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!

Have you ever been watching a commercial on TV and it has your attention the whole 30-45 seconds then the product it was advertising pops up and you ask yourself what the heck did any of that have to do with this product?!?

NOTHING! It had absolute nothing to do with anything more than getting an emotional reaction out of you.

But you did pay attention, had some kind of emotional reaction, and then saw the intended product right?

When you are out at your business networking events around the country try t o use these same principals. Keep it short, interesting, and have some kind of call to action. Whether that call to action is generating an emotional or a physical response either way your product or service will be noticed.

In any business networking function where you get to do a short commercial you typically get 30-45 second, and remember you are also planning on attending more than once. At least you should be! Consistency is key. You want to spend a little time each month or even each week to change it up. Think about how sick you get of seeing or hearing the same commercials on TV or radio, other networking attendees feel the same way about yours. If other guests of the event can copy your commercial after hearing you 2-3 times you need to get on the ball and change it up.

When you attend a networking event and someone stands up to do their commercial then you hear the same opening line you did for the last 3 weeks we tend to zone out until the next person speaks .

Here are 3 quick tips to take into consideration when making your commercial.

1) Make it short, less than 45 seconds
2) Create curiosity to generate a physical or emotional response
3) End with mentioning your company and possibly a creating tag line (if you can think of one on your own ask others for help)

This should help you get more out of your elevator spiel while networking. Good luck!

Now let’s go get some business!!!!

People don’t care about you until they know how much you care.

Business networking events are going on all over the world, whether it is a Chamber of Commerce, FNI, BNI, NPI, or any other networking organization hosting a function the principals each was founded on are relatively the same. These business networking gatherings all serve the purpose of getting you in front of other likeminded people to brainstorm and align yourself with. The question is what is your purpose for being there?

If your purpose is to generate business by become a valuable asset to others you are right on the money, but if it is to build you marketing list and solicit business haphazardly without providing value to fellow members first you are off target and are going get frustrated very quickly. Value is the name of the game. What value do you bring to a business networking organization? Who do you associate yourself with regularly? Are you a student of life and business?

Knowing the answers to these questions and becoming a student are the type of characteristics which are attractive to those who have become successful in the business networking arena. The networking veterans understand the power of association and so should you. You are the cumulative amount of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Are the people you are around enriching and adding value to your life or are they ridiculing and frustrating you?

The simple act of having a positive mental attitude is a valuable asset in networking your business. Your enthusiasm, your willingness to learn and help others, your commitment, are all of what makes networking organizations around the world grow and it is also is the engine which keeps many businesses afloat.

I encourage you to become a student of personal development if you are not already, learn questions to ask others when you meet them that will help you identify how you can benefit their life, show genuine interest in becoming a asset to all the you meet. By implementing these actions your business will begin to grow exponentially without you actively personally promoting it. You will have become an asset to others and you will then have a team of trusted associates assisting you in keeping your pipeline filled.

When you can stop thinking about how to grow your business alone and begin to focus on others you will be surprised how much begins to come your way.

Good luck, and stay tuned for the launch of Business. Networking, Life.’s first book!

With the recent explosion in business networking events there are a lot of people making their way around town collecting cards and passing out as many as they can. You may be a part of this trend, but are you being seen as a valuable contact or just another business card?

It doesn’t matter how many cards you collect or how many cards you pass out, what matters is the way you are able to increase others quality of life. Are you building relationships or have you become a card collecting spammer?

The valuable networker is the networker who can first ask questions to identify what others need, and second have the resources in their sphere of influence to get others connected with those who can benefit them. Having the ability to effectively get others connected with resources that will advance their business will increase your personal value exponentially.

Being busy and being valuable are two very different things, but if you can manage to be busy being valuable you start to become dangerous. Depending on your marketing plan your personal branding will begin to grow stronger and stronger. More people will know you, more people will like you, and most importantly more people will trust you. The more people trust you and like your style the more business will just seem to fall into place. Referrals will come from different directions, it will be easier to get in the door while prospecting, and your confidence will continue to build as a result.

Posture is everything, but don’t be cocky. You may be a world renowned expert, but your credibility will only be good as your humility.

Patience, interest, and humbleness are the three key components in becoming a valuable asset to anyone. Master these traits and not only will you business grow faster, but your life will begin to manifest all to you could ever dream of.

How can you maximize your advertising and networking, dollar and time?

Well, first thing is first, budget your time wisely. Many of us have multiple projects going on at one time, and multitasking is realistically getting farther behind than ahead.

There are four areas of our business that take up a lot of our time: Meetings, Paperwork/emails, Networking meetings, and Online Networking. A questions I am often asked when brainstorming with colleagues is “how do you find so much time to go to networking meetings, when do you work?” This is an easy answer because I know what my revenue generating activity is, and meeting more people to keep my pipeline filled is more beneficial than sitting getting paperwork done during business hours. All other activities get scheduled around networking and meeting with people. Have a one on one with someone before and after a networking meeting.

These two activities are really the ONLY activities that have a true schedule or must be done during traditional business hours. Paperwork, emails, online networking can all be done before 9 and after 5 if you really do have to catch up on things.

Traditional networking meetings and online networking can be more useful than you can possibly imagine! The power of aligning yourself with other likeminded people will grow your business exponentially. If you haven’t been in the networking scene very long here are a few articles you can check out that will help you out: networking articles.

For you professionals who know how to connect with people AND get others connected it is no different doing it online. I hear people asking all the time “how do I utilize Facebook, Linked-In, and all of these other sites?” GO MAKE FRIENDS!!! An easy way to think of it is you are at a networking event, but you have total control of the professions, industries, and people you meet. Really the internet is a networking event on steroids.

It is easy to build a friends list, just like it is easy to collect cards, but what are you doing or what can you do to connect and be a valuable resource to others? If you are just adding friends to your social networking accounts it is no different than collecting cards and filing them. You must make the effort to converse and build relationships with people online.

There is no excuse, you don’t even have to leave your living room!! It is great to build your network and add 10-20 new friends or collect 10-20 new cards a day, but if you aren’t willing to invest the time to build a relationship with others you are doing no more than spinning your wheels.

Let’s get back to the basics and ask the simple question of “how are you doing today and is there anything I can help you with?”

There is your million dollar question.

In times of uncertainty it is important to spend time focusing on RGA, Revenue Generating  Actions. Are all facets of your day to day activity bringing income into your household? If not why, and what can you do to change that?

The answer is become more valuable.

Become more valuable as a person, business owner, friend, partner, networker, make yourself an asset to those around you. You are the only one in control of your goals and actions. You decide your associations, what you read, and what you allow to be influential and only you know if what the effects are.

In the business community it is very advantageous to become a student of networking. Find out how to make the most out of every event, but also learn how to do so online. You can only meet so many people going out and about personally, but when you learn how to make your time on your computer just as valuable as your time at live events your efforts can only multiply. A phenomenal resource for learning this is www.sethgodin.com.

Before you can be valuable online you must learn how to become more valuable in person. Take time everyday to “sharpen your axe.” When you sit down with people take notes, utilize your database and the databases of people in your network to find resources for those you meet with. By doing this you are increasing your value to the person you met with, others in your network, and people in your networks network. It continues to build deeper and deeper and you become more and more of a resource.

The one key factor that you must have is a genuine interest in learning about others and the desire to help them unconditionally.

Your income and success is up to you and you alone.

With the increase in business networking events over the past year it is amazing listening to the different results the attendees are getting, but it is unfortunate to see the majority come and go without even realizing what they are missing out on. Networking business to business, and business to consumer is, in my opinion, the easiest and least expensive form of advertising out there, period. But why does it work so well for some and not at all for others?

The answer is very simple. Networking is more than just going to events and passing around cards and pitching your product or service, it is about selling yourself as a valuable person. If you are out meeting with people for your profession you have certainly heard “the customer isn’t buying the product they are buying you.” This is the name of the game, but rarely do you hear people talk about how they are able to help others rather than giving a plug for their business.

Here are 5 imperative lessons you must put into action immediately if you want networking to be a useful tool in your business.

1) Your goal is NOT to see how fast you can give out all of your business cards.

2) When you are on your way to an event begin to think about what other business you have met with in the past and what they are looking for so when you are mingling or listening to others commercials you can identify a great lead for someone else immediately. (If you are just starting networking and don’t have a large network yet be prepared to, listen, listen, listen, to what everyone else is looking for so you can begin increasing your value.)

3) When someone asks what you do, don’t vomit all over them. Have a short pitch or commercial that “plants a seed” with your new FRIEND. Your goal is to build rapport & curiosity as fast as possible, with minimal talking on your part, and turn the focus from you to them. Your goal is to learn about others and how you can help their business.

4) Allow your goal at every event be, how many ideas, leads, and referrals can I get out that will help others advance their business. NOT how can I get more business for myself.

5) Don’t email everyone you met after the meeting with a mass email saying how great it was to have met you and I am looking forward to seeing you again. This is a waste of your time and the other attendee’s time. If you are not willing to make the effort and send personal greetings don’t bother sending anything.

Your objective is to make FRIENDS. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Do your friends know, like, and trust you? Wouldn’t they be inclined to help your business? A must read is “How to Win FRIENDS and Influence People,” if you haven’t read this book get up right now and go buy it, don’t order it online, get off your ass, go to the store pick it up and read it as fast as possible.  It will benefit you more than you can imagine.

Good luck and happy networking!