THE HANDSHAKE CLUB: Will Banter Pays it Forward

The Handshake Club with J.D. Gershbein

Will Banter, President of Banter Media, understands that effective business networking is the key to prospering in our so-called “relationship economy.” Will is an accomplished entrepreneur and a Connector Extraordinaire whose place in the pantheon of the all-time great networkers is assured. “Will is a handshaker’s handshaker,” acknowledges Brandy Share of the Cliché Marketing Group. “He is a true meeter and greeter. The man can make quality introductions in his sleep.”

Will is a pay-it-forward specialist. He is that ultimately proactive networker within us all—out there on a limb and constantly extending the branch. He is ubiquitous on the networking trail, accruing stacks of business cards, able to juggle hundreds of faces in his mind with their matching elevator pitches and making meaningful connections at every turn. But this guy goes well beyond just having a killer Rolodex. Will is the self-proclaimed King of Follow Up. Constantly tethered to his laptop and cell phone, Will is delivering on those promises to connect people with other people. His deeds may go unnoticed at times but there is always an underlying magic. He creates opportunities. “It starts with a handshake,” acknowledges Banter, “and from there, there’s no telling where it can lead. Ideally, it leads to coffee.”

While at his previous company, Banter Connections, Will decided to enter the realm of podcasting. “I wanted to turn my inward outward,” he claims. Thus, FRESH BANTER was launched. The pilot podcast makes its debut in this month's TNNW and speaks to the power of positively-charged, proactive business networking. Future podcasts will be done in a talk-show format with the intention of promoting real-life businesspeople and their pursuits (with emphasis on Social Media) as well as showcasing the enterprising members of J.D. Gershbein’s comic universe, The Handshake Club. According to Will, “we want to create success in Social Media for those seeking success in Social Media.”

As Will Banter transitions to prodigious Social Media rock star, he remains that purveyor of wide-eyed optimism. His complete accessibility and unquenchable appetite for heightening the credibility of others begs the question: is there enough time in the day to get everything done? Will is a lifetime subscriber to the Universal Law of Reciprocity. “Look...you do good things for others, don’t expect anything in return and the universe shall reward you,” urges Banter, “it works every time. I don’t know how; it just does.” Clearly, it is working for Will Banter.

J.D. Gershbein is the President of Owlish Communications, an Internet Marketing firm based in the Chicago, Illinois suburb of Vernon Hills. When he’s not helping his clients shine on LinkedIn, J.D. creates business cartoons and comic strips that brand businesses and make them memorable. He is also the creator of The Handshake Club. Follow Will Banter, Brandy Share and the other wacky inhabitants of The Handshake Club as they network their way into your heart and psyche and try to make some sense out of this thing called Social Media.

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THE HANDSHAKE CLUB: Will Banter Pays it Forward

CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: Ten Years Later

Connecting is Not Enough with Andy Lopata

Last month saw me celebrate a ten-year anniversary. On 11th May 1999 I started work for Business Referral Exchange, then a new networking organisation founded six months previously and with just four groups running in London, Hertfordshire and Essex. At the time networking as a formal activity was little known in the UK, with a few independent groups supplementing the networking offered by Chambers of Commerce and community groups such as Rotary.

How times have changed! Networking is now a key activity for millions of small business owners across the World and, with the rise of social online networks, is being recognised as a key skill for everyone, from jobseekers to global corporates.

Last month’s personal anniversary started me thinking about the changes I have seen in networking in that time, how the popularity of networking has grown and what we can expect over the next decade. Approaches to networking, behaviour within networks and even where we network and with whom have all changed. I still think there is a long journey to travel before everyone who needs to network recognises its true importance and does so effectively and efficiently.

That, I suppose, is why I write this column every month!

Why have we seen such a rapid growth in networking over the last decade? There have been a number of influences on its increased popularity, and our approach to it. These influences have certainly been strong in the UK, although I think similar patterns have explained the same developments in other countries.

The first influence is the growth of micro and small businesses. Large organisations have been downsizing their workforce for some years, predating the current recession. In fact the move away from relying on employees to bringing in contractors has been growing over the last decade. Many people have been encouraged to leave the security of employment in exchange for the greater rewards of contract work, leading to the establishment of thousands of small businesses.

The current economic crisis has accelerated this trend as hundreds of thousands of people have been made redundant. I believe that one of the long-term results of the credit crunch will be a second surge in numbers of small businesses. It is widely recognised that job security no longer exists in the way it has previously and the ability to be responsible for one’s own future has become more attractive.

The upshot of a growth of small businesses is an increase in networking. One man bands and micro businesses do not have the budget for advertising, PR and sales teams that larger organisations have traditionally relied upon. Instead they quickly realise that they have to grow and reach out to a network of others to find clients and develop their business.

Moving away from working within a large team, surrounded by people to turn to when answers are needed, and towards working in their own homes, feeling isolated from the World, also compels people to look towards networks. Networking groups have been increasingly seen not just as a source of new business, but as a replacement for the ‘water cooler moments’ and support systems that a large office provides.

Another key influence on the direction networking has taken has been the increase in social networking technology. Ten years ago there was little to no online networking, other than groups and forums on sites such as Yahoo. Today you get an invitation to a new site almost every day.

The popularity of predominantly social sites such as Facebook and Twitter has brought the benefits of networking into the wider public consciousness and has been reflected in an increased awareness of professional sites such as LinkedIn. You can now find people on LinkedIn who would not have been found on any other network as recently as last year.

The growth of such technology has made networking accessible to many more people. A decade ago networking was purely for business and took place either at breakfast or early evening, excluding many people, predominantly women, with childcare responsibilities. Now you can network at your convenience, at any time of day or night, through online networks.

The growth of online networks will also impact on the willingness of people to network and their behaviour in networks over the coming years. The ‘Millennial’ Generation, or ‘Gen Y’ have grown up with social networks as the norm. They will expect networking as part of their career and job development and more companies will recognise the benefit of collaboration and networks as this generation reaches senior management levels.

What will be interesting will be the impact of new technologies and new generations on behaviour within networks. When I started work in networking many people were driven by short-term sales targets and brief, transactional, interactions. Over the years the importance of relationship building became a higher priority for many and people began to recognise the futility of trying to sell in an environment where people haven’t come to buy, and realise that referrals carry more weight than individual sales.

With the growth of online networks, however, there has been a backward step. Many people treat networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn purely as broadcast tools. They don’t seek to engage people in conversation or build quality relationships. Instead they focus on getting as many connections, friends or followers as possible and rattle out broadcast messages to them.

The more ‘sophisticated’ among the new networkers boast of a strategy where they drive people to their own website and then to ‘squeeze’ pages where they can encourage a transaction. There is little attempt at conversation or education, once more it is all about the sale.

This approach lacks any sustainability. While some people might thrive, as they have done with other related forms of internet marketing, if too many people follow this approach it will turn away newer converts to networking and those who seek relationships. Very few people join networks to be a notch on the bedpost or to be sold to, therefore any network where everyone seeks just to build huge numbers of connections or sell without looking to help others first will lose members rapidly.

Also people will soon become disaffected with the pursuit of numbers as they realise that numbers alone don’t produce benefits, and find how difficult it is to maintain relationships in a network that has grown too large. I have already seen a number of people shelve Facebook and LinkedIn contacts publicly as they attempt to rationalize their networks and more people will begin to do this.

Moving forward, I expect to see a number of changes in networking behaviour over coming years.

The most important change will be a more strategic approach to networking activity. There needs to be a shift from networking as an afterthought, or as a response to invitations, to a goals-oriented networking strategy. People won’t be able to cope with the number of choices available, both online and in person, and will select which networks suit their personal and business goals. They will be happier to commit to those networks which make sense for them and spurn other invitations.

Such an approach will see a growth in niche and peer-group support networks. There has been a growing understanding of the role networking has beyond sales, and how strong that value is. Mastermind groups will grow in popularity and there will be a shift in the ‘numbers’ game, with people preferring smaller networks of like-minded people to getting as many people together as possible.

We will also see more engagement in networking by individuals and large organisations. Women’s groups have led the field in both areas, striving to even out inequalities in business and in the workplace by encouraging women to work together and support each others’ development. Their successes will encourage others to explore the benefits that networking can bring and evidence of someone’s networking activity may soon take pride of place on CVs as people look for their next career move.

Times may have changed over the last decade but there are still many changes to come. Networking has grown in respectability and popularity over that time, the next step is for an increased understanding of the ‘right’ way to network. A move from quantity to quality and from activity-driven to goal-driven networking is the next natural step.

We’re heading in the right direction but there’s still a long way to go.


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



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CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: Ten Years Later

REACHING FOR STARPOWER: List Your Business Goals To Activate Success

Reaching For Starpower with Barbara Marynowski

When considering what we want to accomplish professionally, especially in the realm of celebrity endorsements and associations, we often brainstorm or daydream, but how often do we write these ideas down and take them from mere thoughts to actions?

Making a list is one thing, but taking action to make those items become reality is quite another, as I'm sure we can all agree. However, have you ever considered the importance of this first step; the impact the action of making a list actually has? You are literally choosing to take your idea from an invisible thought to physical form as words on a page – seemingly simple, but important nonetheless. We have begun to explore this concept in previous articles (for review, please visit the archives).

The first thing I'd like to highlight is that your list is a living thing - it is going to change and grow as you and your business change and grow. Something that you wanted to accomplish last month may no longer work for you today (or maybe you already checked it off!) and you've had a full month to think about new things that you'd like to accomplish. Remember - you are not limited and since it's YOUR list, it's okay to change it as YOU see fit. Make it better, make it more intricate, make it something that makes YOU happy.

Sometimes having a list can be overwhelming, though. Where do you start? Which item should go first? Is one more important to you than the rest? There is no right or wrong answer to those questions - the most important action is that you are actually taking a step.

My suggestion is to pick one thing and focus on it. When we try to multi-task it's often more work and frustration in the long run than if we just focus on one thing at a time. When we have one thing that we can devote our attention to, we are less likely to be distracted or have our thoughts and actions diluted by trying to do too much at once. This is also an idea you can try in other areas of your life - personally, at home, in your relationships, etc.

As you go, take notice of how you focus on one goal at a time. What steps work best for you to accomplish what you want? What do you like? What can you improve on? What will make it easier to reach your next goal? Everyone's answers will be different since we all have a unique way of how we work best and what works best for our business.

I'm looking forward to hearing your success stories.

Best wishes,

Barbara H. Marynowski

Barbara H. Marynowski is the owner of Limitless Empowerment and an active member of Juko Kai International, studying at White Crane Michigan. She is also a columnist for the Michigan Women's Forum. Contact her directly at barbmarynowski (at) aol.com

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

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

You are also invited to click our buttons:




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REACHING FOR STARPOWER: List Your Business Goals To Activate Success