The Number One Question to Ask as a Networker–”How Can I Help?”
Filed Under (Networking) by on 11-03-2010
Tagged Under : advertising, bni, book, business, collaboration, giving, how-to-guides, management, marketing, money, Networking, networking-now, networking-prep, recommendation, referral-institute, social-capital, Uncategorized, view-all
No matter who you are or what part of the world you live in, Givers Gain® is the number-one rule to remember when networking. You should always be thinking, “How can I help this person?” After all, networking is about building relationships and helping others is the absolute best way to begin the relationship building process. Put simply, helping equals opportunity. 
At a social event, you usually ask somebody, “How’s it going?” What’s the typical reply? Probably something like, “Great; things couldn’t be better.” That’s a canned response that people give because they want to be polite and because they know nobody really wants to hear their troubles. But it’s not usually the whole truth.
Things can always be better–that is, there are surely ways you can help–but most people aren’t inclined to go into detail or let others know what’s going on, especially at social events. The best way to find out is to avoid generalities like, “How are things?” Ask more specific questions.
For example, if somebody tells you that things are going great, their company is expanding, and business is better than they expected, ask a specific question like, “Are you hitting all of your goals?” Even if they say yes, this is still a big opportunity to help. Think about it: a company that is expanding faster than the owner had projected. What kind of help might it need? You may be able to make some introductions that this individual would be very grateful for, but you can only figure out what introductions to make after getting past the generalities and finding out a person’s specific needs.
Many consider networking just another way to get clients, but when you think in terms of building relationships, a chance to help is a big opportunity. That help can be provided in many forms, each as valuable as the next.
![[Facebook]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[LinkedIn]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[Mixx]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/mixx.png)
![[Reddit]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](https://networking.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
The No. 1 Question to Ask as a Networker–’How Can I Help?’
Filed Under (Networking) by on 11-03-2010
Tagged Under : advertising, bni, book, business, collaboration, giving, how-to-guides, management, marketing, money, Networking, networking-now, networking-prep, recommendation, referral-institute, social-capital, Uncategorized, view-all
No matter who you are or what part of the world you live in, Givers Gain is the No. 1 rule to remember when networking. You should always be thinking, “How can I help this person?” After all, networking is about building relationships; and helping others is the absolute best way to begin the relationship-building process. Put simply, helping equals opportunity.
At a social event, you usually ask somebody, “How’s it going?” What’s the typical reply? Probably something like, “Great; things couldn’t be better.” That’s a canned response that people give because they want to be polite and because they know nobody really wants to hear their troubles. But it’s not usually the whole truth.
Things can always be better–that is, there are surely ways you can help–but most people aren’t inclined to go into detail or let others know what’s going on, especially at social events. The best way to find out is to avoid generalities like, “How are things?” Ask more specific questions.
For example, if somebody tells you that things are going great, their company is expanding, and business is better than they expected, ask a specific question like, “Are you hitting all of your goals?” Even if they say yes, this is still a big opportunity to help. Think about it: A company that is expanding faster than the owner had projected. What kind of help might it need? You may be able to make some introductions that this individual would be very grateful for, but you can only figure out what introductions to make after getting past the generalities and finding out a person’s specific needs.
Many consider networking just another way to get clients, but when you think in terms of building relationships, a chance to help is a big opportunity. That help can be provided in many forms, each as valuable as the next.
Feb 13, Access2Billions: Earn Your First Dollar, Then Leverage
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by on 13-02-2010
Tagged Under : access-the-a2b, access2, adapter-joint, attorney-to-set, billions-early, charity, children, children-save, close-help, family, joint-, list-for-there, maserati-or-bmw, might-as-well, money, movie, save-the-world, spend-the-money, with-the-cash
Access2Billions: Earn Your First Dollar, Then Leverage
Read the original post:
Feb 13, Access2Billions: Earn Your First Dollar, Then Leverage
Become an Information Exchange
Filed Under (Networking) by on 08-02-2010
Tagged Under : advertising, bni, book, business, collaboration, connections, how-to-guides, into-a-network, management, marketing, money, Networking, networking-now, networking-prep, referral-institute, social-capital, Uncategorized, view-all
Networking involves constant interaction with people from all walks of life and if you keep your ears open, you can learn a heck of a lot.
And, guess what? Knowing a heck of a lot makes you smarter. Guess what’s even better? Being able to communicate what you know and use it to help people get what they need that makes you a valuable contact and a master networker. It makes you an information exchange.
Start by listening to everything. Train yourself to listen to conversations that you might ordinarily tune out, and to evaluate every issue you hear with an eye to how it fits into the pool of talent, expertise, and resources your network represents.
One way to enhance this skill is to write down a list of your networking contacts and their products, services, and special capabilities. Read the list every day, keep it up to date, and respond quickly when something you hear connects up with something else on the list.
Learn as much as you can about the special terminologies of your contacts’ businesses. When you’re referring someone with a problem to someone with a possible solution, it adds to your effectiveness and credibility to speak the language of both. It also helps you recognize the connection.
Last but not least, always follow these tips when communicating information to those in your network:
- Speak simply, clearly, and in plain language whenever possible
- Keep the message short and relevant
- End with your offer to help
Welcome to International Networking Week!
Filed Under (Networking) by on 01-02-2010
Tagged Under : advertising, bni, book, business, collaboration, connections, how-to-guides, into-a-network, management, marketing, money, Networking, networking-now, networking-prep, referral-institute, referrals, social-capital, Uncategorized, view-all
Welcome to the fourth annual International Networking Week® (Feb 1-5)!
There is no better time than now to focus on what we can do to promote our own business growth and International Networking Week® presents the perfect opportunity to make powerful connections and learn new ways to grow your business through networking!
International Networking Week® is about celebrating the key role that networking plays in the development and success of business around the world. It’s about creating an awareness of the process of networking. Not just any kind of networking, but what I call “relationship networking,” an approach to doing business based on building long-term, successful relationships with people through the networking process.
Last year, International Networking Week® was recognized by tens of thousands of people around the world, and it has garnered acknowledgements from several governmental agencies across the globe. It’s expected that the number of people participating in this year’s worldwide celebration of the week, through hundreds of large events and thousands of smaller events, will be double what it was in 2009.
If you belong to any networking groups, be sure to tell them that this is International Networking Week® and let them know they can visit InternationalNetworkingWeek.com for more information. Let’s join together in celebrating how we can promote global prosperity!
Watch the 2010 International Networking Week video by clicking here! Share the video with anybody and everybody, and feel free to show it at your networking meetings during International Networking Week®.
So what will you be doing to recognize International Networking Week®? Share it with us here–we’d love to hear about it.
