Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of profitable introductions.

A willing informer…

I’m sitting in a networking meeting – the brand of which, and time of day are unimportant. A visitor to the group takes the seat next to mine. He whispers; “I used to be in the biggest group in London” and tells me he’s looking for a new group.  I was educated that turnover is vanity and profit is sanity. So I’m always interested in a groups results rather than it’s size. 

History repeating itself?

Curious to know why he left such a large group, I decide to ask him. He didn’t hesitate to tell me that his previous networking group “got really bureaucratic and people felt they were being treated like kids”.

Coincidently, at that very moment there’s an announcement by the leadership team that they aren’t happy with absenteeism in the group, and plan to penalise those that didn’t have a reasonable reason for not showing up in future. The guy next to me groans. As do I.

In or out? Or put yourself about?

So what do we do? Leave or not join the group? Probably not wise if you have built relationships with great people. That is where the hidden profits are.

I decided to act as if the bureaucratic announcement hadn’t happened (much like the recession) and continue to contribute to all the members success. That way, I can protect all the relationships I have built. It’s good for me, and it’s good for the group. And if our group continues to attract attention becuase of it’s results the cream will rise to the top.

Wrap up: If a group leaders asks me why visitors are not joining I’ll be happy to explain the main reason why their time and effort spent trying to recruit new members is going to waste. The same applies in online groups.

Top tip: Try not to focus on the negative elements of networking groups, try to contribute to the success of the group. Protect and nurture all the relationships you have built, which is not only good for you, but it makes the group more enjoyable to be a part of. Check out our free downloads section for 5 top tips when considering networking groups.

Who to share this with: Networking Group participants, Networking Group Owners, and  groups looking for new members.

Links: Check out our “Highly Recommend” Directors Briefing or our Partners Briefing events.

Coming soon: from Beyond Networking: The Networking Economist – Special Report

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of profitable introductions.

Your online output

Sometimes it might feel like our missives enter a vacuum. But many people are reading your content and what you write, without actually interacting. I know I read a lot more online than I actually comment on. Do you?

The sort of things that turned me off are discussions that turned into arguments, invites to “networking events” that turned into sales pitches and people who were OK in the flesh and turned nasty in other forums.

Breaking eggs

If people don’t like anything you put out there, they’re not always going to tell you, but they will reference it when someone they know asks what they think of you. Very few people can satisfy all of the people all of the time. Yet even Murdoch won over some of his detractors with his personality during recent hearings.

The same applies when employers are asked to give references. They are only compelled to confirm that an individual worked for them between certain dates which leaves a big hole for our imagination to fill. If you really have to “break a few eggs” (avoid if at all possible) whilst trying to get a job done you still want people to talk about the smashing omelette that left them satisfied.

The crowbar faux pas

One faux pas I observed recently was in a networking group. A new member tried to crowbar their friend into a request for assistance. I’m sure they don’t realise they damaged their reputation when their friend made direct contact with an unsuspecting and busy MD. This could have been avoided if they had made a positive impact in other areas. They didn’t. It was a smash and grab.

The unsaid is the gap that networking offline and online can fill. Murdoch has taken advantage of his right to reply yet he didn’t have many advocates which left me wondering, why is that if he’s as personable as he made out? If someone simply didn’t get on with you it’s extremely beneficial to have clients and colleagues paint a more complete picture of your ethical perspective.

Wrap up: The only way IS ethics. We might not like or buy into the current crop of “reality” TV shows but they do highlight faux pas that happen in real life (ignore the Geography). People from Essex I know are great and extremely Ethical!

Top tip: Always ask someone in a group about the etiquette before you dive in. When people are talking about you ensure there is no doubt about just how ethical you are in business. It is a differentiator that opens doors.

Who to share this with: Groups looking for new members or online forums where arguments often break out.

Links: Check out our “Highly Recommend” Directors Briefing or our Partners Briefing events.

Further Reading: What are you doing to your brand on LinkedIn

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of profitable introductions.

Starting out…

Recently I’ve been shadowed by a student in his penultimate year at university. James is a really intelligent young Gentleman and a credit to his parents. It has been a real pleasure and it all started when James sent me his CV and grabbed my attention in seconds.

We have been meeting professionals and researching what they’re looking for in candidates applying for training contracts. Both James and I are grateful for the time afforded to us by eminent professionals who were so willing to advise and make connections for us. The confidence boost James received has been quite something.

Wall flowers finish last

The overwhelming opinion has been differentiation is key. It’s great to have 22 applicants with loads of qualifications highly relevant to the profession. Yet with so many candidates it can be difficult to separate the chaff from the wheat.

So how do you differentiate yourself enough to show your skills, but without blowing your own trumpet?

Articulating your strengths

LinkedIn profiles give you the opportunity to highlight your strengths. It will build trust if you mention your weaknesses and how you seek to reduce them. The first 6 seconds of reading your CV are the most important. This article highlights which parts of a CV are read.

If you are going to ask for introductions on LinkedIn then you need to ensure that your profile is working hard for you. There is nothing worse than forwarding a profile for a connection and then having to explain why the connection makes sense. Especially if the request to forward is bland and doesn’t highlight why they are different.

Wrap up: Think of the LinkedIn profile as your CV and your message of introduction as a covering letter. Would you read your CV after receiving your covering letter?

Top tip: Make your profile work hard for you rather than asking others to do the hard work. Highlight the benefits that your personal brand offers. Share a contact’s profile with someone you think they have synergy. Can you make an Oscar Winning introduction for them?

Who to share this with: LinkedIn connections that receive bland introduction requests.

Links: Check out our Directors Briefing and our Partners Briefing networking events

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of profitable introductions.

Let’s connect……we can help each other!

I receive a LinkedIn invitation to connect from someone I don’t know. Such messages are not often that revealing. This message was actually personalised. Extra points. It explained we could help each other and encouraged me to look at their profile.

I duly took a peek and could see where the synergy lay. It seemed we both helped business owners in London and I was intrigued by the summary I found. I replied with my phone number and looked forward to the call.

Ping pong doesn’t mean ding dong

A quick voicemail rally followed and a conversation got underway. It started so well – ”I have loads of ways I can help you, I love what you’re doing”. Platitudes are something we hear everyday yet this guy wasn’t trying to sell me something, right? Wrong.

I asked how we were going to help each other and discovered my “beau” wanted to sell me a service that would, one day, provide me with a better business. So the way we would help each other is I would pay and he would play, one day I would get something. Mmmmm.

Next steps, treading carefully is better than not treading at all

I asked, purely out of curiosity, what the next step would be if I was interested. “I’m too busy to meet you. Come to my office, I’ll put the kettle on”, came the reply. It reminded me of a comment in a LinkedIn discussion that stated “people that get their business purely by networking are lazy!” This irked me at the time yet this might have been his overall experience played out in my World.

Realising that mutual help meant I would have to go to someone else’s office, listen to their pitch, pay them money and wait for a return I politely declined. But I do wonder how many people waste their time doing this? I meet people committed to business who are making things happen. Which means I get to spend less time with people whose get up and go has got up and left. Networking works better when you get out there.

Wrap up: There are many ways to provide benefits to others. The word mutual only applies when both people know what they’re getting. Ensure your profile is congruent with what you are actually offering to attract the right connections.

Top tip: Some people who ask you to “connect” may be following a LinkedIn guidebook. Check out their profile before rushing to delete their request. Try sending a few personalised invitations rather than a batch of lonely requests to connect.

Who to share this with: LinkedIn users who wonder what to do with requests to connect.

Further reading: What are you doing to your brand on LinkedIn?

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase your number of profitable introductions.

Invitation overload?

A friend recently invited me to a breakfast meeting. I rarely turn down the opportunity to meet a friend in a semi-social setting. My experience is that these situations are often an opportunity to support them or extend my network. Rarely are they a waste of time.

In the lead up to the event I received many communications telling me what a fantastic experience it was going to be. But when I arrived there was no one to greet me. I signed myself in. I then found somewhere to hang my coat and I helped myself to a cuppa. A”Hello” would have been nice.

First impressions last!

I started chatting to a chiropractor, who turned out to be a visitor like myself. We were then engaged by my friend, who apologised for the lack of a welcoming party and explained how things would work. It seemed quite straightforward. We would eat, we would talk, we would leave “connected”.

The talking and connecting were constantly interrupted by noises coming from the  basement, there were builders downstairs and they weren’t there for the breakfast. I couldn’t hear myself think,. It appeared the restaurant had a problem, which at first was simply an inconvenience. However, when a film of dust started to work its way towards us as we ate breakfast, I decided it was probably safer not to finish my eggs! Hurrumph!

Follow up needs to be based on the event

I received two different follow ups after this meeting. The first was a call from the group leader asking if I would like to come back, yet they didn’t leave me a number to call backl. The next was a call from a member who told me they needed my help to fulfil a “quota” and asked if I would mind paying a few quid to help him avoid a £250 penalty. No apology for the noise or the dust. And I’ve heard from neither since.

Subsequently, I received an invite from another contact asking me to attend an event at the same venue. I politely declined as I’m not really a fan of venues that do not make sure the food they sell is going to be edible. 

Wrap up: What on Earth were they thinking? Were they seriously trying to grow the group? One of the questions I get asked most often is which is the best networking group in London. Brand is important so be careful about your events, venues and suppliers. Group leaders should do what’s necessary to ensure everything visitors experience is memorable for the right reasons. And follow-up to find out if it was.

Top Tip: I would have been constructive with feedback, given the opportunity. I was recently coated in dust from building works at a fashion retailer. The shop manager called me later the same day to apologise. I was very impressed with that.

Who to share this with: group leaders, venues and companies that supply them.

I was given recently given a book by John Brandler whom I met at a “hidden networking” event that my “competitors” never attend. They’re the best for me.

John is an art consultant and we had both, independently, decided to dip our toes into a network that was off the beaten track. The book is a great guide to fusing new & old techniques to help businesses gain new clients. This post is about why some networks remain hidden, connecting with the gems and how what you are “known for” can help you meet the right people.

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of profitable introductions.

Hidden networks – why do they hide?

It could be because 25% of people polled didn’t like being “sold to” at events. My mate tweeted “the other 75% are too polite to admit it”. There are loads of invitation only events in and around London. I’m not talking about the events where they say it is invitation only and then you find that you can go as long as you bring someone else or pay a fee.

This is one example where the chairman likes to vet people before they arrive. This makes a lot of sense. There are so many supposedly similar networking groups it makes sense to protect the brand to avoid being tarnished with the same brush as “speed networking”. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. No particular sector is excluded. Giving them a feel for the brand before an event gives visitors an inkling of the etiquette of a new group.

Joining the dots – with relish

John Brandler and I met a couple of times and we’ve connected each other to relevant contacts.  We had already shared a cuppa or two when we found ourselves in the restaurant in Selfridges one day – a totally random meeting. We were there to meet other people yet had a quick chat and John asked me if I’d heard about the book.  I told him I hadn’t yet was really interested and a week later it turned up in the post. John’s brand went up in my estimation that day and I felt I owed him one so I’ve invited to him to a workshop as a thank you.

I’ve also contacted the authors, the book is called Fusion, connected with them on twitter, facebook and LinkedIn. I’ve added the book to my reading list on LinkedIn and had a meeting to see how we can help each other or work together. I’m also talking about their book here so there’s a potential audience of millions that will hear about it. I’m not saying this so I can get free books so please don’t send me any. It’s what I do when I connect with an exceptional theory, idea or explanation. I enjoy doing all this because it enables us to continue the conversation we started in our meeting.

Connecting and polishing the gems

The gentleman who took me to the “hidden networking” to meet John for the first time is Michael McQuade a surveyor (with a real specialism in party wall disputes) whom I met at a breakfast network in Kensington. Michael is Irish and a very good man. We got on well and were keen to explore our respective specialisms. So we scheduled a meeting and he invited me to a discreet event. How were we to know when we first met that he went to school with my cousin in the deepest countryside in Eire? We know what we do and have a good reason to help each other.

Networking will unearth hidden gems that you have things in common with. By sharing contacts, ideas and embracing at least one form of social media you can get your name out there and reach people who you have no chance of reaching by other means. Michael and I had no idea at the time that it would lead to me writing a review of someone else’s book. And I know who to call when a particular surveying specialism is required.

Wrap up: The people you meet know other people. They will connect you as soon as they know who they should be connecting you to and the all important “why should they?” Believe me when I tell you it’s not money.

Top tip: Err, read the book. I’m not on any commission yet I think it’s unique and doesn’t just regurgitate stuff that has been said before.

You might want to consider if “Fusing” is right for your clients and I picked up a few gems that I will comment on in the New Year. My aim is to show you how you can link them to your networking efforts. I’m always looking for new ways to make this easy for my contacts and this book helped me do that.

New for 2012. The questions I get asked virtually every week are going to be answered in videos, interviews and vlogs. The one in this title is the most common. Watch this space for FAQ’s and answers.

Don’t forget, if you want to improve your networking results sign up using our RSS or email feed at the top right of the page to receive details of posts, top tips, special offers, events and promotion’s.

“As the oldest form of marketing, networking still plays a major role in marketing your brand, product or service.” So say the authors of Fusion, a book about The new way of Marketing, who advocate having a VKUM – vision, key messages, USP’s and mission statement. I agree with them. This post is about why what you stand for is important, how do you define your vision in messages and how can USP’s and mission statements really help people remember you?

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up to our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase your profitable introductions.

What’s your VKUM?

I call this ‘your story’. Whatever you call it others want to know what it is. Talk about it with impact, panache and resonance to whomever asks “what do you do” and you will find it easy to meet your dream clients. Even if the person who asks met you at a random dinner party.

If you want them to think “I need that” you only have a tiny window or the opportunity may be lost forever. You have as little as 5 seconds when dealing with busy people. Especially if they’re not at an “organised” networking event. They don’t want to listen to a “pitch” full of features. They want to hear something that interests them.

How do you define your vision in key messages?

Your vision will be what you are eventually known for. Whether you’re passionate about children and delivering training to Mum’s or passionate about art and advising people on collections, you will have a good idea of what you want to be known for. Once you have worked that out you can start to develop key messages.

When networking you have a fantastic opportunity to tell your story and gauge the impact. People cannot always hide the fact they don’t get what you do. Networking helps you determine who doesn’t want what you have. The human element (most of us want to help each other) means networkers point you in the right direction. They can tell you who wants what you have or that they just don’t get it. That’s why networking still works today, it’s like minded people helping each other.

Why are people interested in USP’s and mission statements?

Busy people you meet are interested in what you have to offer them, then they are interested in you. Your USP’s are what you offer that other people don’t. Or what you offer that the person you are speaking to doesn’t already have. If you owned a poodle parlour, you might offer a reminder service much like a dentist. Simple, yet effective in these busy times.

The mission statement could be something like ‘ensuring no poodle has a curl out of place’. Combining these two elements when meeting dog lovers who ask what you do will certainly get their attention. You may think that only poodle owners are interested in this. Perhaps, yet if my best mate had a poodle that they loved I would not hesitate in making the connection. Saying you run a poodle parlour will mean I compare you to other poodle parlours I know about. Being the cheapest may not last forever.

Wrap up: Having a story can turn informal social meetings into business contacts. Initial interest can be developed with key messages and USP’s when appropriate. Combining offline and online networking ensures contacts remember you for what only you can do. Your vision and your mission.

Top Tip; The book has a to-do list for each form of new marketing mentioned on the home page for Fusion. Pick one that you are at least partly comfortable with and check if you are doing as much as you can to maximise the ROI. Find someone that uses a similar platform and compare results.

P.S. I recently got married and blogged about social connections making it happen. It’s got pictures which this blog is sadly missing.

Contrary to what I had been told, the day of our nuptials didn’t pass really quickly and I was able to savour every minute. I can remember every magical detail. My wife is an Operations Director and the wedding was in Sicily (where my wife Josie is from). Read on to find out how we did without a wedding planner, how we found some of the ‘wedding network’ connections and………did it really go smoothly?

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up using our orange RSS button to the top right of this page. You will receive advanced business networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase your profitable introductions.

Why is a first impression so important?

Anyone that has been married will tell you that suppliers seem to add an extra zero when the word wedding is mentioned. It initially proved difficult to find someone with experience of planning a wedding in a small Sicilian town. When we did, we were distinctly unimpressed with the response of those we approached, even though some had been recommended. We decided to find our own venue, photographers, florists etc. I could go on yet we all know detail that goes into a “one-off” event is immense.

My wonderful wife dovetailed with her equally delightful sister in Sicily to find everything and everyone we needed by asking their existing contacts. Josie, Maria and I agreed we had to meet everyone face to face before we picked them. That wasn’t easy yet it was imperative because the day had to go without a hitch. And there were a lot of cogs in this wedding wheel.

Does ‘word of mouth’ always work?

Just one example was our want for two photographers who had worked together before. If one couldn’t travel we wanted a reserve and we found such a pair in Cambridge via word of mouth. These were one of few UK based suppliers. Coincidentally, I had been asked to work for Best of Cambridge who had heard about workshops I had delivered for Best of Richmond. I was able ask my Cambridge contacts about the photographers too and that gave me even more confidence. We went on to make sure I delivered the workshops and met the photographers on the same day. My wife makes these things happen!

Everyone played their part in the run up and the day itself was truly Magical. The only glitch on the actual wedding day was when one of the hairdressers turned up late. This pushed everything back and would have left one of the bridal party with an odd set of locks. Luckily, the embarrassment was avoided because the other hairdresser made good time and saved the day. However, this could have been avoided because ‘word of mouth’ had warned us.

What if ‘word of mouth’ is ignored?

People in business network in order to generate business via word of mouth. It sometimes takes the place of a first impression. My nephew-in-law (Carlo) had initially expressed his concern that the ‘late’ hairdresser had been late in the past. He heard this through the “grapevine” – the oldest network there is. For some reason, this went under my radar – ‘listen to Carlo and all young people’ is a lesson I learned from hindsight. Bad news travels exceptionally fast in close knit communities, much like online communities. So make sure the vast majority of your news is good news.

On the contrary, the well prepared hairdresser is considered a hero. His reputation has grown overnight and everyone that is asking about him is hearing good things. The wedding was also featured in the Sicilian press. We had no objection to this happening because the band were brilliant. When we met them they were full of personality just like they were on our Big Day. Guess where we found them? YouTube.

Wrap up: Word of mouth is a prelude to a first impression. Don’t forget to ask your existing contacts for help when you need something, they usually want to help you. LinkedIn, Facebook, twitter, etc. are all platforms people can use to introduce you  or others – if they want to. The word of mouth you receive about other people is often unavoidable on these platforms, so make sure yours is good.

Top Tip; Always have a Plan B. Having a contingency photographer became a real benefit as my Mum fell ill before the big day and wasn’t allowed to travel. Yet she is looking forward to seeing how both our days unfolded in pictorial form. A happy side effect of contingency planning.

Don’t forget, if you want to improve your networking results sign up using our RSS or email feed at the top right of the page to receive details of posts, top tips, special offers, events and promotion’s.

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up to our RSS or email feed to the top right of this page to receive advanced networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of introductions.

What is networking auto pilot?

Auto pilot is a fantastic way of maintaining a course once it has been set. Yet it’s pretty useless if you’re stuck on the runway. Networkers going through the motions of networking might not be getting what they truly deserve for their efforts. Typically, auto pilot networkers have the same conversations with the same people or are saying the same thing to different people. They prepare an ‘elevator pitch’ yet people they meet still don’t seem able to help them. They’re probably quite willing.

How can you tell when somebody is on auto pilot when networking? It’s when you ask someone what they do and they automatically tell you what you are. You probably don’t do this yet how may people do you meet each week that tell you the name of their job when you have asked them what they do. You ask them “what do you do?” or something similar and they tell you what they are, their job title or job function (sales director for an IT company is one example). It’s actually crazy – it makes no sense at all. Yet it happens every day!

Why is it a mistake?

Nearly every day I engage with people and we get round to talking about business, when it suits them of course. When they ask what I do I let them know what it is they will get by working with me. I may have spent years gaining different job titles certificates, experience and people I work with are still more concerned with the return they get on their investment. So I tell them what that is likely to be when I first meet them. A ‘story’ doesn’t have to be action packed or a tear jerker. Yet it must have resonance with the people you are likely to meet or they won’t remember it or tell others about it.

When someone tells me their job title or job function instead of what they do I have no idea who I may be able to connect them with in my network. There are loads of Sales directors in IT companies but they are not always able to express what they bring to the table in a networking environment. Sure, I spend time asking them questions to find out more. More often than not they provide tremendous value and I’ve developed techniques to work out exactly what it is they have to offer and whom they should be speaking to. It benefits me too because I have a cracking network of suppliers whom I’ve met when networking online and offline.

What should networkers do to generate interest?

Getting off the networking runway or changing course means they have to make an oscar winning first impression so people interested in their ‘story’ can help them take off or reach a revised destination.  They are the co-pilots, they support and steer a craft in the right direction. They can continue to do so whilst you are busy providing your products or service.

Without engaging people and helping them understand what they can really do for their contacts networkers run the risk of being ready to provide tremendous value that too few people know about. When someone is asked what they do it is an opportunity to win business from their competitors or provide something truly unique. If they’re on autopilot they miss opportunities that they will remain oblivious to. Do you have or even need a story?

Wrap up: Networking doesn’t always work. Ever feel that you were continuously taxi-ing and getting ready for take-off. Perhaps you’re been in a network, everyone should know what you do by now yet you’re not getting your fair share? ‘Why networking doesn’t always work and what networkers can do about it’ is the title or our Special Report. Sign up to our RSS feed to be among the first few to get their own advanced free copy.

Top Tip: There are some networkers who are tasked to only speak to specific types of people. You’ll find them awkwardly peering at name badges before engaging in a conversation. Don’t worry if they ignore you – it’s because you’re not on their target list for immediate sales. Rather than squinting and craning when meeting new people just hold out a hand and announce “I’m Jason”. Please insert your own name . When they reply with their name the conversation has started if you know what to ask.

P.S. Next time I explode the myth about not being able to network in social settings or with strangers. It involves a healthfood café, a queue and an inventor. Not your typical networking combination!

Don’t forget, if you want to improve your networking results sign up to our RSS or email feed at the top right of the page to receive details of posts, top tips, special offers, events and promotion’s.

This post is about unstoppable power of word of mouth. Once it’s started, the ripple effect takes over. If the word of mouth is interesting to enough people, you can’t help hearing about it – even when you might not want to. Read on to find out why a ripple is better than a splash and get a top tip for turning the tide in your favour.

Welcome back, or if you’re new here sign up to our RSS or email feed to the top right of this page to receive advanced networking tips, new posts plus details of events and promotions that could help you or your network increase the number of introductions you make and receive.

Do you need to make a splash to start a ripple?

A teacher recently told me about networking worked from a consumer perspective. We got talking about the dictionary term of networking – “to form business contacts through informal social meetings”. He had never networked as far as he was concerned. He found that the dictionary was far removed from the description of networking events he had heard about. I reassured him that not all networking events were the same, not everyone splashes you with their sales pitch.

He was trying to tell me of the effect word of mouth had on him, so I asked him to explain. He recently had a toothache and told his Mum that he was going to visit the dentist in the centre of Town. His Mum told him he should go the dentist “up on the Hill”. His toothache subsided and a similar conversation with his neighbour ended similarly.The dentist has helped his neighbour’s wife. Later that day a telephone conversation with a friend ended the same way. “They must be really good with toothache” he thought to himself.  And now he really needed someone that was really good with toothache. I told him that this was a networking result, some people network effectively within their existing network.

How do ripples start? And are they always a good thing?

It can start with great service and a ripple can be measured if he asks his new clients where they found out about him. Are they always good? Recent events have proved otherwise. Perhaps the dentist “in town” had suffered a ‘Murdoch’. Maybe he hadn’t started any ripples by offering a standard service? In either case, a different sort of ripple starts, the tide turns. You can start ripples easily enough yet stopping them takes some doing – no matter how big or small your organisation may be.

No-one had mentioned any other dentist, just the dentist on the Hill. They were clearly the go-to person for the local community. This dentist is so good his clients happily told others about it with no incentive other than to help someone else. I explained to Mr Arscott that networking results were about word of mouth reaching the right people at the right time rather than pitching at business networking events. Whenever a dental problem is mentioned he gets a mention. The ripples have a life of their own. I’m going to name this sort of ripple an Arscott. It’s a really helpful ripple.

Why is word of mouth so powerful?

When I asked which dentist he plumped for, Mr Arscott told me he had made the effort to go up the Hill and was pleased with the treatment he received. Now he was telling me and I’m telling you, the ripples continue. When I enquired about his reasoning he thought for a moment.

Then he announced that one of the reasons was to avoid looking stupid! I asked how he had come to that conclusion. He explained that he would have looked an idiot if he had not taken the advice, gone elsewhere and still had a toothache. He just knew that the people he had chatted to were bound to ask how his tooth was when they bumped into him again. When he does, the ripples will continue.

Wrap up: Are personal brands grown this way? Who is telling people about you? When you generate word of mouth you’re helping people make good decisions about their needs. They will thank you if you help their contacts and they can share your story with others. I had a ripple that crossed the Atlantic. If you have a story about a ripple, let us know in the comments section below. Go on, start a ripple.

Top Tip: Work out who you have delighted recently or who has delighted you. Could you start a ripple? Are you on twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or other places where word of mouth goes viral? The ripples and waves of public opinion are happening daily. You can ride the waves if you let your network know what you can really do for them. Don’t forget to kelp them first!

Don’t forget, if you want to improve your networking results sign up to our RSS or email feed at the top right of the page to receive details of posts, top tips, special offers, events and promotion’s.

Beyond Networking is a networking results company. Saving time and generating more leads is everyone’s dream. You could attend one of our briefings. To see if you can save time and effort when networking get in touch for an exploratory chat. It will take 15 minutes and you can tell me to get lost at the end of it if you like.