What's Your Social Networking Strategy? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich

Up until recently I didn’t have a strategy for my Social Networking (SN) activities. I had joined several different SN in the hopes of getting more business. The results of my efforts showed my lack of strategic thinking. I was putting in some effort, and I was getting very little in return. The saying "hope is not a good business plan" certainly applied to my SN tactics.

Fortunately my strategy started evolving. Borrowing from my face-to-face networking experience, I realized that the first thing I needed to change was my attitude. It was necessary for me to move away from "what can I get?" to "what can I give?” The best analogy I've seen is one of a bank account. Any time you do something for someone, you are, in essence, making a deposit into their bank account. And every time you ask for something from someone, you are making a withdrawal. In order to ask others (withdraw), you first must have the money in the account (deposit). Once I began doing this, everything started falling into place.

One of the things I can easily give is useful information and resources. Through my personal growth company, we specialize in helping people and organizations build strong relationships. Over the 20 years I have accumulated a lot of useful information in this area. In addition I have been formally networking for over 10 years. For this reason I can easily “give” or make people feel welcome. I know how daunting it can be when you first attend an event or a meeting and you hardly know anyone. So having someone who is friendly and welcoming is of great help. The great thing about these two activities is that they don't require me to put anything at risk. Keep in mind giving direct referrals will come later during the credibility-trust phase of the process.

With giving information and building relationships in mind, I decided to start writing articles that people would find useful. To date I've done three, and I'm looking to continue doing more. I also started looking to answer questions that members post in the various forums on the different SN sites. This third step may surprise you--I self-appointed myself as a host to a number of social networking sites. I make a consistent effort to welcome and introduce myself to new members. This combination of “what can I give?” items has helped me build my network of people.

Once I started seeing some results from my efforts, I started inviting other people to join the different sites I had joined. I could now speak from experience that the sites were worthwhile. Now I'm giving something to the people I'm inviting while also giving something to my online community. It’s like making two deposits at one time. Now that's leverage!

The next step in the strategy is to build credibility and trust. Credibility and trust are key ingredients to successfully network online and offline. Finding a way to build these elements is essential. Beside writing articles, I’m also building my credibility by offering a free teleseminar. This is a wonderful vehicle to showcase what I know and how I can help people. The way I'm building trust is by receiving the endorsement of others. The easiest way to have people recommend me is to find the quality things they do for me and endorse them first. As I do this, more and more people return the favor.

The last step is to build exposure. The Referral Institute® has a process they call VCP which stands for Visibility, Credibility and Profitability. Simply put, people need to know about you and trust you before they will do business with you. I am definitely gaining exposure by leveraging some of the activities I've discussed. For instance, I can post the same article on varied SN sites. I can also list my teleseminar on different sites as well. The same Rick Itzkowich-branded content is now appearing in many places allowing different audiences to get to know me.

To summarize if you are going to take the time to jump on the Social Network bandwagon, do it with a success strategy. In his book Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business, Larry Web encourages all of us to get on board sooner rather then later. I look forward to meeting and greeting you soon!

This month's QuoteAction is by Former Secretary of State, James Foster Dulles

"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."

Your action is to write down one of your current tough problems, then ask yourself if you had this same problem last year. If so, then seek additional help to solve your problem.

Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!

Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.

Rick Itzkowich
The LinkedIn Guy

As the creator of QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand.

His, latest productLink Power Coaching Program, is a must for those people wanting to earn money using LinkedIn.

Rick is also the Co-founder of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals.
Rick can be reached at rick@rickitzkowich.com

For more information, please visit Rick's TNNWC Bio.

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For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to the Advisors and Experts at TNNWC Group, LLC. We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally. We don’t just “coach” you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your scale of operations and your budget to: (1) create your optimal tool kit , and (2) work as your partner (with our sleeves rolled up) to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool. Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com To receive your Free Subscription to our critically- acclaimed business newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Two of our most widely-read publications include The National Networker (TNNWC) Weekly Newsletter, and The BLUE TUESDAY Report. Every Subscriber automatically receives Free Membership. Membership will grant you access to our unique suite of business planning, business-building, business promotion, business cost-reduction, business capitalization and strategic planning services, as well as entry to our expert management consulting services. These benefits are unequalled anywhere. Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button. Find out about what WE can do for YOUR growing enterprise -- we are recognized advocates, champions, thought-leaders, writers and keynote speakers on such timely subjects as social networking and relationship-building, traffic -building, social media buzz, branding, developing international trading and joint venture relationships -- and structuring and obtaining alternative forms of capitalization. We are on top of every significant business, regulatory, technological, social and consumer trend worldwide. At TNNWC, we have a specific orientation: We Solve Problems. We Help Our Clients To Achieve Their Goals And Objectives. Prosperity. Peace. Collaboration. Sustainable Solutions For Continuous Growth™. Subscribe. Join Us. Visit Us. http://www.tnnwc.com/. You can access our free supplemental RSS FEED by clicking *HERE*

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What's Your Social Networking Strategy? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

3 Proven Tactics to Actually Build Relationships While Social Networking | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich

In this article I share three specific tactics you can use to help you build and strengthen your relationships while social networking.

Social Networking is all about building relationships through conversations that create trust. The premise is -- if you build relationships and trust, profits will follow. The Internet provides us with tools to help us build the relationships. However the reality is that it’s the people who build relationships not the tools. The purpose of this article is to help you focus on being human. By doing so, you’ll do just fine in Social Networking.

Starting conversations is the easy part. Every Social Networking site makes it very easy for people to start talking with one another. Whether you ask someone to join your network (LinkedIn), be your friend (Facebook) or you decide to follow someone (Twitter), you can start hundreds of conversations with the click of your mouse. Plus, you’ll have others doing the same to and for you.

However, these conversation starters will not lead towards building the relationship unless they continue. And in order for the conversations to continue, you must have a strategy – and some tools.

To use an analogy, think of playing tennis with someone. You must hit the ball back and forth for it to be any fun. Social Networking is like that. You must engage people to continue their conversations with you and vice versa. So how do you go about doing this?

One of the ways to continue conversations is by having a “give to gain” mindset. You must be willing to help or give something of value to benefit others. When you do this, others will want to interact with you.

Here are three proven tactics to put this “give to gain” strategy for building relationships into action:

1. Act like a host.
Imagine arriving at a party where you don’t know anyone other than the person who invited you – and they are not even there yet! As you walk in, you’re apprehensive since you’re about to be in a setting with a lot of strangers. Imagine what a relief it is when someone walks up to you, introduces himself/herself to you and makes you feel welcome. They tell you a few important things like where the refreshments / restrooms are, and they also take the time to introduce you to one or two others to ensure that you are not alone. Is this someone you would want to get to know better?

The same is true in Social Networking. Joining a new site or online community can be daunting. So having someone welcome you and help get you started is something that most everyone would appreciate. I know this has been true for me. Most Social Networking sites have some feature where you can see who has recently joined the community.

By acting like a host and welcoming new members, you are providing a very valuable service to both the new members as well as the SN community as a whole.

2. Invite people to connect with you.
Once you get the conversation started, the next step is to select the people that you would like to have in your network and invite them to join it. After you identify a person, read their profile and find something that you have in common or that you find interesting about them. Be sure you comment on this when you invite them. This will make your invitation much more personal. Once you are connected, it is time to go to the next step.

3. Pay it forward.
My wife is from Sweden. In her country it's very common for people who visit other people's homes to always bring a gift. This custom is not about gifts per se. It is about expressing gratitude. If someone is inviting you to their home, you express your gratitude by bringing a gift.

In order to apply this mutual hospitality mindset to SN, after I add people to my network or vice versa, I offer them a gift. Now, this step is a little tricky. The reason being is that often salespeople use gifts as a sales tactic, and people are wary of these kinds of gifts.

The solution to this is to avoid offering gifts that are directly connected to your product or service. For example, if you are a massage therapist, you should refrain from offering a free massage. Or if you are a printer, avoid offering things like 250 free business cards.

I offer two gifts that meet the above criteria. One is a PDF eBook that includes useful articles to help the person with Social Networking. The other is an email product called QuoteActions that delivers inspiring or motivational quotes with an action designed to brighten their day.

Since neither of these “gifts” are directly related to my core business of Personal Development Seminars, people don’t feel like I’m trying to sell them anything. They are for the most part very open and appreciative of my offering.

Another important element in this tactic is that I offer the gift and ask them to respond to me if they would like to receive it. While I could include the gifts in my email, I have found that having them respond to me that they want it is much more effective. It is the equivalent of having a double opt-in system with emails.

To summarize
I have covered three ways to build relationships and trust by starting conversations while Social Networking by: acting as a host; inviting people to connect with you; and paying it forward with a gift.


This month's QuoteAction is by 14th Century Mystic, Julian of Norwich

"A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to whom the gift is given."

Your action is to give a small gift to someone and notice how you feel afterwards.

Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!

Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.

Rick Itzkowich
The LinkedIn Guy

As the creator of QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand.

His, latest productLink Power Coaching Program, is a must for those people wanting to earn money using LinkedIn.

Rick is also the Co-founder of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals.

Rick can be reached at rick@rickitzkowich.com

For more information, please visit Rick's TNNWC Bio.

---

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

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The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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3 Proven Tactics to Actually Build Relationships While Social Networking | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

Are You A Spammer and Don’t Know It? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich

According to Spamhaus, one of the leading anti-spam block lists, here’s the definition of spam:

“An electronic message is ‘spam’ if: (a) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (b) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.”

I engage in a substantial amount of networking. As a result, I exchange a lot of business cards. Unfortunately, many of the people I meet treat this exchange as permission for them to send me information about their business and/or projects.

On any given day, I receive between five to 10 email newsletters from people and companies that I have neither done business with, nor have I requested their newsletters. Most of the time, I simply delete them or create a spam filter so they automatically bypass my inbox.

Recently I did a presentation on “Effective Follow-up Strategies,” and I used unauthorized email newsletters to illustrate an example of an ineffective strategy. I got lively feedback from people in the audience, who mentioned they themselves were guilty of doing the same. Until now, they had never viewed their e-mailings from this perspective.

When I got back to my office, I decided to see if I could turn “spam lemons into tasty lemonade.” After all, I have a product (QuoteActions) that’s designed to have people want to hear from a person and/or business. As an experiment, with each unsolicited email, I responded with the following message:

“I can't remember where or how we met. However, I'm quite certain that I have neither purchased something from you, nor have I specifically opted in to receive your newsletter. According to a leading anti-spam blocking list, only when either of the above conditions are met, can you send messages and be in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act. By the way, you may incur substantial fines for doing this.

My purpose in responding to you is to offer you a permission-based alternative to stay in touch with people. My “by invitation only” product prevents creating ill will with folks who never requested your materials. If you’re interested in discussing, feel free to contact me.”

Not surprisingly, I’ve received very few responses to my comments—which, by the way, is another major email faux pas. If someone takes the time to respond to you, you have started a conversation. Please continue it. Getting back to the responses to my return message, there have been a few interesting replies. One person was very defensive and told me I had given her my verbal okay during a networking event. A few people responded with interest in my product, and that was cool. Indeed I had turned spam into a lead generator! There was also one person who responded with: “What’s the big deal? If you don’t like my information, simply hit delete or unsubscribe.”

Unfortunately, this response is typical of people who fail to see the situation from the recipient’s point of view. This is why people get angry with unsolicited mailings. The point is--even if it only takes a few seconds to delete or unsubscribe, I still have to spend my time on something I didn’t request. Plus, when you multiply this action tens or hundreds of times, the wasted time quickly adds up.

In addition I often travel abroad, and when I’m checking my email I’m doing so over slow and expensive Internet connections. Having to wade through hundreds of these types of messages can end up costing a significant amount of both time and money.

The bottom line is that the cost of sending unsolicited email newsletters and other bulk messages is a high one. You lose goodwill and damage your reputation. You will be seen as a spammer--which unfortunately you are.

Next month I will cover my alternative strategy to staying in touch with people in a way that’s 100% permission-based and is also very effective to boot.

This month's QuoteAction is by Professor, Dr. Rob Gilbert

"Stop selling and start helping instead."

Your action is to contact a friend or business associate and offer them your help.


Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!

Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.

Rick Itzkowich
The LinkedIn Guy

As the creator of QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand.

His, latest productLink Power Coaching Program, is a must for those people wanting to earn money using LinkedIn.

Rick is also the Co-founder of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals.
Rick can be reached at rick@rickitzkowich.com

For more information, please visit Rick's TNNWC Bio.

---

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

---

Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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Are You A Spammer and Don’t Know It? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

What is Your Urgency Level? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS

Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich

As I draft this article, today is the deadline for filing 2010 Federal and State income tax returns in the USA. Even though it is a few days later than normal, I spoke to two people today who apologized profusely for having to reschedule our appointments because they had to rush out to pick up their tax returns from their CPA’s office. They then would need to go stand in line at their local post office in order to have their returns mailed and postmarked by the 11:59 p.m. deadline.

While their appointments with me were important (we were, in fact, discussing some potentially big business deals), meeting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) deadline was URGENT. And urgency trumps importance.

Here’s how the dictionary defines both terms:

Urgent: Compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing.
Important: Of much or great significance or consequence; mattering much.

Interestingly the definition for urgency doesn’t mention anything relating to being of great value or significance.

In his book “First Things First,” Steven Covey uses this Time Management Matrix to illustrate how we spend our time.



He mentions “When urgency, not importance, becomes the dominant factor in our lives, the important things get left by the wayside.”

Using the tax deadline example, what was once a Quadrant II activity (filing taxes) became a Quadrant I activity (a crisis). What caused this to happen? It was procrastination, neglect or unconsciousness (habit).

I’ve spent over 30 years in the personal development field, and I can emphatically say the majority of people neglect Quadrant II the most. What is the reason they do this? Quite frankly, it is because they insist on living their life doing Quadrant I activities. Many years ago one of my clients was very interested in doing a workshop to improve his leadership skills. When I asked him to register, he said he needed to wait because he was in between jobs and didn’t feel comfortable making the financial investment while he didn’t have a job. He was confident that he would soon land a job and asked me contact him in a few months. When I followed up with him a few months later, he had indeed found a new job. So, I asked him if this meant he was ready to register for the leadership course. He said he had to wait because he had just started his new job, and he couldn’t take the time off.

I remember saying to him: “Please help me understand. First you wouldn’t register because you didn’t have a job. Now, you won’t register because you HAVE a job. Which one is it?”

People exhibit similar behavior while networking. They spend most of their time doing Quadrant I activities while neglecting Quadrant II activities. And the cycle is self perpetuating.

I currently spend the majority of my time doing presentations teaching people how to network more effectively by combining face-to-face networking with LinkedIn. During these presentations people really grasp how powerful this combination is, as well as how it can help them generate a lot more future business. Many of them sign up for a monthly coaching program I offer to guide them through the in’s and out’s of using LinkedIn, and they are eager to get going. This program is designed to be implemented in approximately 1 hour per week.

Invariably about 25% of the people drop out of the program within the first 60 days. Their main reason for doing so is -- they are too busy and overwhelmed with all the activities in Quadrant 1. They focus on meeting the short-term demands of their business while neglecting to invest in the long-term future of their business. This approach perpetuates their “urgency addiction.”

The next time you are forced to deal with an urgent matter – remember, it’s probably a result of having neglected something that was important, but not urgent. It is only when we shift our attention and resources from Quadrant I to Quadrant II that we will see significant long-lasting improvements in our business and personal lives.

This month's QuoteAction is by Actor, Michael Landon

"The tougher the fight, the more important the mental attitude."


Your action is to reflect on something that you are struggling with and then check on your current mental attitude.

Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!

Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.

Rick Itzkowich
The LinkedIn Guy

As the creator of QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand.

His, latest productLink Power Coaching Program, is a must for those people wanting to earn money using LinkedIn.

Rick is also the Co-founder of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals.

Rick can be reached at rick@rickitzkowich.com

For more information, please visit Rick's TNNWC Bio.

---

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

---

Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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What is Your Urgency Level? | BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS