Build Relationship Build Income http://brbIncome.blogspot.com

Nearly back

2005-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed that it's been so long since I posted. Marianne's mom is nearly gone.
Sorry if I haven't kept my "journalistic objectivity" during this time. I just have to get back on the horse. I really appreciate the feedback that I've gotten in the past week.

I'm typing this from Palomar college's computer room. I find myself here now three days a week while my high school student son is in Spanish. Next semester we hope he'll be in Biology as well. Whether or not my computer implodes again, I'll be here!

I want to share a little more about what the experts call social networking.

In my opinion, the name social networking is misleading for some who put a lot of emphasis on the SOCIAL. The term is social networking as opposed to computer networking or network marketing. This is further confused by at least a couple factors.

First, many network marketers refer to themselves as networkers, which is misleading. They are more than happy to provide you with a solution to your challenge, dilemma, reaching your goals, etc...IF that solution is becoming involved in their business. Most network marketers are not really networkers. I see networkers as people who are able to refer you or introduce you to people who can be the solution for whatever challenge you're facing. I am an example of a networker. I used to know an mortgage banker who referred to himself as a "schmoozer" and I think that's fairly accurate IF you take away whatever negative connotations you might have about schmoozing.

I don't have a problem with the network marketing model, it's just that so many companies train their people to do it so badly and don't pay attention to the importance of RELATIONSHIP. [See title of this blog!] In my opinion, you don't send emails to people from an address that, if they respond to your email you are not available to answer. The exception would be they have volunteered for that email list without any type of coercion such as, "If you're part of my team, you agree to receive these emails. Leaving this email list constitutes leaving the team and/or business." Even voluntarily this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Second, because so many sites like Friendster and MySpace exist, many people assume that social networking is only about the social and sometimes you can find yourself perceived as rude or out of place if you want to converse about business.

LinkedIn, Soflow, and others are about business and career first. I believe that orientation will be more fruitful for people who are interested in advancing their career or business prospects.

Hey, IF you're really interested in the social at some particular moment in time, that's great. More and more people are finding people that they can have fun with and even marry online. Just be aware of what site you're at. The reverse is true, too. How many people on LinkedIn are really looking for someone to connect with them about dating and marriage?

I have recently found a minimally social site called NamesDatabase.com. Within one week I had over 100 people directly connected to me. Some people may see LinkedIn as too much work [how interested ARE they in success?] and yet they'll join a site like NamesDatabase.com, which is a much simpler version of what ClassMates.com is doing. The simplicity of NDB is what fuels it's growth. Tell your birthday and name and not much more and invite your friends and associates.

LinkedIn members will find that some NDB members will become receptive to LinkedIn in the weeks after joining NDB. LinkedIn is where you want your contacts.

I just forwarded a message from a recruiter I know to a man in Pennsylvania this week. Rather, I forwarded the message I received through the LinkedIn system to a man who forwarded it on to the Pennsylvanian. His reaction was "Wow! LinkedIn works."

If you're not on LinkedIn, get there and send me an invitation to connect. Maybe you'll be my 600th direct connection.

By the way, if you're not happy with my style, I'm learning and growing. Nevertheless, relationship matters. Feelings matter. That goes along with emotional intelligence and that matters more and more. EI even got some presidents elected. People matter. You and I matter.

Have a beautiful and successful day!

"If not now, when?"

Hillel (30B.C.-10A.D.)
Jewish scholar

~from justsell.com

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

2005-08-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Opportunity Is All Around You - Max Steingart

OPPORTUNITY IS ALL AROUND YOU

The people that really succeed in the world
are the people who look for the circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, they make them.

The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.
The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now.
Properly perceived, every situation becomes an opportunity for you.

Your destiny is not a matter of chance,
it's a matter of the choices you make.
Being successful is not something you wait for,
but rather something you achieve with effort.
Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.

You develop your opportunities
by applying persistence to your possibilities.

Visit Max Steingart and subscribe:

http://www.successway.com/motiv.cfm?mem_ID=&afid=2025&stay

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2005-08-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

School and Networking

My son and I just got back from our introduction to the Independent Learning Program at his high school. Yesterday I took him to our community college where he started Spanish. He's got some great options for education and he just started his own business creating luxury leis from plush fabrics. Our chiropractor was his first customer and now one of the teachers at his mom's school wants one. He's heard from me that it sure beats hearing "Want fries with that?" on a regular basis. He took the check from the chiropractor to the credit union and deposited it yesterday. Pretty cool for a teenager to be able to do something he enjoys AND make good money.

I see networking as a way to do that, too. When you help other people do what they truly want to do by introducing them to people who can help them with their next steps, you're doing something positive. You can choose to be rewarded financially in this process or not. When you ask someone in advance, "Would you be willing to give me X if I connect you to someone who can solve your problem/become your client/join your team etc...?" you can find out if they are willing to compensate you for your time, efforts, skills, connections, etc...

Many people who might make, say, $500, would be glad to give you around $100 for your introduction to someone who actually does business with them. [ Or you might receive $1,000 for a referral that turns into a $5000 profit for them. ] You might call this a referral fee. The key is to ask before AND, in many cases you may want to get the particulars down on paper in the form of a contract.

Some people have never created these sources of income simply because they never thought to ask. If it's simply an oversight, great, because you can remedy that. However, others don't feel comfortable asking and that can be a problem if they have a belief system that it's wrong to ask for money. It's important to remember that when you are providing value, it's fine to ask for value in return. Unfortunately, many people do not value their time, efforts, connections and skills. It's my personal belief that these people need to grow to value themselves more. If they are giving away everything, they will often expect others to do the same. It's ok to give things away. I want to make that point right here. It's just not wise to do so all the time and it's important to deal with self-worth issues if these are the ideas that are getting in the way of creating more income.

If you're looking for permission to ask [ as many people are ], I'm here to give you that permission. It's ok to ask for value in return for the value you give. I suggest that you give it away sometimes, but mostly you should ask for value in return for the value you give. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? If you read the story that Jesus told, you'll notice that the Samaritan told the innkeeper to take care of the man and he would PAY him. He didn't expect the innkeeper to do it for free.

I've included three links below.

APennyAHole is a charity site from Barry Spilchuk, who co-wrote Cup of Chicken Soup For The Soul. I actually know Barry through IBIGlobal. I met him through networking.

http://www.apennyahole.com/

This next site can be reached through EnterprisingPeople.net or the link below and it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and associates with a fun, personal touch.

http://www.makeloyalcustomers.com/leftcoastman

The last link is for a motivational newsletter by Max Steingart and it really is encouraging whether or not you're ultimately interested in products and services he has for sale. Of course, you could also become an affiliate of his after you sign up for his newsletter through my special link below.

http://www.successway.com/motiv.cfm?mem_ID=&afid=2025&stay=

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2005-08-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wow. August and the son in high school and college

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted for a week. There's lots going on in our home with our son going to high school and college. He'll be taking a Spanish class at the local community college while enrolled with the Independent Learning Program of Escondido Charter High School. I'm driving him around and I can't wait for my headset to get here so I can use Skype on a regular basis. So, look for more great business/career networking stuff in the coming days. I'm just about finished with The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki and I highly recommend it. [Are you there, Ricarda?] I found out about it through Harvard Business Review.

I got a nice surprise when I Googled brbIncome - Zig Ziglar has added my blog to his site [or rather, his people have]. http://www.ziglartraining.com/links.php?lPath=1 I guess we'll know shortly if the link is hot or not. I'm still figuring out Qumana. Have an excellent day!

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2005-08-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

I told my friend no, I think

This morning I sent a response to a friend who wants to involve me

in his business opportunity. I am not against network marketing per

se. I am concerned about how a lot of those opportunities do

business. I'm also disappointed by people who paint with too

broad a brush and lump all of them together.

I even had trouble with BlogExplosion this morning because they

assumed that this blog was about a business opportunity. If I can't

get them to accept this blog, I'll have to use someone else's services

and I certainly will encourage people to do business with people

with whom I do business.

I am quite simply, a networker, in the connective sense. I help

people meet people to further their enterprises, goals, and interests.

I don't like that so many network marketers have co-opted the term

"networker" and created a misnomer.I am also not close-minded

about network marketing, but I understand that there are many

people who aren't interested in that distribution model as an income

source for themselves.

Here's my edited note to my friend:

Hello Bobby

I honestly don't think your company is for me. You need to
realize that I was exposed to it four years ago and chose not to
participate. One of the challenges with network marketing is that many
people won't take no from others and so many people are soured on
network marketing in general for just that reason. I also have been
re-introduced to the concept previously by other people I know and I've

let them know that I'll refer people to them when I come across them.

Another challenge with network marketing is that many people involved
ignore "markets". They treat just about everyone as a potential
customer. I am involved with a company that I feel is simple enough and
inexpensive enough that virtually anyone over the age of 18 in North

America can participate and expect to do well. Also, the market that I am
interested in realizes that many people don't want to spend the time to
go to another meeting if they have to leave their house AND spend more
of their gas, which is not getting cheaper. You and I may simply be
going after two different market segments.

You say that you like my knowledge about using the internet as a tool.
Does that mean you simply admire my tenacity or the aesthetics of what
I'm doing? Or would you like to actually learn how to use the tools I
use? One of those tools is the online contact manager I showed you

and I use it because it's a bridge between the internet and relationship

building. I think huge numbers of people like receiving greeting cards.

Many people already receive too many emails to give each one an

effective look, so a postcard or greeting card is a way to stand out in

their minds. THAT'S part of an effective marketing strategy.

One thing that's huge for me is relationship. Most companies in network
marketing don't do this right, in my opinion. They build a system where
they essentially tell people "do it our way and don't debate." They
need to pay attention to how their system affects relationships and
modify their way of doing business to preserve relationships. In
relationships, we actually listen to each other, we don't simply debate
away "points".

The truth of who I am is that I want the best for you and your family,
no matter which path you choose. I believe that the best includes in
large part, healthy relationships with friends, family, busiiness
associates, acquaintances and God. I want you to fulfill what you're
here for. I also want that for me and mine.

And, I honestly don't believe that all business systems are designed
with that in mind.

So, I suggest that you read my MAIN blog. I've said a lot there about
relationship and networking. Let me know what you think of what you
read there. [Yes, it's imperfect - a work in progress with warts.]

http://brbIncome.blogspot.com

Have a great day!

Charlie

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2005-08-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Right Track - Will Rogers

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Will Rogers (1879-1935)
American humorist, actor and philanthropist

~ from <a href="http://www.justsell.com">justsell.com</a>

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2005-08-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Trying Qumana again!

OK! I'm still getting used to the Qumana method of posting. If you haven't connected with me on Soflow, here's an invitation:

I've started using Soflow, which is a business networking website, and I would like to invite you to join my personal network on the site.

Soflow offers a wide range of features to help its members gain greater value from their existing business connections. By clicking on the link below you will be taken to my personal joining page:

http://soflow.com/contacts/12394a3578601b2

I look forward to seeing you there.
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2005-08-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

Testing Qumana with brbIncome

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Find The Better Way - BRQ V

2005-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

"There's a way to do it better -- find it."

Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
inventor, salesman
frequently worked more than 40 hours straight

~ from justsell.com

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

SNAP at Free Enterprise Forum plus...

2005-07-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I visited the Free Enterprise Forum in Los Angeles yesterday and participated in the "live" SNAP there. I drove up to San Juan Capistrano and met a friend from Temecula who drove us the rest of the way.

I waited my turn and gave referrals to others when they made their requests. I expect phone calls from them to come in over the next week. There were about 150 people in the SNAP circles. When my turn came I received 24 referrals in just a few minutes! I'll give these contacts until Wednesday to recover from eight exhilarating and exhausting days. I'll report on my progress with these referrals.

You can take advantage of this type of networking without spending $6500 for membership in our group and without flying to L.A. by joining the Cannon Training Networking Group at Soflow [and connecting to me on LinkedIn as well]. You'll need to agree to our rules. Contact me if you're interested. If you're already part of our group, but you still don't understand how it works, contact me. You are allowed to post your SNAP request four times a month. More tomorrow.

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Christian Mayaud has some interesting ideas about how to deal with an expanding network on LinkedIn at:
The Ultimate LinkedIn Cheat

His main blog, added to the brbIncome.blogspot.com template today:
http://www.SacredCowDung.com

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Your Success And Others - Max Steingart

2005-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS

You do not exist for yourself.
The only hurdle between you and what you want to be,
is the support of others.

Put yourself in another's place,
and you'll know why they think and do certain things.
You can succeed fastest by helping others to succeed.

Always think in terms of what the other person wants.
You'll get everything in life that you want
if you'll help enough other people get what they want.
Doing things for others always pays dividends.

You're not an isolated island.
You're a piece of the planet, a piece of the universe.
Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement,
all success, all achievement in real life grows.

Help someone's boat across a river and you'll find
your own boat has reached the shore too.

Click Here to Visit Site

©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Keep Moving - Business Reminder Quote IV

2005-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
German-American physicist

~ from justsell.com

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

New and old links at brbIncome I

2005-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Until now I've added links to the template of this blog without any fanfare. Starting right now I'm telling you about them as I add them and I'll mention links I've added previously. Where these links are located on brbIncome is subject to change.

New brbIncome Link

If you're selling products, services, ideas, etc...check out Sales Preparedness Checklist which I just downloaded free from justsell.com. As of this posting, Sales Preparedness Checklist is just to the right under Links.

Classic brbIncome Link

If you're working on understanding how to make the most of LinkedIn, Rick Upton is a great place to start with his LinkedIn Tips, which you'll find easily under LI/Networking Tips.

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Satisfying work of life - Bedrock Quote II

2005-07-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

"So much of the satisfying work of life begins as an experiment; having learned this, no experiment is ever quite a failure."

Alice Walker (1944 - )
American novelist, Pulitzer Prize winner

~ from justsell.com

Additional advice from justsell.com

sales thought:
Think of failure as excellence in training. It shows you have the courage to try. The important thing is to learn from the result and try again with better experience.

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

SNAP networking on Soflow

2005-07-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

How easy is SNAP? Once you get the hang of it, fairly easy.

If you can make a request in not too many words, people will be able to understand or ask for clarification. Here's the first example I posted:

--
Inaugural Cannon Training Group Networking Request

Mary Carrillo brings supplies to [mostly] children in a village in Belize in August.
We need school supplies, tape, sewing supplies, sandals, shirts, and blouses, bug repellent, children's sunscreen, kitchen towels, washcloths, shampoo, toothpaste, etc...

Who do you know who might like to be travel with, be involved with this effort or donate?

Charlie Hicks-Moore - More Info Blog - http://scholarshipcafe.blogspot.com
LinkedIn Profile
Director of Marketing, Cannon Training & Development
Mary's LinkedIn profile
--

This request is an active, real request and although it's not a perfect example, I'm already getting responses from people who want to help.

SNAP is more active networking than simply placing your profile on LinkedIn or Soflow and hoping people see it. As far as I'm concerned, it's a more entrepreneurial approach. Instead of waiting for someone to come to you, you connect with others who are willing to actively network to see if they know someone who can help with what you need.

One or more of your readers/listeners will introduce you to someone they're pretty sure can help. In some cases, they will actually be the kind of person you're looking for. If they refer you to someone who is not a good fit, you need to look at the language of your request. You get what you ask for. If you're not getting the right stuff, modify what you say.

I'll be SNAP networking "live" at the Free Enterprise Forum in L.A. in just over a week. SNAP works if you're willing to learn AND if you're willing to be supportive of others in the process.

Build Relationship. Build Income. It works.

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Task of a Leader - Business Reminder Quote III

2005-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

"The task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been."

Henry Kissinger (1923 - )
first foreign-born U.S. Secretary of State
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

~ from justsell.com

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

The highway to success is a toll road

2005-07-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE

Whatever you want in life,
you must give up something to get it.
The greater the value,
the greater the sacrifice required of you.
There are no short cuts to success.

There's a price to pay if you want to make things better,
and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are.

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily.
Work, continuous work and hard work,
is the only way to accomplish results that last.
Use your imagination more than your memory to achieve success.

The highway to success is a toll road.

Click Here to Visit Site

©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Cannon Training Networking Wins

2005-07-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

Monday I started CTNWins.blogspot.com for those involved in the SNAP networking with us on Soflow.com. I also created some rules to govern how we post SNAP requests. SNAP is definitely a request if there is any doubt and SNAP stands for Super Networking Accelerates Potential.

I grabbed these definitions of accelerate from Dictionary.com:

1. To increase the speed of.
2. To cause to occur sooner than expected.
3. To cause to develop or progress more quickly: a substance used to accelerate a fire.
4.
a. To reduce the time required for (an academic course, for example); compress into a shorter period.
b. To make it possible for (a student) to finish an academic course faster than usual.
5. Physics. To change the velocity of.

Are you ready to:

` cause your results to occur sooner than expected?
` increase the speed of your results?
` cause your results to develop or progress more quickly?
` reduce the time required for your results?
` change the velocity of your results?

If you want results, networking can help you get those results with greater velocity and SNAP can reduce the time required for your results even further, IF you follow the rules.

I've designed rules which will allow us to know with a high degree of confidence that people who SNAP under the Cannon Training banner are, indeed, people that I have invited. The rules will also make it easier on me, the moderator. I have done this through email before, which is why we're using Soflow now!

The rules are also designed so that you are delivering a concise message which is more likely to be read. If people see 15 messages and know before opening them that 6 are 45 words or less and the others are 70 words or less or 100 words or less, many people will tend to read the messages whose body is 45 words or less when they are making the most of their time.

Following these guidelines is important, too, because if you get a reputation for say, posting a message longer than the one you represent in your subject line, many people will begin to choose the messages of other people over yours which means your messages will be read less when there is a choice of messages available.

I won't go into all the reasons for the different rules. Please do know that they are not frivolous. I've designed the rules for a balance of speed and preservation of relationship as well as my sanity! :-)

Build Relationship. Build Income. It works.

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Visit CTNWins by clicking here and MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

You had better be running! - BRQ II

2005-07-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

"Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle -- when the sun comes up, you had better be running."

Unknown

~ from justsell.com

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Visit my MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Imagine yourself in a room...

2005-07-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Imagine yourself in a room surrounded by people who are approaching you and each one is asking in his or her own way, "Can you please help me?" What if there are 10 people? 20 people? 50 people? How about 100, 200 or even 300 people all asking you for help? How do you imagine that feels? Does the word overwhelming come to mind?

Maybe that scenario works for God, but I'm not God. I don't have the ability to deal with all those people and all their requests at once. Maybe I won't go back in that room a second time. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't return to that place unless I was conducting a sociological or psychological experiment or something of that nature.

If I want to reach my goals, complete my project, improve my business or career or pursue my dreams I need help from people. I need to "build a team around my dream".

What if we reversed what happens when we enter a room? Instead of a lot of people asking us for help, what if they were all asking how they could help us? ["What do you need next most?" is a question I like to ask.] Imagine 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 or even 300 people asking us how they can help us? Doesn't that feel much better than the other way around? How much could we get done and how much faster could we get it done if we had all those people who are willing to help by connecting us to people they know. Sometimes we'll even find that some of those people in the room with us are the exact people we're looking for. They don't even need to refer us because they are the solution to that next step for us.

That's how we'll network on Soflow. It's implied from the start that we're all asking each other "How can I help you?" or "What do you need next most?"

That's the deal if you're networking with us on Soflow. Here's a reminder of what this blog is about:

Build Relationship Build Income

"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

"In order for things to change, YOU must change." Jim Rohn

*DESIGN THE LIFE you want and GET THERE FASTER through networking for others.
*Modify your methods to serve and mentor other people.
*Build Skills to Build Relationship and Build Income Faster.

If you want to network with us, you're willing to help others in the group by referring them to your connections. I prefer to introduce people over the phone as you may have read in previous posts. Some people send a three-way email of introduction. One of those is required.

If you see that you have a helpful connection or connections for someone based on their request, email them or call them and let them know. I suggest talking on the phone, but some people prefer the email exchange. Keep in mind that you want to be HELPFUL in helping that person with what they need next. Yes, I got a little redundant there. That's because I don't want anyone to hide behind rules and be less helpful because they're sticking to the "letter of the law".

An interesting and beautiful thing happens when we're all willing to help each other through networking. We all feel supported because of the implied, "How can I help you?" But more than that, we all get some help and have some fun and build some relationships in the process.

If you're only interested in your own agenda we don't need you. If you're interested in reaching your goals by helping other people reach theirs, then contact me. I'll be getting more specific with rules designed to speed things up soon.

You need to be connected to me directly on LinkedIn and Soflow for starters. Let me know that you want to participate. We'll be actively networking on Soflow soon.

Build Relationship. Build Income. It works.

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Visit my MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com by clicking on the title of today's post.

Why not use other networking sites?

2005-07-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Posting my profile on LinkedIn.com has helped me reconnect with people with whom I had lost contact. I have also met some productive contacts by searching profiles and these connections typically have better than average internet skills. I have also helped friends and associates sign up over the phone so they have a better understanding of LinkedIn or Soflow. This means saving time in the long run.

I was on the phone with Ulrich Jaeger today, showing him the message board at Soflow, and he agrees that networking through the listing/message board there can be a time saver. We're about a week away from that!

I recommend LinkedIn and Soflow not because of an affiliate relationship which pays me money - I don't have one with these sites as I have with Max Steingart. I don't recommend LinkedIn because it would be more convenient for me since I'm already directly connected to over 320 people and through four degrees of relationship over 2.2 MILLION. I recommend these sites because they are business oriented and they are speedier to use than other sites for the functions I'm interested in like making new connections to serious business minded/career oriented people. I have some experience with other networking sites like Ecademy and Ryze and even Monster and Care2. Some sites just seem to add steps that make the process take longer. Others have too many people who aren't interested in networking which makes you wonder why their information is there in the first place. At least with Care2 you know that people are mostly there to protect the environment or some similarly earth-friendly motives.

The term social networking is becoming something of a misnomer, IMHO [In my humble opinion]. These websites are not really about being social, except in the context of doing business.

I was just invited to a site which seems to me to be more social. You might not be interested. I still recommend using the combination of LinkedIn and Soflow, but I am exploring this site. Will it be a waste of time? I am looking at it as a learning experience. However, how much time do you have for these more SOCIAL networking learning experiences when you already have effective business/career tools?

It's up to you. I'm not recommending it. I just joined to do a little exploring. Maybe I'll be surprised. So far I am getting little messages about this or that not opening up. Maybe that's because I'm using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. We'll see. If you want to join me, the invitation's here. IF you do, REMEMBER to change the email address on the signup form.

MySpace.com Invitation

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Opportunity Knocks - Max Steingart

2005-07-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS ALL THE TIME

The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong,
for time and chance happen to everyone.
Take a second look at what appears to be someone's "good luck."
You'll find not luck but preparation,
planning and success-producing thinking.

Opportunity is around you all the time,
but you have to be ready for it.
When your chance comes,
you must have the equipment to take advantage of it.

When you're prepared for opportunity,
your chance for success is sure to come.
The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success.
The tide of opportunity comes to everyone.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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Networking - soon on Soflow

2005-07-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

In a little over a week, the messages will start flying on Soflow under the Cannon Training & Development banner. If you want to get something done that you haven't been able to get done or if you simply want to get it done faster, networking can be a huge solution for you. What you're missing is an introduction to a person who can help you with a particular function or area of expertise or introduce you to a potential client. In some cases, all you really need are some people willing to apply their intellect and creativity to help you figure out where it is you want to go and what to do to get there.

Being an active participant in the networking process is important. You need to think like an entrepreneur, even if you're not one. Be willing to be a problem solver and not simply a complainer or venter. Of course, you can simply vent or complain. It's great when you have someone to whom you can vent. But, when you're finally done venting and want to actually find a solution, that's when networking can really help you. I tell prospective business partners for my contact manager/greeting card business that if everything is wonderful I can't help them. If they don't see a reason to change their situation, if everything is satisfactory to them, then I have nothing to offer. If they really take a look at their situation and see something they want to change or improve, that's when I or someone else can help them.

In order to be truly active in the process, you need to go beyond having others serve you. I'm amazed how people looking for work will tell me to tell the person with whom I'm connecting them to look at their website or profile. I'm offering to introduce them over them phone [or in person, in some cases]. In my opinion, they don't understand the power of relationship in the equation. Once I have introduced them and they stand out from the crowd because I have introduced them and because they have had some conversation, then looking at the website or profile merely becomes an exercise in filling in the blanks.

I think some people simply don't believe the incredible opportunity being offered to them when they can be introduced to someone so that they are not simply one piece of paper on a stack of papers.

However, some people do understand. I introduced a gentleman in Texas over the phone to the Founder and President of Saludfinanciera.com in California. The two gentlemen seemed to get along very well, came to understand more about their respective strengths and needs, and were appreciative of my introduction. I doubt very much that they would have met anytime soon if it weren't for me. This happened because the gentleman in Texas did NOT say, "Well, have him look at my profile and contact me." He let me serve him in the sense that I spoke to my friend in California about him.

I introduced myself over the phone and email earlier in the week to the gentleman in Texas and by Friday I arranged a three-way phone call. This "overnight success" actually took a while longer as I met my California friend four and a half years ago at the Free Enterprise Forum which is put on by IBIGlobal. Gary Dale Cearley had me join LinkedIn about 16 months ago and I found my man in Texas this week.

One great thing about LinkedIn and Soflow and my online contact manager is that they help you keep track of your connections. I had not spoken to the Founder of SaludFinanciera in months and had to connect to a friend [who is also on LinkedIn] to get his contact information. Coincidentally, he and I both had serious computer trouble near the end of 2004 and lost each other's information.

Why do I use both systems? LinkedIn is the best business networking site around and millions of people are connected there. It's not a place for lonely people to instant message each other as some of the other systems can be. I use Soflow mainly for the listing/message board so we can SNAP network with each other. LinkedIn does not provide that function. About four and a half years ago I started an email group through Yahoo where we networked through email. I am experienced at this. One challenge I faced with that group was people sending ME their requests and expecting me to post them. With Soflow they will have to behave like entrepreneurs and do their own posting. Plus, we won't fill each other's email to the brim because we'll visit the Soflow message board to see the requests others in the Cannon group have posted.

The one common denominator is that these people are all direct connections of mine. Some have been through Cannon Training's Magnificent Life Seminars, some have been through the Free Enterprise Forum, some know me through Toastmasters. You get the idea. Build Relationship. Build Income. It works.

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The support of others - Max Steingart

2005-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS

Think in terms of what the other person wants.

You can get anything you want in life
if you're willing to help enough other people get what they want.
The only hurdle between you and what you want to be
is the support of others.

Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement,
all success, all achievement in real life grows.

You cannot hold a torch to light another's path
without brightening your own.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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The quality of your life - Max Steingart

2005-07-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE BEGINS IN YOUR MIND

It's not what you have, but what you enjoy
that constitutes your abundance.
Your real riches are riches in your head and heart.

Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation.
True satisfaction comes from appreciating what you have.

There are two ways of being happy:
you must either diminish your wants or augment your means.
It's always better to appreciate things you cannot have
than to have the things you cannot appreciate.

Your riches will always lie within you,
not in your material possessions.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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Peter Drucker says - Business Reminder Quote I

2005-06-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."

Peter Drucker (1907 - )
Austrian-American economist and author

~ from justsell.com

[This is a reminder to myself as much as you readers.]

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Online networking and LinkedIn

2005-06-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

One challenge that I see with online networking is how to make it worth my time. LinkedIn and Soflow can make your networking more time efficient WHEN you have learned how to use them. Unfortunately, if you don't invest a little time, both will seem much less efficient. I'll share more about how to use these sites for networking in future post.

Whenever possible I want to hear the voice of someone over the internet or telephone or speak to them in person. My experience is that many people will not value the relationship as much if there is only contact through email and you can find yourself spending time with people who simply drift away or disappear. I've noticed that the human voice can have a great impact with people. There are exceptions, but if someone cannot speak to you over the phone, they are usually too busy to have time to network with you in a meaningful way. Or they are only interested in selling their product or service and not being part of mutually beneficial networking. When I speak to someone over the phone I find that we can have a helpful conversation in a briefer period of time than sending a dozen emails back and forth.

My sense is that most people will give you an idea over the phone much quicker if they are not interested in networking with you. That's really what you want at the start of the business relationship. A quick understanding of where you stand with the person. At least that's what I want. LinkedIn or Soflow can allow you to connect with that person even if there's not a great match for you personally at this moment. In some cases, you will be the person who has introduced them to this tool and many people are grateful later on. So what if they're not ready to buy your product or service and vice-versa. If you connect with them, they may be ready to share referrals down the road.

I do like to make connections with people who are already part of the LinkedIn database. I know that they will on average have a better understanding of the "mystical workings" of the internet than someone I meet at the Rotary Club or some other offline group.

I have found more than one kind of networker through LinkedIn. Some people are really only interested in connecting to you because that provides them with more connections. They aren't necessarily interested in building a business relationship with you except that they are willing to pass on the requests you send through LinkedIn. That works ok. I had a five minute conversation with a gentleman the other day and he made it clear that he wasn't interested in my products/services and wasn't sure that he could refer me to anyone who fit my market. He simply wanted to know if I would pass on his requests and he would do the same for me. I don't necessarily seek out people who take this view. In fact, he found me. We'll help each other in a more limited way. I do prefer this to something I experienced this weekend.

I sent a request for contact through the system and the person I sent it to sent it on to their direct contact in the chain. After the request got beyond him, someone simply rejected it because they said it wasn't their style. Personally, I don't think that's relevant unless there is some serious moral or legal issue because my request was in line with the LinkedIn profile of the person to whom I was sending it. As far as I am concerned, that person is simply a blockage in the system. They didn't even give me constructive criticism on how I could improve the request to make it ok for them to send on.

My greatest preference is to connect with people who are willing to build a business relationship and will actually keep my interests in mind when they meet new people or interact with their network. I do the same for them. I mentioned [three-way call] introducing someone over the phone in the previous post. When you are not simply trying to "sell your stuff" whatever that might be, but truly interacting and seeking to understand other human beings and their goals, you will have moments where you say, "Hey, you're looking for that? Let me introduce you to Sue, because she is helping people just like you."

Build Relationship. Build Income. It works.

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Introducing people is a good use of your time

2005-06-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Do you EVER watch television? When was the last time you got up from watching TV and said, "Boy, I am so refreshed!" It's probably a good guess to say that watching television may have put you to sleep, but rarely, if ever, has it renewed your energy. Can we at least agree that much of the time we're not really accomplishing anything by watching TV? Maybe, just maybe, television is not usually a good use of our time. I'm sure we can all think of several things besides TV that aren't a good use of our time.

I just got off the phone and that definitely WAS a good use of my time. I introduced two people I know who are both connected to me on LinkedIn. They probably wouldn't have met if they didn't know me. One person would like to look at land in New Zealand when they visit this summer [which is winter there]. The other is from New Zealand and is successful in real estate in Carlsbad, California. Sue Landis is a magnificent real estate agent who used to be in Toastmasters with me over a year ago. The other person met me through Soflow.com less than two months ago.

I paid enough attention to what each of them are trying to achieve and when I saw the possibility that they might like to talk, I did a three-way call to introduce them over the phone. That's the way I recommend, but you can also introduce someone through email. I do this on a regular basis and so can you. I mentioned before that you can put agreements in place if you want to make money or you can do it for free. Of course, you need to obey any laws that govern a particular industry. For those of you that are skeptical about the making money part, you can still benefit because someone to whom you have referred qualified people is very likely to refer qualified people your way in the future.

LinkedIn and Soflow make it easier to keep track/stay connected with people. Some things you can do with just the internet, but when you are nurturing relationships, I recommend that you use the phone and face-to-face contact as well. Of course you can use VOIP, but not everyone has that. Some people reading this will wonder what that is, which proves my point. :-)

Build Relationship - Build Income. It's a good use of your time because it works.

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Be bold - Quick Quote VII

2005-06-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

"If you want to achieve widespread impact and lasting value, be bold."

Howard Schultz (1954 - )
Chairman of Starbucks Coffee

~ from justsell.com

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In order for things to change, you must change

2005-06-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

A nice surprise greeted me today at my Toastmasters meeting when a young man walked into our room. Anton Anderson came home from UC Santa Barbara with his Scottish girlfriend. Anton was a member of our local club, Expressions Unlimited, for two years. You will probably hear a lot more from him as he is planning on being a motivational speaker. He's already really, really good.

I did not realize that Anton had let our Toastmaster of the day know that he was available to speak in his first week back from school. Anton gave a magnificent speech on The American Dream. He mentioned that the dream might be different for different people, but basically the "Dream" is about living the life you desire.

Are you living the life you desire? Anton went on to tell us what he learned from a mentor about the big situations in life like who is president and the state of the economy and the world. His mentor told him that the "big situations" are like the wind. We can't change the wind. However, we can sail our boat well in the conditions the wind creates.

Do you know someone who complains about the wind? Do you know others who learn to sail their boat well in whatever conditions they are in?

Anton's mentor told him about Jim Rohn's quote which I have added to the template of this blog. Here it is:

"In order for things to change, you must change."

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Courage is a special kind of knowledge - Max Steingart

2005-06-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

REALITY IS SOMETHING YOU RISE ABOVE

Courage is a special kind of knowledge.
It's the knowledge of how to fear what should be feared
and how not to fear what should not be feared.

A brave mind is always impregnable.
True courage is the result of reasoning.
You're more important than your problems.
You're bigger than anything that can happen to you.

Great things are accomplished when you believe
that what's inside of you is superior to your circumstances.
What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you.

Nothing external to you has power over you.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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The truth is what it is

2005-06-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

STAY REALISTIC ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

The truth is what it is.
It's neither good nor bad. It's simple reality.
Tailor your concepts to fit reality,
instead of trying to stuff reality into your concepts.
No matter what you believe, it won't change the facts.

If we all worked on the assumption
that what is accepted as true is really true,
there would be little hope of advancement in the world.

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it's still a foolish thing.

Successful people are realistic
and aren't trapped by false appearances.
See the world as it is.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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Do people you know really get it?

2005-06-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

One great thing about networking is meeting lots of new people. Meeting lots of new people means that at least some of those people will really be a lot of fun to "play with". Yes, I said play.

I've been sending more snail mail greeting cards recently because I have noticed that people like them. They notice them more than many emails. One of the cards I send out is in the Motivational section of my online contact manager and it contains the message:

WORK

"This is the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play."

- Alan Watts

People who make work seem more like play can be very enjoyable to be around. When you're networking and meeting people, some of them are bound to be more enjoyable than others. Would you like to surround yourself with people who are enjoyable to be around? Network and find a way to be around those people you enjoy MORE. If you can't find people like that, people who get it, then either you're not networking enough and meeting enough new people or, IT'S YOU. Let me be clear. IF you're meeting lots of new people and no one seems fun or enjoyable to you, then the challenge [or problem] in the situation is you, not them. I hope it's not you, but help is available! LOL

I found someone who I thoroughly enjoyed on the phone the other day and she really understands networking. We plan on starting teleclasses together to help people really understand how to get a lot of value out of networking. Her name is Carol Deckert and she found me on LinkedIn. She posted on another blog "experiment" of mine. I am asking people to blog on "Build Relationship Build You". Read Carol Deckert's post [and others].

If you're in the USA and you found yourself wondering about how to send a snail mail greeting card through an online contact manager, I can offer you a free sample if you fill out my survey at either:
YouStepUp.com or BestRest.biz

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Reality and you - Bedrock Quote I

2005-06-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

"Either you deal with what is the reality, or
you can be sure that the reality is going to
deal with you."

-- American author, Alex Haley

~ from NegotiationSkills.com

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Leadership is action - Max Steingart

2005-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

LEADERSHIP IS ACTION NOT POSITION

All successful people became successful,
because they gave some talent or ability in the service of others.
You can contribute in some way to others,
no matter how small your talent.
You too, can become successful.

No one achieves success without being of service.

Successful people don't use others,
other people use the successful,
for above all success is of service.

Everyone has to be someone to someone to be anyone.
Service is the essence of success.

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©2005 by Max Steingart www.maxsteingart.com
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

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The only thing...says Helen Gurley Brown - Quick Quote VI

2005-06-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

"The only thing that separates successful people from the ones who aren't is the willingness to work very very hard."

Helen Gurley Brown (1922 - )
editor and writer, Cosmopolitan magazine

~ from justsell.com

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For those still unconvinced about networking II

2005-06-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Some people network and simply give their connections away. I'm perfectly ok with that. Some people including me will sometimes create agreements that will enable them to receive [monetary!] value for their efforts. I'm perfectly ok with that, too. I hope you are ok with that as well because you could make an extra $20K or more over the next year if you learn how to network and create one page agreements.

As you hone your networking skills and your asking skills, you could make much more than $20K for your efforts. What I have discovered is that many people don't receive value for their efforts because they don't ask. Asking is a skill that can be learned and it's one of the skills we teach at Cannon Training & Development.

Let's say you know a manufacturer and someone who needs a product manufactured. When you can introduce the two parties and they do business, there is no reason why you couldn't get paid two cents on every widget that's produced - IF YOU ASK and create an agreement. That doesn't seem like much, but what if 50,000 widgets are manufactured each month? That would be $1,000 a month. In this example, 250,000 widgets a month would be $5,000 a month for you. For what? For getting to know the people well enough to actually care about what they want to achieve. For paying attention enough to [and ASKING] what they need. For connecting people who might not have met otherwise and/or saving them time or money in the process.

If you look on my profile on LinkedIn, and you look at the endorsements under Networking, you'll see that I helped David by recommending people I know for valuable positions in his startup company. Four years ago I did not know David. I met him less than two years ago. I met the attorney I recommended to him four and a half years ago. I got to know something about that attorney's reputation, but, in fairness, I really got to know more about him as a person. I recommended him to David and assumed that David could make an adult decision about whether he was right for the position.

You may not know an attorney with this specialty and neither did I five years ago, but as soon as I started networking, I started meeting more and more people. As I paid attention to not only what I was attempting to achieve, but what OTHER PEOPLE desired to achieve, I started noticing where possible connections could be of value. Is this work? It can be work, but I enjoy helping people achieve what they set out to achieve. Even if you don't enjoy that as much as I do, ask yourself if it would feel good to help other people do good and get paid for it. Just because you haven't done this before doesn't mean you can't start right now.

For one company, Lasershield, I'm looking for Regional Distributors. Lasershield is a "plug and go" alarm system that's easy for 99% of customers to install by themselves in about 20 minutes. I believe it's going to be huge because there are people who would like to get alarm systems who don't want someone coming into their home to sell it to them or to install it. Like single women. Lots of single women will buy this because they don't have to have a strange man in their home in order to purchase this or have it up and running. Renters will like it, too, because it's portable when they move and they don't have to sign a contract for monitoring service which is purchased month to month. In my opinion, this market is what Harvard Business Journal calls a blue ocean.

Lots of companies compete in the red ocean where many competitors are basically selling the same product or service. A blue ocean market is where the product or service is so different that they are "playing" in a niche that no other company serves. Right now traditional alarm companies aren't that interested in serving renters because they move before the company would break even. The other underserved niche of single women have mostly decided to simply not buy an alarm rather than experience what they perceive as discomfort with a strange installer or salesperson coming into their home. So Lasershield is all alone in these niches, these blue oceans.

How will I make money? I'm looking for Regional Distributors who will basically "train the trainers" and monitor an organization that they build. The "trainers" that they train will be what you might refer to as manufacturer's representatives who in turn will develop their own team of bonded people such as locksmiths, who already have a relationship with the potential client and can offer the alarm system as an add-on. How much do I think a Regional Distributor will make in the first year? If this person really works hard, probably $80-$120K. Many people might think that sounds great, but again, how do I make money? Because I introduced a gentleman named Bruce to the CEO, I already have a regional distributor building a team and generating revenue every month. I receive a little bit off of the sale of the products and a little bit from the monthly monitoring.

To me, that's pretty powerful networking. I had to PAY ATTENTION to the needs of the CEO of this company who I met about four and a half years ago. So, if you're willing to network with me, who do you know in the USA that might like to talk to me about being a regional distributor for Lasershield?

And, what do YOU need next MOST?

Build Relationship Build Income. DO IT. It works.

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No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

The first challenge is simply doing it

2005-06-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone can learn to network. Because of my current skills, I can teach people who know English. Of course, if you're reading and understanding this, we've got the language issue covered. :-)

If you understand the "why" of networking, the important thing is to actually DO IT. Read the words I posted at my MOTIVATIONALBlog.blogspot.com - today, June 3, 2005.

I was disappointed to hear from a relative recently that they're "in a selfish place" right now. I had mentioned that many of the connections to help move this person's career forward were available through networking. I introduced my idea that networking is about keeping the needs of others on our mental radar screen so that we can help make the connection when we run across someone who can possibly or certainly fulfill that need. When we do that for other people, many of those people do the same for us.

I guess it's good that this person can honestly see the situation, nevertheless, it's pretty disappointing to know that they simply aren't interested in helping other people this way.

Actually networking on behalf of others is what is required to truly realize the potential of networking. If you are willing to do this, really DO IT, you can succeed faster than you might have thought possible.

If you are doing this, if you are networking and helping other people in this way, that's magnificent! If you're not, what is holding you back?

I believe it's a personal growth issue. Are you ready to grow not just professionally? Are you ready to not simply grow your business or income? Are you ready to grow personally? Are you ready to round off the rough edges?

Build Relationship Build Income. DO IT. It works.

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Dreaming is a form of planning - Quick Quote V

2005-06-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

~Gloria Steinem

~ from EncourageMint.com

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Creative Wandering - Quick Quote IV

2005-06-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

"Not all who wander are lost."
-- J. R. R. Tolkien
(a good argument for creativity)

~ from NegotiationSkills.com

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What about the words we use? - I

2005-05-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

What about the words we use?

"A sense of urgency"

I've been striving to move faster recently and encountered some resistance.

I remember sales training where we were encouraged to create "a sense of urgency". I believe some people can feel when you are "creating a sense of urgency" that isn't really there and they are put off by that.

What about when the need is really urgent? Are people usually truthful enough with themselves to actually deal with their life situation in way that will enable them to move to the next level and not drop back down?

When your life circumstances dictate that you take action soon [or now!], the necessity of taking action is real IF we want conditions to improve. Everyone has the option of being homeless or living in "considerably less than ideal" shelter.

I live in Southern California and wish that everyone who would like to live this way could. [Assuming that sustainability and other issues are addressed.] However, many people are living in less costly areas and still struggling.

Are you? Do you know someone who is?

Would you like to learn how to move to the next level and not return to financial struggle?

Build Relationship Build Income. It works.

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For those still unconvinced about networking I

2005-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

In 1993 I went through a life-changing seminar series with the antecedent company to Cannon Training & Development. Today those seminars are called The Magnificent Life Seminars and I highly encourage you to step your toe in the water by visiting San Diego and doing the Magnificent Life Weekend for a start. Stay a few days longer and enjoy San Diego and all the fun here. That's all I'm going to say about the Magnificent Life Seminars for now because my real purpose here today is to show an example of connection/networking that took place over more than a decade.

I met Fran Cannon, founder of Cannon Training & Development, in 1993. I came to understand what a good, wise and caring man he is. After a couple years I drifted out of Fran's life and after some time I found myself exploring the internet and a site called sixdegrees.com. [I just checked the URL and it's definitely something different than it was. I did see the first one crash and burn.] Some of you may remember it and it was the first site I was exposed to that really seemed to take advantage of the idea of "six degrees of separation" and the connectivity inherent in that concept. Here's the Wikipedia entry if you're new to six degrees of separation.

I connected with a woman named Janet Honek who listed herself as an executive coach and a resident of my city, Carlsbad. I contacted Janet and asked her if she had done any personal growth seminars and she confirmed that she had. At the same time I asked her if she knew Fran Cannon and she did. Fran was involved with the same business networking organization I mentioned in my Wednesday post. In fact, Fran taught a class on capital raising at their big seminar up in LA. After understanding the MBA level business skills that were being taught at this seminar and feeling good about it because Fran was involved, I attended another watershed event in my life. I went in as a life insurance salesman and within a few months I was a networker.

Because of Janet's husband's recommendation, I joined Toastmasters to enhance my speaking skills and within a couple months I met a man, Ulrich Jaeger. I've written a brief account of what Ulrich is up to on one of my blog experiments/art projects, A Fan Of Your Dreams*. I introduced Ulrich to the business networking organization and Cannon Training and alongside of his pursuit of his dream, Ulrich is now a community service manager with that organization.

Ulrich met Chris Chun at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Temecula, California and that night he came to hear me speak about networking and the organization. Chris Chun joined as I did near the end of 2000 and recently he invited Jim Cox to take a look. Jim came to see me speak the other night and I've already connected him to Michael Stogner, a fellow Toastmaster with similar career experience to Jim.

So, [indirectly] because Fran Cannon and I met a dozen years ago, Michael Stogner and Jim Cox will be in a position to help each other this week. It actually goes further than that because I was introduced to Fran's work by a friend who's wife assumed that he needed it and we could attend together. A little further back the chain of connection, my friend's wife's masseuse recommended the personal development seminar to my friend's wife.

LinkedIn helps you make those connections faster. Part of the attraction of LinkedIn is that it's more efficient. LinkedIn can help you find out who is serious about taking action. You don't have to wait twelve years, no matter how worth it the wait might seem.

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How to value the relationship - Fast Company article

2005-05-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have run into some people who are skeptical of online tools to manage their personal and professional networks. Maybe you are, too. Remember the relationship. Here's a helpful article from Fast Company titled I Am Not a Number.

Here's another great idea, although not directly related to networking - Virtual University.

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Public speaker on networking last night in Carlsbad, California

2005-05-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

We had a positive, productive meeting last night in Carlsbad. I was the featured speaker for a business networking organization that's much more than a business networking organization. I'll talk more about the organization another time.

There are different ways to say it and so I'll say essentially what I said last night, "My definition of networking is caring enough about another human being to care about what's next on their agenda and seeking to keep that information on your "mental radar screen" so that if you have helpful connections, you can introduce them."

There were people from different career paths and outlooks and networking can help every one of them - as long as they know "what they need next".

If someone wants to network with you, you will need to know who you want to meet for that person to really be helpful to you. For many people this is completely obvious. Some people who have not clearly defined what they are looking for can feel frustrated or "put on the spot", when the person who would like to help them is only trying to clearly define what [which leads to who] to look for.

So, if you're a person with a less than clear idea of where you're going, you need to get clarity for someone to really help you. And, it's faster if you get that clarity before you engage someone's help.

What is it you're looking for? Specifically? Think about it.

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Albert Einstein on logic and imagination - Quick Quote III

2005-05-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
German-American physicist

~ from justsell.com

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One way to create income through networking

2005-05-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here's an email I sent today in which I've changed the name. You can use this method, too, once you really understand how to ask and are ok with some people saying no.

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Hello Dana!

I saw your profile on LinkedIn and visited your site. I really like your ideas and would like to explore the possibility of referring people your way in the future. I would like to connect directly with you on LinkedIn and I'm sending an invitation to do just that.

Here's the question I most often ask:

What do you need next most?

As I come to understand your business more and the favorite clients you like to work with, I can be more effective in sending them your way. Are you open to referral fees?

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

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Aldous Huxley on Improving Yourself - Quick Quote II

2005-05-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
British writer, author of "Brave New World"

~ from justsell.com

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If you're looking for employment only...III

2005-05-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

I keep mentioning this quote from Zig Ziglar because it is so powerful. There are a lot of other quotes that are more famous, more motivational, more inspirational, or more (choose a category) and yet this quote is something we simply need to keep doing. And doing. Keep helping people. By adding LinkedIn to the mix, we can stay connected to those people more easily and provide a way for our connections to stay connected more easily.

Another friend spoke with me on the phone recently and I found out that this friend has not made progress financially in over a year. He's basically in the same place and we were talking over a year ago about possible solutions.

This goes back to spending some time building more organized solutions so that you don't keep ending up back in a survival situation. If you have a position and choose not to create any other streams of income [or at least to organize your networking so that later you can call on people you have helped], and that position "goes away", you can be back where you were months or even years before.

Networking is a great way to help people if you do it right AND, you will find that many of those people will be willing to help you when you want or need it. Networking, in my opinion, is taking time to be concerned about what others are concerned about and seeing what possible solutions there are through the relationships you have.

If you've only got a few, that's ok. Just get started. You'll see that your connections grow as you think of yourself more and more as someone who networks. At some point, other people will think of you as someone who networks as so many people do with me. Ask your people "what do you need next most?" and when you're asked that question and you answer it, there's a question you can follow up with. "Who do you know?"

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Judge your success by... - Quick Quote I

2005-05-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

"Judge your success by what you had to give up
in order to get it."
-- Dalai Lama

~ from NegotiationSkills.com

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If you're looking for employment only...II

2005-05-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I was talking about some of the problems with the strategy of the person who sent me this. When we network, we want to keep in mind what OTHERS are looking for so we can be of service to them. [Read the earlier post for more.]

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Hi Charlie,

I'm sorry that I haven't utilized Linkedin. I am doing well at work and did receive a raise, though I would like the opportunity to check out the company that you referred to in your email to me.

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The second thing I believe we should give our attention is what appears to be a survival strategy. Zig Ziglar talks about Survival, Security, Success and Significance. I won't go into all of them, but many people are in survival mode in more than one area of their life. In survival mode there is not a lot of planning because we keep taking care of our "right now" needs.

If we plan ahead, we can much more easily get out of survival mode and into security mode or higher. What I see in this email is that she got her current "problem" solved with the raise. Many people stop right there when they could be putting a little energy into building a network that can help them if they're ever in that situation again [Of course the network could help in other ways, but I'm talking about staying out of survival mode in this example.]

You could take 15 minutes to a half hour every day to nurture your network by staying in touch with people to see if there's anyone you can introduce them to who can be of help to them with whatever is on their plate right now. Some people have wondered about why they need LinkedIn and one reason is simply organization. It's convenient to have it in one place. I mentioned this convenience factor in the very first post of this blog.

In learning to network well with LinkedIn, you really do learn by doing. It's experiential. You're in a situation and you experience how much easier it is when you're using LinkedIn.

Does this take some work? Absolutely. I look at it this way. When I am in contact with my network and I understand what people are looking for, I can more easily keep them on my "mental radar screen" so that when I run across a good match for them, I can refer that person to my original contact. I can have them take a look at the profile of the person I know on LinkedIn and vice-versa.

You can bet that when I am looking for someone or something, people step up and ask me what they can do for me. How can they help? Who do I need to meet? Some are just doing it because they always do it. Others are responding because I have helped them in the past. If you're up for a position and you're known to the person or have been introduced by someone who respects you, that can be a deciding factor versus a person who is an unknown quantity. Build Relationship Build Income. It works.

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If you're looking for employment only...I

2005-05-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

You might have to be patient with me. It's been a while since I thought this way...employment only, nothing else. Ouch. Mid-twentieth century thinking hurts my noggin.

First, let me say that I believe this is a less than optimum strategy for nearly everyone. If you want to maximize income potential you will want to take advantage of all the possibilities before you that you can reasonably partake in. Even if income is not your primary concern, you will want to take full advantage of your opportunities to maximize your "Full Life Potential". [ I just coined that phrase, or, at least I invented it independent of someone else. Kind of like Tesla. ;-) ] We all want to live a full life, don't we?

I just received an email response from someone I urged to download Joe Bartling's report that I mentioned in Thursday's post. Here it is:

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Hi Charlie,

I'm sorry that I haven't utilized Linkedin. I am doing well at work and did receive a raise, though I would like the opportunity to check out the company that you referred to in your email to me.

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I did edit it slightly because some people know this person, but you can be sure that the fundamentals of this email are the same.

First, I want to mention that the focus seems to be on the person writing the email. Now, I know this person and I know what a kind and generous person they are. It's amazing, though, how we can get into habits that are less effective even if we're good people.

In networking we really need to focus not just on what we want to accomplish, but on what OTHERS want to accomplish. Here would be a good time to read the quote at the top of brbIncome.blogspot.com. It's from Zig Ziglar and I'll repeat it here:

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"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

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This is a huge concept in networking and it will work for someone even if they're not the nicest person in the world, but simply pragmatic. Doing good for other people makes the world a friendlier, more enjoyable place AND [a hidden bonus!] it makes them more likely to want to do good on your behalf.

If you will take the time to build a network on LinkedIn, you will put yourself in a position to be more effective in helping other people. By learning how to do that, you are more likely to find yourself with a network of people [at least some of whom] are willing to help you.

If you're inclined to say, "Look, I don't have time to "bird-dog" for other people. I just want a job.", then I suggest that you think again.

People ask me what hobbies I have and I suppose you could say that networking and helping people do what they're passionate about is a hobby of mine. It can also be a great way to enjoy life more AND increase your income. Build Relationship Build Income. It works.

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So important I'm not going to say much [maybe]

2005-05-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

joe.bartling@spiderware.com

The email address above is where you want to send this message:

"Joe, would you please send me the free report that Charlie Hicks-Moore recommends in his blog at http://brbIncome.blogspot.com?"

Some people aren't sure about networking and the power of LinkedIn. Read Joe's report. Joe is helping people understand networking and LinkedIn and he's been doing it longer than Charlie Hicks-Moore [me, for those of you unsure...There, I said it]. Now get his report for free by sending him an email and make sure you keep reading this blog.

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The speed of LinkedIn

2005-05-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited about helping you really get to where you're going faster, so I'm posting for the second time today.

I recently tried networking on another site which I'll refer to as Onstermay. One of the challenges I see with the aforementioned site is that people have been putting their profiles there for a while. Because they have been placing their profiles on that site for a while, there is a truly vast ocean of job seekers who are simply there to get a job. When you offer the opportunity to "try out" networking to those folks [We're all just folks...], a good number of them will add the networking feature, but that doesn't mean they know how to network.

In my month of networking at Onstermay I found that maybe 10-15% responded to my request. 85% did nothing or simply clicked a button which meant I wasn't allowed to contact them. Now, I know how to network. I didn't simply send them a message saying, "I've got a great product or service for you to buy!" So, a pretty good percentage of the people there don't even understand that simply responding with a "No, thank you." will earn them a point in that system. You earn points for doing different things and the end result is that people with higher point totals are assumed to be more active.

I don't want to get bogged down in all the details, but with the low level of response, combined with the more cumbersome functionality of the site, you will simply have to spend more time to get results from people through their system. Plus, I don't know if their system counts the "Do not allow this person to contact me anymore" notifications as strikes against you. If that's the case, it won't be long before someone like me is locked out of networking there. Why? Because I contacted people in the hopes of networking with them based upon their profile. Once. Not badgering, but simply attempting to network with people who supposedly chose to participate in networking on that site.

Part of the problem is that you are not introduced by anyone real. Onstermay "introduces" you. This is only marginally better than random if at all. With LinkedIn, you send a request through someone you are directly connected to, and if they see that the request is relevant to the person you have asked them to send the request to, they will send it on. So we act as screeners for each other. I am doing this right now. Someone has sent me a request which I feel I need to ask the person on the other end about. If she says that this type of thing is ok to send, I will let the request through.

When you pay attention to the requests that come through, the people in your network appreciate that and will pay more attention when requests come through you. Some of this you may need to experience to get the full effect. There is definitely experiential learning with LinkedIn.com. It may be like walking through a door for you. You may not truly see the power of LinkedIn until you are signed up, connected to at least a few people directly, and making a request to meet someone through one of your connections.

In case you're wondering about the responsiveness on LinkedIn, my personal experience is that 80% of the people contacted will respond. About 10% of those will respond with "No, thank you." Some will respond in a couple weeks, but most will respond within a few days. About 15% will respond within 24 hours and some of those will respond within a couple hours!

If you know what you're trying to accomplish, you can find the people to help you do that through networking. Networking through LinkedIn is becoming better every day!

As of three minutes ago, I am directly connected to 218 people on LinkedIn. Those people are directly connected to another 18,000+ on my 2nd degree. My 2nd degree is connected to 425,700+ on my 3rd degree and those are in turn connected to 1,155,800+ on my 4th degree at LinkedIn. The total is 1,624,200+ in my network at LinkedIn when you also count the 24,400+ brave souls who are ok with anyone making requests for contact with them, even without a referral!

I have brought a good number of my contacts to LinkedIn, but I believe around two-thirds are people I have met through LinkedIn and my direct connections there. Once you meet someone, you can decide if you want to connect directly or continue to go through someone else.

I was talking on the phone yesterday with an artist who would like to have her work on greeting cards and I am working on making that happen. That's something she would like to happen, something next on her agenda.

What do you need next most?

Who do you know?

Let's network and help you reach your goals faster as you help others reach their goals faster.

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Build Relationship Build Income - brbIncome

2005-05-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing my experience of networking and how it can enhance the prospects for your career, business, life and even friendships. I've been blogging or writing a newsletter or networking through "newsletter" online since 2000. I am certainly still open to learning and I hope you'll share your helpful experiences as this blog takes shape.

I know that building relationship can enhance your life. Many people are not sure how to go about enhancing their career, business, or reaching their goals faster through networking. I can help you if you're willing to learn and grow.

If you haven't signed up at LinkedIn.com, then that's the first place to start in your growth process. LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for networking, but many people haven't figured out how to take advantage of it. Amazingly, LinkedIn is free, so go sign up. If you're already signed up on LinkedIn, take advantage of the ability to invite your friends and associates to build your network.

There are a lot of reasons to use LinkedIn, and I'm going to give you one today. I received an email yesterday from someone who is on the road and couldn't find my contact information. He went to LinkedIn and because he is Linked to me he found my profile easily. Since he is Linked to me, he can see my email address at the bottom of my profile and that's how he contacted me. If you're not Linked to someone on LinkedIn, you can see their profile, but not their contact information.

When you want to connect with someone you are not directly connected to on LinkedIn, you send a request through a person you know who knows that person. In that way, LinkedIn is like introducing someone online just like you might do in a restaurant. I have found LinkedIn to be incredibly effective WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS. So, don't just sign up on LinkedIn. Explore LinkedIn and get to know the different functions. It is worth your time.

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