THIERRY MAZUÉ: An international network. Interesting...

by Thierry Mazué

Earlier this month, I went to Vence, in south of France. A small city on the next hill is really famous & lovely there : Saint Paul de Vence.

Even if I had the opportunity to sight see the region, I went there because a friend of mine (Australian) told me : I think there's a good opportunity for you there, and I would like to introduce some people I know. We are gathering in Vence. Can you come ?


The invitation was great. So were the grilled sea bass, king prawns, gaspacho, and all the great places we've visited (Monaco, Chateau d'Ezes, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Antibes and some others).


In fact, these two days have been essentially devoted to get to know each other better. Does this produce business right away? Of course not. Plus, this was not the plan. We usually proceed by referral, which implies a certain way of creating and nurturing relationships, and, I would say, a certain way living.


And in the center of the process, you won't find me. Ever! Usually, there is somebody else.

It takes time to build relationships. Be patient! You'll see it's worth waiting.


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



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THIERRY MAZUÉ: An international network. Interesting...

Thierry Mazué: A real entrepreneur!

By Thierry Mazué

One of my favorite distractions during the summer holidays is to go to Spain which is very close to where I stay in august (Perpignan).

The precious region called Catalunya (located in the north of Spain, main city: Barcelona).

I went to Girona, a very old city, a fantastic cathedral built in 1733, the very first caballistic school of Europe, a some great shops! After walking for a couple of hours in the oldest part of town, we needed to find a restaurant for lunch.

Chance, magic, luck - call it whatever you want - some encounters must happen.

I've met Sebastian Oliva Pla, owner of the Mar Plaça (literraly Sea Plazza).

The gentleman kindly welcomed us, and quickly told us: "I am going to tell you everything we propose." He then started the most brilliant presentation of all the meals the restaurant was proposing, giving us all the details of the elaboration of the finest ones.

I can tell you : he was really proud of the quality of the products he was offering, all being 1st class, top quality. Most fishes are fished in the area. Vegetables are brought to him by his friend that works at the regional market - always the very best quality.

He is not the cook. But he knows exactly how all the meals are cooked, from a filet of quail to lobsters, it has been an enchantment!

Some of his customers own 3 stars restaurants in France and Belgium and come to him to enjoy fishes cooked by the chef, Sebastian's wife. A young couple was having lunch for the second time in the week.

Based on people's reactions during his presentation, Sebastian will set up a menu for you, combining meals on the fly. And no, it's going to be too much if you take this first course and this plate...

I've had the privilege to meet an expert, capable to communicate his passion about what he does (and has been doing very successfuly for over 20 years) for a living.

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

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Thierry Mazué: A real entrepreneur!

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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FRANCE: What is Your Contribution?

FRANCE: Becoming a High-level Athlete in Word-of-Mouth Marketing

by Thierry Mazué

French Bureau Chief

Becoming a high-level athlete in word-of-mouth marketing
Social media marketing – Skills acquisition.

Competitive race car drivers, tennis players or golfers who seek to perfect their moves on a course or on a court, rehearse the same gestures over and over again.

Some successful athletes have described this process in great detail in published accounts.
The moments preceding a given move are perfectly orchestrated and carefully segmented, second by second, from visualizing the next move to identifying the factors that will perfect their aim…

What do all these phenomena have in common? Training, without a doubt, which serves to create the good habits and muscle memory that will make it possible, in a real-time situation, to reproduce what was learned and integrated.

How many of us know or have experienced these good practices? There are many of us.
What about your word-of-mouth marketing? What is your level of training?

How do you create the habits and techniques that ensure the best possible performance?

Growing your business through word of mouth is based solely on relationships, which require a significant commitment of time and effort.

Do you know a better way than to get out and regularly meet new people, while progressively learning to:
- better communicate with them,
- help them in their business,
- follow up effectively,
- expand your network,
- take control of the recommendations you receive?

Increasing your networking skills is essential to growing your business. This is even truer during a period of economic slowdown.

The real question is: Are you doing everything you should, in a structured and systematic fashion, to obtain the results you desire?

Imagine that you were in a position to know:
- Which recommendations you are going to receive
- When you will receive them
- From whom
- The amount corresponding to each one
- The number of prospects you need at any given time to reach your goals

Social media marketing (or word of mouth, or recommendation marketing), and its application to business development, is a technique that must be learned. It requires serious commitment, careful practice, and the rehearsal of specifically defined phases that allow a business relationship to progress.

Let there be no doubt: As an entrepreneur, you are already a high-level athlete, in need of specific training to grow your business through recommendation.

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FRANCE: Becoming a High-level Athlete in Word-of-Mouth Marketing

FRANCE: Decide What You are Doing

by Thierry Mazué
French Bureau Chief

Are you still doing what you've planned, maybe years ago?

Some time ago, you've decided to become an entrepreneur and to start your own business. The commitment implied hard work, lots of time and efforts. Providing a product or a service does not make any difference.

Depending on the level of success you've reached, you may have followed opportunities, generally based on customers requests. You started.


If you did, chances are you are still progressing in the same area.Therefore, you probably have a company's mission.

Stop changing your company's mission depending on customers' requests.

Decide for good what you are, what you are providing to your clients.
Be the best supplier ever, be excellent at what you are doing.
Chances are you will stand head and shoulders above your competitors.

I am working day in day out with entrepreneurs, small business owners. I can tell you that those who are struggling to survive take whatever business comes around them; they are not well know for their company's expertise. On the other hand, I've met a successful electrician. He owns a 12 years old company, works with 7 colleagues, and plan their activity for the coming... 6 months!

He is a real expert, as are most of his colleagues. They've just hired a young man, and they plan to train him for 8 months, having him work with a seasoned electrician. Each customer receives a detailed report including a plan of everything done.

Do his clients ask for more than electrical stuff ? Sure they do! Most of the time, they are asked : can you handle the painting ? the plumbing ? what about plasterboard ?

The answer is always the same : Sure, we work with XYZ. They handle all the painting we need. And you'll get the same answer for the other domains they are asked to. The have a team of professionals they work with. Whenever one of them signs a contract, 3 or 4 of them work together to handle the overall project. They are all independant companies, working closely together. And guess what : Each one of them has a unique expertise.

This is how they have a good view of the coming six months.

If networking is a contact sport, good networking is a team effort. It makes a hughe difference in business.

Successful entrepreneurs have a clear understanding on the importance of the mission of their
company.

This is also true for large organizations. Just think a moment about it. What company do you know that has been successful for years, and continues to develop its activity following the same mission ?

I can name BNI : The mission of BNI is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional "word-of-mouth" program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals.
I can't think about the amount of opportunities that came around this organization. Yet, for over 20 years, the mission defined at first has been followed. With more than 111,000 members, it clearly shows that among many, following its primary mission a company can reach a high level of success.

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FRANCE: Decide What You are Doing

FRANCE: Growing Your Business in an Economic Turndown? Not a French Exception!

by Thierry Mazué
French Bureau Chief

As much as we love the "French exception", this time there is no doubt, and no exception: France is in the middle of its biggest economic downturn.

"Hard times", "30% less than last year", "If it gets any worse, I don't know what can happen "... You heard all of these at the last mixer you attended didn't you? Bad news is, again, no "French exception" here!

The good news is: When it comes to focused networking and referral business, there is NO FRENCH EXCEPTION!

This Wednesday evening in Paris, I attended a meeting featuring Dr. Ivan Misner (founder and chairman of BNI - Business Network Int'l - as well as a New York Times best-selling author and fellow TNNW writer) with 200 French entrepreneurs. What are they looking for? Positive energy, business, sharing experiences, finding partners, working with experts!

Several times, I saw the audience react to Dr. Misner's speech. Among many, here are some of the topics that produced the best reactions during this event.

Give to others first.
Is it a strange concept today? No! It does work that way. If I help you, and I mean without expecting something in return – this is not a transaction – chances are you'll be willing to help me too. Can you imagine, when this is the way you live, the difference it produces? I can tell you that opportunities come to you, what goes around comes around, and you are referred to good prospects, matching your target market. Is this a pleasant way to handle and grow you business? Give it a try, and let me know.



We all speak the language of Referrals.
Referral Marketing is not taught in any French school or university. Yet this is the best way to grow your business! Working with a group of entrepreneurs you know, like and trust, and with whom you develop a real relationship. Referring business to somebody can only happen when trust exists between you and this person. And to make it simple: isn't it easier to promote someone else's business instead of your own?

Focused Networking.
That's what it takes. If you want the result (getting business by referral) your networking has to be pretty well organized. If you are wondering how to do this, I urge you to read Dr. Misner's last book "The 29% solution – 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies". It explains how you can develop a diversified network of contacts, and work with them to build successful business relationships that produce referrals.

And if you need to learn and to implement a referral marketing plan in your business, take a look at the Referral Institute web site and call them.

I refuse to participate in a recession.
This one is great! Last week, I talked to a group of hairdressers. They are looking for ways to improve their businesses, sell new products, and implement new techniques in what they do... regular business professionals. Like other business professionals I meet every week, they have stopped listening to the Media that focus on how bad the situation is. Instead, they are looking for opportunities where others see problems. Does it make a difference? Yes! Absolutely! Not only in their businesses. It's not that they are denying reality; it is just a positive attitude, focused on this basic principle that Dr. Misner reminded us:

"You can't change your competition. Your competition will do what your competition will do.
You can't change the economy. The economy will be what the economy will be.
But you can change your response to your competition.
You can change your response to the economy.
And I absolutely refuse to participate in a recession!"

All that Dr. Misner told us goes way beyond boundaries, cultures, educations or traditions.
It overlays all this, and of course the "French exception".

From Paris,
Thierry Mazué
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FRANCE: Growing Your Business in an Economic Turndown? Not a French Exception!

FRANCE: Good news: French entrepreneurs are doing well in the recession!

By Thierry Mazué

French Bureau Chief

Last week I heard on a French radio journalists talking about some companies that are successful. The programme lasted less than 15 minutes, but it was worth it.

The angle was simple: some areas of activity are currently hiring people: IT, bank… when others are not. Giving us this positive information was an excellent initiative.

However, if the statement is true, I can see on the field, every day, entrepreneurs who are doing well (this is happening today, in 2009, and in France) no matter what their profession is, and some don't! True!

I simply disagree with the common idea that no matter what you do, if you are in the wrong area, you are doomed, and if you work in IT life is wonderful! Such an area simply does not exist. Clients have needs and some entrepreneurs are proposing products and services that respond to these needs. Do you think all these clients are in these magic areas that are not concerned by the recession? No!

Simple : it is your responsibility to change your reaction to the economy.

I work with entrepreneurs, and what I see everyday day on the field is this: Some entrepreneurs seem to walk through recessions easily, and they are growing their businesses significantly! Yes! Right now at the moment!

Just click on the Logo above for a no-strings TEST DRIVE

They all have a strong referral network they started to build years ago! And they are working their network in a very systematic way.

What do they have in common? You'll recognize them easily :

• They are experts
• They are truly passionate about what they do
• They focus on solutions
• They see opportunities where others see problems or competition
• They all work by referral

Some of them are also working in a team of entrepreneurs to grow their businesses together. They know how many referrals they are going to receive, when it's going to happen, and they have a clear vision of their referral business.

The real good news is: it's happening now, right in the middle of what some experts call the most serious recession ever!

Here are some ideas you might want to think about, because these successful entrepreneurs are using them on a daily basis.

They have:

• A referral marketing plan (in writing) and they work their plan
• Specific goals for their referral business
• A strong referral network

We know for sure that networking is the response. What we often miss is how to do good and effective business networking.!

Do yourself a favor : Start setting some specific goals, and join a strong referral group to do focused networking.

Bottom line, our brains work like a GPS. If you set up the destination, chances are you'll reach it!

Just give it a try!

Thierry Mazué
Maisons-Laffitte
France

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FRANCE: Good news: French entrepreneurs are doing well in the recession!

FRANCE: 3 Common Mistakes About Business Networking (It happens in France too!)

by Thierry Mazué
French Bureau Chief

#1 Networking overload
Have you ever met one of these desperate business owners who attend almost every single network event they hear of? Does this sound familiar to you? Hope it doesn't. Based upon result, they may end being a well known networker... crying out & desperate to get more business. Truth is, you have to be selective when it comes to choosing the networks you participate in. It does not make any sense to spend your time at all network events held in your area!

#2 And the winner is...
I know this guy, the Net-King! He won the latest speed-meeting contest with over 75 business cards in... minutes! GREAT! I guess he can do better next time.

But let's take a look at the day after: Who are these contacts? Can you remember any face, what they where looking for, not mentioning what do they look like?
If you ask yourself any of these questions, it is time for you to consider acting differently.

Multiplying contacts is definitively not the best contact sport you should choose.
It leads you to a weird zone. Mike Macedonio (President of the Referral Institute and co-author of the new York times bestseller "Truth or Delusion - Busting Networking Myths") has a nice definition for this zone : he calls it IN-VI-SI-BI-LI-TY!

#3 The day After: Wow! Email is such a nice tool!
Quite often, after a networking event, we all receive an impressive amount of emails, offers, "You need it/You need me/Buy it" sort of message.

How do I feel when this happens? Good! I don't even read it!

I've met somebody for the first time yesterday, spend 3 minutes talking just to have a single reason to exchange business cards, and the next day this prospect turned into a customer! How fantastic is that!

We all know that networking is all about people, getting to know them, building serious and meaningful relationships with them. It remains true for business and social networking.

Whatever your goals are, if you are really serious about how you net-work (thanks to Dr. Ivan Misner for this one), take a look at http://www.29percentsolution.com. This is a serious and fun journey!

Please help all the "invisible Net-Kings": share this link with them!

Thierry Mazué

Maisons-Laffitte

(France, Paris)

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com/. You are also invited to click our buttons:

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FRANCE: 3 Common Mistakes About Business Networking (It happens in France too!)