What makes the difference between a good networking event and a crappy one? If there were 100 people there does that make it awesome?

Over the last 5 years I have been taking part in and running networking events all over the Tampa Bay area. There have been Big Events, small events, crappy events, and Amazing Events, but what makes an event awesome?

Here is what I have seen, in many groups there is too much focus on the organization and not enough focus on attendee engagement. It seems as if facilitators of events have given their group an ego of its own. It doesn’t matter what organization it is Le Tip, BNI, NPI, RGA, FNI, REN, Ali Lassen, TWBA, PBN, BLA, or any other networking organization with an acronym out there the ones that are growing consistently are providing 4 things.

1. Friendly Environment
2. Valuable Education and/or Insights to other members
3. Attendee Participation 2-5 times
4. Feeling of Appreciation

Members of you group are there to grow their business and build valuable relationships, if they experience this they will tell others about it. If you have to pay for advertising of your group that is a sign that your group needs improvement. You should never have to spend a dime on promoting a routine networking event, if you provide the 4 things listed above the group will grow itself, period.

Since I mentioned what works let me tell what bores most guests, and stuns growth.

What myself and many other people DO NOT CARE about at your networking event includes:

1) Who your board members are (What benefit does this give any individual members business? This is wasted time that your members could be speaking and learning more about anything related to business rather then who your Treasurer, and President, a whoever the hell you decided to give a worthless title to’ s purpose is.)

2) How much money members have made each other (Again, who cares?!? This hurts you group in so many ways because what I have seen is in a group of 30-40 there are only 4-10 maybe 15 tops who are making any of that recognized money. This stifles other group members who are not seeing the results and frankly you didn’t make your guest another dime by bragging about your fancy shmancy group income.)

3) Talking about the format for more than a minute (The people came to the meeting, give them the experience don’t outline it for them. People are curios and always want o know what’s keep them in anticipation.

Frankly when I go to a group with those 3 things I personally have no desire to go back, nor pay to attend it regularly. I have been fortunate to understand the principals and dynamic of a group and have built a 2-5 people a week group to over 50 attendees each week. I prefer 25-35 and we are now getting back to that. Numbers are great, but quality over quantity is the name of the game in business networking events.

My personal “Magic” format to a successful networking event:

• Thank you intro (Turn off phones and so forth)
• Question of the day to think about and answer with commercial (This is question of any kind that gets attendees to learn more about each other)
• Approx 45 second commercial with answer to question of the day- Attendee Engagement 1
• Gratitude Period- Give everyone a chance to thank one another or express thankfulness for anything in business or personal life- Attendee Engagement 2
• Q & A- Allow members to ask one another a few questions in a organized format so others can learn more about the respective businesses (As a facilitator you must be able to create conversation and excite people to answer questions about their business) Attendee Engagement 3
• Goal Setting and Review- Have members set a goal each week, and review their goals from last week (This creates more consistence and accountability within your group) Attendee Engagement 4
• Other networking event announcements- Attendee Engagement 5

This format has know engaged members a minimum of 2 times and maximum of 5, everyone knows a little more about one another and looks forward to coming back and sharing their success in reaching their goals next week.

Sorry so long I just needed to get this off my chest!

This is Joe Malinowski telling all of you wonderful people to have a wonderful week!

So I was in Cancun and I had this realization that marketing principals are universal in any setting. I know, I know it kind of seems like a 101 kind of thought, but I just now began relating marketing in stores to the dynamics of a presentation. Having the ability to speak and having the ability to do a presentation are two different things.

I used to think because I was comfortable speaking in front of people I could do a good presentation boy was I wrong. Now I am careful to analyze the dynamics and delivery of the speeches I am requested to make. This has resulted in not only high closing ratios, but more a more effective delivery of information to my audience.

Check out the video and let me know “Do you compete with Wal-Mart?”

Walk with me through the Cancun airport. I am literally like 10 feet out of security and I am forced into this mall of deals, liqueur tasting, and discounted  candies.

Marketing is a science, it is up to us to to distinguish what areas of our presentations need to be polished. The best closers in the world close 35%-40% of a room on an unexpected pitch.

Hope you enjoy. See you at the top!

photo credit: umm

I walked into a bank for the first time in years yesterday…

You see, I tend to look at banking as a line item on my checklist and all I want to do is check it off in the most efficient way possible. Walking in and waiting in line to complete a financial transaction is not efficient in my eyes. So, I’ve spent years becoming really good at online banking, frequenting ATMs and calling 800 numbers to answer any questions I may have. And I’ve been very happy. But yesterday, I had to set up an account that I was unsure how to structure and because my boyfriend goes to the same bank, I figured I’d tag along and do everything I needed to while I was there. (Side note: my boyfriend is the exact opposite of me when it comes to banking. When we walked into the bank, he was greeted by a symphony of hellos from the employees who obviously knew him well. And when he pulled out checks he wanted to deposit, my mouth dropped out of shock as I asked, “you don’t deposit those at the ATM?” He laughed when I later commented, “Wow…you’re so old school!”)

We sat down at a desk across from one of the Account Managers (who my boyfriend was talking to about movies, just as they did every time he came in) and I immediately began asking the questions I needed answered in order to open the account appropriately. Though the gentleman answered kindly and knowledgeably, you could tell I had caught him a little off guard in my forwardness. My boyfriend sensed the discomfort and jumped into the conversation with more movie talk. I sat back and surrendered to the situation: I was in a “belly to belly” situation here…I needed to play the game of relationship building in order to get my needs met.

This situation got me thinking…as we’re deep into the age of the Internet, just how important are those “belly to belly” situations?

The Internet has changed the game for all of us business owners and here’s why:

1) You now have access to a Global market.
2) The playing field has leveled (you have the same resources at your fingertips as giant corporations).
3) The point of entry is a comparatively cheap (you don’t have to have a $1 million marketing budget to get the word out about your company).

This boils down to the fact that you and your business have great potential to hit it big. The trick to the Internet game, however, is learning to use this “global” tool to make your audience feel intimate and local. With the advent of Web 2.0 and Social Media (interactive and user-centered experiences), out of touch, non-interactive and static websites are quickly losing business to their connected, interactive counterparts. All this being said, it is still about being in touch with what your customers want so you can offer it to them when they need it.

One of the biggest complaints about the Internet is that it’s allowing us to become way too disconnected and out of touch with one another. Even though Web 2.0 answers that issue with its interactivity (c’mon…how cool is it that I can know exactly what my college roommate is up to on a daily basis when I get onto Facebook?), it’s vital that as a business owner, you never lose touch with the foundation of those “belly to belly” interactions that may feed your business.

There are two kinds of business people out there: those who love to network and those who loathe it. A few of us fall smack dab in the middle…we know it’s vital to business so we do it, and we enjoy it just enough to continue with it at our own pace. No matter where you are on the networking spectrum, it’s imperative for you to accept the fact that those in-person interactions are the best places to not only build relationships with clients, but also build relationships with business allies who can elevate your own game.

The bottom line is that in order to thrive in business today (let’s be honest, none of us want to “survive”…we want to thrive!), you must utilize the tools around you – from the “old school” ways of belly to belly relationships to the new ways of the interactive online world.

Even though I was frustrated sitting in the bank for an entire hour, I was thrilled when I downloaded the iPhone app that keeps me digitally connected to the accounts I had just set up. I recognized in that moment that this bank had done an amazing job marketing. They knew they had a world of customers just like me, who wanted to be “left alone” to do my banking business (just give me the tools and I’ll do it fast!). And they also knew they needed to service people like my boyfriend, who wanted to know everyone’s name and make every transaction in an actual banking facility. All they did was make sure to have their services and products available in ways that appealed to us both.

So, what do your clients want? How do they want to have access to it? How are you integrating your “belly to belly” interactions with those of your online presence?

Katie Krienitz is the Chief Operations Officer for The Wealth Building Annex (http://TheWealthBuildingAnnex.com), a mastermind and resource community for Entrepreneurs. She’s also a Relationship Author who sells her book online. You can find out more about Katie at http://KatieKrienitz.com or http://MyTrueLoveTV.com.

photo credit: Matt Gush

In order to create success and make networking worth your time there are a few simple principals you must follow.

By engaging in these simple actions your efforts compounded over time will inevitably create lasting success, and lifelong friendships.

1- Regular and On Time Attendance- This should be self explanatory, but unfortunately it is sometimes taken for granted.

2- Show interest and Participate- Sitting in silence does not add value to the group or portray you as a resource. Ask questions, give valuable ideas, do anything to get people to say “Wow! I would like to speak to this person.”

3- Be a Resource, Not a Meaningless Advertisement- Constantly pitching and only attempting to meet with people who you feel can help you will get you nowhere. You must be willing to help others unconditionally.

4- Build Relationships, Set up personal meetings- One on one meetings is what are going to build your valuable relationships. If you are not willing to make this commitment your business networking efforts are going to be a waste of time.

5- Help Others Unconditionally- You willingness to help is what is going to build your credibility and your brand. Wouldn’t you like your phone to be ringing off the hook? By positioning yourself as a resource and helping everyone that you possibly can without the expectation of something in return is going to mean you have successfully created credibility for yourself and your brand.

6- Find Mentors & Engage in Personal Development- Success without personal development leads to failure.

7- Position Yourself as a Resource, Stay in contact with those you meet- Maintaining regular correspondence with your network will help you stay in the forefront of people mind. The more you can be a resource the more your emails will be opened and your site will be trafficked.

8- “Rinse and Repeat” Plan, Do, Review- You will only get better through repetition – Once you have gotten these simple steps down keep doing them! This is it, the basics. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Mastering the mundane is what creates lasting success. The ideas and principals have been written and rewritten over and over again for hundreds of years, nothing has changed.

You have all the tools and resources to build your business as well as you network, get to work!

It does not matter who is at a group, events, or any type of business function there is always more than enough to go around. When it seems like there is a lack, that is because you are sending off the energy that is not allowing you to maximize your potential.

When you think of scarcity that is what you will manifest. If you are intimidated of other successful people in your industry refine your skills and get better. They are not going to get any worse so the only thing to do is sharpen your own skills.

It would appear Chris and I are “competitors” in many aspects. We both host business networking events, trainings, and workshops, so why is it that both of us are able to earn significantly more money endorsing each other rather than trying to out do each other?

Mutual respect and co-operation that’s why! By affiliating yourself with other successful people you like it is just so much easier to rise to the top when you are surrounded by excellence.

Thank you Chris and all my readers for your support knowledge!

Business Networking to your success!

It is easy to find business networking functions to go to, but what does it take to make it worth the time investment?

I have broken it down into 6 MUST HAVE qualities. Each are very easy. Easy is anything that you can do. The flip side is everything that is easy to do is also easy not to do. If you aren’t willing to adopt these 6 qualities don’t even waste your time going to business networking events.

1. Desire to help others unconditionally- Giving with the expectation of getting something in return is not the objective. Help enough people get what they want and you will get what you want… Not necessarily from the person you helped!
2. Positive attitude- This is a MUST!! We each have enough crap to listen to everywhere else. If you don’t have anything constructive to contribute just SHUT UP!
3. Willingness to participate in meetings- Don’t sit there in silence when you have the opportunity to, at very least, ask a question. You are there to meet people and be perceived as a valuable resource.
4. Be prepared- Know your ideal client, referral partner, other event locations, etc.
5. Good Hygiene- Know one wants to be around people that smell or have bad breath.
6. Follow up- Meet with the people you met at an event on a one on one basis. Your purpose is not to sell the group with your commercial, it is to create an interest in meeting with you at a later time.

The best part about mastering these few things is it shouldn’t be that difficult. I love what Jeffrey Gitomer said in his book “Little Black Book of Connections,” “Everything you need to know about networking you leaned in grade school.” This couldn’t be more true!

Take a bath, play nice, do your homework, and participate in class. Many of you have kids, lead by example! For those of you who don’t have kids, like myself, get with the program!

Let’s get out there and create massive success!

photo credit: Lights Out Photos

If you want to expand your influence, have people invite you into their networks and improve your personal brand then pay close attention. Below is not how to do it…

How many times have you been at a networking event or been invited to do coffee for a one on one where you’re to “learn about how to help one another” and you find out you’re being “pitched?”

It isn’t a warm fuzzy feeling is it?

Nor do you feel you’ll be “helping this person out” anytime soon with referrals.

If you’re guilty of this or have been no worries. It all changes today.

Linear Language

This person didn’t understand the value of leveraged vs linear language.

Don’t sweat it, I think lots of people early on in their networking have probably done it. I know, you’re passionate about what you do and think everyone is a candidate for your wares. Right?

Not true, and even if they were you want to heed some advice and think past the point of immediate sale.

Think reputation and think about word of mouth.

Linear language is where the person is just trying to pitch you and not thinking past the point of sale. The days of hard core pitching and closing the sale are soon fading if not already.

Imagine linear language as this:

“Hey Jim how are ya? Good to see you! Hey did you know I’m selling XYZ widgets now? People could save a TON of money if they bought one of these. Here’s what it does….” (20 minutes later you’re still talking with the hopes they will want to buy it themselves)

Monopolizing peoples time at a networking function or even over a one on one & just pitching them is a no win situation. Not for the person you’re verbally abusing or for you because there’s a good chance they aren’t interested to begin with.

This is called the shotgun effect. You spray them with facts, figures & stories in the hopes something sticks & they want to buy.

Leveraged Language

If you want to expand your influence, have people invite you into their networks and improve your personal brand-leveraged language is the way to go.

It’s the same for in person networking or online social networking. If all you do is pitch don’t expect to get rich. Developing report, trust and a sincere relationship is key first and foremost.

-Don’t expect everyone is interested in what you do.
Law of reciprocity-Ask someone what they do and they will ask you what you do.
-Don’t puke on them about what you do-just a quick blurb then ask them more about what they do, how they got started or why they did.
Ask them what is a good customer or prospect. If they aren’t looking for “sales” ask them what’s the most effective way you can support them.

Not all networking consists of someone looking for sales. However if they are these above rules are even more crucial.

Transparency And Leverage

If you’re going to engage someone about your product or services directly in a networking situation make it clear you realize it may not be a good fit for them right up front. This implies you’re not trying to sell them something directly.

However you do value their opinion and you’re going to be looking for referral business but wouldn’t expect them to refer anyone if they didn’t know what you were doing.

Then ask for their help and share what you do: Keep is short concise and to the point using whatever sales aids you can to convey the value.

Remember people buy experiences & outcomes not products.

This is called leveraged language. Even though they may not have a need themselves they can and will refer people to you if you’re authentic & transparent about your motives.

Not to mention they will be more apt to introduce you into their networks based on how you approached them & developed a relationship first.

How you do anything is how you do anything. If you’re pushy, obnoxious or self centered in your approach there’s no way they will allow you to do the same thing to their network. Your actions are a reflection on them.

Now go network using leveraged language and prosper.

Tony Teegarden is a blogger, network marketer and online personality who coined the term Human SEO for Self Exploration Optimization. He lends his experience of 18 years in sales, management , leadership & spiritual research have allowed him to teach his concepts for deeper and healthier relationships online and off. You can visit him at >> http://www.tonyteegarden.com

photo credit: Foxtongue