Today I heard one of the more positive speakers I’ve heard in some time. And he used a device that can be trite, but he made it work.

The old “how are you today” asked to a crowded room. Read More...

One of the rules of networking is “have stories.” My physician is one of the best examples of this.

Whenever I go for a visit to The Good Doctor G, he greets me with “Brother Paul,” followed by “tell me a story.” Read More...

Knowing when to end a conversation is just as important as starting a conversation.

Timing is everything, but don’t sweat it. It is, after all, just a conversation. But remember to be polite and respectful of time (both your conversant’s and yours). Read More...

I recently attended a graduation ceremony at a university and heard these words from the speaker. Great guidance for students or anybody charting their life (which, really, is all of us).

The speaker made four points: Read More...

We’ve all heard voicemail. We’ve all “talked” to voicemail. Here are some basic rules relating to voicemail:

• Be brief.
• Repeat your name.
• Repeat your number.
• Be polite.
• Call once and wait for the return call.

Get to the point: “Hi, this is Paul Maynard of Zachry Associates at 214-675-0500. We met at last evening’s event and I’d like to talk with you further. I can be reached at 214-675-0500. This is Paul Maynard and I await your return call. Thank you. Read More...

While his column was focused on selling, David Tyson, Jr’s “Strategies That Sell” space in the latest edition of the Dallas Business Journal, ended with a clear message that applies to all networkers:

“Passion, commitment, action: it’s the formula for (selling) success.” Read More...

We all meet people for lunch. And if you’ve read the book, “Never Eat Alone,” you may even make it a philosophy.

One of the challenges is the question of who pays the tab. We all want to be polite (see those entries), but there are some things to consider with this item. Read More...

One of the ten rules of networking we floated out from this space earlier is to “have energy.”

That is to say, have enthusiasm for your conversation, for the people you are interacting with, for what you are saying, for the event you are attending. Read More...

We’ve all grown in our use of the social media tools. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and others occupy a significant amount of the networker’s life.

But have we really learned to use them? Read More...