Referrals Unlimited Network

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As a web based Health Coach, I stumbled across a cool tool that perhaps you can use: VoIP Virtual Office/Classroom.

I have found using this platform to be comfortable  and the communication rich features to be very versatile.

I now am able to see and hear my clients without incurring phone charges. Sessions (voice/text) can be recorded and sent to up to 100 people in the room. In real time, I can demonstrate the Wellness Wheel diagram on the whiteboard or share a desktop power point presentation. I attended one of the ongoing tours to learn all of the details.

Next Tour:

http://www.voipoffices.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=CoachChris33 

I was chatting with a friend of mine in California today and he asked me how much I knew about another person.  My response was that I was familiar with the name, knew a little about her but she was on my Intention List for 2008.  I hurried to add that my Intention List (for the people I intended to get to know better this year) was a better term to use than a hit list!  Don’t you agree?

Who’s on your Intention List this year?  Who do you plan to get to know better this year?  The important word is Plan - one of the most overlooked activities in networking.  Most people think networking happens by accident, people get to know one another by accident, relationships are built by accident.   To some extent that does happen, but more often than not relationships are developed through the planning process.  Think about who you know and who you want to know.  Now who knows the people you want to know - ask them to introduce you.  Find a way to join the same organization(s) they belong to and BEGIN to develop that relationship.  Beginning, planning are all activities that lead to the most important word in the networkers vocabulary - A-C-T-I-O-N.  Networking does not happen unless an A-C-T-I-O-N is taken, relationships are not built without some form of A-C-T-I-O-N happening.

What A-C-T-I-O-N(s) are you planning to take this year?  Who are you going to add to your sphere of influence.  What are you going to do to get to know that person? 

If you need help developing your Networking Plan, contact me!  Just Begin!

Scott Andrews, a connection of mine (Plaxo Pulse) just shared this with me and I thought you might find this information useful!  Yes, that is his affiliate link for the software but I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself if it is good for your business.

ARRiiVE: Podcasting as COLLABORATION or BLOG TOOL?

Have you used Podcasting Tools as a COLLABORATION TOOL? Podcasting tools can also be used much like a BLOG! Also, you can MAKE MONEY from broadcasts!

From conference call, website intro, CD program creation, training tools, and more…

Get your own Talkshoe set-up by visiting: www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/userCreate1.jsp?affiliateId=57383

Get better SEO rankings, create products, host shows, get free conference calling, and build something useful, all from one tool - Talkshoe. Cool, huh? Let me know if you create your own tools - I love collaborating!

Wow, I just listened to an awesome presentation by Debra Simpson, on WECAI’s First Fridayz event.  Debra shared some great tips on increasing the visibility of your blog, how to make it more interesting and how to collect some “link love!”    Debra Simpson says visit magicinblogging for some how-to videos!  You can also find Debra’s podcasts at http://www.northsandiegobusiness.com.

I would be remiss if I did not share the contact info for Heidi Richards WECAI Network and the wonderful programs she provides on a monthly basis that are FREE for her members (and the great part is that your can become a member for free!).  Check out Heidi’s Network and see how impressed you are with what she provides - she is definitely a first-class networker and truly believes in helping much more than receiving! 

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO – The WECAI Network - http://www.wecai.org

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Check out the latest issue of WE Magazine for Women! http://www.wemagazineforwomen.com

Have you taken the Women Business Owners Survey Yet? Lots of freebies at www.womenbusinessownerssurvey.com for sharing your feedback.

One of the things that Debra shared with us is that when she attends a networking event sponsored by her local Chamber of Commerce, she attends with digital camera in hand.  She snaps photos during the networking event, returns back to her office, prepares slide shows from the event and posts the slide show to her blog.  She then adds all the business’ names (from the photos she took) and includes them on her BlogRoll!  She refers to that as spreading the “link love!”

I think that is such an awesome idea and I am going to venture into something like that.  At our weekly Referrals Unlimited Network meeting, I’m going to arrive with my digital camera and then post some photos on our blog, right here!  I do believe that would be a fabulous way to showcase our Member of the Week and keep the buzz going about looking for ways to help that member increase his/her business.  So look out, Lancaster RUN members - come dressed for success, we’ll be snapping some photos and learning how to get them up on this blog for all the world to see!

Thoughts anyone?  Tell me, what you do to make your blog stand out from the crowd?

I enjoy meeting people, don’t you?  As I was growing up, my parents warned me not to talk to strangers.  Then I became a business owner and found that in order to generate new business and/or referrals, I had to talk to strangers!  Now what should I do?  Without funds available for a marketing budget, I determined early in my career, that I would have to use my God-Given talents to build my business and the one thing I could surely do was talk!  So, I began attending every networking and business event available.  I found that most people entered the event and started passing out their business cards to everyone, whether you wanted one or not.  Then, when talking, the subject quickly became a sales pitch from them.  What ever happened to just plain old talking  . . . getting to know someone, their likes/dislikes, their personality and in the case of business, what problems were they having?  As a result of those experiences, I realized most business people did not know the first thing about networking!  So I set out to learn all I could about how to do it and to do it the right way!

I really enjoy meeting people and am now very comfortable striking up a conversation with just about anyone.  My research told me to start by asking simple questions and trying to find a way to solve problems for my new acquaintance.  If I personally didn’t have a solution, possibly someone in my business connections could help and I could facilitate a referral between the two of them!  Little did I know that I was actually Netweaving!   People are pleasantly surprised when you approach them with a genuine interest in learning more about them and their business, with no attempt to SELL them anything! 

When you are genuinely interested in learning more about them, trying to help them solve their problems, keeping in touch with them to see how their progress is, you are setting the groundwork for becoming a trusted resource.  We all know that people do business with those they know, like and TRUST!

My challenge to you is this . . . try Netweaving for one month - use this approach at all networking and business events.  See for yourself the impact it makes on developing your Circle of Influence.  Then stop back here and tell us about your experience.  Stay tuned, we’ll have lots more posts about Netweaving and learning to effectively and efficiently network to build your business, but more importantly, to be known as the Best of the Best in your industry!