Tell Your Own Ghost Stories!

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite days of the year. The day when all spirits held within us come alive and manifest themselves in odd, strange, and sometimes very creative costumes. It's also a time when creative minds stretch the boundaries of the ordinary pumpkin and bring it to life. Halloween also brings with it the ghost stories that send chills down your spine and triggers your imagination to make you look over your shoulder, not once, but twice! What I like most about Halloween is the creativity!

How creative are you when it comes to helping your referral sources understand your target market? Are you walking around with a plain brown bag over your head? If you are, you can't see out very well and your referral partners can't see in. They are clueless as to how to refer you most effectively. If you want your business to reflect more than just a plain brown bag, express your creativity. Tell your own ghost stories! You know ... the horror stories that your clients were experiencing before you came to their rescue. Be sure to include all the gory details ... all the pain and suffering ... and of course, the happy ending.

Sharing these kinds of stories with your referral partners will help them understand how you can help other people. Stories make it real. Stories make it memorable. Stories lead to more referrals!

What's your best "ghost" story?

Mental Pictures

"The soul never thinks without a mental picture." - Aristotle

I like this quote. It reminds me that if I want to educate people on how to bring me referrals, I must become a mental artist. It's my job to paint those mental images that accurately describe my target market. It's my job to paint the background as well as the details.

Mental pictures have a way of staying with us through our busy day. Mental pictures make is easier for your referral sources to bring you the right kind of referral. When you consider all the time you waste with referrals that are not good for you, great mental pictures can save you lots of time!

In this simple example, which statements paint a better picture for you as a referral source?
1) "I want to meet anyone with a face."
2) "I want to meet women over 40 that are beginning to get "smile" wrinkles."

1) "I want to meet everyone that wants to buy a new car."
2) "I want to meet the owners of cars with a mileage of over 90,000 miles."

If you answered #2 for both, you are correct! Creating more of a mental image triggers your brain and your soul to think.

What does the mental picture of your target market look like?

Four Letter Words!

Cold call. Look at it ... it's two four letter words! Does that tell you something? I prefer to grow my business entirely by referrals. In my opinion, it's a better way of doing business. It's a more natural and comfortable way of doing business. And, it's a more honest way of doing business.

Growing your business by referral builds in an element of integrity. Think about it ... who would refer you business if you weren't doing top notch work? Who would refer you business if they weren't themselves convinced that you would do a great job? When someone chooses to refer you, they choose to put their hard-earned reputation on the line for you. There is a lot of responsibility that's attached to that referral!

A referral business keeps you honest and at the top of your game. I know what it feels like to get a cold call. I'll do almost anything to avoid it! Why would I want people to purposefully avoid me when I can become more attractive to people by being referred to them by someone they know, like and trust? A referral business makes my life so much more enjoyable. It makes getting new business easy and FUN!

Why do you like getting referral business?

Connect the Dots!

Tonight I'm going to a networking function by PowerLink. PowerLink is a non-profit organization focused on helping women-owned businesses to advance. It accomplishes this goal by supporting the business with an advisory board for one year. I had the opportunity to serve on an advisory board for a short time. I found the experience to be incredibly rewarding and equally challenging at times. I truly hope to serve on another board in the future.

This event is sure to be attended by plenty of movers and shakers in Pittsburgh. My past instinct for an event like this would have been to get my business card in the hands of as many people as possible. Now, focussing on referral marketing, I'm about as far away from that tactic as possible. My purpose at this kind of event is no longer to sell myself, but instead, look for opportunities for my referral partners. My first goal this evening is to invite two people to Becky's upcoming Dream Book Seminar on November 13th. My second goal is to look for opportunities for Dave, Linda or Cathy.

If you really want to ensure that your time is well spent at a networking function, focus on someone else other than YOU. Set a goal for the event in order to have a purpose for being there!

What are some of your goals for networking events?

The Season of Small Talk

As the leaves continue to fall and the air is glittered with snowflakes, it reminds me that the season will soon be upon us. No, I'm not talking about the holiday season ... not yet anyway. It's the pre-holiday season ... the networking party season ... the season of small talk!

Think of all the parties that happen somewhere between the end of November and the First of January. You know ... the office parties (potentially yours and your partner's), the group parties, the parties for clients, the networking business parties, the social parties with friends, etc. etc. Every time you turn around, you're not only finding something else to wear but also finding something else to talk about with someone new.

A lot of people cringe when it comes to making small talk at business or social events. Perhaps those few moments of awkward dead silence have happened to you on occasion. A tip that I learned from my friend, Deanna Tucci Schmitt, who is quite the exceptional networker, is to always remember the acronym FORM ... which stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Move On. If you can remember this one simple acronym when at a party or business networking event, small talk will be a breeze. People generally like to talk about their family, they find it easy to talk about what they enjoy doing and tend to elaborate on what they do for a living. Don't forget to practice some exit lines as you really should move around a meet a few new people.

Small talk ... it can opens doors ... it can begin relationships ... and it could possibly lead to profitable business opportunities.

What tips do you have to offer someone to enhance their small talk abilities?

Truth or Delusion?

A new book has just entered onto the business networking book shelves! "Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" written by Dr. Ivan Misner and his co-authors Mike Macedonio and Mike Garrison is a new release and at the top of Amazon's business book list.

I am big fan of Dr. Ivan Misner. He is the founder of the largest referral organization in the world, Business Network International. I can always depend on the high quality of his material. His books never fail to educate, motivate and inspire me to be a more effective networker.

Truth or Delusion is no different. This small book packs a huge punch! It helps to clarify the true meaning of networking and referral marketing. It's an easy read ... I had a hard time putting it down. Every topic in the book has value.

I recommend that business owners, sales professionals and recent college graduates find the time to read this book. You will get a high return on your investment!

What other networking or business books have been powerful for you?

BNI Boiler System

I belong to BNI (Business Network International) in Western Pennsylvania www.bni-westernpa.com . My relationships in my BNI chapter (Circle of Excellence) provide me with nearly 98% of my business. No kidding! And all of this business is coming from word of mouth. It certainly didn't happen right away. I had to develop strong, key relationships to work the system. I needed to learn the system of effective word of mouth marketing. I took the Certified Networker course and soon found myself as the master trainer for the course in this area.

Last night, in a session of Certified Networker, we were discussing the different types of networking groups to consider. Ed Lackman from Guideline Printing, belongs to BNI and made an analogy for how Certified Networker can impact a BNI member's performance. He said something like this ...

"Picture BNI as a stove top. When you become a member, you turn on a burner. But as a new member, you're sitting on the burner next to the one you turned on. You might get a little warm from heat transfer, but not much. So, then you take MSP training and you move closer to the hot burner. But, you're still only getting radiant heat. If you start to take Advanced Training, you're sitting half way on the hot burner. You're starting to feel the impact of the heat because you're simmering. Certified Networker puts you dead center on the burner and it begins a rapid boil for your business."

The rapid boil is the state that really produces a high return on your networking investment in BNI. What actions and steps are you taking to get you and your business to reach a rapid boil?

Fortune Cookie Predictions

Yesterday, my fortune cookie read: “Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed.”

To me, this means if you are truly passionate about your work, you will succeed. In word of mouth marketing, passion is essential for your success. Do you find yourself gravitating towards passionate people? I do. Would you refer someone to your best client if that person has a "ho hum" attitude about what they do? I don't. And, I suspect you won't either.

It's simple. If you're passionate about what you do, that passion needs to come out in your word of mouth message. If you effectively express your passion, other people will be inspired to share your message. If you’re not passionate about what you do … the bottom line is, no one else will be either and your message will not go very far. In word of mouth marketing, that could be disasterous.

Are you passionate about your work? How do you express that passion in your word of mouth message?

By the way ... the lucky numbers were 15, 34, 22, 27, 19, and 7 ... GO FOR IT!

Your Comfort Zone is NOT Safe!

Animals, like humans have comfort zones. As the weather becomes colder, I've noticed the field mice trying to find their way into their warm comfort zone ... my house! My house, however, is not a safe place for mice. I have two cats who are not very kind to mice and an exterminator that visits every three months (www.fryepestmanagement.com). Between the two, the mice really don't have a chance to succeed.

Every day, I see people clinging to their comfort zone as if it were the safest place to be at the moment. At networking events, I see colleagues sticking together like a pack at one table. At my BNI meetings, I see people who stake a claim for a specific chair and never, ever move. I see the sole-proprietor business owner, who never ventures out of the home to meet new people. We humans definately have our comfort zones.

Staying within your comfort zone as a business owner is not a safe thing to do if your intention is to grow your business. I personally feel that it limits your visibility, minimizes your contacts, and potentially stifles the growth of your business.

Your comfort zone is not always safe! Take it from the mice.

How has going outside of your comfort zone benefited your business?

Plan ... or be LOST!

Do you have marketing goals? Do you have word of mouth marketing goals? Do you have a plan by which to accomplish these goals?

I know from my experience that planning in advance in critical to my success. I see it impact my life every day. For example, just the other day, some friends gathered to go through a corn maze ... at night, in the dark! As we entered the maze, the corn towered twice our height and was thick as thick could be. We could hear voices, but see absolutely no one and no other flashlights. Obviously, we needed a plan! Without a plan, I'm sure that we would still be somewhere ... LOST ... in that 6 acre plot of corn. Thankfully, our plan worked and we made it out in about 45 minutes. I wonder if Suzanne and her group ever made it out? I don't think they had a plan.

All of my goals keep me on track and help me to get the most out of my networking and word of mouth efforts. For example, I am currently in the process of developing a new referral partner for my business, Pinnacle Training Services, and developing my first additional trainer for Certified Networker in Western PA.

What are some of your word of mouth marketing goals?

Meeting the Neighbors!

For whatever reason, today was the day to meet the neighbors. Both of them!

I live in an area where the houses are far apart from one another and there really are no kids to bring people together. We've lived here for three months now. Up until today, I've waved to the them as we are both mowing our lawns or passing each other in our cars. That's actually pretty pitiful seeing as though I make networking my business. But, what can I say ... my introverted side takes over once in a while ... especially off the clock.

Anyway, Jim's his name and his wife Jane live across the street. Here he comes walking down my driveway to say hi as I'm planting my poppies and iris for the spring. He's a very nice older man who has lived on this street for 35 years. He told me the low down on the neighborhood in just 20 minutes. We talked about the local deer, the neighbors, their home in the mountains of PA, the winters they spend in Florida and oh yes, his past career (he's been retired since 1988). Jim used to own his own business making sheet metal. Bingo! I asked Jim if he knew Scalise Industries (another sheet metal company in the area). "Oh yeh, Mark Scalise! Nice guy!" I bet Jim didn't think I would know anyone who made sheet metal. I did some training for Scalise Industries a few years ago. Jim's going to see Mark next week and will tell him I said Hi.

This got me thinking about that six degrees of seperation. I wonder who else Jim knows? How about Amy (my other neighbor that I met today). I wonder who she knows? We had a brief conversation at the mailbox. Networking is a funny thing. It never fails, even for me, that when I turn my networking button off or slack off a bit by not making the first effort to say "hi" to the neighbors, what could I be missing? I'm sure glad that networking bug pinches me on occassion.

Have you ever not wanted to go to a networking event and then found it to be great? Have you made the effort to meet your neighbors?

Ciao for now. I'm off to prepare to go to a Corn Maze! If you like a challenge and you never heard of a corn maze, look it up online www.lonesomevalleyfarms.com http://www.lonesomevalleyfarms.com... you're in for real treat!

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

To be honest, I've never done anything like this before. I feel like I'm writing my thoughts in some kind of cosmic diary. Wow! This is going to be interesting! Especially to those who know how computer savy I am ... NOT!

Yesterday, my friend Debby Peters in Ohio was telling me all about this process of creating a blog. Debby operates Certified Networker of Ohio www.cnpofohio.blogspot.com and began a blog this year in order to expand her visibility and establish a greater web presence for Certified Networker. She has said that in doing so, she has also been establishing herself as the "networking guru", as she likes to be called. I certainly look to Debby for expert advice. She inspired me to create this blog (among other things) ... thank's Debby! Let's see where this ride will take me!

The main focus of my blog is to discuss and share primarily on the topics of networking, referral marketing, word of mouth marketing, and other relevant material that inspires people to do business with each other. Of course if something really cool or interesting comes to mind or pops into my day, that may find itself here as well. The bottom line is, I hope that you will learn something new, be reminded of something significant, or simply enjoy my perspective on business and life.

How about if we start with this?

Networking ... people connecting with other people to build relationships. Individuals all over the world participate in some form networking (business, personal, or social). It's a common human practice that crosses the boundaries of culture, race, religion, ethnicity, etc. The demoninator is the human need to connect to other people and form relationships.

If networking has such a global impact on the human race and international economy, why not celebrate it with a national day of recognition? In fact, February 6, 2007 will be the first celebrated International Networking Day. Did you know that? It is official! Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI or Business Network International (www.bni.com) has teamed up with colleagues around the world to make this happen. So keep your ears to the ground and eyes to the sky for more information coming your way about International Networking Day.

Do you have a great story to share about networking in other countries or cultures?

Ciao.