Debby Peters, Networking Guru

Take More Time

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:46:00 +0000

This morning I attended my BNI meeting. As part of the meeting we give a short, timed infomercial about our business. To be successful it needs to be within the time limit and it also needs to contain a little bit about what we do and also, specifically what we need.

Last week out of about 25 members, there were 9 specific requests.

Of those nine, I was able to react to 6.

Of those six, one was a "no" answer, two are in progress and the rest were referrals.

This week I am frustrated. Of all the commercials, there were only two specific requests and mine was one of those two. I have fifteen minutes before I have to go to an appointment. If there had been other specific requests I might have been able to be making calls on member's behalf right now. But my co-members wasted their commercial time this morning by not completing their requests. And I don't really have time to do their research, because I have to spend time doing my own. It would be like buying a spot for a TV commercial and then not producing anything to fit that time. Wasted time.

Please, if you want your friends and business associates to help you, you have to know what you want. Do your homework. Figure out who would be a good customer for you. If you don't know, I don't know either.

Speed Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:19:00 +0000

Last week I went to my first ever business speed matching. Or as a friend of mine put it, speed dating for business!

I have always avoided this type of marketing because it didn't seem to fit my way of marketing which is to develop relationships.

It worked like this: There were twenty participants. At the start, people are sitting facing one another. At the signal, we had five minutes to talk with the person we were facing. At the next signal we all moved to the right, having a new person to communicate with for five minutes.

I had no goals set going in to this event, other than to experience this type of marketing.

I found it a frustrating experience for me, but I told Jeremiah Gracia, VP of Business Development for GreaterFindlayInc that I will try it again. Here are a couple of my frustrations.

1. Each person handed me their business card, whether I wanted it or not. I do not hand out business cards unless someone asks for it. I gave out two. Is "dealing the deck" better in this situation?

2. My style is to ask questions when I meet someone for the first time, to find out more about that person. Consequently, most of the 19 conversations I had were focused on the other person -- not a bad thing, but I would guess that for most of the participants, they don't know what I do. Is there a format to follow as a participant of one of these events?

3. One participant gave everyone a fairly large gift of a beautifully wrapped dish of taffy candies. They were lovely and they were also cumbersome. I met with this person fairly early so I had that, plus my portfolio, my purse, my coffee, etc. to move each time. I felt like the one-handed paper-hanger. Should gift items be given at the end of the event?

4. Five minutes went quickly. There was no midpoint signal to suggest the conversation focus move to the other person. Or should there be a smaller group, so that there are two rounds with the first round focusing on one person, and the second round on the other?

Now, even with the frustrations, I did accomplish two future appointments and have since scheduled a third. I must tell you that the third was sort of reluctant to schedule when I emailed. I was thinking, "why bother go to these events if you're only going to skim the surface?"

So what do I think of this type of networking? The jury is out. As with anything new, there is a learning curve. I will register for the next event to see if this is an option for me.

What advice do you have for me?

Later:

(Okay, Since I wrote the above post I've done some additional research looking for actual hints on what to do at a speed networking event. While there is not a lot of info out there that specifically addresses that topic, one article did give me a lightbulb moment. The article was giving the benefits of speed networking with one being "Professional Development." Specifically it explained that a speed networker will "learn to perfect their 30 second elevator pitch" That's when I realized my frustration. The elevator pitch signifies selling for me and that is NOT networking. I was trying to network when most everyone else was selling. Just having that realization helps me to realize that I'm not crazy!)

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:07:00 +0000

Gable is still alive and last night I enticed him to eat with his most favorite thing in the world -- carrots. (I have no carrots left in the garden because Gable and the devil Springers dug them all up.) Then I gave him a plate of a scrambled egg and leftover green beans from the night before. All slurped eagerly. So I feel a little more positive about him this morning. He even ate a little dog kibble when we went out to the barn to let the other two devils out.

I am going to take him to the vet, just to make sure that there is no blockage in his stomach that may be creating all this. I caught him with garbage on Sunday evening and I took the foil wrapped morsel away from him, but who knows if he hadn't already swallowed some of it.

I'll keep ya' posted.

Not Long, Now

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:18:00 +0000

We've had a good dog in our family for fourteen years now. Gable is our noble yellow Lab. He has always been above it all. Especially those two stupid Springers that also live here. He is also a wonderful friend, rubbing his head against my leg.

I know that his time is near. He has been losing weight for several months now and I must admit that he looks quite skeletal now. I made Steve take him to the vet yesterday, because as of Tuesday night, he had stopped eating. I even tried to give him ice cream last night.

We love our vet, because they are what I call country vets. They will do everything possible to save an animal, but they don't treat it like a human. That is our philosophy, too.

Yesterday the verdict was, "He's fourteen years old. We could put him through blood work and X-rays, but we'll find nothing good." Of course then Steve got called out of town on an emergency for one of his clients. So I'm dealing with the failing dog all by myself.

It breaks my heart.

Even the two Springers know that something is wrong. They are not barking at him trying to take over as top dog.

I will keep you posted.

But now I have to go put on a happy face and do a session for 18 folks that want to know how to network better.

Is it a One or a One 2 One?

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:05:00 +0000

This week I was asked to give a short presentation to the WEN West group and they asked me to speak about one to one etiquette. (A one to one is a meeting with two people finding out about each other.)

I shared the story about a friend of mine having a "one" recently, where the person she was meeting with did ALL the talking for 90 minutes.

So I gave some rules for one to ones.

1) While the conversation does not need to be 50/50 exactly, there should be some information shared about each person. I explained that some good sales people like to control the conversation by asking questions and that being in a one to one with that type of person might mean that you're talking 90% of the time. But in that instance, it is because that person continues to ask you questions.

2) Take notes. If you're making commitments of introductions you will make or information you will share later, not doing so affects your credibility.

3) Do be thinking about who you can introduce the person to while you're getting to know them. Being a connector is a good thing!

It was rather funny after this short presentation. Several people came up to me and said, "Whew! That was really good. It felt like you might be talking about me." or "Thank you so much, I was in one of those conversations just the other day."

What's the best one to one you've ever had with someone and why?

A Reason to Celebrate

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:32:00 +0000

Last week Davis College celebrated their 150th anniversary with a day long festival in their parking lot. Davis always brings a lot of creativity to whatever they do -- they are longtime "FISH" devotees.

To everyone's surprise, many of the faculty (at left is Diane Brunner, president of Davis College) were dressed in the fashion from 1858. It was a hot day and I felt so badly for them. Their red faces told the story of how hot those costumes were. I can't imagine living in those days and having to wear ALL those clothes ALL the time!

Additionally, Davis is donating $1858.00 each month to various charities. The charities for July will be announced from the voting boxes that were set up at the festival. There were five charities to choose from, I voted for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The ballot boxes were wooden affairs, probably much like the ones use 150 years ago for elections.

Davis College is a huge supporter of the Certified Networker program both by providing a classroom for the "public" class and also adding it as course in their curriculum for their registered students.

Davis is a small college, only about 450 students, but they are big on delivery. I bought a royal blue sweatshirt at the festival to wear later this fall. I will be proud to let the world know that I am involved with such an innovative institution.

Another Deep Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:04:00 +0000

People who don't call back drive me crazy.

Now I'm not talkin' about the people who get a cold call. First of all I don't make cold calls. And when I get them I don't call those people back either. (Most of them don't feel rejected because it is just a recording.)

What I'm talking about is when I meet someone; we chat; agree that we want to meet later. More times than not, they don't have their calendar with them. We agree that I will call them later. They give me their card to do so.

I call them to initiate the setting of the "chat" appointment. Usually I have to leave a message. Or I email them. Or I do both.

SILENCE

Heck, if they don't want to meet, it's OK with me.

Please, just call me back and tell me to get lost.

I'll even give them a line to use. "I'm really busy right now, why don't I call you back at the end of the month?"

Why is this so hard?

What Makes a Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:37:00 +0000

I have been thinking a lot about culture lately. It comes some from the type of reading I've been doing but also the experiences I've had recently.
I've come to the realization that standards of a culture are what is accepted by a majority of the people as business or life as usual.
Whether it be a location, a group of people, a time in history or an industry.

I had this aha when I was helping out at the Women's Council of Realtor's golf outing. I am an affiliate member of this group.

The culture of this industry is that a cell phone attached to the ear is status quo for most -- the majority. Now I certainly realize that Realtors or their vendors need to be closely connected to their clients, but personally, I think the culture has taken it too far. I know that I am in the minority!

I was paired with another person at the betting hole. That person spent most of the time on not one, but two phones. Not all of it was business. So this person let the opportunity to get to know me better (I guess that tells me where I stand with this person) go by all the while keeping the phones humming. Conversely, it kept me from getting to know her better, too. As foursomes drove up to our hole, it was not unusual to the three or four of the people on their phones. That is the accepted culture.

What are you accepting that you might want to change in your life.

The Business Card Shove

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:27:00 +0000

At a networking event this week, after the formal part was done, I was chatting with the woman I had sat next to. While our conversation was not earth-shaking, we were square-on facing each other. All of a sudden another networker interrupted us to give us his card.

Now I tell ya'.

That doesn't get you anywhere with me.

The message this person delivered, was, "I am so important that what you're saying to each other absolutely is beneath me."

Listen up.

People who obnoxiously shove their business cards under my nose are wasting those cards. If they go home at all, they are tossed into the trash.

I know, I know! Someone is going to get on my case about this and say that I should be more gracious.

Maybe so.

Maybe not.

So there.

Romantically Inclined

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Saturday I spoke to the Maumee Valley Romance Writer's Association. It all happened because I met Barbara Horvath (third from left in the picture) at the WEN (Women's Entrepreneurial Network) last fall. Self admittedly, she was "trolling" the crowd that day, for speakers for this group.

I took the bait!

What a fun group! They come from all walks of life; a bankruptcy attorney, an owner of a beauty salon, one who works in the newsroom of a local TV station and a stay-at-home mom were just a few that I got to talk to.

They are all in this together, most writing multiple books, some already published and others still hoping for that day. One is published both in the states and also in Great Briton. One has just received word that she is going to be published and is worried about how she now has to act when she goes to the national conference.

Some funny comments that I overhead at the lunch after the meeting.
One writer said that her husband read her book and said, "No way, I'm not doing that with you!" Her reply was that she wasn't planning on doing it with him!"

Another was from the really nice stay-at-home mom who has moved around the country so many times as a result of her husband's job. She said that she felt so bad about what she did to a heroine in one of her books. She said, "I still feel sorry for Terry because of how bad I was to her!"

(It made me wonder if she was just taking out her stress of moving on her fictional character.)

Another member was stressed over the fact that she needed to create a marketing plan for the newest book. Things like updating her website and creating a blog were all part of that plan. Her complaint was that stuff like that takes her away from writing.

Sound familiar?

It should, because all business people face the same challenges and doubts. And the romance writers are no different.

New Acquaintance

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:30:00 +0000

I am slowly learning my way around Findlay and getting to know members of the community one person at a time.

Several months ago I met Rick Beverly at the GreaterFindlayIn c monthly breakfast meeting called Fresh Brewed. Rick is the local president of Citizen's National Bank and that morning his bank had been one of the sponsors of the event.

After the formal part of the meeting was done, I had a moment to chat with Rick and asked if we could get together. We scheduled an appointment, but because of how busy each of us is, we've had to delay that appointment several times.

Wednesday I was heading to Findlay and Tuesday I found out that I had an opening in my schedule. I called Rick and he was gracious enough to give me 30 minutes of his time.

Rick is really an interesting guy. He's been in banking all his adult life, having started at little Continental State Bank right out of high school. His career has taken him through all areas of banking and several different institutions. He likes his current bank because they are local and yet can provide many of the bells and whistles for his clients that a larger bank can do.

What really won me over about him was how committed he is to his 13 year old daughter. He has helped to coach her basketball team ever since she was a little girl. In that time her team has lost only four games. Parents tell Rick that they're so happy their daughter is on the team he helps to coach because he helps to instills good skills, both basketball and life, that will be a foundation for a successful life.

Bankers are real people!

"I just did a one!"

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:28:00 +0000

My friend Sandy Pirwitz made me laugh the other day. She has a knack for doing that. She called me to tell that she'd just done a "one."

I (and I'm sure you are doing the same) said, "Huh?"

It seems that Sandy has a meeting scheduled with another person to get to know that person. We label that type of meeting a one 2 one. It seems that Sandy never got a word in edgewise. It was a one!

Give and take in a one 2 one meeting is a hallmark of good networking. But obviously this person didn't know better. Unfortunately, people are going to run from this person in the future.

This does NOT mean that the conversation has to be 50/50 either. Many times I like to find out as much as I can about a person and end up letting them talk 90% of the time. But I am inviting that much focus by continuing to ask questions about them.

Have you ever been involved in a one? What did you do the next time you saw that person?

Scary Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:49:00 +0000

I have just finished reading Stolen Innocence, the true story of the young woman, Elissa Wall, who was forced to marry someone against her wishes when she was only 14. She was a member of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints or FLDS as it is known. She went on to testify against Warren Jeffs in the state's trial against him. It was brought about because he forced this marriage even though she was underage and did not want it. While it is a very sad story, what is amazing is the end of the book. Elissa Wall moves through all the sadness and disruption in her life to let those in her life, especially those still in the FLDS compounds know that she still loves them. She refuses to let anger and hurt rule her life.

Just previous to this book, I read The Bookseller of Kabul, set in Afghanistan. Again women have no standing in the community and just as in the first book, women are thought of as a man's property.

In this day and age.

While I am not a man-hater, in both books, men thirsted for power. They were not happy unless everyone obeyed them.

Power. Small word. Ugly consequences.

My massage therapist has a saying displayed in her office that reads something like this, "When the power of love supersedes the love of power, only then will we have peace."

I have nothing more to say.

The Best of the Best

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:42:00 +0000

I have been a member of BNI since January 1994. Since then I have probably attended at least 48 meetings per year for 13 1/2 years. (A few weeks of having subs for when I was on vacation or at conferences made up for the other 4 weeks per year.) If you do the math, that's approximately 650 weeks. So that means I have seen that many ten minute presentations given by members. For those of you not BNI members, each week one member gives a ten minute presentation about their business.

Today was a high point!

New member, Cheryl Minifie, who is an independent insurance agent for Preferred Insurance Network, regaled us with facts and figures about auto insurance.

How in the world could that be the best of the best???

Let me tell you.

Cheryl, disappeared from the room just about the time another member, Tom Baur, was giving her introduction. He even finished the intro and everyone said, "Where's Cheryl?"

Seconds later, the door banged open and in rushed Cheryl, straw hat, jeans and all. But this person said she wasn't Cheryl, but that she was Cheryl's hillbilly cousin, Charlene. And since Charlene had ridden in on her horse, she could only stay about ten minutes, "cause she didn't want the neighbor across the street to get mad about her horse eating too much of his grass."

Charlene "stumbled" her way through the explanation of the ins and outs of car insurance. She had us in stitches. She gave us good information that could have really been boring if presented in any other way. But what was even more important was that Charlene/Cheryl showed us how she will take care of people we'll send her way. She'll have fun with them. She also knows her stuff. And she kept repeating that her goal was to give people the coverage they need, but that's all because she doesn't believe in giving those big insurance companies any more money than necessary.

Cheryl/Charlene, my hat's off to you. You gave the best presentation I have seen in over 13 years. (That's Cheryl leaving the meeting on "horse"power!)

And gosh darn, you've put the pressure on as I'm giving my presentation in just two weeks.

What's This About?

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:38:00 +0000

I have had an interesting week of people canceling appointments at the last minute. Now, I do know the stuff gets in the way, but in most of the instances the person either forgot or had something more important to do.

HM-M-M-M-M

I always give out my cell phone number because I want to be notified if something does come up. I also take the person's cell # to let them know just in case I have an emergency. Because you see, I would make every effort to keep an appointment unless it was a life and death emergency.

I can tell you that I will schedule a second time, but when it happens that the second appointment is kicked to the curb, I am ready to go on to the next person.

Am I being too unforgiving?

Perception

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:32:00 +0000

Usually in the past 4 or 5 summers, I have made a goal to take Fridays off. I wasn't always successful and sometimes I only got part of the day, but that was the goal.

This summer, with trying to fill three Certified Netwo rker classes in three widely ranging areas, I have booked my days full with those types of activities. I have days dedicated to meeting with people in Toledo, Findlay and Archbold (near Defiance on the map at left.)

Steve and I don't typically take a summer vacation, so no lengthy time off was planned. Then I got two communications from friends.

My friend, Deanna Tucci Schmitt, said, "I miss you, when can we get together?" We carved out the weekend of the fourth of July.

Then last night my friend, Marcia, (she'll kill me when she knows that I used the picture below!) with whom I had renewed my friendship about three years ago, e-mailed to say that she has ovarian cancer and could I come this summer. Now let me tell you, visiting Marcia and Gary at Tingley Lake, PA is like the best. But with my schedule I hadn't given myself permission to do that.

Now, it's not about me. I will be driving the long trip toward the end of July, if it fits into Marcia's chemo schedule. I'll have to change a couple appointments that week, but I can do that.

Now, I want to be there for her. Don't get me wrong, it will still be fun for me. But friends, especially long time friends, are where my thoughts are this AM.

What goal have you changed in response to a friend's call?

Ask for What You Want

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:45:00 +0000

As I mentioned several times, I am working with the non-profit Hannah's Socks to help them get organized. Currently we are working on developing a board of directors for them. We are meeting with people to find out if they are interested in such a position and also if HS is interested in them.

During one of these conversations, I mentioned to Jack Hollister, president of the Employer's Association here in NW Ohio, that Doris Turner, the founder of HS, needed a laptop computer. He said, "Consider it done. Doris come to my office on Thursday and I'll give it to you then."

If you don't ask, you won't get.

Friday night I attended the Rotary charter night dinner with Steve. I spent a lot of time talking with Jenna Wasylyshyn. Jenna is the wife of Rotary member, Mark Wasylyshyn and he also happens to be the sheriff of our county. They live out in the country like we do. Jenna is a horsewoman and works at Serenity Farms. This is an organization I had not heard of before, so Jenna shared quite a bit about what they do. Of course, I asked the question about board members for Hannah's Socks. I figured Jenna might be too busy, but that she would know some other good people.

Flash forward to Saturday. Jenna and Mark attended a wedding in Perrysburg. At the wedding Jenna took it upon herself to talk with two people about this opportunity and both women were interested.
Like I said, "If you don't ask you won't get."

What should you ask for?

Out of Control

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:54:00 +0000

I have been so busy meeting with people that I have not been very good at sending thank you notes and emails. Nor am I able to remember who I have sent them to.

I shared this dilemma with my Master Mind group on Friday and they agreed that a thank you is always appreciated, even if it is late or a duplicate.

My question is, what system do you use when you are so busy all week that you don't always have time to send those notes immediately. Do you just make a list of people to thank or do you go back through you calendar to jog your memory. I badly need a system and maybe it is as simple as a list.

Help me out. I am in a little bit of chaos!

Ya' Have Ta Laugh!

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Yesterday, I was invited to be the featured speaker at the WEN SEMI (Southeast Michigan) meeting.

Yesterday, when I jumped into the shower, it was icy cold.

Yesterday, I decided not to wash my hair which meant that it wouldn't look quite right all day long. But I just couldn't do the icy cold shower.

Yesterday, as I headed north, I ran into problems because of the fierce storm that had hammered our area the night before. The main road that I was traveling north on, was blocked by a giant tree.

Yesterday, as I detoured, somehow I got turned around on a bunch of curving roads, and others that didn't head in a direction that seemed logical. I was so turned around that I headed south for a good five miles before I realized it. (My little Mini doesn't have a display that tells me which direction I am traveling.)

Yesterday, I finally arrived at the meeting location in a raging rain storm.

Yesterday in spite of it all, I was the featured presenter!

But let me put it into perspective.

The attendance at the meeting was a little lighter than normal. Want to know why? Most who were there were still without electrical power from the night before. But they still made it to the meeting. They probably didn't shower or have light to put on makeup or make breakfast. But they got themselves out anyway.

My challenges were minor compared to theirs!

My hat's off to those who made the extra effort!

The Library Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:42:00 +0000

Well, I figure I've saved myself about $315 at minimum. I decided to start using the library instead of ordering books online. I also started keeping track of the books I read through "Library thing" which you can link to from my blog. You can look at what I've read in the last year just by clicking on it. The first entry was May 21 '07 and since that time I've read 45 books. At an average price of $7, (if I ordered used) the savings really does add up!

I really hadn't looked at all the features of this website, but just recently realized that in the list of books, if I click a title, I get a whole bunch of information including usually a list of other books that I might enjoy. Gosh, I'm in pig heaven!

For those of you who love reading as much as I do, this might be fun for you to do, too.

What's the best book you read recently?

Nametags, Both Sides of the Story

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:23:00 +0000

As you have read, I was at a conference these past couple days. Also last week I graduated from Leadership Toledo. I want to compare the name tags of both organizations.

As with many groups, both had laminated name tags that were to be hung around the person's neck.

Where each was different was that one group printed the same information on both sides of the name tag and the other group only printed on one side. And you guessed it, more times than not, when I was trying to remember a name, all I could see was the blank white of the backside.
I noticed that I was a little more shy in this situation.

So my suggestion for conferences or any groups, is to print on both sides. Probably takes a little more ink and slightly more time, but the value to the people using them in priceless!

Wow! I Didn't Know That About You!

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:39:00 +0000

There's nothing like being in a car for several hours to get to know those people better!

Yesterday, I spent five hours driving from Toledo to Lombard (Chicago) with Megan Coyle Stamos, her dad, Joe Coyle and Josie Freeman. All three were heading to the session for funeral pre-planners that I am presenting at.

Josie and I sat in the back for the trip.

I have met with Josie over coffee previously, but I didn't get the flavor of her humor then. What I found out yesterday is that she is smart, funny, persistent and has resources that support her success. When we got close to Chicago and wanted a good place to eat, Josie called her sister and then was able to direct us immediately. She even knew exactly where to park.

I am really happy that I got this opportunity to get to know the REAL Josie.

What methods have you found that help you to find out the personality nuances of business friends?

The Lost is Found

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:20:00 +0000

No, I have not been living under a rock. Just a pile of stuff on my desk!

Nuff said!

I have a few minutes before I leave for Chicago to present to The Outlook Group. It was a referral from one of my CN students, Megan Coyle Stamos. Thanks Megan for making such a great connection.

This morning I was in Findlay, which is about 30 minutes south of here. I attended the morning session for GreaterFindlayInc and also helped with the new member orientation afterwards. Jeremiah Gracia, VP of Business Development for GFI, led the session. Why would I drive through driving rain for such an early morning meeting? The reason is that my goal is to get to know the Findlay community better. I do that by scheduling future appointments with people I meet at these events.

Interestingly, one person I met, Robert Thomas is the franchise support person for Joe Reidling, a new owner of Embroidme. Robert works from Minneapolis. Most might have ignored him, but after the formal session, I walked over an intro'd myself. We talked about BNI, as he recommends that all of their franchisees join BNI. But while he knew a little about it, he want to know more. It was great that I could give him some information and promised that we'll talk later about additional information. He wants to help those who become members of BNI to understand what they need to do to get the best out of their membership.

As the conversation continued he wanted to know more about Certified Networker. In the end, he asked for my card to pass on to someone in charge of the Midwest, as Robert thought this person might want to know how it could help their organization.

All because I wanted an outsider to feel welcome.

People can feel like outsiders, even if they live in town.

What have you done lately to make an outsider feel welcome?

A Tidbit From the Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:38:00 +0000

I was lucky enough to hear Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals and most recently The Go-Giver, speak at the BNI US National Conference last week in Orlando. He was a great speaker in both the information he delivered and also the manner of delivery.

One tiny bit of info that I will begin to use immediately is a question he suggested we use while networking. After meeting someone new ask,

"How will I know if I've met someone that will be helpful to you?"

Isn't that great????!!!!

If forces the other person to be responsible for purposeful input to the conversation. It certainly will make that person think and probably remember you.

How would you answer the above question? Remember, it's got to be short and sweet.

To Be a Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Debby) — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:08:00 +0000

I am listening to Khaled Hosseini's second book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns." I only have three discs to go and I can't wait for it to be done.

The inhumanity in this story is crushing. The story set in Afghanistan chronicles the brutality dealt to two women whose only crime is to be a woman. They are guilty of all because another person says so. I was even crushed further when the date of the story was given as 1994, only fourteen years ago. And yet this past Sunday there was an article in our paper that detailed the lives of women in Afghanistan. They are not much better today.

When will the truly evil people of the world be dealt back what the deliver?

I am so sad that I cannot help any of these women directly.

Sorry about the downer post. Perhaps if we bring more light on the matters of brutality of women, the world community will take action.

PS I do know lots of good men, so this is not about all men being evil, just some. And I'm sure that there are just as many evil women.