How to Determine Who Should Be in Your Network

A few weeks ago, I met a man at a Business EXPO and he decided to share his way of keeping track of people he meets. I always love hearing how other people approach networking and meeting new people. He proceeded to tell me his system which required a jacket with outside pockets. He said if he met someone that he thought he was going to do business with, he put their business card in his left pocket. If he met someone that he wasn't interested in, he would put them in his right pocket.

I thought at least he's trying to put a plan together to follow up with people right away. He then told me when he got back to his office he took out the cards in his left pocket to call and set up appointments. Unfortunately, he didn't stop there but told me the cards in his right pocket got thrown away! I looked at him and asked, "so which pocket did you put my card in?" He gave me a crooked little smile and didn't say a word.

I was telling a few friends of mine this story earlier this week and they asked, "Why didn't you ask for all the cards in his right pocket?" Obviously he was going to throw them away anyway. I guess I could have but I honestly don't want to just add names to my database unless I made a connection with them personally or they contacted me.

Then I read someone elses blog this week that was a networking guru and he made a new rule this year for all of his social networks and that was if he didn't personally meet them or at least talk to them on the phone, he was deleting them from his contact list! He said he went from 600 connections to 140. Now some people might think that was pretty smart to only work with people that want to work with you. I happen to disagree. What if he deleted someone that could have been his most valuable contact?

Here's my opinion on who to put into your network. Whether you meet them face-to-face, by phone or online, embrace all of them! You should have a "Welcome" sign in front of you at all times. Of course, not everyone will do business with you and that's OK. Building a strong and healthy network of people is so much more than business. You really can't judge a person or predict what will happen.

My advice is to stay open to all connections you make because you'll never know who you might be talking with or who they might know. To make it easier, think about the people you want to meet. Are they someone you respect, admire or believe in? You can actually attract the right people, at the right time, for whatever you need or want.

If people want to get to know you better, let them. Bring them into your circle and introduce them to others. Everyone relies on referrals to grow their business and you can help them by including them in your network.

To Your Networking Success,

Darlene Willman

The Sassy Networker

When You Promote Others, You Actually Promote Yourself!

Most people focus so much on themselves that they neglect the true meaning and philosophy of networking. Chances are they hardly receive any referrals and wonder why they aren't having any real success from all the networking they do. I hear it all the time that it takes too long to get any business or it costs too much or no one has any connections for them. The truth is they are totally naive and have no idea why this is happening to them.

In my experience, the people that spend time sending business to others are also the same people that promote one another. They go out of their way to tell people they know all about the other person. These free marketing agents turn out to be highly successful themselves and reap the rewards by receiving tons of referrals.

There are a variety of reasons why this happens especially if you believe the more you give, the more you receive. Just ask my friend Bob Burg, co-author of "The Go-Giver" who shares my own personal cardinal rule, "Always Give Without Expectation".

Another reason (that's not so obvious) is by promoting others, you are ultimately being seen and occassionally being asked about your business. It always feels better to put the spotlight on someone you would recommend or endorse.

I challenge you to give this a try and put it into action this week. Find 3 people you do business with currently and promote them to a few of your friends. Even if you currently don't do any business together but believe in them and want to see them successful, see what happens. You might just be pleasantly surprised!

Since I have such a HUGE network of incredible people, my goal is to share 10 personal friends I would like to recommend. Keep in mind, this is just a few of them (in no particular order) and I will continue to introduce you to more amazing people in the weekly publication of The Networking Focus.

• Lori Feldman, The Database Diva
• Tessa Greenspan, Xango
• Gina Keeven, Choices Catering & Brokerage
• Nancy Schneider, Ronan Signs
• Joe High, 4th Quarter Financial
• Sheridan Hermann, Salon Kashmir
• Karen Hoffman, The Idea Coach
• Katrina Sawa, JumpStart Your Biz Coach
• Bob Sommers, Recognized Expert
• Mike Tobin, BNI

If you would like to be connected to any of them, please let me know. I'm sure they would love to hear from you!

To Your Networking Success,

Darlene Willman

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Spend Time Social Networking Online

Whether you network in person or online, it's an investment of your time, money and resources. Since the internet is a HUGE network of people, it's important to spend your time wisely.

Here are 5 reasons why you should invest your time in social networking:

1. If you are promoting a product or service, you need to be visable so people can find you when they need you. Meeting once or twice doesn't always work but if you are online and connected, you can be found easily.
   
2. Establishing your credibility and positioning yourself as an expert in your field will open many doors. Whenever possible, educate your audience and participate in discussions. Let's face it, people want to know who they are doing business with and you'll be surprised how often they "Google" you. It's up to you to provide the right information about yourself online. Don't leave it to chance and hope there are good things being said about you...make it happen. Take a few minutes today and "Google" yourself!
   
3. Keep up with what other people are doing and do your best to support them. If you learn about something that is interesting or valuable, share it with your own network! The more you can provide resources to other people, the more they will turn to you for up-to-date reports on what's happening.
   
4. Drive traffic to your website, blog or profiles. Always include a link with a posting or entry whenever possible. The top 4 websites I'd recommend you become active in to grow your business are...LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and Twitter because all of them offer a link to your website for your friends or fans to learn more about you and what you offer.
   
5. Build your network of contacts and prospects. You can also expand your market beyond your backyard and tap into new markets. When your local market isn't buying, you can turn to other parts of the country that not only want what you have but need it.

There are tons of other reasons why you need to be online and doing some social networking. It's never too late to start and always worth the investment of your time.

To YOUR Social Networking Success,

Darlene Willman

P.S. If we're not connected yet, please visit my bio page and join one of my social networks!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -- Dr. Seuss

Today, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss' birthday. To honor this man who has entertained and educated my children along with much of the population, I decided to blog about his final book he published before he passed away.

This book is a good metaphor for the ups and downs of life and the many different adventures one will go on. Dr. Suess had a way of teaching life lessons to everyone who reads them, whether a child or an adult.

As we grow our business, we go to many places. From Chamber of Commerce lunches and networking events to conferences both near and far. You'll meet lots of people that can help you get to where you want to go. Develop your network at all the Places You'll Go!

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too. Read more

Take a moment and remember Dr. Seuss or better yet, read one of his books to your own family!

Darlene Willman

"The Sassy Networker"