Networking Has Gone to the Dogs

At the beginning of the summer I started a program to try and feel better. I could barely walk up the stairs in my house without feeling winded. I began walking on our treadmill for 20 minutes and each week increased it a bit. I'm happy to report that this morning I walked almost 3 miles on a walking trail through our neighborhood and up into a different one. The first half is almost all uphill, making the return very easy as it is almost all downhill. The thing about getting out of your house to exercise is you see other people doing the same. A whole new group of people with whom to network!

Of course not everyone on the trail is there to network. Many are just walking their dogs, a few are runners, some just walked to the corner cafe to get their morning coffee and a few ride their bikes. My connections were with the dog walkers. As you can see by the photo we have a beautiful German Shepherd. His name is Grizz and he is a very sweet, very gentle 110 pound dog. He barely notices other dogs as we walk, his focus is to make sure he guards me. And he does a grand job of it. I have to say, this morning, I had the nicest, prettiest, best behaved dog on the trail.

Which makes for great conversation. And common ground with other dog owners. Isn't that the idea behind networking? Finding common ground with those you meet? The usual questions are, how old is he? (Nine) Where did you find him? (A friend needed a home for him and we gladly took him) Who is your vet? (Dr. Cocanour) Do you walk him every day? (almost) My goodness he's a sweet dog. (Yes, I Know). These are all terrific conversation starters and they work because we have already established we both love dogs. That's the best common ground you can have.

Clearly, it isn't just dogs that will help you network. I'm also happy to report that since May 16 I've lost 40 pounds and am feeling MUCH better. The stairs in the house are longer a problem. Oh. Hey! I think I just found another way to network!!

Networking is a Life Skill

We all know networking is essential to build business. However, it's just as crucial as a Life Skill.
I joined BNI four years ago and have often taught the ideas and guidelines to my family at the dinner table. I never knew how much my children were absorbing until they shared their own stories with me.

My oldest son, Taylor, substituted for me in my BNI chapter a few times, and even sat in for other members. He always wore a white shirt and tie and was very polished in his appearance. He did a great job for each person he represented.

He later gained employment at a retail clothing store. He explained that one day the corporate leaders did a surprise visit to their store. Because of his time spent substituting in BNI, he felt very comfortable walking up to the corporate leaders and introducing himself, shaking their hands, and asking them about their jobs. They provided a pizza lunch that day for the store employees and Taylor was the only one who visited with them while they ate.. He asked them the standard networking questions. Why do you do what you do? What do you like most about it? What are your business goals for the year? At the end of the day when the corporate leaders left, they sought Taylor out to shake his hand and thank him for his help. He made that store look good.

Our daughter, Hannah, attended a week long Girls Camp this past summer. She was one of the Youth Leaders for the camp and it was her responsibility to make sure the girls were actively involved and not standing on the side lines. She told me she noticed one girl who seemed shy and wasn't really speaking to anyone. She also noticed the girl was wearing cheerleading shoes. Hannah told me she remembered me saying to ask people about themselves because it helps bring them out of their shell. She asked the girl about her shoes and sure enough, there was a conversation about cheerleading. It also helped this shy gal get involved with camp and have a much better time than standing on the sidelines.

I have gained so much from being a part of BNI and I'm pleased that my family has benefited from that knowledge. There are many things we much teach our children about how to succeed in life. I think teaching them to network is a very important lesson. More and more businesses are internet based which makes the face-to-face connections even more crucial.

So, now they have it covered. 1. Learn to tie shoes. 2. Food Pyramid. 3. Networking. Success!

Let Me Entertain You

In my first post I asked the questions about being entertained as opposed to the idea of being entertaining.

How do you become entertaining?

A few years ago I was watching an episode of Saturday Night Live. Jim Carrey was the guest host. He appeared in a skit as Jimmy Stewart while another actor took on the role of “Jim Carrey”. I thought this was hilarious and realized maybe Jim Carrey doesn’t take himself too serious after all. During the skit the actor playing “Jim Carrey” would often interrupt and do ridiculous antics during the pretend interview. At one point the real Jim Carrey - who was now Jimmy Stewart - jumped up and grabbed the actor playing “Jim Carrey” and started smacking him around. Then in Jimmy Stewart’s voice said, “You’re pathetic! All you can say is Look at me!! Look at me!!! I need attention 24 hours a day!!!”

Have you ever felt like you were networking with the pretend “Jim Carrey”? They corner you and like a magician with a deck of cards start firing off their business cards...until you feel like they are coming out of your ears, right?

To become a great entertainer...or to be entertaining...your audience must come first. They may be there to see you, but really, as the performer, you’re there to see them. How can you put a smile on a face? Who can you make laugh? Who will tell their friends about you and bring them back to see you?

A talented entertainer will include the whole room in their performance. He will play to the audience in the front row. The price of those tickets paid for the band. He will play to the audience in the back. The price of their tickets paid for the venue in which he’s performing. He will walk to his right and play to the audience in the right section. The price of their tickets paid for his entourage. He will play to the audience to his left. The cost of those tickets paid for the meals for everyone involved in his show. And he absolutely must play to the audience in the balcony. Those tickets are his take home pay.

I just mentioned five sections in a theatre. As you network at different events, map the room. Who is the front row, who is the back row, who is the balcony? Meet at least one new person from each section. If you cover all five sections, take a bow, that’s five new people in your Contact Manager.

When the event is over, it’s time for the encore...or time for the follow up! I have found the more I talk about what THEY do I can include bits of that conversation in a SendOutCard. To go a step further, find a card that relates to their profession. They will know you heard what they said which is just the start to developing that relationship. They will bring their friends to you because they sense that you care.

And that, my friend, will keep you from closing the show on Opening Night.

Even in the theatre, Givers Gain.

Two Questions

Let me ask you two questions.
How much talent does it take to be entertained? and
How much talent does it take to be entertaining?

I loved hearing these questions. They quite simply caught my attention and what ensued was a lengthy discussion about the difference of being entertained as opposed to being entertaining.

For the first question, the answer is simply none. It takes no talent to be entertained. You simply turn on a television, a computer, a video game, or even a cell phone. You can sit alone for hours on end being entertained by the smallest of ideas, whether you are enjoying what you are seeing or not.

The latest electronics will give you instant gratification. A text message, an email, the latest Facebook update or Twitter post and you know exactly what your friends and acquaintances are doing, even if you didn’t need to know.

For the second question, the answer is a lot. If you are entertaining, you are anxiously engaged in an event, an activity, a process, or even a conversation with a real person. To be entertaining you must be able to read your audience. It takes effort. It takes training. It takes TIME.

There's no such thing as instant networking. Even if you join a networking group, such as BNI, you will have to develop relationships with those in your chapter. If, in the first six months, you meet with each member of your chapter twice, you will just be getting started.

The more time, training and effort you put into your network, the return will grow exponentially.

So, are you waiting to be entertained or are you ready to become entertaining?