time". It's the quantity AND the quality of your relationships with people that matter, isn't it?

Tomato Gardening

One chapter in his book is called Growing a Tomato Garden. The term 'Tomato' stands for 'Top-Of-Mind-Awareness-Through-Others'. The garden is your network and the fruit of your labor in the garden of connections is very, very sweet indeed!

Attitude of Gratitude

Curtis says, "Basic etiquette -- recognizing people and appreciating them is a key factor in building a relationships. You need to be thankful for the people in your life. You also need systems to help you implement and maintain an appreciation strategy".

Chocolate-Frosted Dog Crap

Curtis cautions, "Once you're committed to TOMATO, it's imperative not to lose your authenticity as you implement a keep-in-touch communication strategy".

One of the book's chapters is "Chocolate-Frosted Dog Crap". It sums up what doing the right 'thing' without the right 'attitude of gratitude' is all about.

Keeping in touch just to keep-in-touch, without the requisite commitment to the relationship you have with someone is hollow and mechanical -- just like putting chocolate frosting on 'dog crap' and then calling it 'chocolate cake'. Sooner or later the subterfuge will be painfully obvious.

Resources

If you're interested in leaving more about the Appreciation Marketing principles and practices, get yourself a copy of Curtis' latest book: Appreciation Marketing. It's due out in early July 2009 and addresses the topic in greater depth and detail than space allows here.

Visit www.appreciationmarketing.com as well. There you can register for The Apppreciator e-newsletter that features case-studies and 'best practices' you can use in your business. Of course, you can contact Curtis directly at: 203-331-2575 or email him at: curtis@appreciationmarketing.com.

Epilogue

Sensing our time was running out, I asked Curtis for a 'parting word of wisdom'.

"Never lose sight of the importance of making connections and building relationships. It's not all that difficult but you must do a little bit every day".

In the last chapter of the book, "The Popcorn Principle", Curtis explains how a system to do something like popping pop corn or keeping-in-touch . . . asks that you have faith . . . that you trust . . . the system will work.

You may not have connected with as many people as Curtis Lewsey, but if you adopt the principles and practices of his Appreciation Marketing, you can enjoy more success than most.

Thank you Curtis. I appreciate the time and wisdom you've shared here with us all.

Curtis Lewsey is an author who shares business wisdom that builds relationships and revenues for his small business clients. His latest book: Appreciation Marketing is coming out in July 2009. For more information, call him directly at 203-331-2575, email Curtis or visit his website: www.appreciationmarketing.com.

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Bill Doerr is CCO of SellMore Marketing. He helps professionals and other service providers to market their problem-solving expertise simply, effectively and affordably. You can reach him at www.sellmoremarketing.com, by email at billd@sellmoremarketing.com or by phone at 860-798-6964.
For more please see Bill's TNNW Bio.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

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

You are also invited to click our buttons:




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OPTIMIZING YOUR IMPACT: The Most Important Question to Answer to Impact Your Market

Optimizing Your Impact with Jeff Schomay

You have a project, vision, message, endeavor, idea, or business that is incredibly important to you, but it can’t go anywhere unless you can get others interested and engaged. Whether you realize it or not, on any given level, there is a single job that you must constantly and continually do successfully: design your interactions to cause people to want to “engage further” instead of “pass.” But how do you do that? It all comes down to one question: “Who Cares?”

I know it sounds over-simplified, but truly, you ability to fully answer that question will directly affect the impact you make on your market. Let’s look at it closer.

“WHO cares?” The first half of the question is all about your target market, and as with any kind of presentation, if you want a positive response, you must know your audience! Note that “who” does not focus on who you are or what you do. “You” don’t even come into the picture. It’s all about “them” and understanding their perspective. Beyond a profile of demographics gathered from your market research, you’ll want to really get a feeling of what it’s like to be them, so that you’ll be able to speak their language. Here are some points to consider:

• What is their situation?
• What are their passions, desires, needs, fears, frustrations?
• How do they communicate, how do they learn?
• What do they surround themselves with? Where do they hang out?

“Who CARES?” The second half of the question looks at why they would be interested and how they would engage you. It’s all about getting in their shoes! Your material is only worth the extent to which it resonates with “them.” What is your presentation sounding like from their perspective? Here are some more considerations:

• How does this benefit them?
• What resonates and why?
• What is on their mind on in their life right now?
• Do they have similar interests?

Once you really understand who you are speaking to and how to present to their perspective, you will not only be able to design your presentations better, but you may find new insights about your material that could be optimized for an even better market response.

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Written by Jeff Schomay

As a professional juggler and a practiced film writer and director, Jeff Schomay has a very unique perspective on making an impact on your market. He does branding and advertising for individuals and businesses to great results.
www.Inspire-Your-Buyer.com
jeff@inspire-your-buyer.com
(c) 2009

For more, please see Jeff's TNNW Bio.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

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

You are also invited to click our buttons:




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LASTING IMPRESSIONS: Michael Jackson Died Today, June 25, 2009

Lasting Impressions with Sian Lindemann

I don’t often speak about the super “star” complement of artists, for as today, it is often such a wide gap between those who are emerging and someone like Michael Jackson who has been triumphant at the “top” of his game.

There is “often” no way one can actually relate to the plight of someone so extremely gifted.

The uniqueness of an artist like Michael Jackson is so rarely achieved. And thus, why is it, when someone like him achieves the “golden ring” is it so hard to remain in a position of “elite status?”

We, as humans, are the problem.

Currently, we aspire, as a culture, to achieve success, joy, creative self- expression, individualism, freedom, and we revere those who achieve that position…Then why is it, that once particular individuals achieve that status, we attempt to drag them into the mud. It is clearly the 180 degree opposite and define the worst qualities of mankind, rising to the surface to diminish someone like him, via greed, fear, lust, and the rest of the seven deadly sins.

I am personally not a “bible thumping” religious person. But it seems every person through out history who has achieved a state of operating in “inherent” goodness, is crucified.

Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, John Lennon, Elvis, and lastly, Michael Jackson. Certainly there are others who have achieved, fame and success in a variety of different endeavors, and in this case, the arts.

I am reminded today of the bible quote and I will have to paraphrase….”First we must become as little children, before we can enter the kingdom of heaven”…..Michael Jackson did, a true “pure heart,” as I, for one, do not believe that any of the accusations imposed on Michael Jackson, were true.

I believe that greed and envy were the intentions of those that accused him of misbehavior…I do not know, I do not care. Acquitted in a court of law, Michael Jackson walked free. Who are human beings to judge him so harshly, where for 40 + years, Michael Jackson was an inherent sound track backing up each of our generation’s existence, influencing music, dance, media, video, movies, and interracial acceptance.

I am so terribly saddened today, not by the fact that Mr. Jackson has found peace, but by the ongoing and continued media frenzy that follows him even after his death.

Peace on this earth is found not in the ability to have like -mindedness…but in acceptance and reverence of the essential need for differences. It is the only way in which we learn from one another, the value of our humanity, the value of the earth on which we reside, and the extraordinary gift, of which we are a part, called “life.”

Sian Lindemann June 2009
Executive Director - Sian Design
Creative Business Development - Artist Management
http://www.siandesign.com
http://www.siandesign.blogspot.com


Please check out Sian's TNNW Bio for more information.



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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) 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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FRANCE: What is Your Contribution?

by Thierry Mazué

French Bureau Chief

Business success rarely happens overnight. From my own experience, I can tell it took time and hard work. In addition to this, when I take a look at the past 20 years, I can tell you this: Things I'm most proud of are the people I had a chance to help.

I am not looking for any kind of recognition here. It's really about them. It might have been on a business or personal area, but what really made a difference each time has not been money, deals or successes. Most often, it has been time spent in order to help somebody else: with an issue with their boss, or with a customer.

Over time, what happened is that whenever I could manage helping them solve that issue, I never asked for any kind of return. From time to time, I told them straight away: You don't owe anything to anyone, especially me.

Enough about me. I want to tell you a story about a guy I know, Alain.

Alain joined the 1st BNI chapter I created in my town. He is a successful lawyer and has been an extremely consistent provider to his business group. I can tell he gives qualified referrals all year long. He is one of the 5 top producers in his BNI chapter.

We had a conversation once. I wanted to get to know him better, know the man besides the businessman. What I've learned really impressed me.

He is part of the 10th Family association.

Where I live, he and other people found out that whenever you select 10 families, one is often going down, having severe problems, for whatever reasons. The most frequent scenario is this: Dad looses his job, and the family starts struggling financially. No more vacations, children start to feel the hard times are here, they are not longer doing so well at school, it gets hard keeping the family home...

As soon as they detect the situation, 9 other families gather and find out ways to give the 10th family real support. I am talking about support, warmth, real human relations. This is not about money. The 9 families stay focused on helping the 10th one until it's back on tracks.

And guess what : you'll never know who was the 10th family... until it's actually part of the association, helping another 10th family and the members of the family tell you.

What a beautiful contribution this is! I can't find a better to network. Can you imagine this? After recovery, this family starts helping others in the very same way they have been helped. Gratitude is definitively a core value here.

And my question to everyone of us will be: When was the last time I've helped somebody, and told them after: You don't owe anything to anyone, especially me?

From Paris, France
Thierry Mazué
Referral Institute: France

For more information, please see Thierry's TNNW Bio.



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To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) 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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U.S. NEW ENGLAND: The Dream Party is a Unique Form of Networking

by Noelle Southwick

U.S. New England Bureau Chief
(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

Meet Tara Sage Steeves

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, Tara is founder and president of Create Your Life!, LLC and The Dream Party™. She specializes in dream fulfillment. She has created a unique networking event called the Dream Party that asks you to “come as you aspire to be in 5 years”. Additionally, Tara offers Dream Day Retreats, Dream Circle group coaching, individual coaching for dream fulfillment and a book called “Are You Pregnant with a Dream?” Her book is like a self-directed workshop with exercises and inspiration to support bringing dreams into reality.

A Turning Point

When Tara opened her life coaching business she went to networking events to get the word out and to meet new people. She had success collecting business cards but felt there was something missing. She wanted to connect more deeply with people and to know what was important to them. She described networking events as “stuffy and not a lot of heart”.

One day after returning from a transformative vacation she realized something had to change. Through self-reflection she realized she wanted room to nurture and experiment with her dreams and desires. She thought about running away by traveling around the world but realized there might be another solution. Her solution and new passion was the Dream Party. Initially she wanted to create a space for herself, one that allowed her to expand her life and nurture her dreams. In so doing she created an event that has allowed hundreds to consider and grow their dreams as well.

The Annual Rhode Island Dream Party

On Friday, October 2, 2009, at the Edgewood Yacht Club in Cranston, RI the Dream Party attendants will have a chance to examine what is possible. It is an event that offers participants to come as they aspire to be in 5 years complete with costume and props if desired.

There is plenty of connection at this event. The event was created connect people more deeply by knowing each other’s passions. Since people are talking about their true desires it is easy to want to support them in reaching their dreams. People at this networking event greet each other with “what’s your dream?” Tara reports, “It’s magical.”

The Dream Team

Tara hand selects a team of experts known to produce results in order to support participants in getting on the path to their dream life. They offer assistance and design action steps to success. For example, a travel agent can support getting to a dream destination anywhere in the world. If buying a home is your dream, a realtor can offer advice and education. A business expert can encourage starting your own business. With the Dream Team, participants leave with the necessary tools to have dreams come true.

Unique to the Dream Party

Tara has come up with some imaginative ways of creating an unusual experience. For example, upon entering the event-goers cross over an enchanting Footbridge to the Future where they are welcomed to the year 2014. The “Should” & “Impossible” Shredding Station will aid in the removal of personal obstacles and old beliefs that may impede living the desired dreams. Enter the Time Machine and write a letter as if it's 5 years from now and you are already living your dreams.

Networking to Grow the Event

Tara has been networking to get the news out about her unique event. She attends traditional networking events and shows to share her passion for dream fulfillment. She is active on Facebook and other on-line social networks. Additionally, she has created a partnership with Aspire magazine to sponsor her event. She writes articles for the monthly publication as well. Her website and Create Your Life! Newsletter also helps her to get the word out about the Dream Party.

Social networking is where Tara is focusing much of her networking energy these days. With 5 years in business now, he says her experience has taught her it’s more efficient. In addition to being an efficient use of time social networks allow a focused audience who is more interested in what she has to offer. Tara is also focusing on joint networking with other women owned businesses.

More information

Tara offers dream support through private life coaching, workshops, groups and the annual Dream Party event. To find out more or to buy her book visit http://www.createyourlifeinc.com/ or call 401-569-7017.

“Asking people ‘what’s your dream” really gets to the heart of what people want
in their life. It’s a whole new way to make connections.”

~ Tara Sage Stevens, Create Your Life! LLC

For more information, please see Noelle's TNNW Bio.

*******
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To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) 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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UNIVERSAL GUIDE TO NETWORKING: The Twecret: How Twitter helps you engage the Law of Attraction

Universal Guide to Networking with Terry Bean

Have you seen the movie or read the book “The Secret”? It came out in late 2006 and was a run-away smash. It’s primary focus is engaging the universal law known as the Law of Attraction. Simply stated, the Law of Attraction is the idea that our thoughts are electromagnetic and that the things we focus on are attracted into our lives.

This isn’t always great news for many people. If you accept this theory you have taken accountability for your circumstances. That means that you are responsible for the good (easy to do) and responsible for the bad (a lot less easy) in your life. Are you ready for that? Everything happens for a reason. Invariably that reason is you.

So enough of the background and what the heck does this have to do with Twitter? Well, funny I should ASK (HAHA). The process “The Secret” laid out was 3 steps:

1. Ask- Make your specific requests known to the universe

2. Gratitude- Be grateful for the things you have and are about to get

3. Receive-Behave as if your desires have become your reality

One of the most common terms used when referring to the whole of the twitter users is the Twitterverse. Many people share the things they want to receive and achieve there. Sometimes those requests get responded to by other tweeps. Other times, they just float off into the twitterverse.

It’s interesting that the movie focused so heaving on the “right thinking” part of the LOA (Law of Attraction). The reality is, there is a whole “Right Action” part too. Think about it, you can’t spell Attraction without Action. Letting your requests be known is part of that right action. You never know who in the twitterverse may be able to connect you with exactly what you seek exactly when you seek it. The beauty of it is that regardless if anyone responds, the universe is fully aware of the twitterverse and thereby your requests when posted as tweets.

Next time you have something that you are looking to attract into your life, test it out. Go to twitter and type: Today I am ready to attract…Let me know of your results with it.

Be Connected-

Terry Bean

Terry Bean is the founder of www.motorcityconnect.com, Detroit's fastest growing networking group. He is also the founder of www.networkedinc.com- a business development training firm that focuses on helping people make more productive use of their online and offline networking time. Terry provides training and large scale presentations on networking, social media usage and universal laws.

For more information, please see Terry's TNNW Bio.

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DEALING WITH GIANTS: Making it Legal

Dealing With Giants

with Claudine Halpern

Making it Legal, Handshake Commitments, Letters of intent, Contract Negotiation

So you think you have a sale, before you celebrate, crack open the champagne and call all your friends and colleagues, make it legal, GET IT ON PAPER.

Uh oh, does that mean that you need to engage a lawyer now, not really. What you need to do is make sure that you are going to get paid for the work that you do and product that you sell.

I am a service provider, and I get paid for thinking, talking and figuring things out for the BIG BOYS. Other firms are product providers; they sell real things that you can hold in your hand. Either way you need to get paid, lets talk about how you make sure that you get what’s yours, I always tell clients don’t start to work unless the paperwork is signed, that does not necessarily mean that the entire legal work must be done before you start but you need to have a confidence level that you will get paid.

I have one long term client who I have worked with many times over the last fifteen years, we have never put anything on paper or signed a contract and I have always gotten paid in a timely manner. I know him and his firm, and when we work together I know that he will pay.

I have other clients, who have detailed contracts that we sign every time we work together, and some of them just treat the contract like toilet paper, I am bound by the terms as an honest person, but they are not. I could sue, but it brings negative energy into my life and impacts my business reputation, even if I am right.

LAWYERS COST A LOT OF MONEY….my recommendation is don’t count on the courts to get you paid, count on your understanding of the people that you are dealing with and your trust of them, and do the paperwork.

How do you decide how much paperwork you need with each customer? Good question, in politics it’s called trust but verify.

Closing the DEAL with the BIG BOYS

This one is tough THERE IS NO SINGLE SUCCESSFUL WAY TO CLOSE A DEAL, you will have to wing it, we all do, and it’s different every time. Some people will give you tricks to close a deal, but we know that’s not the way it works,

When the BIG BOY wants and needs what you’re selling and trusts you, he will buy. Make sure to ask for the business, give the BIG BOY a schedule (make sure the schedule starts tomorrow) and get to work.

Handshake Commitments

If you know and trust the people that you are dealing with, then this can work. With the BIG BOYS it’s a risk as people change jobs, get fired, the direction of the firm changes, and you are left with no one to go to. Use sparingly, I do not work on handshakes with BIG BOYS.

Letters of Intent

Letters of intent are quasi-legal documents, these are usually used when contract negotiations are protracted and the product or work is required on a short schedule. I use these often, especially for large deals. This way we can start getting paid before the contract is complete.

Contracts and Contract Negotiations

This is an art all it’s own, many people use standard contracts that are easily understood, no problem there. Make sure that you understand the legalese and every section. Don’t assume anything.

Complex contracts need more work, I have seen contracts that have chargeback clauses where a small firm can provide everything as required and still never get paid, legally, so be careful and be smart. Get advisors to help you, and no, not your brother in law, unless he’s a lawyer or experienced businessman.

Protracted contract negotiations are very common among the big boys, so be prepared and be smart.

I once represented a small firm in a contract negotiation with one of the BIG BOYS. After many months of getting nowhere, and over a hundred pages of contract, I started getting tired of the run around. I filled two sealed boxes, each held two versions of the contract, ours and the BIG BOYS. I then put a signature page outside the box and insisted that both parties sign on the outside, they did not know what I put in the boxes. They though it was funny and signed, contract negotiations over and done. These partners never referred to the contract again, the small firm has a satisfied customer and the BIG BOY has a great product and service provider.

Congratulations, You’ve got the business……….

Next Article; Selling to the BIG BOYS; Doing the Job, Managing your Reputation and Getting Paid

About Claudine Halpern

Claudine Halpern is a chameleon; she has worked in many different situations during her more than twenty-five years in business; as a management consultant, Claudine advised many of the major brokerage, insurance, and financial houses, completing more than fifteen major corporate initiatives during the past ten years. As a crisis manager for major corporations, Claudine successfully brought in projects and products that other firms would not touch. As a specialist in business and management consultancy, Claudine consults to emerging businesses across the spectrum.

email chalpern@theychgroup.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/claudinehalpern

For more information, please see Claudine's TNNW Bio.

*******
Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) 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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ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: Moving Mini-Movies: Making a Major Difference the Viral Way

Especially for Women with Ann Barczay Sloan

Moving Mini-Movies:

Making a Major Difference the Viral Way

Introducing

Mary Robinson Reynolds

Master Minding Maven ®

Founder of

MakeADifference.com and MasterMinding101.com

by

Ann Barczay Sloan

Featured Columnist, The National Networker

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

"When two or more people come together in the spirit of harmony ...

it's like putting LIGHTNING in a Bottle!"

I admit lately I'm tempted to congratulate myself: Seems I have a genuine skill for discovering interesting women to interview for this column ─ not merely "interesting", but downright admirable and inspiring! This month's subject: educator / innovator / entrepreneur, Mary Robinson Reynolds, is an excellent exemplar of what I mean. Come meet her!

How Mary and I first connected

Actually, I've been on Mary's list for a couple of years. Not sure how I got on it ─ it was probably through viewing one of the flash mini-movies she often sends out with her inspirational Newsletter (more on the movies later.)

Given my usual (not-so-admirable) habit of skimming what I read, I knew at quick glance at her frequent Newsletters that Mary has fresh, intelligent, heart-centered material to share. Yes, I see she's obviously an interesting woman with high visibility in certain circles ─ it would be great to get an interview! But when I more carefully perused her web sites I became more fully aware of the breadth of material, as well as depth of pure caring for people, available here within Mary's aptly named Heart Productions and Publishing company. So ─ I'm honored she accepted my invitation!

Who is Mary Robinson Reynolds and what is she all about?

Watch some of Mary's popular flash movies, and you'll have a clear idea of what she and her life's

work are all about. These movies are her current major art form and the acknowledged source of her ever-growing success: they are passed along virally and have had literally millions of hits world-wide. Recently these have spawned new offspring: an ever-growing number of flash Moviecards: brief messages with their own charming envelope and stamp. For your viewing pleasure, here are the direct links:

Flash Movies: http://www.MakeADifference.com/Movies

Moviecards http://www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards

Take a look, for example, at "You are the Light." movie -- http://www.lightmovie.com/ as well as "The Teddy Stallard Story": http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/ ─ a sweet and touching story for educators: actually for everyone who has a heart. But there is way more than movies here: for example, books and other educational materials (for individuals, schools, and corporations): works that point back to earlier, solid phases of Mary's career.

In essence Mary and her husband / business partner Craig are focused on two interlinking programs: "Making a Difference" and "MasterMinding®". All products are in service of inspiring and empowering children, adults, businesses, families – pretty much the full spectrum of humankind.

A look at Mary's web sites:

(A) Making a Difference

Both of the following URLs lead to the same site, which focuses on Mary's Making a Difference-related products and projects.

http://www.heartproductionsandpublishing.com/

http://www.makeadifference.com/

There is much available here: Fundraising information, Children's products, an Affiliate program, and of course Movies and Moviecards. Let's not forget the links to Mary's Speaking and Coaching services info, and the Success Store. Here you also find a redirect link to the MasterMinding program, which we'll describe later.

On the "Meet Mary" page, we see her bio in her own words. Here's an excerpt:

My name is Mary Robinson Reynolds, and for more than three decades I have been focused solely on the energy transformation of people's minds and hearts. I've helped major corporations, organizations and people from all walks of life reshape their vision of what's possible.

Having personally transformed some really intense life opportunities of my own, I have a heart-connecting message about how to find the "possible" in impossible by intentionally utilizing one's inherent powers - mental, physical and spiritual - joined with others in the spirit of harmony.

I hold a M.S. in Educational Psychology, Counseling & Development, I consider myself a TurnAround Specialist and MasterMinding Maven®, and I am the author of six books: Make A Difference ...with the Power of Compassion, Make A Difference ...with the Power of Connection, Attitude Alignment, No Labels No Limits, MasterMinding for a Rich Life, You Are A Success, MasterMinding 101® online course, and Stay Married online course.

My entrepreneurial trek, which has included work with adults and children in educational, corporate and personal settings, began nearly twenty years ago when I started to realize I knew something about at-risk youth that a large percentage of the educators I worked with had not yet discovered.

My special gift was that I knew, intuitively, how to heal behaviorally challenging children. My ability to create for them a sense of community and "belonging" helped them achieve measurably high levels of success, no matter how overcrowded my classrooms were.,,,

Three more tabs on this site deserve mention:

BUSINESS ─ Here you can order a Corporate "Make A Difference" Team Synergy Package

EDUCATION ─ Focus is on "Healing Today's Child… and Ourselves"

Available here: a Curriculum and an "Educator Package" ─ plus the famous Blue Ribbons that proclaim: "Who I Am Makes A Difference!"

MIND BODY SPIRIT ─ Long list of movies to view on line and purchase on DVD

A look at Mary's web sites (continued):

(B) MasterMinding

Link: http://www.masterminding101.com/

Full name of course:

Master Minding 101 Online Course: 12 Sessions to a Rich Life

What is MasterMinding?

According to Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich, "No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

The MasterMind Principle is in play when two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony and work toward a definite objective or purpose, they place themselves in position, through the alliance, to absorb power directly from the great storehouse of Infinite Intelligence.

Mary is enormously proud of this carefully designed program and of the successes participants have achieved. She credits her own MasterMinding work with a friend years ago with bringing her out of major challenges and into her own ever-expanding success.

Well, now we've examined her products and services ─ time to get into our interview with Mary. My first question is:

How would you briefly summarize what you do?

"I am an Author who emphasizes that we are here to make a difference and who illustrates exactly how anyone can make a difference in 30 Seconds or less".

That certainly gets my attention! I laugh. Are you are referring to the internationally known "Who I Am Makes a Difference" Blue Ribbons originated by Helice Bridges?

Yes, that's right. Though very simple, this bestowing a ribbon process ─ call it a ceremony! ─ is very powerful. On occasion it has been life-saving.

What makes you, your company unique? In other words, what is the so-called Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of your product or service?

"That I'm not unique!

I am an ordinary woman – a small town farm girl from rural Nebraska – accomplishing extraordinary results through the power of MasterMinding and slowing everything down so I can 'connect' compassionately with the world around me to make a lasting difference with whoever comes into my care. I see myself as a regular person who makes mistakes just like everybody else, and when I do, I seek to understand my part in the equation and begin again for a better result."

What is your mission, the primary goal of what you do?

"When I asked myself what was at the heart of what I wanted to accomplish as an author of books, movies and moviecards that I create, the answer came instantly: I want to Make A Difference. I want to let as many people as possible know that they make a difference every day … and the question must always be, What kind of difference AM I making?

I give away any and all of my online books and movies to those who write saying that they cannot afford them. I give money as I feel inspired to do so. We give 50% of all of our Blue Ribbon Sales to Difference Makers International. Rather than belong to organizations we rather donate 50% net profits from our products to those non-profits who wish to use our movies as fundraisers via the Internet. It is my intention to do even more to help - as I am guided.

It is my strong belief that you must teach people how to fish; but your must first feed, house and care for them so they can learn!"

Please describe briefly how you got started in all this, and how you arrived where you are currently.

"It all began for me in high school when I realized that children were irresistibly drawn to me everywhere I went. I decided that I must have a special magic where all children were concerned. In ten short years as a teacher and counselor, every child's life I touched was dramatically improved for the better deliberately using my so called magic! Amazing measurable results happened that even surprised me. This was the impetus for me to begin developing programs and writing books about what I was specifically "thinking" that impacted children so profoundly. To support myself financially, I began MasterMinding on a weekly basis because "of myself" I could not do it. The dream pulling at me was bigger than I could do alone.

Just as I had a proven my Breaking the Cycles of Failure training program for teachers who were struggling with youth at-risk, the doors of education were closed to support my mission, due to state funding. Through MasterMinding, I found myself redirected to the Corporate Arena where I spent the next decade making my magic with adults as my livelihood while raising our children and working from home!

My husband drove long-haul trucks in support of my work when my corporate training contracts came to an abrupt end in 2000 with the downward shift in the economy. I saw it as an opportunity to get my books written during this downswing and for the next four years I wrote one book after the other until I had purged myself of everything I'd been speaking about throughout the U.S.

MasterMinding also put me into an (unexpected) spiritual arena and so everything I write about today incorporates a mind, body, spirit connection for Educators, Business and Spiritual audiences."

So amazing, how the Universe sometimes works things out!

"Yes, absolutely! And here's a side note for you: After our last child graduated for H.S., I learned how to drive the 18-wheeler with my husband at my side. I needed a break from trying to figure out how to get my work out to a larger paying audience.

Getting behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler is absolutely amazing and life-altering! It was just the mental, spiritual and physical break I needed to restore my spirit and renew my inner drive to receive the supernatural assistance I needed to take my message out to a larger audience.

Several months into long-haul truck driving, the "rich idea" I had been asking for came. We were able to develop rather quickly, the creation of flash online movies and our business took off. My husband and I both came off the road and we've working side by side on our movies since 2004."

Again, amazing! Now I've gotta ask: Still driving that truck these days?

"No, I only did it for three months - 20,000 miles - while we were in transition from moving from the West Coast to the East Coast after our last child graduated from high school. My husband, Craig, had been driving during the years I was writing my books and getting our last child through high school, 2000 - 2004. Then, that break away from my computer and trying to build my business, rejuvenated me and new ideas came in, i.e., the flash movie idea.

I came off the road after the cross country move and started generating new rich ideas. Craig bought a book and learned how to create flash movies. Our first movie generated the first real interest in my work that I'd ever received - world wide - and he then joined me in the business and we've been working together since."

Your husband sounds like quite an amazing guy!

"My husband ─ the long-haul truck driver?" Mary laughs. "Actually, he has a MBA from the Wharton Business School. He was a controller for a major steel company, but through a series of life awakenings left the corporate arena to pursue his heart's desires through our business venture together. When the time came for me to write non-stop, he opted to drive for us."

That's really inspiring!

"I really want to bring out his story here... I think it would be encouraging to a lot of people to realize that following a dream can take you to a lot of interesting places. Craig loved the open road. We both do and will most likely be out in a big honkin' RV one day, going wherever we are led.

Which of your projects are you currently most excited / passionate about?

"All of them. I am never bored and I am never done! I have enough creative ideas to last me another fifty years.

Our newest addition is our Make A Difference (greeting) MovieCards and I'm very excited about how I am using another area of my creative mind to develop them as a means for people to reach out and connect what's on their hearts and minds.

I actually see them as a phenomenal 'heart opening' way for networkers to stay connected to their prospects, clients and customers. My son is using them in his financial planning business to reach out and stay connected with his clients and prospects. Go to:

www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards "

How much of your work is focused specifically toward women? Please explain.

"I love that my work attracts so many women in so many different walks of life and I love it equally when men are in my audience. The men that show up for my courses are genuinely interested in ─ and are 'relieved' by ─ what I have to offer. It is not my intention to be focused solely on women and yet, a very large percentage of my audience, at this juncture, is. I'm not about hyping yourself up to try to force yourself succeed. I've learned over the years that rollercoaster rides don't achieve any other than a high level of anxiety and doing things the hard way. I have found that by simply picturing a thing first and then simply matching your actions to the desired end result, that the energy and ideas will flow through you. This is the inner Power vs. Force way to go about living and enjoying life now."

What are some of the ways / places you promote your enterprise?

"Currently we are 100% Internet promoters through our 'word-of-mouse' free flash online movies."

Word of mouse? Love it!

"I love doing media – TV, Radio, Print – and did a 10-city all-media tour with my first book many years ago. However, my success really took off with the Internet. I'm always ready and excited about other forms of promotion as they present themselves and will happily do media again as it comes in for me."

Whom or what does your network currently include? OR: What is the size of your list , your outreach?)

"My subscriber and contact list is over 140,000 strong and grows each time we come out with a new movie. I also write to individual leaders of major organizations, schools and companies directly to offer my movies and services in ways that will be of greatest service to them."

What has been the best about building a network: Positive experiences? Benefits, expected and unexpected?

"It's all been amazing and wonderful. The feedback we receive from around the world is heart opening. My intention is always to make available what I have to offer to attract all those people who need, want and are ready for exactly what I have to offer. I give 100% of my attention to that audience and do not concern myself with individuals who my work is not a fit for."

What challenges (if any) have you found in your networking experiences? Unexpected events? Any benefits emerging from challenges in the long run?

"Unexpected? That when we had a huge growth surge this past year, we had to reorganize our infrastructure to be able to accommodate the growth. It was arduous and time consuming and I had to really work with my creative self to manage my frustration and desire to go forward in to larger audiences until we were ready. This experience was much more daunting than we expected. We had problems with high-quality printers – again setting our criteria at a higher level remedied that. What we learned through trial and error with three fulfillment houses – and our accounting infrastructure – was that we had not actually not set 'our criteria' high enough to handle rapid, exponential growth. When we finally upped our criteria, everything fell into place!"

That's great! So ─ bottom line – what do you feel is really working well for you, your

company?

"Breaking the rules!" Mary laughs. "Zagging while everybody else is Zigging! Everything that I am guided to do. Internet marketing do-s and don'ts ─ we are told not to do this and not to do that on the Internet, and yet my inner guidance is very specific with me about things to put out there and try with positive expectation / energy. In addition to writing to my subscribers, I reach out and directly contact people with the power to make a difference, every day – offering them what I have to offer with the hope that it will make a difference in someone's life today!"

Besides networking, how else are you promoting your company? What do you view as the primary vehicle and what makes it more important than the other(s)?

"Other than the 'word-of-mouse' online movie views – currently over 10 million and still growing – I would say it's my weekly connection with my audience. My number one desire is to give people hope and to show them easier ways to think about things."

What's the achievement, the accomplishment you're most proud of at this time?

"My family is my number one priority to me. Together we have achieved a healthy, loving, tremendously enjoyable family. Our children excelled in school and are enjoying all that life has to offer. The story continues and when I'm not accomplishing as much as I would like to as fast I would like to in my business, I take a deep breath and remember what's really important in all of this ─ and it's my husband and our children, and our children's children. Making the world a better place is all about them in my heart."

What are your plans and goals for the future ─ organizational / personal ─ especially regarding networking activities?

"My vision for the ultimate of networking activities is that our inspirational flash online movies and moviecards generating tens of millions of views from people throughout the world who need, want and are ready for the upliftment and inspiration that my God-given message has to offer. I see my Make A Difference Gift Books and DVD of my movies in the hands of every person who has a pull in them to make things better at home, at work and within the community and the world.

I also have a screen writer currently creating a movie about my life's work in education and how I specifically used my attitudinal energy to re-label children so that ALL children in my care experienced their best selves and high levels of academic success. This is very exciting! I always wanted to be in the movies since I was a little girl!"

Wow, that is super-exciting! Now ─ any other point you'd like to emphasize at this time?

"I have a vision: when I see people on TV or in the news in great despair about their current situation, I SEE them taking hold of their personal connection with that which breathes them and through MasterMinding, taking control of their beliefs and therefore their lives. I SEE them getting to experience life much more joyously and assuredly!

When it comes to children, my wish is that the adults raising them and working with them would come to know that healing today's children is actually about healing ourselves. That the children with behavioral outcries are not the enemy – they are simply holding up a mirror to us and teaching us exactly what we need to know about ourselves and how we are attitudinally treating them."

In conclusion, anything else you'd like to add for our readers? Some words of encouragement, inspiration?

I would like to say that the only thing getting in the way of anything that we deeply desire lies in what we've learned to believe in and expect at this point. Our expectations are habitual in nature and we must simply break in at the level of thought to get different results. We don't have to force things, we merely need to slow down and visualize the solutions we seek and ask to unfold for us in an easy, relaxed manner!

That with each level of new success you feel pulled toward, you must be willing to hold a vision of it and you must be willing to improve yourself by expanding your knowledge base and your mind about what can be possible. It's repetitive and it's a daily, gentle practice. Faith and believing are the way we flex our spiritual muscle which allows in the supernatural assistance we need to experience the miraculous. MasterMinding on a weekly basis allows for this practice to get to the 'heart' of what we really want … and what our soul's growth is demanding from us to do while we are here.

We'd best wrap this up now, Mary, though I could spend hours with you listening in admiration. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity of mind and heart. You and your family – and the millions you touch ─ are truly blessed!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mary's Contact Information:

Phone: 603-382-8848

Mary@MakeADifference.com

www.MakeADifference.com/Movies

www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards

www.MasterMinding101.com

Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.

Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach

www.GeniusUnbound.com

www.linkedin.com/in/AnnBarczaySloan

Featured Columnist,

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

For more information, please see Ann's TNNW Bio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author of the forthcoming book:

How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart:

Recipes for Rebirth

http://AnnBarczaySloan.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NET-TECH REPORT: 5 Ways To Be Less Social and More Useful On Social Media

Net-Tech Report with Chris Kauza

With all of the focus on the Technology of Social Media, many are people are still forgetting the "low tech" basics. Popular Social Media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are getting a bad rap from people simply dismissing them as a waste of time. The reality? As with any technology, these applications will more quickly and inexpensively scale whatever you put into it. “GIGO” - Garbage In, Garbage Out.

And you don't necessarily want a “large following” on any of these sites – you want a relevant following. Can you imagine what would happen to you Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign if you had 10,000 people a day click on your ad, at $.20/click – and nobody bought anything? I don't know many businesses who can afford to advertise like that these days.

If you want to avoid this situation, here are 5 things you can do right now to get better results.

1. Be Relevant. How? Decide why you are using a particular tool, or participating in a particular community in the first place. Is it an industry trade group? Are you there because you have a particular passion for one of your hobbies? Are you there to learn? All of these different reasons require a different approach and dictate a different “voice”. There to learn? Then participate where it makes sense, try out different ideas and ask lots of questions. Part of an industry group, and want to enhance your expertise status? Be prepared to share specific examples with the community, and be willing to help (dare I say, “give away”) some of your advice or ideas for “free”.

2. Be Easy. Easy to read. Easy to understand. Why use a $5 word when a $.50 word will do? Unless you are writing for The Economist or The New Yorker, impress your audience more with your applicability and relevance of your information, than with your erudition and eloquence (that means watch your “smartness” and “wordiness” folks!).

3. Be Focused. Emerson and Thorough would have a tough time adapting in today's Social Media world. While their writings inspire, Social Media participants would be wise to remember what Shakespeare said in Hamlet: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

4. Be Fast. Today's readers (on the Internet or otherwise) seldom have much time to read (what, with all of those Facebook Applications they have to play, people to poke – who has the time???). Use short titles. Use a bold typeface for emphasis, so your readers can get the main idea of your article. You can enhance this by using shorter sentences and bullets.

5. Be Illustrative. People are drawn more quickly to the images on the page than the words on the page. Using a relevant photograph or other image not only adds another dimension to what your are saying, but it also engages the reader more deeply.

Still need some help? For all of you who like analytics, try this tool on text readability. And don't forget – spelling and grammar still count! For the curious, here is how this post scored:

Have a Business-related question that you need answered? Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter, or take a look at the information on www.AskABusinessGuy.com. If you don't find what you need, just "Ask A Business Guy" and we'll get your question answered!


For more information, please check out Chris's TNNW Bio.



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GO WEST: Deadly Mistaken Practices Smart People Make- Part II

Go West with Christine M. West, MS, CMHT

To summarize last month thoughts, I stated we reside in a fast touch and go world where social media, symbolic communication and environmental influences shape and model behavior. With that thought in mind, we are aware today of the frantic high speed in which we are moving at and which we are simultaneously inundated with an overwhelming amount of daily information. Everyone we surround ourselves with has a different opinion of how they experience the same information. All people want their opinions validated because it creates a strong sense of belonging and feeling heard. Yet this sense of belonging to an organization, group or a relationship may or may not create the heart-filled prosperous experience that each of us truly desires and deserves. Many are clueless on how to differentiate between what is accommodating and unaccommodating information to their core foundation and purpose. In essence, many sell themselves short from optimal professional and personal living because of FEAR and choose to live in a stagnated box of limitations.

Our nation’s economic status is the effect of a psychological phenomenon named FEAR. Fear affects how we do everything from working, living and playing. To be more specific, fear-based decision-making and behavior at an individual or organizational level will create health issues, increased stress, hesitation, procrastination, excuses, avoidance, failure, insecurity, sabotage, addiction, self-handicapping, unnecessary protection and defense, worry, anxiety, limitations and the surrendering of our Divine Universal power to love, negotiate, succeed, win, be healthy, be alive, be abundantly prosperous and the ability to move toward our core purpose and face obstacles with loving courage.

Life keeps moving and stops for no one. Take a moment to be honest with you. How much of your life are you avoiding and running away from? How many other people do you solicit on a daily basis to validate your excuses, your reasons for why you can’t, your worries, the pain of your past, the anxiety about your future, your failures, your search for someone else to make you happy or your denial of your own FEAR? Where do you stop short of your goals or your dreams? What are you refusing to let go of to live, love, work and play with relentless courage and meaningful purpose?

Psychological research has proven that 88% of people will sabotage their success and dreams because of believing no one will follow because of the FEAR of being lonely, lack of validation, being addicted to the current circumstances and fearing the unknown. Most people find it too risky to have nothing to complain about and being happy. Many believe life would be boring if they stopped the train of pain and started to eat from the fruit of their own heart. We need to accept and digest this hardcore fact that the fear of distress is actually worse than the distress itself. We all have a treasure inside of ourselves that is longing to be lived out.

I realized we all have generations of conditioning to work through. Facing each fear and obstacle to in order to obtain a dream takes true persistence and perseverance. It is easier to be among the living dead instead of awaking and living with a soulful presence and acting with courage. Yet to experience happiness and to manifest heart-filled wealth, each and every one of us is required to be brave enough to unlearn these fear-based strategies and learn to be courageous. When we have the courage to unconditionally love ourselves, we discover an intuitive heightened trust and faith in all that we do. We no longer need to be validated by anything other than the results we are receiving our life, our-self and our Divine Source. We are free to succeed and move toward our dreams with an enlightened power to live, work and play while acting out relentless loving courage.

Genuinely,

Christine

Author: Christine M. West, TheBusinessMD, 2240 E. Tudor Rd. #976, Anchorage, Alaska, USA 99507. Phone 1-907-223-8403. Email: info@thebusinessmd.net, http://www.businessmd.net/ http://thebusinessmd.blogspot.com/ Christine West is an industrial organizational psychology practitioner and is in private practice as TheBusinessMD which helps organizations and individuals overcome fear and explore the power of change. Ms. West is also a Featured Columnist for the National Networker http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/


For more information, please check out Christine's TNNW Bio.





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U.S. HAWAII: Speak Aloha: Let Your Voice be Heard

by Sandy McKee
Hawaii Bureau Chief

There’s something to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Recently, I was sitting in the Kaimuki Public Library here on Oahu when my friend Teddy Wells pulled up a chair to say hello. Teddy is an entrepreneur and an actor (you can catch him in several episodes of “Lost”). Teddy is also a natural and incurable networker. He has a heart of gold and is always looking for ways to help other people.

True to form, Teddy recently launched a social networking site to help actors in Hawaii connect with each other and with resources in the film industry. He invited me to join at http://www.hawaiiactors.ning.com. I’m not an actor; but, I am working as a screenwriter and producer on a few projects for a new faith-based production company. At some point, God willing, actors will figure into my work, and I think it is a good idea to start networking with them now.

Teddy also told me that he is taking a Producers Class at ‘Ōlelo Community Television, the local public access station, in August 2009 and recommended that I take it, too. We’ll learn all the steps to producing a television show, and will receive certification to use their cameras, editing equipment, and facilities at no cost. I am affiliated with several nonprofit organizations that could benefit from having their messages shown on television. Since free is a good price, I decided to look into signing up for the class. I thanked Teddy for the info, said my good-byes, and promptly forgot all about it.

The idea; however, did not forget about me. The next day I drove to the post office to mail a letter and a white van with contact info for ‘Ōlelo TV emblazoned across it parked right next to me. As we walked in together, I asked the woman driver if she could tell me who to talk with at the TV station about signing up for the August class.

“Me,” she said, and handed me her card: Evern Williams, Media Center Manager for the Pālolo/Kaimuki Community facility. Yikes! Two right place/right time incidents in as many days. That can’t be ignored. And, yet I did. I put the card in my purse and put the task of calling her on the back burner.

In my defense, I had a number of things to do. Some of them were important, too----like preparing for a meeting with the principal of our neighborhood elementary school. I was running behind schedule and was just headed out the door to keep the appointment when I got an email from the principal asking to reschedule. The reason? You guessed it: he and several of his staff were going to the ‘Ōlelo TV station to sign up for the Producers Class.

Technically, that was not a right place/right time incident; but, it was close enough for me. I went down to the station and signed up for the class. While there, I ran into two former colleagues and learned that another good friend was on her way down; but, by this time the coincidences were becoming redundant.

Bottom line: ‘Ōlelo Community Television, one of Hawaii’s best kept secrets, is the new, happening place to be.

In Hawaiian, “’Ōlelo” means “to speak.” At ‘Ōlelo Community Television, the motto is “when our voice thrives, so does our community.” Ms. Williams took me on a tour of the facilities and shared with me that ‘Ōlelo is one of the top public access stations in the U.S. It has six cable channels, as well as six satellite media centers across Oahu. Since its incorporation in 1989, the programming has grown from a few hundred hours a year to over 5,700 hours in 2007.

The services and programming offered by ‘Ōlelo are diverse, ranging from local sports to politics to cultural events to University of Hawaii classes. The program that interests me the most is Easy Access, which provides nonprofit organizations assistance in producing a 30-minute show to reach out to the community to communicate their mission, focus, and needs. ‘Ōlelo provides the tools, equipment, training, facilities, and access to cable channels. This makes it affordable for nonprofits to expand their reach and get their message out.

It should be noted that all programming at ‘Ōlelo must be noncommercial in nature (no selling of products or services). A tear-soaked letter from your accountant stating that your company is a defacto nonprofit organization will not do.

‘Ōlelo prides itself on connecting the members of the public access community (whether producers, cast, crew, supporters, or the viewing public) into a network which facilitates the free exchange of ideas, viewpoints, and which fosters cooperation and community building. One way they accomplish this is by having a periodic Open House called a “Kāhea,” which is the Hawaiian word meaning “to call out.” The community members are invited to the Kāhea where they receive updates from the ‘Ōlelo staff and where they can provide the staff with constructive feedback. It is also an excellent networking opportunity for everyone involved.

The next Kāhea for the Pālolo/Kaimuki facility is tentatively set for July 11, 2009. I plan to attend and will report on it in a future column. For more information about this event and ‘Ōlelo in general, check out their website at: http://www.olelo.org.

I encourage anyone who is visiting Hawaii, whether for business or vacation, to attend an ‘Ōlelo Kāhea (or simply drop by one of the media centers). You will definitely be in the right place at the right time.

With aloha,

Sandy C. McKee

For more information, please check out Sandy's TNNW Bio.

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U.S. SOUTHWEST: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

By Kathleen Ronald
Southwest Bureau Chief
(Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah)

It's true- girls really do just want to have fun! Sorry guys, this one is for the ladies only. After having now reported for the National Networker for over a year, I must say that this networking group by far wins the prize for having the ‘fun factor’ at their meetings.

This month I'm excited to share with all the closet actresses who never get to express that zany side of themselves, The Red Hat Society. I had the great pleasure of interviewing my dear friend Teri Schindler, who was the Queen of that club for five years, and just recently passed down the crown. During her reign, she was called Queen Teri. However, she is now known as Countess Kodachrom, because she was the Red Hat that always ensured all the special moments were captured and shared over the years. Nice!

Of course I was curious how Countess Kodachrom got involved with the “purple attire and red hat” wardrobe. Teri’s friend sent her the now infamous poem "Warning," by Jenny Joseph, which depicts an older woman in purple clothing with a red hat. This same poem was the inspiration for Sue Ellen Cooper, who is known as the Queen Mother, to take her red hat, buy another red hat, frame the poem and give it to her friend as a gift. This then turned into the next friend getting the hat and poem, and the next one and the next one. When five of Sue Ellen’s friends had hats, they came together for a celebration and of course wore their hats and purple dresses back in April of 1998 and the rest is history.

"The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and elan. We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next."

- Sue Ellen Cooper, Queen Mother

That poem piqued Teri’s interest and she wanted to know more about these women. She popped online to do some further investigation and found that there wasn’t a chapter in her area. So, being an outrageous, always-looking-to-have-fun kind of gal, she decided to open her own chapter and had five “funtastic” friends join her. Their chapter, which is called “THat’s Us” of Morgan Hill, California, is now closed with 30 members. If you're interested, you could be the next Queen to start a group.

Teri tells me that there is only ONE rule: when the group is out in public and hosting a “red hat” event you MUST wear a red hat and a purple outfit! Certainly, this rule alone might suggest that this group is not for any one who has a resistance to either red hats or purple attire! The group is open to women approaching 50 and beyond. The gals that are close to 50 wear a pink hat and lavender attire. Once they do turn the corner and reach the BIG Five-Oh, they too get to buy some new threads. And if it is your birthday…well then you get to wear a purple hat for your celebration. Too fun!

Another unique twist to this organization is that there is a Queen’s handbook for any of you that would like to start a group in your area. Teri was telling me that one of the descriptions in the book states that you must recognize yourselves as a group of disorganized women.

To which I replied, “What? Why?”

As Teri explained, what makes this group different is given that "We are all busy women, and we women can wear 50 hats during any given day and already have so much stress and structure to our everyday lives." They really didn’t want to have a group that added more rules, which can take the "fun factor" out of getting together with your sisters. In fact, Teri's club motto is "No stress, no fuss, red hats, purple dress, THat's us!" So, they dearly pride themselves on any feedback from new members that they are disorganized. Where do I sign up!?

The Red Hat Society is:

• A global society of women approaching the age of 50 and beyond that connects and supports each other in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom and fulfillment. By maintaining a thriving social networking community and offering a variety of services and group experiences, the Red Hat Society revitalizes its members, helping them attain renewed confidence, pride and enthusiasm for life. .
• Our mission is to connect like-minded women around the world and to encourage them to have fun together. We are a vivacious society of women who celebrate life. Along the way, we develop strong bonds and caring friendships--at the same time raising the respect and visibility of women who are entering their next stage in life.

Stats:

• Approximately 30,000 chapters exist in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 25 foreign countries.
• It is estimated that each chapter averages 20-25 members.
• The Red Hat Society is made up of a diverse network of women including working women and retirees, grandmothers, golfers, attorneys, teachers, Olympians and entertainers.
• The Red Hat Society has licensing agreements with a dozen companies to produce quality merchandise available through the Red Hat Society Store and select retail stores throughout the United States. Product is identifiable by a tag bearing the official Red Hat Society logo.

Fun Facts:

• 2008 was the Red Hat Society's 10th birthday, which will be celebrated all year long with 4 conventions, 2 cruises, 2 outrageous birthday parties, a parade in London and many more surprises.
• Exalted Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper reaches more than 125,000 Red Hatters each week through the Friday Broadcast, a personal e-mail updating members with news from Hatquarters and escapades of Red Hat Society members around the world.
• Sue Ellen Cooper also sends a personal monthly broadcast to all Queens entitled Queen To Queen. This is a communiqué for all queens to share ideas and plans and to ask questions.
• HATS! The Musical premiered Oct. 11, 2006 at The New Denver Civic Theatre and has since launched in its fifth market.
• Red Hat Society Day is celebrated April 25th by official chapters worldwide.

There is NO cost to join, so if you are looking to add MASSIVE fun to your life which requires a bit of red and purple, then this group is for you!

For those interested you can find more information at:

Red Hat Society "Hatquarters": 431 S. Acacia Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831

Phone: 714-738-0001 or 866-FUN-AT50 (1-866-386-2850)

Fax: 714-738-0005

E-mail: info@redhatsociety.com

Or find them online at www.redhatsociety.com

For more information, please visit Kathleen's TNNW Bio.

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U.S. MID-ATLANTIC: The Power of Good Customer Service

by Bruce Newman

U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief
(New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC)

Customer service should always be considered an important part of networking. No longer is it realistic to gain (or retain) a client solely through successful networking. I have seen too many instances when companies have worked very hard to land new clients, only to let them fritter away through poor customer service and inattentiveness.

Recently, one of our clients required a substitute for Crystal Enterprise, a very expensive software program (exceeding well beyond $15,000). Since they didn’t require most of its functionality, they did not want to incur its expense and overhead. As such, we looked into many alternatives.

We spoke with numerous companies, downloaded several programs and extensively tested their functionality – all of which took a considerable amount of time. Most notably, our efforts were largely futile, resulting in much frustration by both the client and ourselves.

After weeks of searching, we found Origin Software from a Google advertisement – proof that advertising does work. We loaded their system, extensively tested it – and it also didn’t do what we wanted. However, as a result of our frequent communications, they implemented the changes we needed in their software - which could also help their current and future clients. We worked closely with them, testing each new release as it appeared.

As of this writing, they are working on and nearing completion of this product which we expect to be able to present to our client in the very near future.

What was accomplished by this endeavor?

* We will have a happy client.
* Origin Software made a sale.
* Good communication was essential for a successful outcome.
* A long term relationship was built.

We didn’t find Origin Software through networking - the vehicle was advertising. They could have been non-responsive or uncommunicative. Instead, they listened to us and worked us. As a result, we will work with them again and network for them. (Hopefully, they will also network for us.) A high degree of trust was constructed.

The lessons here are very simple:

Whenever you are speaking with a prospect, the ability to convert them into a loyal customer – and then retain them - depends on your ability to consistently listen and communicate.

Furthermore, if you want them to tout your expertise (i.e. communicate and NETWORK), always be ready to support them and do an outstanding job.

Too many people in the networking arena forget these crucial tasks and instead, merely collect business cards and followers without providing the real value that companies require.


Bruce Newman, an expert on consulting, is the mid-Atlantic editor for The National Networker and Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC. The Productivity Institute has provided consultant and client-centered solutions that significantly increase productivity and profitability to small and mid-sized companies since 2000. P.S. We also walk dogs. Subscribe to our informative and free newsletter (circ 7,000+). Bruce can be contacted at bnewman@prodinst.com.

For more information, please visit Bruce's TNNW Bio.

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THE HANDSHAKE CLUB: Will Banter Loves LinkedIn

The Handshake Club with J.D. Gershbien

Will Banter is everything that is good about Social Media. He is a firm believer in promoting people online and helping them brand. Will is constantly on his laptop, multi-tasking like crazy. He effortlessly blazes through an endless stream of e-mails.







He is a world-class blogger. He enjoys the volley of dialog within his Facebook community. He’s never too far from his Tweetdeck (he can tweet in his sleep!). Then there’s the weekly podcast. But, in the battle for Will’s attention span, it’s LinkedIn that emerges triumphant. It’s on LinkedIn where he takes his networking to another level. He is never too busy to help someone tweak their LinkedIn profile, make a quality introduction, or write a glowing recommendation. “I’m awestruck by this machinery,” explains Will, “It’s simple in its complexity, yet complex in its simplicity.” Yes, Will digs Social Media. Constantly bouncing from one site to another, he gets more stuff done before lunch than most of us can hope to get done in a week. Amazingly, he’s got the bandwidth and the time for it all.


J.D. Gershbein is the President of Owlish Communications, an Internet Marketing firm based in the Chicago, Illinois suburb of Vernon Hills. When he’s not helping his clients shine on LinkedIn, J.D. creates business cartoons and comic strips that brand businesses and make them memorable. He is the creator of the comic strip, The Handshake Club™, which features such notable characters as Will Banter™ and Brandy Share ™.


For more information, please visit J.D.'s TNNW Bio.



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DEEPENING NETWORKING THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS - Lessons From Busy Networking Professionals

Deepening Networking Through Relationships
with Christine Sotmary, M.S., L.Ac., CPC

The saying goes that we ought to play to our strengths. One of the strengths that we glory in as human beings is our ability to create. The way our brains are wired makes it possible for us to rearrange our experiences, skills and intuition to shape it into something very much our own.

Then what can happen when two or more folks create something together? They bring even more experience, skill sets and intuition to the project and best of all they inspire each other and keep energies high.

Taking our creativity "out to play" is a great way to network. Finding others who share the same dreams often brings out the best in us and them too.

When we think of creativity it is easy to first think of the lone writer or painter, holed away in their studio for years on end.

Recently I've been hearing about fun activities like gathering a group of friends in a circle and one person starts a story. Each person adds to the story as their turn comes around. It's a great way to nurture the collective creative juices. You could do the same thing with song lyrics I would imagine.

Yesterday at my Caregiver's Meditation group someone described a beautiful mandala that a group of caregivers created together. They are getting it framed and hanging it in the hospital lobby for all to enjoy. Imagine the pride and closeness that group of artists share.

When we think of networking it's easy to think of Chamber of Commerce events, service clubs and professional organizations. Sometimes these groups can feel cold with quick exchanges that are soon forgotten.

Enjoying snacks after singing together in a chorale group rehearsal, sharing excitement about the upcoming performance or exchanging recommendations for "must hear" music tends to live on in our memory banks and brings a smile every time we think of it again later in the week.

Sharing creative talents helps grow trust and understanding among the participants. How about back stage getting ready for your grand entrance? Can't you just imagine the shared energy and maybe even a few jitters? When people share these experiences they form a bond that can last a lifetime.

Most of us have a commitment to our business that takes up much of our time. By sharing our creativity from anything as simple as a quilting circle to the many traditions and special language of a jazz band, we renew ourselves and our connections to others. The rewards show up in a variety of ways.

I've certainly had my share of injured musicians and Salsa dancers in my acupuncture work. My jazz band has brought me in contact with many musicians over the years and they get to know me and trust me before hiring me to restore them to health. By dancing 2-3 nights a week you can bet that I hear about all the aches and pains of my fellow dancers. They trust me because they know that I understand their need to get back to dancing as soon as possible after an injury.

I've had many clients over the years who are in the film industry. I've often heard about the location scout's excitement when they found the perfect spot for a scene or the prop person describing a piece of furniture for the set that they discovered in a thrift store. These people are used to networking like crazy because they get paid for being creative and they want to do more. Musicians are similar. They are always calling around to see what jobs are available and keeping themselves in the minds of those that are doing the hiring.

Even if our creativity is non-professional it can enrich our networking efforts with shared experiences, fostering trust and relationship building that is so precious to our professional life.

by Christine Sotmary M.S., L.Ac., CPC

For more information check out:
Getting On Track to Better Health
Getting On Track Coaching
Metabolic Nutrition
Acupuncture/Life Coaching weight loss

You can also read more at my 2 blogs:
Unplug and Get Your Groove Back
Metabolic Matters

You can also purchase my book at:
Living on the Verge of Insanity



For more information, please visit Christine's TNNW Bio.



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CANADA: Business Breakfast Clubs, Canada’s Own Breakfast Business Referral Club

by Kensel Tracy
Canadian Bureau Chief

When you meet with Hector Lamerock about Ottawa based Business Breakfast Clubs of Canada or B.B.C. as it is called you see a happy smiling Canadian of Irish decent and know right away that he likes people. An ex bank manager, the 74 year-old has a great big smile and firm hand shake and welcomes you warmly to his breakfast club. This man knows networking. When I called him for a meeting, the first thing he said is “well sure, but it will have to be early, is 7:00 am too early for you”. Hector gets up early 4 mornings a week to have a coffee and go to a B.B.C. meeting somewhere as the main owner and ambassador of B.B.C. Canada.

His breakfast clubs start early with plenty of coffee, are fun and lively and Hector seems to know all the members personally. Starting the clubs 10 years ago mainly in Ottawa and expanding throughout the region and in Canada’s east coast, BBC now boasts some 400 member all meeting once a week for breakfast.

Hector was a past BNI member and had setup a number of clubs for the previous BNI Eastern Ontario Regional Owner, Todd Evans. Hector soon realized he had the knack for getting people to work together and soon setup his own club that was cheaper than BNI and had fewer restrictions. “There was not a lot wrong with BNI, only I thought I wanted a friendlier and cheaper alternative that would basically provide the same service” says Lamerock.

His clubs are patterned after the BNI concept which only allow one member form a business category to join, have a strong referral component; the usual infomercial and 10 minute presentation. They are run in various locations and at various times all in the morning. The meetings usually last approximately 1 hour, which is also one-half an hour quicker than the competition. What members seem to like is the lack of formal attendance rules and the lower price since it only costs $250.00 per year to be a BBC member. Members can join for 6 months as well so as a low cost alternative to other networking clubs, BBC attracts a variety of members that like the flexibility and lower cost.

BBC Clubs meet weekly and offer the alternative. Clubs are found in various parts of Ottawa, the St. Lawrence Seaway Valley, and Halifax and throughout the province of Nova Scotia. The clubs compete with BNI, BoB Clubs, Chambers of Commerce and other networking clubs in the region. For more information, you can contact Business Breakfast Club Canada Inc. or Hector Lamerock at contact@bbc-on.ca or see www.bbc.ca

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach and Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. a business coaching company located in Ottawa and in Chelsea, Quebec. He is also the President of Business over Breakfast Clubs, opening up in cities all across North America. If you have an interesting story on networking in Canada, he can be contacted at kenselt@sympatico.ca.


For more information, please visit Kensel's TNNW Bio.



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UK: Open Networks, Closed Networks & In Between

by Dave Clarke

UK Bureau Chief

Many of the UK Organisations where Networking is the primary activity are either open to competitors or have one place only for a particular trade or profession.

4Networking, Ecademy Blackstar and NRG-networks are all open and encourage collaboration between people offering similar services.

BNI, BRX, and BoB Clubs operate an exclusive membership with only one place in a group for people doing similar things.

Both types of organisations provide an environment for building trusted relationships and work well for the people in them. Clearly many people are happier in one or the other and some are members of both proving that both can work in tandem. If you are not sure which would suit you then try as many as you can before committing to those you will join.

I was in Edinburgh last week meeting people in preparation for the launch of some of new NRG Metropolitan Groups. I had been introduced beforehand to Belinda Roberts who runs 'Winning Entrepreneurs'. Hers is an open & closed Network being open to entrepreneurs, but closed to advisers.

All going to show that Business Networking is thriving in the UK and you can find one or many networks to suit you whatever your business is.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

For more information, please visit Dave's TNNW Bio.

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7 networking secrets | nrg networking | networking events | networking podcast

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REAL ESTATE...AND OTHER THINGS OF VALUE: The Opportunity of Change

Real Estate...and Other Things of Value

with Yossi Feigenson

The images of crumbling conglomerates and the collapse of several multi billion dollar institutions are now firmly etched in our consciousness. I’m no economist but one thing has become clear to me; many of the old ways of doing things have gone and will be replaced by a new ways. We have witnessed it in the big corporate environment and it’s now trickling down to the smaller domain of businesses.

The untold story

For the most part we don’t hear about the smaller companies; brokerages, law firms, retail chains, and individuals who have now come face to face with the reality that business as they knew it has begun to change.

Here’s an illustration: A successful attorney, been working for 30 plus years. He has a degree from an Ivy League School, worked up the ranks in a large firm. Then he went into private practice with a group of attorneys. They’ve been successful through all the ups and downs of the market gyrations of the past. They never had a need for marketing or self promotion. Being busy with clients and caseloads was a privilege that came with the territory. They’ve never known a day without non-stop work. That is, until now. It’s as if a plug got pulled somewhere and the flow of activity has short circuited.

Stories similar to this are being told across the spectrum of many industries. The rules have completely been changed. Methods of doing business that have worked for so many for so many years don’t seem to work any more.

A recent story in the NYT sheds some light on how law firms are downsizing and dealing with the new economy. Over 10,000 attorneys have lost work in the past six months - in NYC alone - and still, there isn’t much work for the remaining attorneys. The article goes on to say “While the legal industry is hardly battling the existential threat that is facing, say, the newspaper trade, Big Law – especially in competitive New York – is facing a potential paradigm shift as fundamental as the one that has hit investment banks and the auto industry”. And I have heard this myself from many of my attorney friends.

This huge paradigm shift that has occurred in big business is also being experienced by each and every sales person out attempting to make a sale. A sales person of any industry is ultimately his own micro business within the structure of the company. So many things are changing in the way business is being done. So much of what we are accustomed to is simply gone.

Do you stay or do you go?

People are now faced with a serious dilemma. Do you continue along your plotted path or do you look for something else? When an individual has been educated, trained and spent what in some cases can be a lifetime, in a particular area of endeavor it’s not that simple to shift on the fly. It is rare that such a transition can be successfully accomplished. (I recently saw a story of an investment banker who got his massage license after being laid off by one of the huge firms. But that is the exception rather than the rule) It’s foolish and impractical to suggest to a substantial segment of society to go into entirely new fields.

In “The Dip”, a very popular, small book by Seth Godin, he suggests that it’s important to know when your business isn’t working any longer and, to have the courage to quit while ahead. (He maintains that “winners DO quit – when necessary -) This phenomenon of “The Dip” is reverberating throughout our entire economic system.

In some instances there may not be viable solutions to continue in an enterprise. As we’ve seen, that some of the big companies simply had to go. For others, the answers lie within the individual company or person. For a person, their age, career, skill sets, family situation, and financial circumstance will all be factors in determining a direction to follow. For a company, its assets, client base, products, personnel and capital will be some of the factors. To determine your own situation would require some real soul searching and stock taking of all of the components that make you what you are, and what you want to be.

Opportunity lurks, but how to find it?

Yet, as has been so often repeated throughout literature, business philosophy, from mom and dad that opportunity comes from the darkest situations.

Just a few quotations:

• A light will shine more in a dark room.
• It’s always darkest just before dawn.
• "The art of living is always to make a good thing out of a bad
  thing."
  Economist, E.F. Schumaker
• One man’s tragedy is another’s comedy.

I have recently attended several lectures delivered by leaders in their respective industries – namely real estate and finance- , and the common theme they discussed were that times of chaos and turmoil are also times in which new opportunities are present. Finding them, identifying them and pursuing them are the challenging parts.

Look deep within

The first and possibly most important thing to do is take a serious snapshot of everything you do. You will find the things that have been working, and things that haven’t. But the real surprises lie in the hidden, uncovered, untapped and unexplored areas that you are now forced to bring to the surface. As an individual you can uncover talents that have been lying dormant and begin to explore and incorporate them into your professional and business life. As a business you begin to find new approaches to marketing, product development, expenses, and overall brand reemphasis.

We all have a lot to figure out, and sooner or later we will figure it out. In conclusion I will leave you with a quote from one of our great presidents: “If we could first know where we are going whither we are tending we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” Abraham Lincoln; House divided speech, 1858.

For more information, please visit Yossi's TNNW Bio.




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POWER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: Agency and Networks, Part 3

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

Brokering Agency and Networks

The fuzziest part of the exchange relationship is introducing persons and organizations that can receive mutual benefit from one another. Have you structured your networks to provide this service gratis or is it one for which you expect recompense? It is often helpful to articulate the value that you hold around this. Some of us pay it forward and expect the universe to provide the return. Others look for a tangible percentage or fee. The answer defines in which networks you will operate successfully.

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NETWORKING SUCCESS: Why Getting Published Can Help You Network

Networking Success with Dr. Ivan Misner

Focus on branding your company and yourself in the marketplace to enhance your networking efforts.

Recently, an associate of mine who read one of my books and attended some of my training sessions called me and said, “I really love your material, but why don’t you put more emphasis on your ideas about ‘creating your identity as a brand’ and how it affects your networking efforts? These ideas have made a huge impact on my business, but I don’t hear you talking about it very often.”

I admitted that this associate of mine was right. I haven’t talked a lot about identity in my material, and I agree that I should say more.

When I started my first business decades ago, I had no idea how important it was to focus on branding my company and myself in the marketplace as a way of enhancing my networking efforts. I understood the concept from an advertising and marketing perspective, but with a small business I didn’t have the advertising budget to mold myself or my company into any kind of brand—at least, that’s what I thought at the time. So I ignored it. I realized later that I’d made a big mistake in not pursuing any strategies to brand my identity. It wasn’t until the early ’90s that I started to think about branding and how it would help in my networking efforts.

Networking is all about relationships. Relationships are about establishing credibility. Credibility takes time. What I needed to do was expedite that process as much as possible while still creating genuine credibility in the marketplace at large. Not having much of a budget, I had to get creative about how I would make this happen.

I saw that if I wanted to increase my visibility and enhance my credibility in the community, I needed to be viewed as the local expert. The way I decided to start creating that brand was to begin writing articles. Now, you may say, “What’s so special about that idea? I’ve heard people suggest it before.” Well, here’s the bottom line: hearing it and doing it tend to be very different things.

You can derive the same identity-building, brand-boosting benefit from writing articles as I did. It may surprise you, but editors and reporters need good story ideas and will use them wherever they can find them. Think about the things you know and understand best. What elements of that knowledge might be of interest to the general public, a specific industry, or some targeted demographic? Review the types of media outlets that write for your chosen audience. Consider newspapers, magazines, and industry journals, but also take a good look at online opportunities such as e-zines, online newsletters, and information sites.

Either by phone or letter, tell the editor why readers will be interested in the feature idea you have or why it is newsworthy. What are you doing in your business that strikes a chord in the community? What can you share that will educate the editor’s readers? A word of caution, though: too many people who seek to be featured in newspapers or magazines send the equivalent of a company brochure. They fail to realize that editors and reporters need hooks, angles, ways to relate to a distracted, overworked, frenzied readership.

Guided by the Certified Networker training I developed for the Referral Institute, the associate of mine that I mentioned earlier chose a topic he knew about and worked with it for some time. He is in the travel industry, so he wrote a series of articles about travel and sent them to various outlets each month for several months. He received some responses—all “No, thank you”—until, finally, one local newspaper called him and said they’d like to use his piece in the next day’s edition. After it came out, they contacted him again and asked if he’d like to do a monthly piece. Before long, another media outlet saw his work and asked him if he’d like to write for them.

Today he writes regular articles for several media outlets. More importantly, it has totally changed his business. Although many travel companies are going out of business due to vast changes in the industry, he is actually growing and thriving, because his articles have created an identity or brand for him and the company he owns. Moreover, he is still an active networker, and he notes that the articles he writes put him way above his competition by enhancing his credibility with the people he meets. He capitalizes on this regularly by bringing his recent articles to networking meetings.

This businessman’s experience serves as a great example of what’s possible for your own networking efforts. When you get some of your pieces published, promote them. They won’t necessarily increase your sales overnight, but they will greatly enhance your credibility throughout the networking process, which absolutely increases your sales over time. My friend also told me that he now includes links on his website to some of the online articles he produces as a way of enhancing his credibility with existing and potential clients.

So, if this is such a great idea, why haven’t I said more about it in the past? Well, in my book Masters of Success, I talk about success being the “uncommon application of common knowledge.” If you ask a successful person the secret of his success, you will almost never hear a secret! Writing articles regularly and continually to increase your credibility and enhance your networking opportunities is not a secret. It’s simply an idea that most people are just too lazy to implement.

The bottom line is, 98 percent of people won’t actually do it. Or, they’ll do it for a little while and give up. The associate that encouraged me to talk more about this strategy agreed, but he said, “Do it for the 2 percent of people like me who will apply the idea. It will make a difference for them, as it did for me.”

If you believe you can stick with this strategy over time, sit down and jot out topics of four articles you could write that fit with your business and networking goals—and that you believe would serve the readers of a particular publication. Then, draft a letter addressed to the editor of that publication, and pitch your ideas. If he says yes, it’s time to start writing! If the answer is no, consider following up with him to determine what kinds of articles would better fit his needs.

Here’s a professional tip for ascertaining in advance what kinds of articles that publication might want: visit its website and check out the section devoted to prospective advertisers. Look for the publication’s editorial calendar. It tells advertisers what themes will be covered each month or in each issue. Review that editorial calendar for topics that you could credibly write about.

If you are not an experienced writer, you may want to practice a bit before sending out your work. Make sure to have someone proofread at least your first few articles (the publications do have editors but you will look more credible if you submit your articles free of major spelling and/or punctuation errors). You might also want to make sure your library includes such reference materials as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and at least one style manual (many publications use AP style).

Well, there you go. That’s a lot of advice and my associate should be happy that I took his good suggestion to talk more about branding for the 2 percent of people that will follow through. So, the question now is: Are you part of the 2 percent or the 98 percent? It’s your choice.

Editor's note: The above article is based on material from the bestselling book The 29% Solution: 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies by Dr. Ivan Misner and Michelle R. Donovan.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI (www.bni.com), the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest #1 bestseller, The 29% Solution can be viewed at www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com). He can be reached at misner@bni.com .

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CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: It’s a Question of Trust

Connecting is Not Enough with Andy Lopata

It wasn’t what he expected to hear, that’s for sure!

I was half way through a 1-2-1 with a new networking connection when I surprised him.

“I don’t trust you”, I said.

The expression on his face was, to say the least, interesting. The meeting had gone well, we had shared a lot of views in common, he had shared some of his marketing processes with me and we had some contacts in common. The conversation had just turned to relationship building in networking and the importance of not selling at networking events, instead focusing on developing rapport and, most importantly, trust with fellow members.

“This is where so many people get it wrong”, I went on to explain. “When someone says they don’t trust us, we take it as a sign of distrust. We paint everything in black and white. We either trust someone or we distrust them. But that’s not the way things really work.

“In fact, we all start out either at, or close to, trust neutral. When we first meet someone we don’t have strong enough grounds to any strong feelings of trust either way. Trust is based on evidence; we need to have grounds to decide whether or not we can put our faith in someone. “

Of course, there are instant factors that mean that we may not necessarily start out at exactly neutral. The all important first-impressions certainly have an impact, get it right and people will want to trust you, get it wrong and you will have a lot more work to do to win that trust.

Similarly, a shared background, shared friends or having heard good things about people will give a strong platform from which to build trust. You still, however, have to prove those initial impressions correct.

This concept of trust is key to networking effectively in many ways. There are still far too many people who go to events and expect trust instantly, without earning it. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who can’t see the point of networking with strangers and who won’t open their networks to them.

You have to find a balance. Don’t wade in to networking events and just expect people to buy from you or connect you because you are there. Trust has to be earned.

I went to a networking event a few years ago where part of the evening was a short ‘Speed Networking’ session. We were all told to move along the line and take it in turns to introduce ourselves and then ask the other person “How can I help you?” Naturally, it felt completely odd. Asking complete strangers how you can help them is a false position. It’s rarely genuine. That question does not occur that early in a relationship; you need to want to help people, and the more you trust them the more likely you are to want to help.

On the other hand, if networking is to work, there needs to be a willingness to trust earlier than you would normally. Networking groups bring people together to provide focused support, whether in terms of sharing contacts, ideas, expertise or experiences. In normal circumstances, what you share in a networking group is reserved for people you know very well. But networks can’t work effectively if no one gives to the process without some degree of implied trust.

For me, a classic example is people who join LinkedIn and then proceed to hide their network from the people they connect with. The whole purpose of LinkedIn is to share connections. If you have issues with implied trust, only connect to people you do trust. But be ready to share with them. Without that you are limiting the network’s effectiveness.

In May I attended NRG Metropolitan, a monthly networking group, for the first time. I already knew some of the people in the group and the organizers, which gave me a good start in terms of winning the trust of people there. I walked out of the meeting with three very promising meetings in the diary and congratulating myself on a job well done.

Initially I had just gone to the group to take a client who might find it useful to join and to see if I could recommend it. The three meetings were a bonus. Then I stopped to think.

I looked at the chemistry between the members there, which was clearly very strong. I recognised that the group was packed with strong networkers, who understood the value of helping each other. And I could see clearly that there was a high level of trust between the members.

It became clear to me that this group offered more if I committed to regular attendance. I also recognised that I would need to win the trust of the members there if I could achieve that potential, and it would need that commitment. I decided to join and attend regularly.

In June I went for the second time. Offered the opportunity to give a two minute presentation on my business, I told rather than sold, sharing some information about what I do without asking for anything in return. Between the meetings I had 1-2-1s with two of the members and arranged two more for the next month.

The aim is to build trust over time. I don’t go into the group expecting business or referrals straight away, but recognise that the potential in that group is huge if I commit and earn that trust.

It’s not that the group distrusts me, but I’m pretty sure that they don’t trust me. Not just yet anyway.


For more information, please visit Andy's TNNW Bio.


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