Ten Commandments for Better Networking

Do you shy away at the very thought of networking at business functions? If you answered yes, you are not alone! Many business people and entrepreneurs get a bit uncomfortable when it comes down to walking up to someone and starting a conversation. Many others are concerned about getting effective results from the time they spend networking. The process does not have to be traumatic, scary, or a waste of time. When done properly, it can truly make a difference in the amount of business you can generate. With the right approach, you can use it to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help to make your business very successful.

Use the following Ten Commandments to help you network your way through your next business networking event:

1. Have the tools to network with you at all times.

These include an informative name badge, business cards, brochures about your business, and a portable business card file containing cards of other professionals whom you can refer.

2. Set a goal for the number of people you’ll meet.

Identify a reachable goal based on attendance and the type of group. If you feel inspired, set a goal to meet fifteen to twenty people and make sure you get all their cards. If you don’t feel so hot, shoot for less. In either case, don’t leave until you’ve met your goal.

3. Act like a host, not a guest.

A host is expected to do things for others, while a guest sits back and relaxes. Volunteer to help greet people. If you see visitors sitting, introduce yourself and ask if they would like to meet others. Act as a conduit. The people who are too shy to move around will appreciate this and will remember you for it!

4. Listen and ask questions.

Remember that a good net-worker has two ears and one mouth and uses them proportionately. After you’ve learned what another person does, tell them what you do. Be specific, but brief. Don’t assume they know your business.

5. Don’t try to close a deal.

These events are not meant to be a vehicle to hit on business people to buy your products or services. Networking is about developing relationships with other professionals. Meeting people at events should be the beginning of that process, not the end of it. People in a networking event will not appreciate hard closing tactics.

6. Give referrals whenever possible.

The best net-workers believe in the givers gain philosophy (what goes around, comes around). If I help you, you’ll help me and we’ll both do better as a result of it. In other words, if you don’t genuinely attempt to help the people you meet, then you are not networking effectively. If you can’t give someone a bona-fide referral, try to offer some information that might be of interest to them (such as details about an upcoming event).

7. Exchange business cards.

Ask each person you meet for two cards - one to pass on to someone else and one to keep. This sets the stage for networking to happen. Never just walk around pushing your cards on people. They will end up in the trash. It is not effective to just hand people your card. Ask them for their card first. Then, there is a fairly good chance they will ask you for yours.

8. Manage your time efficiently.

Spend ten minutes or less with each person you meet and don’t linger with friends or associates. If your goal is to meet a given number of people, be careful not to spend too much time with any one person. When you meet someone interesting with whom you’d like to speak further, set up an appointment for a later date. Be sure to follow up with the people you would like to meet with in a timely manner.

9. Write notes on the backs of business cards you collect.

Record anything you think may be useful in remembering each person more clearly. This will come in handy when you follow up on each contact.

10. Follow up!

You can obey the previous nine commandments religiously, but if you don’t follow up effectively, you will have wasted your time. Drop a note or give a call to each person you’ve met. Be sure to fulfill any promises you’ve made.

I hope everyone is having a great day...as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com

Advantages of a Network Marketing Business

Network marketing businesses are an excellent option for those who want to start their own small business. Network marketing allows you the flexibility of working part time or full time and requires nothing more than your interest and desire to explore. It is among those exceptionally few business ventures that do not impel entrepreneurs to invest huge funds to start up or survive. All you require is the right networking base to communicate with. You can market a host of products.

Structure of Network Marketing Businesses

The business structure in Network Marketing is like an established corporation where you are your own boss. You work with an ever-increasing number of people from varied backgrounds and locations, all striving to achieve a common goal: the sale of products. The industry is never saturated and there is always scope for more. Networking businesses work like an office grapevine, where a casual recommendation spreads across a network. The benefits trickle as soon as the word spreads.

The key advantage of this type of business is that it allows you to take chances without costing you much. You can give it a try and see if it works fine for you or not. The exit barriers just like the entry costs are negligible. The best part is the residual income and the tax benefits offered by network marketing businesses. You can continue to earn even after quitting.

Starting a Network Marketing Business

The endless benefits of network marketing businesses, ranging from extra income to lavish time management, are reason enough to start up your own business. Before you start up your own network marketing business, it is important to understand and take care of a few basic requirements.

1. There is a start up fee.

2. You must figure out how much time you're willing to dedicate and stick to that figure: Though the network marketing business is not a 9 to 5 job, it is best to allocate a lot of time while starting up to establish the desired people base.

3. You should undertake necessary research to collate information about the kind of options available, including which market you'll be targeting and existing networking channels.

4. You need computer and other basic communication devices.

A Synopsis of Network Marketing Businesses

A strongly linked chain of people earning through each other's efforts and support is the synopsis of networking marketing business. Network marketing requires neither heavy financial backup nor an extensive amount of time. It offers an interesting way to make money. If you are determined to succeed, then a network marketing business is just the thing.

I hope you are having a fantastic day…as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
TFF Mastermind Group
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com
http://www.joinmetoday.com

Get Mad And Make A Decision To Change!

I mean it... Get *REALLY* mad!

Get MAD anytime you have to do something that you
don't really want to do (like going to work FOR
SOMEBODY ELSE early in the morning)...

Get MAD for all the times you've wanted to buy
something nice for yourself, go on a vacation, take the
day off, but couldn't afford it...

Get MAD if you've ever worried when the stock market
goes down...

Get MAD if there has ever been an opportunity to
improve your life or the life of people you love, but
you couldn't take advantage of it because of time or
financial limitations...

Get MAD if what you *REALLY* wish you could do in this
life isn't happening YET...

Why I'm a telling you to get mad? Don't all the
self-help materials tell you to keep a positive
attitude... things will "work out"???

Guess what... THEY'RE WRONG!

*Before* you jump in and ride positive attitude parade,
you need to get red-hot, ***boiling*** MAD about the
way things are RIGHT NOW... It's only when you GET
MAD, get fed up and get really irritated with the way
things have been or the way things are now that you
will take the ACTION necessary to change your current
situation and make it into something better.

We are creatures driven by two desires only:

1) The desire to gain pleasure.

2) The desire to avoid pain.

And the latter is stronger than the former. We are much
more motivated to *avoid pain* than to gain pleasure.
Yes, we are all driven by the carrot and the stick, but
fear of the stick will get the average person moving a
lot faster than a salad at the end of a hard days
work...

Why do you *really* go to work every day? Is it because
your pursuing your passion and some grandiose goals? I
truly hope so! But most people get up and go to work
because they FEAR losing their job and ending up
homeless on the side of the streets begging for KFC
leftovers to get them through the night... The desire
to avoid this horrific pain is EXTREMELY motivational,
isn't it?! USE IT!!!

Don't fight against the forces that govern your very
existence... pleasure and pain. Use them wisely to your
benefit. If you know that pain motivates you, MAKE
YOURSELF FEEL PAIN so that you will TAKE ACTION and
change your current circumstances. It's OK to use your
imagination here.

Think about what would happen if you got fired and
couldn't find another job for the next 6 months... How
freaked out would you get then? Feel that.

Think about what would happen if you simply did nothing
different for the rest of your life and continued to
live the "status quo", do-what's-expected-of-you
lifestyle that's got you this far, and left many of
your most sacred dreams and ambitions on the table. How
painful will it be to be on your deathbed knowing that
you never even tried to do what your heart was telling
you that you *really* wanted to do in this life? Feel
that.

Think about what not having enough time or money is NOT
ALLOWING you to do that you really, really, really,
really wish you could do (insert all the things that
are important to you but seem out of reach right now
here)... Feel that.

THEN GET MAD!

GET ANGRY!

..... and then RIGHT NOW, before the feeling fades away
or is numbed out of existence by your favorite
television show or alcoholic beverage, MAKE A DECISION
to change. That's all it takes. As soon as you decide
that you've HAD ENOUGH with the mediocrity you've
accepted up to this point, the world shifts on it's
axis and will present you with new ways to think, new
ways to act, new ways to LIVE.

Big doors swing on small hinges and the hinges that
open the doors of opportunity are always the DECISIONS
we make about what we will and what we won't settle
for in our life. If you allow yourself to get MAD
ENOUGH, the "settling point" for what you can and
will receive in your life will be raised and you will
experience a better future... a future more closely
aligned with WHAT YOU WERE BORN TO DO here on Earth.

So GET MAD, TAKE ACTION, and GET PREPARED to *be happy*
as you start creating your life on your terms the way
you always hoped it would be... and it can my friend -
it really, truly can!

When I *GOT MAD*, I decided to find a better way to make
my living contrary to what my parents and society at
large told me was possible... I'm so glad I did
because now I'm living my dream life and helping
others live theirs.

Don Egnor
813-842-6131
FFE - The Mastermind Group
donegnor@aol.com