Fresh Blood in the Gene Pool
Jeff Glaze, Guest Author
How many times did you see me at a networking event in the past month? If it is a staple of your business it should have been more than once.
How many people did you meet for the first time while networking? I am hoping that you can't even think of the number. If you can count the
number of new contacts that you made, I would ask "is your business growing?"
I am sure that I have talked to you in the past about comfort zones. This is the place where we know people and we feel comfortable. We
get a few referrals now and then, and hey, "I don't have to feel out of place". Like the saying from the theme of the sitcom "Cheers" "I
want to go where everybody knows my name". The problem with this is that in most cases we don't have enough people who know our name to
become extremely successful. How can we change this?
We have to reach beyond the comfort zone. We have to network outside of our own area or geographic vicinity. Even then, we are working
within a group of people who are networking regularly in their own areas. This creates a situation where our success is limited by meeting
people who are currently networking to promote their business. What happens when no new business comes into our group? If we are not doing
other things to prospect for business, we burn each other out.
Let me use the alligator for example. If you put a pair of alligators in a pond that has fish, sooner or later, the gators will eat all
of the fish in the pond. If animals come to the pond to drink, the gators have a way to get more food. What do the gators do when the food
runs out? They go looking for it. They often end up far from the pond in someone's back yard looking lovingly at the family pet. The gator
moves beyond the comfort zone or it starves to death.
As we continue to network in the same group, we find that if no new business comes into the group, or leads do not come through the
members from outside the group, the group will literally starve to death or less dramatically, go out of business.
The best way for the group to flourish is to bring in fresh blood or new members. It is especially effective if the new members have
never used business networking before to build their business. Suddenly new opportunities open up for a portion of the group that did not
previously exist. The new member immediately has a group of new prospects to work with.
Most of us who network a lot also have business that is outside of networking. What would happen if we brought that business into the
group? What if they in turn brought their clients into the group? Not only would networking organizations get larger, but the people currently
in those organizations would prosper in a big way.
Have you ever considered asking clients or prospects if they have ever networked as a part of their business? If you were to ask them and
they respond no, you have the opportunity to tell them the benefits of networking and invite them into the group. If they respond yes, they
tried it a couple of times, but saw no results, simply explain to them that it takes at least 7 points of contact before most people will do business.
Tell them that if they were to attend a group on a regular basis, then they would realize the results that comes from the relationship
building process. Then take the opportunity to invite them to the next meeting.
Even though this sounds like a lot of work, it really is not. In the end, your group and the entire networking community benefits, as well
as the business that gets involved.
Business networking keeps business local. It builds communities by building the relationships in the community. It is through these
relationships that we can fulfill our needs for our business and ourselves.
Copyright © - Jeff Glaze - Reprinted with permission. Register for his FREE newsletters, the monthly NewsWire and the weekly NewsFlash.
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Click on a book cover or book title link to place an order
The Six X-tremes of Power Business Networking: How to Get Your Business Noticed in Crowded Rooms! - Jeff Glaze - This 60-Page e-book breaks
all of the rules of modern business networking. It gives you detailed information on how to stand out from the rest of the crowd when you are
trying to promote your business. Whether you are a seasoned networker or a beginner, this e-book has information that can help you to be
more successful and increase recognition for both you and your business.
Larry's Review: An excellent read for enthusiastic networkers!
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Power Networking: 59 Secrets for Personal & Professional Success - Donna Fisher & Sandy Vilas - Packed with
59 proven networking methods for achieving success in all areas of your life, this inspiring book helps you to discover key networking skills to
show you how to make the requests that get the results you want.
Larry's Review: The importance of making important business connections cannot be understated.
Donna offers sound advice and encourages you to give up your shyness and offer to assist others as you build a network of support; one that
increases your visibility, expands your network and marks you as someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
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The Essential Network: Success Through Personal Connections - John L. Bennett - This book is about establishing,
maintaining, and reaping the benefits of connections. It incorporates many personal stories to illustrate
the productive results that can occur from building connections. These include people who have found life-partners,
avoided personal and financial disasters, made career changes, built businesses, and met famous people.
Larry's Review: The principles of business networking in an easy-read and understandable format.
Highly recommended!
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The Networking Guy's Top 50 Tips: A Simple Guide to Networking Success - Dave Sherman - These 50 success-proven tips will change
forever the way you do things, bringing power and purpose to those brief encounters that once were meaningless and unproductive.
Easy to understand and simple to apply, they will show you precisely what it takes to become a comfortable and effective networker
in all situations - and with all persons - you encounter.
Larry's Review: I love this book! A quick-read, no nonsense book with everything you need
to know about being a successful networker! Read it and reap! Highly recommended!
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• If you would like to talk
one-on-one with Larry James about relationship issues related to this article, you are invited to arrange for a
private coaching session by telephone. Go to Networking Coaching
for specific details.
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