Referral Marketing: Stretching!

Webster says this about the word "stretch":

"Stretch: To draw out to the full or fuller length, breadth, or extent".

For the past few months, I've been dealing with an index finger on my left hand being numb all the time. It was beginning to get rediculous and it was also beginning to travel up my arm. Now, some might be thinking "heart attack"!!! Yikes! No ... it wasn't a heart attack, thank goodness. However, it turned out to be stress related.

I decided to go to a physical therapist to see what she might suspect. After a battery of tests that focused on range of motion (mostly) she determined that my neck and shoulders on that left side were very tight ... I mean really tight! She suspected it was contributing to the numbness. She decided to give me a series of stretching exercises that were isolated for the neck and shoulder area. Low and behold ... after just a week or two ... no more numbness!!! Gone!!

As it turns out, stretching is really good for you ... in many aspects of your life. For now, let's stick to referral marketing. Most people network with people just like themselves. It's true ... the average fitness instructor networks mostly with other people in the same kind of industry ... like nutritionist, chiropractor, physical therapist, etc. Why? Because it's comfortable! Stretching outside your comfort zone is very beneficial when it comes to networking! Networking with people who are not like you can open up a world of connections that you might never have considered before.

Moral of the story ... get rid of the numbness in your business and stretch to meet people who are different from you!

Referral Marketing: The 29% Solution is OUT!

I can't believe it! The two year project of creating The 29% Solution has finally ended with a real bonafide book! And I mean a fantastic book!!

This past Friday, my co-author, Dr. Ivan Misner and I kicked off the book at the 2008 BNI National Conference. With nearly 600 people in attendance, Ivan and I presented material from the book for the first time. The "Donny & Marie" show ... as some expressed, was a huge hit! We knocked 'em dead ... well not literally of course ... but we did help them to see why this book was created. Here we are signing autographs at the conference!

The 29% Solution addresses the fact that not everyone is connected by six degrees ... as we have been led to believe. In fact ... at best ... only 29% of the population can accurately state this claim! The rest of us have work to do! That's why I wrote the book. It's a game plan ... 52 weekly strategies for how to work yourself into that 29% or how to secure your footing if you're there. The book will hit the bookstores in September. For now, if you want to purchase an advanced copy, you have to contact me directly.

This book will permanently change the way to network your business!

Referral Marketing: Geckos in Florida!

I have just returned from Orlando! I was there at the BNI National Convention ... co-presenting with Dr. Ivan Misner (founder of BNI) on material from our new book, The 29% Solution! [More on our book later this week!]

I'm sure you know what it's like when you're at a conference, right?! You typically don't get to see much of the city beyond the hotel and the airport ... oh, and the highway connecting the two. Well ... this conference was no exception (however, I did find an evening to spend at Epcot with a dear friend) ... how could I not!

Anyway ... one night over dinner, one of my colleagues told us the story of how a gecko had fallen off the ceiling of a covered walkway and hit his daughter on the shoulder!!! YIKES!! Now I really don't mind geckos ... I love nature ... but I certainly don't want them falling from the sky on me unexpectedly! I can only imagine her reaction being something similar to if you're walking in the woods and step on a snake (that moves under your feet!). That gives me the hibby jibbies just thinking of it!

So what actually would freak you out more, the gecko itself or the fact that it fell off the ceiling and hit you on the shoulder?! For me ... it's the falling part ... mostly because I would totally not be expecting that to happen!

Some people get very freaked out at surprises. Networking can be full of surprises!! How many times do you walk into a room and see people and you can't remember their name? What happens if you stand up to do your introduction and you forget the name of your company? Or worse yet ... your OWN name because you're so nervous? What if you're the lunchtime speaker and your USB stick with your PowerPoint presentation somehow didn't make it into your briefcase that morning?

I've learned over the years that life will always get in the way and Murphy will always win! So ... you've simply got to expect the unexpected! That way ... if you can minimize your surprises, you can relax a bit. When you're relaxed while networking (instead of looking for falling geckos) you will enhance your approachability! And when you do that ... you can actually have FUN!

Referral Marketing: Listen Between the Lines

Do you ever find yourself listening to someone speak and hear yourself saying something like, "that's not what she really wants to say" or "I can tell she doesn't mean what she's saying!"?

Sometimes, people are saying one thing with their mouth and a totally different thing with their body and actions. Have you ever had this happen with a referral partner? Are any of your referral partners saying one thing and doing another? Are they telling you how much they WANT to be your referral partner, yet not making the commitment to you? Are they telling you how much they WANT to be your referral partner, yet cancelling meetings with you?

If so, listen between the lines! What are they really saying to you? Are they afraid to tell you that they don't have time to dedicate to you? Are they afraid to tell you no?

If you're like me, you don't have time to waste with people who aren't committed to you. When you step back a bit and listen between the lines, what is really being said? Once you hear the real message, you can then make a much more informed decision about the relationship.