Many thanks to Charles Montgomery at Northwest eSource for taking time to set up this business blog website. Make sure to add us on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter, and subscribe to our email updates to get the articles as they are published. Our many guest authors continue to provide us insight on how to be more powerful networkers.

Everyone has personality quirks. How we behave when well rested and relaxed is often quite different from when we are tired or stressed. Beneath the variations, we have our fundamental personality. Some personalities are beneficial, even when they are annoying. Some personalities are better avoided. Here are four personalities I’ve labeled Nags, Neds, Nits, and Nuts.

NAGS
Contrary to popular fiction, this personality occurs in both genders. They repeat, repeat, and repeat the same information or direction. Since it’s impossible to find their “off” button, an effective strategy is to discover which communication style works best for them. Everyone uses sight, sound or touch to communicate. We each prefer one above the others. If your Nag prefers sight, a large erasable board to log their directions will often satisfy their need to know the message is received. If your Nag prefers sound, a return phone call to repeat back the directions could suffice. If your Nag prefers touch, ask them write to the message on your erasable board or on your priority list for the week. Once they know their message is heard, Nags are usually content to leave you in peace; at least until the next set of directions.

NEDS
Neds, also known as Negative Ned, never see the glass as half full. To them the glass is always broken and water is dripping on the floor. This personality kills all energy and enthusiasm out of their environment. They find fault with every suggestion, every innovation, and often with individuals as well. The only way to cope successfully with Neds is to keep them away. One Ned on the team drags everyone down. It is not your role, nor in your best interest to try and “cheer up” a Ned. Help them out the door!

“The only true disability in life is a bad attitude.” Scott Hamilton

NITS
Nits, also known as nitpickers, can be a gift. Nits’ role is to point out the details that separate the good from the best. Nits find the typo on page 372 of a 600-page manuscript and tell you about it. Nits remind us about due dates, in advance, so we can be successful. I appreciate the Nits in my life, even though I get frustrated when they find a detail I missed. If you are a Nit, be selective about which nits to pick. It’s more valuable to connect, rather than to correct, people.

NUTS
Humans are like a can of mixed nuts; some are enjoyable, some tolerable, and some need to be tossed. Unlike the can, human Nuts cannot be identified by appearance alone. It takes time to get to know the real person behind their persona.

There are Scary Nuts with little or no self-control of their behavior. There are Odd Nuts who have a zeal for a collection, an era, or an event. They love to share their passion with others. Best of all are Delightful Nuts who view life as a comedy and invite you to laugh with them.

Based on observation, Scary Nuts tend to have few friends. Odd Nuts tend to belong to groups involved in their fields of interest. Delightful Nuts will invite other Delightful Nuts to join their circle when they discover each other.

Odd Nuts and Delightful Nuts add tremendous joy to the workplace and to our personal lives. Scary Nuts are best avoided.

Be Aware
Personalities on the team have a huge impact on the success of any venture. It’s easier to be aware of the personalities prior to adding them to your team. There are tools and experts who can help you hire for personality as well as for competency. It’s worth the money to use their help. If you have Neds or Scary Nuts on your existing team, start the process now to help them find a new place to work. When those personalities get “hired away” it’s a happy parting.

© 2010 Straight Edge News All Rights Reserved.

Abigail Dougherty
Straight Edge Solutions
503-297-5798
Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

Thanks, Abigail!

Excellent and Plentiful Company

The latest Census Bureau statistics reported 20M businesses in America have one employee – the owner. An additional 6M businesses have fewer than 10 employees, counting the owner. To put those numbers into perspective: 26M businesses are more than the combined population of the 10 largest cities in the USA.*
 
For these small businesses, the good news is they have the ultimate flexibility to change and adapt to their clients’ needs and competition. The flip side is they are probably managing their business in isolation.
 
Reasons for Community
 
Share Knowledge
There is no reason to repeat the same mistakes another new business made. Other owners, even in different kinds of businesses, have a wealth of experience that will balance both scare tactics and rosy promises of an advertising salesperson, as an example.
 
Realistic Benchmarks for Success
Business owners tend to be optimists; it’s a prerequisite for daring to control our own destiny. Sometimes having advisors to push us when we are being too conservative, as well as to add a voice of sanity when we are about to bankrupt ourselves with a poorly analyzed action, can make all the difference to the success of our business.
 
Realistic Analysis of Errors
We are often our own worst critics! Sometimes it’s difficult to have a clear postmortem of what happened, why, and how to avoid a repeat in the future. It’s even more difficult when we are standing amid the fallout to see the next step to salvage our business.
 
Safety Net
People with close ties to a network of friends and family live longer, are happier, and enjoy better health than people who are isolated. Many business owners cannot discuss their challenges with the family without causing alarm. It’s not sensible to discuss your challenges with a competitor or your own clients. Who can you talk to?
 
Develop Your Community
 
Network
I wish network training was mandatory at age 13, with a refresher course each decade afterward. It would make school, the work world, and our communities much easier to navigate. Collecting business cards is not networking. Making and maintaining a true heart-to-heart connection is networking at its best. Research the commercial networking organizations in your community. The newspaper, craigslist, and Meetup all list these resources. It takes time to become known and for people to feel comfortable about referring you. Give any group you join at least six months before you decide you need to move on.
 
Mastermind
Masterminds are a small group of people, usually with non-competitive businesses, that get together on a regular basis to support each other’s growth by challenging the members to stretch into new goals and holding each other accountable for meeting their commitments. Commercial masterminds are usually more successful than voluntary ones, as they have enough structure and financial cost to encourage commitment. Ideally, find and negotiate to join a mastermind of the most successful people you can locate. Mastermind members are often scattered across the country and rely on the phone for some meetings, as well as weekend working retreats in various locations throughout the year.
 
Coach
Coaches are like a personalized Mastermind. They keep you accountable, will stretch you into new goals, and provide third party insights you might not have considered. People can work with different coaches, for different purposes, simultaneously. It’s also possible to work for several years with the same coach. As long as they are helping you grow personally and/or professionally, they are worth the investment.
 
Conference/Seminars
This is an expensive and often inconvenient way to build a network of like-minded people. Once the event is over, a rare individual follows up with the people they met at the conference. It’s difficult to absorb all the content provided and remember to make connections during the breaks or before and after the sessions. I encourage everyone to still network at these events, though it’s usually the hardest way to develop your network.
 
Your Decision
Regardless of how you build your community, it’s important to remember that other people and their opinions have no power in defining your destiny. We can listen to their ideas, but at the end of the day, it’s our business and we make the final decisions.                                                                     

© 2009 Straight Edge News          All Rights Reserved.

Contributed by Abigail Dougherty

Straight Edge Solutions

www.straightedgesolutions.com

 

I had the opportunity to read the following article, written by Taylor Ellwood, owner of Imagine Your Reality.  I wanted to share it with all of you; Taylor provides some excellent information which can help you with your business and/or sales.  Thanks Taylor!

Today I’d like to share with you five tips for improving your attitude about business. With this economy its easy to lose heart and to develop a negative attitude. When you’re worried about getting clients in the door or are only seeing returning clients visit, instead of new ones, it can be frustrating, and that can lead to a negative attitude. Once we have a negative attitude, it becomes easier and easier to lose perspective.

1. Talk with other business owners or someone else to get some perspective. I finding talking with other people about my situation can really be helpful, especially if what I hear is that I’m not alone. The added bonus however is that sometimes that other person can provide an objective perspective about what you are doing or aren’t doing and give you some ideas to work with.

2. Do something fun. All work and no play makes any person dull. Many business owners (and I’m guilty of this myself) spend 7 days a week chained to their business. It’s true that as a business owner, you’ve got to put some time in, but give yourself a break sometimes as well. Take a holiday for yourself. The break will give you some perspective and renew you.

3. Be realistic. I’m not talking about being negative here, but instead I’m suggesting that you sit down and assess your overall business plan and strategy. Figure out what you are doing well, and look for areas to improve on. And remember that even in the best of times, there’s always an area of your business to improve on. Being realistic can help you get out of a negative rut, because it shows you what you are doing well, as well as where you can improve.

4. Collaborate. Sometimes working with other people on a class or presentation can really improve your attitude. It’s nice to have company, and it’s fun to work together on projects. It can give you a real boost to your attitude.

5. Go out and network. When we start to have a negative attitude, we tend to isolate ourselves. At that time, more than ever, it’s time to get out and talk to other people. Find out what they need, and also tell them what you need. Start thinking of who you can refer people to. You’ll be surprised at how good it makes you feel.

Contributed by Taylor Ellwood, Business Coach and owner of Imagine Your Reality www.imagineyourreality.com

Copyright (C) 2009 Imagine Your Reality All rights reserved.

People, who are building their business through networking, can be some of the most successful professionals, and also some of the most active.  Because of this, I asked Abigial to contribute the following article so we can all gain some benefit. Enjoy.  Thanks, Abigail!

When someone else is managing a project or outcome they will remind you of what is due and when. When it’s your own business, especially if you are a sole proprietor or only have a few employees, it is often extremely difficult to stay focused on the priorities or to feel like you are making progress toward your goals.
 
Tyranny of the Urgent
If you’ve read the Steven R. Covey book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, you already understand the difference between important and urgent tasks. If you haven’t read this book, it’s worth making the time to at least understand the four quadrants and where you are spending most of your time.
 
Taking Action
In addition to understanding the difference between urgent and important, it’s crucial that you understand the difference between an action and a project. What we think is one action might actually be a series of actions required for a result. My own experience and my clients have taught me that business owners often label a result as an action.
 
“Update your website” is a result I often see on my client’s list. It’s usually been on their “To Do” list for months, because they haven’t taken the time to break it down into bite-sized actions. Without breaking it down, they cannot figure out what action is needed, so none is taken.
 
Example
Let’s talk about the steps involved to get to the desired outcome of an updated website. This list is neither comprehensive, nor in priority order. It’s merely an example to clarify the difference between the desired result and the many actions it takes to achieve that result:

• Establish a budget for updating website
• Get recommendations for a web designer
• Hire a web designer
• Establish priorities for the site update
• Call photographer for new photo
• Schedule haircut prior to photo
• Select photo
• Hire a writer to update content
• Hire marketing expert to consult on new brand/content/logo
• Book meetings with designer to review updates
• Proof updates
• Schedule soft launch of new site
• Marketing blitz for major launch of new site

The important point is that most of these steps are easy to do. If necessary, assign them to your assistant for completion.
 
Prioritize Daily
When there is a fabulous vacation coming up, or a crisis, most of us easily prioritize what must be done and what can sit or be delegated. Developing that skill on a daily basis dramatically increases results and reduces stress. Many years ago I discovered that I need to write things down.
 
All that writing meant I spent years with a “To Do” list with 20 to 40 things on it, every day. The pressure of undone tasks was exhausting. Recently, I learned a new discipline – prioritize three daily. I still keep a list in my notebook of all the things that need to be done for my businesses, my health, my home, and my family. The night before, I review the list, and select the three next actions that will have the biggest impact. I write those down and make them a priority for the next day. I might get them all done by noon; sometimes it will take the entire day to get them done. At the end of the day, I know I am moving forward on my highest goals. Occasionally, when I’ve been able to complete the three priorities for the day early, I will take on the next two or three highest priorities in the same day. Some days, once I’ve accomplished the highest priorities, I give myself permission to take the rest of the day “off.”

 © 2009 Straight Edge News          All Rights Reserved.

Contributed by:

Abigail Dougherty
Straight Edge Solutions 503-297-5798

Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

Networking is a skill, like any others, which means that it needs to be practiced on a regular basis. But what is networking? Is it really just the stereotypical meeting with people exchanging business cards and pithily offering their latest elevator speeches, or is there more to networking?

I would suggest that there’s a lot more to networking than just attending networking meetings and that many networkers miss out on lots of opportunities, because what they are actually doing is less of networking and more of socializing. Socializing is part of networking, but networking extends deeper than that. The purpose of networking is to create connections between different people with different needs. It’s not just a social event, but rather a way to create community.

The problem with many networking groups is that there is a tendency to focus on the superficial aspects of small talk and handing out business cards. The focus tends to be more on what each person does, and much less on finding out what other people need. In fact, when I ask people what they need at a networking event, they often are surprised at the question and initially struggle to answer it, because it asks them to be vulnerable and open with me, as opposed to relying on the traditional small talk that goes with most networking events. Small talk, however, avoids creating opportunities and ultimately makes networking less successful than it could or should be.

To make networking a success, at some point the networker needs to realize that networking is less about being social and more about solving problems by making connections between people and the situations those people are in, with other people qualified to solve the problems. We need to cut through the small talk and focus on actually developing real relationships with other people, which means asking questions that go beyond what do you or what’s your job? The following suggestions are made from my own experiences of trying to take my networking to a new level.

1. Ask what do you need? It’s a very direct question. I often notice that people will be surprised at this question and have to think for a moment or two, but will then respond with a lot of details about what they do need…and what they need won’t always be related to getting clients, but could still be just as important to their business or even personal situation.

2. Pay close attention to what they say or what they do. I once heard a networking partner say his back was sore. I asked him if he wanted a referral to an acupuncturist or chiropractor, and he was very grateful for the suggestions and followed up with them. Another time, a tattoo store owner had his store tattooed by a graffiti artist and said he needed security cameras. I put him in touch with someone who could meet his needs. Pay attention to what people say and do about their problems. It will help you make connections for them, especially if they are in a situation, which evokes an emotional response. Being able to see and make connections when they can’t, can really help them out.

3. Ask people to tell you about problems they solve. By learning what types of problems people solve, you can then think of those people when a similar problem arises and refer business to those people. Additionally the people who are experiencing the problem will be grateful for your quick response. Knowing the types of problems people solve also gives you better insight into what they actually do and helps them think about the clients they’ve worked with in the past.

4. Go out to lunch or have some people over for dinner. Networking isn’t about giving out business cards; it’s about creating relationships. Spend time getting to know people you network with outside of the usual networking meetings. Doing so will give you an opportunity to learn more about them, beyond just a job title or what they do. You’ll learn useful information, and also build a stronger relationship.

5. Follow-up on your promises. I always follow up later the very day I’ve met the person, with an email and a linkedin and (where applicable) Biznik invitation. Also if I know that I can help the person, I make connections happen both way, by passing the contact information to each person. I don’t give contact information to just one person, because if that person is busy or overwhelmed, he or she won’t think about contact the other person, even if that person could help him/her. By passing contact info to both people, I improve the chances that a connection will happen, and that problems will get solved.

Networking is more than chamber of commerce meetings or leads group meetings. Networking is a frame of mind, with a perspective that focuses on figuring out how to help different people you know solve problems they have. The business that you get will come about as a result of showing people that you know how to help them with their situations. They will feel taken care of, and will consequently take care of you. So move past the what do you do question, and ask what do you need…and start solving problems by making connections. When you do that, you’ll be a successful networker.

Contribued by Taylor Ellwood
http://www.imagineyourreality.com
http://www.imagineyourreality.com/blog
“I teach businesses how to automate their social media marketing presence and work on themselves.
Business and Social Media Coach

You may wonder what Tips for Outlook has to do with Networking Is Not Selling, but if you are trying to grow your business by networking, I’m sure you’ve found, like I have, that you need to stay organized. One of my favorite writers/speakers, Abigail Dougherty, has given us some useful tools to stay organized using Outlook.

 1.  Change Your View

Set up your Outlook page so you see your calendar before you see your email. That keeps you focused on the tasks that must be done for the day, before you risk being sidetracked with email messages.

 On Microsoft Outlook main page click on TOOLS, then OPTIONS. At the top of Options page you have choice tabs:  Preferences, Mail Set Up, Mail Format, Spelling, Security and Other. Click on OTHER.  Under General (the first choice) there are two buttons – select ADVANCED OPTIONS.

 Under “Startup in this folder”:  Browse for CALENDAR
Then OK yourself back to the main screen.

This will prompt the calendar to be the first thing you see when you turn on Outlook.

2.  Turn it OFF!

A. Turn off default meeting reminders – You can manually set this for only your critical appointments. This will save you a long list of reminders for appointments that are passed when you’ve been away from the office for a few hours.

On Microsoft Outlook main page click on TOOLS, then OPTIONS. At the top of Options page you have choice tabs: Preferences, Mail Set Up, Mail Format, Spelling, Security and Other. Select PREFERENCES, go down to Calendar (second choice) and remove the check mark from default reminders. 

B. Turn off all the incoming email notifications

On Microsoft Outlook main page click on TOOLS, then OPTIONS. At the top of Options page you have choice tabs: Preferences, Mail Set Up, Mail Format, Spelling, Security and Other. Select PREFERENCES, go down to email (first choice), click on EMAIL OPTIONS. This opens up Advanced E-mail Options.

The second section “When new items arrive in my Inbox” should ALL be UNCHECKED. You do not need a ding, a ghost, a changed cursor or an envelope to tell you email is there if you get in the habit of regularly checking your email only two or three times a day.

3.  Building Your Contact List
Use your signature block on all new messages.

On Microsoft Outlook main page click on TOOLS, then OPTIONS. At the top of Options page you have choice tabs:Preferences, Mail Set Up, Mail Format, Spelling, Security and Other.

Select MAIL FORMAT, go down to SIGNATURES (third choice) and select your email account(s) that need a formal signature block. Select signature blocks for both the original messages as well as responses to messages. Click on SIGNATURES to see and edit any signature block you currently have set up.

The key is to click on APPLY, rather than OK once you have made your updates/corrections.

 When someone pulls up your message they can easily create the contact page in Outlook to reconnect with you. They will simply drag your message into CONTACTS, which automatically opens a new contact. It’s a quick cut and paste to put the information in the right places in the contacts form.

4. Booking Appointments

Have you ever missed an appointment because critical information wasn’t on your PDA or calendar page?  It’s not even necessary to open the email to turn it into a calendar event.

Simply drag the email message onto the Calendar selection and a new appointment will open – with today’s date and the current time. You will need to edit the date and time to match the actual meeting time. It’s also an excellent time to copy-paste the location or bridge line information into with the subject or the location of the appointment. Now your PDA will show the necessary details. A copy of the email will stay attached to the appointment in your calendar. The original message is still in your in box, so you can file it appropriately.

These simple steps will make your life easier and allow a few more minutes to call that client or talk to that vendor you’ve been needing to meet.

© 2009 Straight Edge News          All Rights Reserved.

Contributed  by Abigail Dougherty

Straight Edge Solutions  

503-297-5798

Abigail@StraightEdgeSolutions.com

A wonderful woman I met at a meeting I spoke at (Sellwood B2B) on Effective Internet Marketing You Can Do Yourself for Free mentioned when we spoke again that she hadn’t been able to attend recently because she felt she had to choose between clients and a networking group, and what follows is what I wrote back to her hours later when the comment resurfaced in my mind – that she said she greatly appreciated.  Becky asked me to post it because it has some very good points about networking – and the one at the end has been one of my secrets to success for my business!

“You commented earlier about weighing priorities as in clients vs the network groups, and it just popped in my head again, but I think the two can and should be complimentary.  But I’m not selling you on networking groups – this is my intuition telling me to email you back and let you know: in networking we work together to bring each other more clients (we are each other’s part time sales force), to foster a better reputation, and to grow personally by surrounding ourselves with like-minded professionals.

I actually have a great group of professionals, a majority of them are quality women, that meet on Tuesdays at noon at Kennedy School McMenamin’s. I have no idea how far that is from you or what your Tuesdays look like, but I think you would be a stand out contributor and find great value in it.  I happened to invite another woman today that may also be a good fit, she’s in payroll which we need – but actually I see you as an ideal fit.

I gave a networking tip today to the group that was EXTREMELY well received and it has worked wonders for me – invite your prospects and clients to the meetings.  How does that serve them and you?  They are able to do business with people at the group, able to receive referrals from the group and they get to hear about you from some of your closest (networking) partners who may also be client’s themselves (as I would).  I personally make it a point to do business with people in my groups so I can give a testimonial as a client.

Just a few cents I hope make sense.”

——————————————

Charles Montgomery

Northwest eSource

(503) 922 – 1446

charles@nwesource.com

http://www.NWeSource.com

Build Your Business with Networking By Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach Being successful in business is less about having all the answers yourself than knowing where you can access expertise. Since you can’t know everyone, you often rely on your friends or trusted colleagues for referrals, which is where your professional network comes in handy. After all, a basic truth of business is that people do business with people they know, like and trust.  Happily, this model works both ways. The more people who know you or about you, the more business will come your way. Creating an extensive professional network is not nearly as time-consuming or intimidating as you might think, but it does take conscious effort. I call my network my “Team 100″ but of course, you can call yours whatever you like. I learned of the Team 100 concept from Thomas Leonard, who was the founder of CoachVille, and widely hailed as the father of the professional coaching industry. What Is A Team 100? A Team 100 is a group of one hundred people with whom you have a professional relationship, either as a colleague, vendor, or client, and who have expertise in various areas. The relationship is reciprocal, in that members of your team get as much value from the relationship as you expect to get. A Team 100 can fill several functions in building your business: It can help you develop a strong professional network, tap into expertise and knowledge, help you resolve problems or at least point toward someone who might help you, and of course, provide referrals to you.  You provide the same services to your contacts (your Team 100 members).  Setting Up the Meeting To get started, think about what type of expertise and contacts you wish you had, and then start making phone calls. When I started putting mine together, I set up a series of lunches with people I admired to meet and get to know them, share information, and so on. These meetings were NOT sales opportunities.  I explained to each person that I was developing my “dream network” for my Team 100 of professional contacts, and I wanted to get to know them to add them to my Team 100. (I had heard that most people are flattered and pleased to be invited, and so it was in my experience.) If you’re not up to cold calling people with whom you have no previous connection, you can leverage those networking relationships that you already have, such as approaching the membership of the networking groups to which you belong. Call a certain number of members (say one or two per week), and set up individual meetings for coffee with them. Explain that in order to refer business to him or her (which is the purpose of networking, right?), you need to know more about what that person does, and you would like to set up a time to find out. You may find that setting a time limit to these networking meetings will help allay any fears the other person might have about wasting time. I usually set mine for 30 minutes, because most people can spare that much time for a one-time meeting, and also because they know they’ll get to talk about their business. What To Talk About During the Meeting There are three questions you want to ask to gather the type of information you need to be able to refer business appropriately: 1. Who is your ideal client? Ask for both demographic and psychographic info here. If the person just says something general, gently press for more specifics, or ask for a description of the perfect client for his or her business. If this question doesn’t get much of a response, ask a hypothetical question, such as: If you could clone just one of your clients, who would it be, and why? What is it that makes this particular client so good for your business? 2. How will I recognize that client? Is there a situation, such as divorce, inheritance, or opening a new business that is present in your ideal clients’ lives? Or is there a certain phrase that your clients often use, such as being overwhelmed or needing help with something specific, that I should listen for? 3. What would you like me to tell any referrals about you when I give them your contact information? This could be anything, such as results, like you’ve never lost a case or your clients usually get a 100% return on their investment within 30 days; or about you personally, like you’re a classically trained pianist in addition to being a jazz composer, or that you come from a spiritual base. This is your opportunity to include some significant information about yourself or your practice that will resonate with your ideal client. How The Meeting Flows It has been my experience (although yours may be different) that these meetings generally follow a pattern. The first five to ten minutes are spent getting coffee and in general chit chat; the next 15-20 minutes are spent on the other person, and the last five minutes are spent on you. It is important that the other person get plenty of time to share, not only so that s/he sees that you are not trying to sell anything at this meeting, but so s/he feels understood and valued (VERY important in relationship building). This means you must be prepared to respond to the same questions quickly, concisely, and completely. Of course, since you already know the questions, you can come to the meeting prepared to do just that! The outcome is that the other person will (usually) have warm, kindly feelings toward you, and is flattered to be included in your professional network. If the opportunity arises, this person will likely refer business to you. Dealing With Temptation Of course, there is always the possibly that this person recognizes him- or herself in your ideal client description and will want to talk to you in more detail. Although it will be very tempting to extend this meeting and turn it to your advantage this way, DON’T do it. If the other person really is a prospect, you can set up another time to chat so that your meeting will have a different agenda than networking. If you don’t do this, you will be remembered as someone who “baited and switched” that person into a meeting. Bad karma, I’m telling you! Ending The Meeting Part of maintaining your professional network is staying in touch, which you can do through notes, calls, invitations and such, but the easiest way is probably through your newsletter. But how can you offer to do that without sounding like you’re selling something (which is not how you want to end this meeting)? After The Meeting Following a networking meeting, I send a note of thanks, add that person to my mailing list, and then make a point of personally touching base every quarter or even every six months, depending on my schedule. Result: Another resource for my professional network (I LOVE to refer people!), plus another person who knows, likes and trusts me, and equally important, another person in my network who is now in the position to refer business (my ideal clients!) to me. This article was written by Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach. Ronnie’s web site is a comprehensive marketing resource for small office/home office business professionals. For free marketing resources including articles and valuable marketing tools, visit her web site at http://www.veronikanoize.com/, or email her at Ronnie@VeronikaNoize.com.

I’ve been in the “networking” business for several years. Most people are surprised to learn that I am shy…terrified of  networking events where I know no one….that I am in no way, shape or form a Networking Natural!  (I’ve learned out of necessity.) However, I am a keen observer, and I love to study people!

I’ve noticed that those who are most successful do the following:

• Have fun
• Do not take themselves too seriously
• Never miss an opportunity to connect others (Not connect WITH others, but connect two other parties together)
• Find Power Partners

Power Partners are the people that share the same clients that you do, call on the same types of businesses, etc.  My friend, Sean Harry, says: “They are casting their line and fishing in the same pond as you.”  (Maybe not exactly the words Sean uses, but pretty similar.)  For instance, if you are a realtor, your best Power Partner is a mortgage lender.   If you are Mary Kay Representative, a possible Power Partner would be someone who sells a line of jewelry through home parties.  Think about others who sell to your clients. When you’re at a networking function, seek those professions out.  You’ll find that to be much more powerful than trying to sell your ‘goods’ to the next person you meet.