Most of got into networking to connect to find new business. Along the way, some forgot what the point of all of this connecting to people was for.

It’s to find business. For you. Read More...

It has only happened to me maybe twice in 7 years of active networking: being stood up or standing someone up.

It happens to us all: we forget to put an appointment in our calendars (either electronic or paper); forget to confirm the night before or the morning of the meeting; get lost on the way and not call. Read More...

They all have value–those meetings we call networking groups. BNI, CEO Netweavers, Lots O Leads:  you recognize the names and probably have been to more than one in your career.

Whether you are a job seeker or a businessperson looking for sales leads, meeting people is a way of life. These groups–all with varying levels of formality–are what you need to plug into. Read More...

OK, networking is supposed to be about interpersonal communication. But with the new social media tools (why don’t we call these what they are–new media tools?) at our disposal, we need to embrace them and realize that personal communication has to start somewhere.

Given that, I found these five reasons to use Twitter in a commentary in today’s “Points” section of the Dallas Morning News. In David Carr’s piece I found some nuggets we need to consider because Twitter– Read More...

Linda Armstrong Kelly (Lance’s mom) tells the story of how she overcame the odds she and Lance were up against in their lives. Most of us know about both of their battles against cancer and her overcoming being a single, teenaged mom.

But she told a story today at a NDCC speaking engagement that surprised me–and reinforced one of my eprsonal “10 Guidelines”–always carry a business card. Read More...

TRN is in Abilene, Texas, today to speak to the AAF chapter there about the value of face-to-face marketing, especially trade shows.

More later from the site. Read More...

In previous posts we’ve discussed the value of being personal and of responding with a personal thank you. Nothing replaces the value of being one-on-one with someone and the hand-written and posted note is the start (or conclusion) of that great meeting you had (or will have).

I was recently reminded of the value of hand-written notes, particularly Holiday and Christmas cards with this story (http://tinyurl.com/yzvoryk from Walletpop.com). While it is keeping the US Postal Service in business, that’s not our key aim here: being remembered is. Read More...

Recently, my friend and colleague, Rob Brown, emerged from a long time of underemployment. Upon surfacing with his new company, Rob wrote one of the best thank you notes I’ve ever read. The thank you note itself would have been a great posting, but its content was even better and Rob’s advice in it applies not just to job seekers, but to those seeking business and connections.

Rob had a number of tips and notes, but the critical ones also apply to those of us seeking to build relationships and business.  The list looked like this: Read More...

In a recent OpEd piece in the New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman opined that while are experiencing the Great Recession we are also in the midst of The Great Inflection.

His examples in the story (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/opinion/13friedman.html?_r=1) bring to mind that we all have the strength of our networks to sustain us. The story of Greer & Associates in Minneapolis producing a video for a non-profit organization for 20 percent of what they would normally budget is not only a reflection of our repressed times. It is also a great illustration of what we all need to practice: connectedness. They found voice talent through an on-line group of sources. Scripts were reviewed with familiar writers in their network on line. Communication was direct. Read More...

In this season of giving, we really should all look hard at what we do to share and make the lives of others better. As networkers, we work hard to make our businesses successful by reaching out to others to make connections. But what if we channeled that expertise to something a bit more charitable?

Reading the “Point After” page in the December 28 issue of Sports Illustrated inspired me. In Selena Roberts’ column, she writes about pro athlete Jeremy Bloom and his start-up foundation, Wish of a Lifetime (www.si.com). Jeremy created this foundation to support the wishes of the elderly poor. Inspired by the selflessness of his own grandparents, Jeremy helps elderly poor people realize dreams they could never realize by themselves. Read More...