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

MASTERING THE MEMBERSHIP MAZE: Why Did You Join the Chamber?

Mastering the Membership Maze with Glen Gould

Why did you join the chamber? Have you stopped to ask yourself this question?

Usually members join the chamber with no clear-cut plan. Our study shows that members join for one of three reasons: Respect, Recognition, or Return on Investment. Unfortunately, members rarely know which of these they are seeking. In their minds, members usually join because they "ought to". They ought to support the community. They ought to because it will grow their business. They ought to because everyone does. And while "I ought to" is a reason, it will rarely lead to a benefit for the member beyond the momentary good feeling one gets when doing something they "ought to".

But there is good news. If you are one of the hundreds of chamber members in the typical chamber who still isn't sure why he or she joined, you can begin today to get a huge benefit from your membership. And if you are one of the few who knows exactly why he or she joined, you can get greater benefits too. All you need to do is to tap into the collective knowledge base of the chamber membership.

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One of the more valuable benefits of being a member of your chamber of commerce is being able to interact with like-minded business people and to learn best practices and cutting edge ideas to build your business. Chances are there isn't a problem, challenge, or opportunity you face in your business today that hasn't been addressed by someone in the chamber before. All you need to do is to tap into the collective knowledge base and find the answer. It seems easy, and it is.

At chamber events you have access to the best and brightest minds in business. By connecting with others you can help them, help yourself, and help your community. All you have to do is become engaged. Just attending meetings and meeting people will expose you to many new ideas that will help your business. While this process works, there is a better way.

Many chambers have formal idea exchanges. Whether panel discussions, interviews with successful business leaders, CEO Roundtables, or Business-to-Business Connection programs, there is an avenue for you to meet people that you can help and that can help you. If your chamber doesn't have a forum that regularly puts members together to discuss ideas, I have great news for you!

You can be the solution to the problem by volunteering to lead a group.

If you are a regular reader of this column or my blog (www.glengould.net) you know that the biggest benefit you can receive is through service to others. Helping your chamber develop a CEO Roundtable or Business-to-Business exchange will deliver amazing results. Imagine a group of business leaders who meet monthly in a non-threatening atmosphere to discuss challenges and solutions to problems they face. Whether it's hiring employees, sales training, or work-life balance, you can create a program for business leaders to come together and solve problems. It is a powerful tool that every business owner needs.

Or you could develop a business-to-business program to facilitate the exchange of leads and referrals for salespeople of member companies. Start out meeting once a month in an open format and then create closed groups of non-competing industry people to meet more often and build tighter relationships.

Often the best way to solve your problem is to bring others together who share a similar challenge to solve it together. Try building CEO Roundtables and Business-to-Business groups at your chamber and watch your business grow!

Glen Gould

glen@inspirationagents.com

770-435-0781

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BREAKTHROUGH NETWORKING: The Networking Chain

Breakthrough Networking with Lillian D. Bjorseth

To accumulate important relationship wealth, you need to use the right tools … in this case stellar networking and communication skills. Let’s examine what networking is and why it is an absolute must in your relationship-building tool chest.

Networking is an active, dynamic process that links people into mutually beneficial relationships to build a new kind of wealth: social (relationship) capital.

• Active - You cannot sit back and wait to be contacted or approached. You have to make it happen! The knight or princess on the white horse will not drive up to your door with referrals or job offers. You have to take the initiative to participate and meet others.
• Dynamic - People, events and information are constantly changing. No two interchanges are the same. You have to keep up with your industry, your business, your company, your community, your friends and, most of all, you have to hone your techniques continually so you can apply them universally.
• A process - Networking is a series of hierarchical actions and interactions that leads to an end: a result, a solution, a relationship, an answer, a sale, a job.
• Links - The process connects, bonds and couples people with one another. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link so is your network only as strong as your weakest link.

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Your Networking Chain

Your chain is comprised of different size links as well as broken links. Take a few minutes now and decide whose names go where in your chain. How much work does your chain needs to make it strong again?

• Big, thick links = people who are strong connections and you can always count on.

• Medium links = people with whom you have more casual relationships and can usually count on.

• Small links = people you may or may not be able to count on. You need to work on strengthening the relationship.

• Broken links = relationships have gone awry because you haven’t bothered to stay in touch. These are vital links you need to repair to make your chain as strong as it can be.

• Mutually beneficial relationships - Networking is as much about giving as it is about getting. You and people you connect with and connect to others need to mutually profit from the interactions to make it work. Just as you can’t take money from your savings account until you deposit it, you can’t take from the universe until you have helped others. And you don’t need to keep track because the natural law of reciprocity makes sure you will get when you give.

• Social (relationship) capital – This kind of wealth is what helps you amass financial capital. Who you know is more important up front than what you know. Advanced degrees and experience won’t open doors for you. It’s people who do that … people I call your network of “knob turners.”

Lillian D. Bjorseth, internationally known speaker, trainer, coach and author of the new third edition of Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationships That Last. http://www.duoforce.com/; http://www.greaterchicagonetworking.com/, lillianspeaks@duoforce.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/

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BREAKTHROUGH NETWORKING: The Networking Chain