WORKING WITHIN: Networking and Productivity United for Results

Working Within with Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Since networking is all about relationships, then networking is great strategy to increase productivity in all aspects of any organization. I realized this a long time ago when working with clients. Let me explain.

A team was not performing to its level given the depth of the experiences within the team. During the numerous workshops and one on one coaching sessions, I realized that the team members truly did not know each other.

Sure, the might have knowledge specific to if they were married or single, birthday dates and the place of last employment. However, they did not truly know their fellow co-workers. This lack of knowledge was keeping people at arm’s length and creating some very negative attitudes.

Then during the next six monthly follow-up workshops I began each session requesting that each team member share something that others in the room did not know. Watching the non-verbal behaviors of the listening team members as a fellow co-worker shared his or her little piece of personal trivia was quite enlightening. As time progress, the honesty of sharing increased and as did the emotions within the room.

While all this was going on, something else was happening in between workshops. The team began to function better. Members began to ask each other when they had some free time, How can I help? Projects that used to take several weeks were now being finished in less than one week.

President Roosevelt was quoted as saying: No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. This is just as true internally when networking as externally.

Productivity is the direct result of how we feel about doing something. When we are engaged for whatever the reason, our productivity will increase. Having a team support is critical to sustaining productivity especially during stressful times.

Now more than ever it is important to invest the time to learn about your fellow co-worker and be authentic with your intentions. You may find a kindred spirit and someone who will help you out when your desk is overflowing with ASAP to gotta, gotta, gotta have this right now!

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

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WORKING WITHIN: Networking and Productivity United for Results

BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS: Is Social Networking a Major Waste of Time?

Being There When it Counts with Rick Itzkowich

There are plenty of people who think social networking (SN) is a major waste of time, and truth be told, for many of these people it’s a fact. The time they spend social networking has very little payoff for their businesses. In reality this has more to do with "the way" they participate in social networking, rather than with social networking itself.

Many people think that SN is about the built-in tools and technology. I often get asked questions about which networks to join, or whether one should post to multiple sites using services such as Pingfm.com, etc.

The fact of the matter is -- 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 the tools to help us build the relationships. Yet, it’s the people who build relationships not the tools. The sole 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 SN site makes it very easy for people to start talking with one another. Whether you invite someone to connect with you (LinkedIn), be your friend (Facebook) or you decide to follow someone (Twitter), you are able to 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 the same. 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 online community or group inside of a community can be daunting. So when someone welcomes you and helps you get started, it something you appreciate. I know this has been true for me. Many SN 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 would add value to your network and invite them to join. 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 – especially in the early stages of the relationship. 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 a subscription to QuoteActions - an email product 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 are, for the most part, very open and appreciative of my offering.

Another important element is -- when I first offer the gift, I 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 -- social networking is about building relationships through give and take and conversations. SN sites are vehicles for us to create these positive interactions. And, remember as you meet and greet through the variety of SN options available to you, focus on being human. By doing so, you’ll find social networking is a good use of your time!

This Month’s QuoteAction is by College Basketball Coach, John Wooden

"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

Your action for today is to do something beneficial for someone in your network without them finding out you did it.

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.

As the creator of the 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 eBook, Social Networking for Business Profits, uses cost-effective follow up strategies. Rick is also the Co-founder and Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals. Rick can be reached at rick@productivelearning.com.

For more about Rick Itzkowich, please click here.

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ROYAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Women in Consulting- Discover the Power of Collaboration Today!

Royal Relationship Building by Kathleen Ronald

This month, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to a phenomenal group called Women in Consulting. Pay attention, because this group blew me away! WIC is a vibrant, diverse and powerful community of consultants and small business owners working to build strong businesses. It creates unique opportunities to connect and share leads and resources with like-minded business professionals.

For this month’s article, I interviewed the lovely Jennifer Berkley, of The Insight Advantage, and the current Vice President of WIC. I was able to talk to her about the wonderful group that she has been involved in for about ten years now. I have known and worked with Jen over the years, and it came as no surprise to me to hear that of the ten years she has worked with WIC, she has been on the board of directors for seven of those ten years. What a girl!

As you know, I love hearing a good story about how a group gets started, so I asked Jen to tell me the history of Women in Consulting. As she explained, four or five women, who were acquaintances, started sharing information and supporting each other informally. Since the collaboration, resources, support and sisterhood were going so well, the gals decided that more people ought to be able to experience this great network. So, in 1997, they officially became known as the Self Employed Women’s Network, or SEWN. This title lasted a few years, before they changed SEWN to WIC: Women in Consulting. The gals felt that the name SEWN lent itself to people thinking they were a group for home makers, rather than consultants. So, as any good marketing consultant would suggest, they re-branded to be more appealing to their target market; and they have remained this way for the last ten years.

I asked how Jen had become involved in such a dynamic organization, and she told me her story. Jen was told about this group from fellow consultants when she was taking a class on how to start a consulting business. The business she was trying to launch was a customer research firm; she had been working for the same company for 17 years, and was looking for a new and bigger challenge. Research, an important element of her job as a product manager, was the obvious focus for her new niche, and she felt that it was a huge need for many organizations. As a new endeavor, Jen was unsure what to do with her new dream; however, Women in Consulting helped her make it happen. Jen “wouldn’t still be in business if it weren’t for this group.” She reports that she owes so much to WIC for all that it has provided, in the form of expertise, resources, and most importantly, referrals.

Personally, I feel in large part her success has been because she gives so much. For anyone who is smart enough to get on a board or volunteer in any way, the return on your investment is always, in my mind, tenfold!

I was curious as to whether this group was for women only. Jennifer, however, told me that although the vast majority of its members are women, WIC is not restricted to the fairer sex. There are men in the group, although they make up less than 1% of the membership.

WIC currently has around 200 local members, as well as 200 affiliates.

This group, as Jen explained, is an organization that creates many opportunities during the month for members to take advantage of “face to face” networking. They offer professional development as well. While Women in Consulting started in the Bay Area, and hosts meetings only in the Bay Area, their outreach is now worldwide, thanks to their affiliate program.

According to Jen the benefit of being a WIC affiliate is that it allows people who are in the Bay Area to take advantage of the in-person offerings; and for those who do not live in an area with this type of group, they can instantly plug into WIC’s virtual community via the WIC Community email list, which allows participants to:

- Tap the collective intelligence of a large think tank of experienced consultants

- Receive prequalified recommendations on best practices, resources, and tools

- Connect to people across various geographical locations, which currently includes at least 11 different states and 3 countries

This Affiliate list, which costs $75 to join, serves participants in a number of ways. Just listen to Jennifer’s glowing report of how WIC helped her out most recently:

“I was working with my business coach, and she recommended that I find a “clipping service” so I could keep an eye on news about companies that I’m targeting. This would give me research on the company prior to approaching them. Since this was new to me, I posted my need on the WIC Community list and within an hour I had over 15 recommendations for free/inexpensive clipping/news alert services. People on the WIC Community list are very willing to share, which saved me so much time and effort.”

According to Jennifer, this example is just one of many ways that WIC makes life and business easy for her on a daily basis.

“The benefits of this list alone make me much more capable of running my business. I can access information in little or no time, which is a huge time savings. Also, the list involves like-minded people running consulting organizations, so their feedback on any request that I have is beneficial, because we’re all in the same field.”

WIC also offers a membership option at $175, which provides a variety of benefits, including:

- Access to the WIC Community email list

- Discounts on monthly meetings, workshops, and webinars

- Invitations to special members-only events

- A directory listing on the WIC website

- Discounts from WIC partner organizations, including companies such as Vertical Response.com, Zoomerang.com, and Egnyte.com, which provide services that are critical for consultants’ business needs

Each year, WIC conducts a Consulting Compensation and Best Practices Study to gather data about revenue trends and consulting best practices. The results are available to all survey participants and WIC members.

As in traditional networking, there is always the opportunity to build solid relationships over time with the people within the community.

Without paying any dues, you can access all kinds of articles and other resources, including the WIC blog via the WIC website. The website also provides information about other networking opportunities for consultants ~ all for free! Sounds good to me!

For those of you fortunate enough to live in the Bay Area near Women in Consulting, you can check out their monthly meetings, which include networking, dinner, and great speakers that discuss relevant topics. The meetings go from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm on the 3^rd Thursday of every month. In fact, I will be speaking to WIC on September 17^th, so mark your calendars! You do not even need to be a member to attend!

Whether or not you live close enough to attend a meeting, there is so much that Women in Consulting can offer you! If you are a single business owner trying to start up a franchise, or just looking to see what is out there, I encourage you to go check out WIC and find out how they can make your dreams come true today!

If you are interested in learning more about Women in Consulting, please visit www.womeninconsulting.org, or you can contact Deborah Plumley, Vice President of Membership at deborah@plumleygroup.com.

For more details, please visit Kathleen'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. SOUTHWEST: DSWA - The Aloha Spirit Thrives in This Direct Sellers Association

By Kathleen Ronald

Southwest Bureau Chief

(Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah)

This month I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce you to an extraordinary tag team who founded a wonderful group called DSWA. Not only are Nicki and Grace partners, they are the greatest mother-daughter duo to hit the market! Meet Nicki and Grace Keohohou of Direct Selling Women’s Alliance.

I was fortunate enough to meet these amazing women through an old friend named Kathleen Wheeler, who I met when I moved to San Jose and needed some Mary Kay products years ago. Some twenty years later, she is now working for this fine organization, and when I heard about it, I decided I had to know more about DSWA. I was able to meet Nicki and Grace at their National Convention that they held in LA last month, and let me tell you- it was love at first sight! Watching Grace and Nicki was like observing an artist in action-a rare treat for me, as I experienced for the first time, the vibe called DSWA.

The first question I asked them was “Who started DSWA?” and Nicki immediately chimed in to tell her story. She had been involved in Direct Selling for over 25 years, and had worked all aspects of the business. Nicki realized that there was no association to support all the various channels of the Direct Sales world, and as they say, “find a need and fill it”- fill it she did!

What I love about Nicki and Grace is that they are the real deal, and that the association is reflective of the “Aloha” spirit. If you have ever been to Hawaii, you know what I’m talking about. Their passion, heart, soul, and sheer determination brought this dream to a reality back in February 2003, after two years of preparation. This is truly a “grass-roots” organization that has plenty to share if you are in Direct Sales, MLM, or Network Marketing. This wonderful organization is a place you can call home.

Home is a key word at DSWA for many reasons. For starters, home is where this dream was born, and where it evolved from a two-bedroom home that seven people shared with limited resources, to what it is today. Secondly, all of the employees are based from home so that they may truly know the needs of their community. As Nicki said, “We believe there is no better way to understand your members then to live the lifestyle they live as a “home-based” and “home – managed” business. We feel you manage your business from home however you base your business out in the world.”

So, if you are looking for a Direct Selling organization that has some local meetings to connect with like-minded individuals ~ check out http://www.mydswa.org/.

There you will find the local meeting locations. Once at the meetings, you will experience a “safe place” where all types of products and service folks can come together and become masters at their trade, without the constant pressure of recruitment to other companies. They have a strict code of ethics that support the members to thrive in ways that have not been possible before, as their world was running on different terms for these folks until DSWA came around.

The key to their success is that while they do not allow any recruiting amongst the members, they both allow and encourage members to buy from other members. I was surprised by some stats that Nikki shared with me. She said if each person only bought $100.00 of products from a Direct Sales person, that would crank 7.2 billion into the Direct Sales Channel and 3.6 million dollars of the money comes back in commission awards and incentives back in the field. What better economic stimulus package could you dream of? We all have friends in this world, and I'm sure we could all divert $100 per month from the retail establishments and support another entrepreneur.

In the old days, everyone in this arena saw each as either competition or potential- someone to sell to or recruit. Thanks to DSWA, today they see it as collaboration and support. This is the principle that DSWA was founded on.

The agenda is easy:

Registration

Open: Code of Honor overview

Welcome

Guest Speaker (education)

Bid Table / Share products and services

Networking

DSWA is an organization that supports its members beyond the local meeting.

Grace shared that it only cost $89.00 to become a member. You can also try out the benefits for 30 days for only $1.00. I was shocked by such an easy price to pay for the value you receive.

They have a top-notch website, ongoing training, community, and an e-support system that distributes their 1,000+ recordings, all of which represent the top names in the training field. Their web stuff rocks, and they have a ton of reasons why you would find this of extreme benefit to your growth as a Direct Sales Professional.

The web benefits include:

• Discounted marketing and communication
• Audio recording
  
• Email system
  
• Discounted DSWA products
  
• Insurance, including dental, health, hospitilization, chiropractic and more
  
• Central meeting place
  
• Tons of training via articles, tip/quotes, tele-classes, and multimedia training coming soon
  
• Community
  
• Networking
  
• Service discounts such as Office Max, Fed Ex, long distance, etc
  

Beyond the obvious need for this organization, as Grace explained, was the heart aspect of the organization. Her mother Nicki wanted to help children with their self-esteem. As a teacher, this was a huge desire of hers -to be a force to help mold the self-esteem of her students. The model didn’t reach its intended desires, as the kids went home to their dysfunctional families. So, my mom decided that if she was going to cause real change for the kids, she would have to get to the root cause -through the parents: the parents in the world of Direct Selling. “I’ll allow the parents to learn and experience what a healthy self-esteem looks like and they in turn are the example for the children.”

It was so uplifting listening to Grace tell story after story of people who were on the verge of giving up before they got involved with DSWA. After listening to a class or attending a meeting, many of them had a 180 degree turn-around experiences and went on to become one of the top producers in their companies. Grace shared the many stories like a proud mother. Grace has a way of drawing you in and making you feel loved and cared for from the first hello. Her mother came to her with the idea years ago and she jumped right in. The success of this organization is due to this duo being a much needed “light” to support our youth with the most important of all gifts, the gift of a healthy self-esteem ~ the gift that fuels their every step on their life journeys. This gift above all others ensures God’s vision is fully expressed through every individual. If you don’t have a healthy self-esteem you wouldn’t be able to gift your talents to the world. Do you want to know the core of DSWA …Love thy self first ~ in learning to love yourself first you will then be the love that will light the way for your children so they can stand strong and love themselves and so on and so on it goes.

DSWA is much more than an association; it is a much needed community. This is one organization that feels like home the minute you are lucky enough to meet either Nicki or Grace. DSWA is not only a welcome community for you as a Direct Selling Professional, but it is a home for your business, a home for your heart, and a home for your soul!

If you want more information you can reach the client service department at 888-417-0743 or www.dswa.org or email them at info@dswa.org

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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. SOUTHWEST: Manhattan Beach Offers More Than Just the Beach

By Kathleen Ronald

Southwest Bureau Chief

(Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California)

This month I am excited to highlight the Beach Cities Professionals Manhattan Beach Chapter of Business Network International (BNI). I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Joy Kennelly, who has been a member of this chapter for almost six months. Joy, a PR talent extraordinaire, volunteers as the Chapter Mentor of the Beach Cities Professionals Manhattan Beach (MB) BNI Chapter. Joy is one of two Chapter Mentors, along with Ms. Mindy Oumi, a compounding pharmacist at TLC Pharmacy in Hermosa Beach, CA.

Joy told me about the rich history of Business Network International, which was founded by one of our very own contributing writers for The National Networker, Ivan Misner, PhD. Ivan is well-known for his business networking success, as well as his New York Times bestseller, Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths. While I had heard of BNI when I lived in the Bay Area, I was never able to make it out to an event. After speaking to Joy, I was thrilled to finally understand the true value that BNI offers to the business community as one of the leading Business Networking organizations renowned throughout the world.

When she first joined the Beach Cities Professionals MB BNI Chapter, it was considered a ‘startup group,’ because it had less than 20 members. It has since flourished, and is one of the more successful BNI locations in the South Bay area. While all chapters vary in the time of day of their meetings, Beach Cities Professionals holds their meetings in the morning.

Now, Joy was not a morning person when she joined; however, she really needed a networking organization that was focused on referrals as its main charter. As a result, she felt it was worth changing her day, in order to attend the 7:00 am weekly meetings.

Based on what Joy shared with me, I am convinced that BNI is the #1 organization when it comes to providing referrals as a business focus. As Joy went on enlightening me about the group’s dynamics, I continued to become more and more impressed by the level of mandatory trainings that is required of each new member.

Joy stressed that this component really sets them apart from other groups. The training sessions cover many topics, focusing on teaching people effective ways to be an awesome networker, as well as how to leverage their philosophies to gain skills and not only take full advantage of the BNI way, but to be a highly valuable contributing referral giving member. BNI’s motto is Givers Gain.

So what does a standard BMI meeting entail?

• A time of Open Networking
  
• The President opens the meeting with a welcome to visitors and induction of any new members. Then the member presentations begin.
  
• Each person has 30 seconds to introduce themselves and explain who they are and what a good referral is for them. If you are a guest, when it’s your turn, you only say your name and company, as the referral process is a benefit for members only.
• Two members are highlighted each month with a special presentation to introduce the group to their services in greater detail.
• They have 10 minutes in front of the group to highlight the following points:
• Introduce their business
• What sets them apart?
• What is a good referral?
• They also bring a gift to share in a drawing at the end of the meeting.

If you are just visiting, and want to become a member, they have a process of acceptance with the group. After attending a meeting, if you’re interested in joining you will have a private meeting with the Visitor Host who will answer any questions you might have. Then you will fill out an application; then the membership committee will review it, and then the core members are asked for their input as to whether they would be a good fit for the group.

They also have a limit of one person in each business sector- ie. one realtor, one financial advisor, one insurance salesperson, etc. While it may seem extreme, the care with which they treat applications is representative of the care with which they handle their members, and the highly selective process ensures an exclusive group of unbeatable referrals! In addition, it provides other business opportunities because the community knows these members have passed stringent membership requirements to participate.

Once accepted, the new member is formally inducted into the group with a welcome ceremony for each new member. After the induction, Joy and Mindy’s role as Mentors kick in. They meet with each member to train them and answer any questions. A nice touch, in my opinion, is that they cover all of the BNI policies and procedures- a huge benefit that really supports new members to fully thrive in the group. New members are also given a card caddy to hold all the members’ cards. Each member is encouraged to carry 5 cards for each member in the group. This way they are always able to refer folks when they’re out and about in the community.

Now that’s what I call integrated referral strategies!

The cost of membership is $300.00 a year, along with a one-time-only fee of $150.00. There is a weekly room fee at this chapter’s meetings which is paid quarterly. Joy’s chapter simply chose to serve coffee in lieu of breakfast, and focus on the agenda and business networking. Be sure to inquire with the BNI chapter in your area to see how they run their meetings, as most are designed for the morning, with some meeting over lunch.

After we covered the highlights of the BNI way, my first question was, "so what do you do if you have issues with someone in your group that covers a certain sector, and you are unable to give any referrals to them?" Joy assured me that while this does happen, members are both welcomed and encouraged to visit other chapters in order to find people you might feel better synergy with; BNI members ought to be comfortable both personally and professionally with the people they refer.

Another rule you should be aware of is that you are allowed to only miss 3 meetings per quarter; however, you can send someone to fill in for you if need be to allow you to maintain your membership requirements and avoid an absence. I totally support this expectation as I really feel you only get the most out of any group when you attend on a consistent basis. If you are a traveling speaker, a sales person who is on the road a lot, or someone who is otherwise not available for the required attendance, this may not be the style of networking group for you.

As Joy shared, “this is NOT a social club; it is for serious business folks who want to become savvy networkers and powerful referral sources.” The whole model is to support education and referrals! Amazing!

Training, as I mentioned, is a large component of the foundation of this organization. New members are required to take a series of classes within the first 60 days to complete the first training. One of the 3-hour training sessions is dedicated to the ever-popular 60-second elevator pitch, while others are focused on “How to Give Quality Referrals ” and more. I wish more groups would incorporate these types of standards, as I feel that training is so needed and missing from most groups I’ve covered for TNN.

BNI also has many benefits over the web. Within the chapter you are allowed to feature yourself online with your business logo, name, contact information, website and key words.

So if YOU are looking for a group that is all about good referrals, weekly meetings, and education ~ this is the group for you.

If you like what you’ve read, give BNI a try. If you live in the Manhattan Beach area and would like to visit, you can contact Mindy Oumi at tlcpharmacy@verizon.net, or go to www.socalbni.com to find a chapter near you.

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U.S. SOUTHWEST: Manhattan Beach Offers More Than Just the Beach

U.S. SOUTHWEST: Onecoach in LA - A Small Business Owner's Dream!

By Kathleen Ronald, U.S. Southwest Bureau Chief

(Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California)

This month, I’m thrilled to be able to introduce you to Rick Lugash of OneCoach. Rick has a story that is essential for any small business owners, entrepreneurs and micro-business owners to hear. If that describes you, listen up- this could change everything.

I met Rick last month, for my first OneCoach monthly meeting in Los Angeles, where my friend Karen Russo was the guest speaker. After experiencing the wonder of a OneCoach networking event, and connecting with Rick, I decided that I needed to bring you their story- a story about the birth of the perfect suite of solutions for small business owners. Trust me- they’ve helped thousands of them.

Generally, my interviews consist of asking entrepreneurs why they founded a group or business. Rick’s case is unique, because he didn’t start the idea originally. Instead, Rick was the perfect example of someone who was interested in what OneCoach had to offer. As Rick explained, he grew up as a serial junkie of success literature, who was curious about human behavior and why people don’t do the things they know they need to do everyday to achieve what they want. Rick was particularly fascinated by the way people always seem to compartmentalize their home life and their work life, and deal with them as separate issues.

Rick always felt that it was better to approach life and learning in a more integrative strategy, with one approach. A synchronized lifestyle seemed much more effective- however, a practical model for this was hard to come by. The resource eluded him until he met John Assaraf, and learned about his new company OneCoach. John’s amazing reputation precedes him, as his bio looks like a “who’s who of entrepreneurs”; if anyone was able to design the perfect solution for small business owners who could develop themselves personally and through their business, it was John.

Once he connected with John, Rick knew he had finally come across the company he had envisioned for so many years. This dream, which for so long had existed only in Rick’s mind, was actually a reality- a company that was ideally developed to address the needs of small business owners, from a holistic approach, teaching them to have the right mindset and the fundamental skills they needed to grow a business.

Rick joined the OneCoach team, and headed up the development of the franchise arm of the business. After several years in that role, he was so excited about what they had created that he decided to buy the master franchise rights as the Regional Owner for Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Today, Rick is not longer part of corporate, but rather an owner, helping independently owned, local franchisees build their own successful OneCoach operations that help small businesses in that community.

Rick's new role is three fold; he's on a constant search for the best people out there to be the voice of OneCoach in their local market; he supports them in building their own successful business; and he's out there building the OneCoach brand through media, joint ventures and affiliates.

If you are a small business owner, you MUST check out OneCoach’s monthly networking and masterminding activities to see for yourself everything they have to offer. You can find the local highlights online, but nothing beats the real thing. Rick and his team really make everyone feel welcome. The meeting I attended was a great experience, and they facilitated some awesome exercises that I found to be hugely beneficial.

Check out the incredible benefits of this unique networking opportunity!

· Connect with small business owners

· Participate in their “snap networking” exercise- facilitated to meet the most people

· Facilitated Mastermind exercise

· Speaker on one element of growing your business

· Low cost of only $20- bring two friends and it’s only $10! If you are already a member of the OneCoach business growth system, it's FREE!

You’ll get a better idea of the innumerable benefits as you delve deeper into the world of OneCoach, explore their vast array of products and services, and spend time getting to know Rick and his team. Rick has established an ‘open door’ policy for non-members in Los Angeles, although not all chapters of OneCoach are consistent in that policy. Check your local listings to find out how to get into the OneCoach meeting nearest you.

Of course, once you attend a OneCoach networking event and hear about the amazing benefits of what they have to offer you, you may just get hooked. You may find yourself loving it so much, you end up checking out their coaching model, products or even franchisee opportunities. With such an amazing answer to small business needs, you can’t refuse to check out OneCoach, and all the amazing opportunities that await you!

If you are interested in knowing more about future networking opportunities, becoming a OneCoach Coach or becoming a franchisee you can contact Rick Lugash at rlugash@onecoach.com

_______________________________________________________

Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.



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

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


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Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

U.S. SOUTHWEST: Onecoach in LA - A Small Business Owner's Dream!