Credibility Archives - Page 4 of 5

23Jul2012

The ABCs of Networking–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Seriesstring(93) "The ABCs of Networking–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Series"

(Part 6 of 12 of the “Navigating The VCP Process® To Networking” Series)

TR Garland (featured in this video with me) is a friend of mine and co-author of one of my most recent #1 best-selling books called “Building The Ultimate Network.” He’s also considered a top trainer for the Referral Institute.

For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®. Six months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-part monthly series of blog posts which addresses this and contains some very timely information for networkers across the globe. Today, we’re proud to share with you Part 6 of the series. in short video format. Enjoy!

Please let us know what you think of the video by leaving your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks!

2Jul2012

Want to Achieve Networking Success with the Opposite Sex?–Advice for Women & Menstring(91) "Want to Achieve Networking Success with the Opposite Sex?–Advice for Women & Men"

Last week I posted a summary of the conclusions my Business Networking and Sex co-authors and I came to after surveying over 12,000 people and conducting months of research. I promised that this week I would post advice for both women and men in achieving networking success with the opposite sex so below I’ve outlined some key tips Frank De Raffele, Hazel Walker, and I put together.

We Say . . .

We’re all trying to get to the same place. It will be much more profitable for all of us if we can help each other along the way. Here are a few things to guide your success in networking with the complementary gender:

For the Ladies

Don’t get stuck in the credibility phase of the VCP Process®. Ask for what you want.
When asking for help, communicate clearly exactly what it is that you want.
Make time for networking.
When speaking to men, try to impress them and share your accomplishments.
When spoken to inappropriately, speak up about it immediately.
Dress for business at business events.
Put systems in place to track your business.
Stay in contact with and follow up on leads, referrals, and acquaintances made.
Diversify your networks.
Remember that networking is ultimately about getting business, so ask for both business and referrals.
Convey an image to others that you are a serious businessperson, in all that you do.
Get educated about referral systems.
Don’t lump all men into the same group.

For the Guys

Slow down and build the relationship.
Work through the VCP Process® in the proper order of its phases. Don’t race through the credibility phase.
Make and maintain eye contact.
Listen and ask relational questions.
Don’t assume that women don’t take their business seriously.
Don’t hit on women at networking events.
Edit what you are about to say, using filters to sift out what is not business appropriate.
Stay in contact with and follow up on leads, referrals, and acquaintances made.
Stay informed about the best, most current, and cutting-edge networking practices.
Develop and use systems for your networking activities.
Make time for networking.
Speak to relate, not just to impress.
Remember that women are at networking events for business gain, just as you are.

The difference between the genders when it comes to networking is a great advantage, not a disadvantage. By following the tips we have outlined above, you should be able to develop more productive relationships with members of both sexes. Also, be sure to visit www.BusinessNetworkingAndSex.com if you would like to follow the latest developments on the subject of business networking and the genders.

18Jun2012

Audit Your Activities — “Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Seriesstring(94) "Audit Your Activities — “Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Series"

TR Garland (pictured with me in the photo below) is a friend of mine and co-author of one of my most recent #1 best-selling books called “Building The Ultimate Network.” He’s also considered a top trainer for the Referral Institute.

For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®. Five months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-part monthly series of blog posts which addresses this and contains some very timely information for networkers across the globe. Today, we’re proud to share with you Part 5 of the series. Enjoy.

AUDIT YOUR ACTIVITIES
(Part 5 of 12 of the “Navigating The VCP Process® To Networking” Series)

In Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , and Part 4 of this series, we introduced and re-introduced the concept and steps of The VCP Process® to Networking for our readers through brief anecdotes, relevant comparisons, and sometimes even humorous situations.

Today, we’d like to share with you one laser-focused Power Habit that you can use on a weekly basis to increase the number of referrals you receive. And, that Power Habit is based upon the following underlying Success Principle: It’s not always about the ACT of the ACTIVITIES that one should focus on. It’s the ANALYSIS of those ACTIVITIES that produces your greatest results.

A close friend of ours, Jim Cathcart (www.Cathcart.com), is listed in the professional Speaker Hall of Fame and is a very well-known author and speaker on the topic of Sales. In fact, for 3 years in a row Jim has been selected as one of the Top 5 Speakers on Sales & Service. So, I guess what we’re saying is that we believe “Jim knows his stuff!” And in a recent conversation, he said: “Things that are measured tend to improve.”

It got us thinking that nothing could be truer, especially in the process of getting referrals. Many networkers actually become Referral Institute clients because they want the trainers to hold them accountable for their weekly actions so that they get improved results. We actually steer them towards an amazing online referral tracking tool called Relate2Profit (www.Relate2Profit.com) to help them hold themselves accountable. But for today’s conversation, let’s take baby steps. Let’s talk about something you can do with tools you already have at your disposal…a pen and your Daily Planner.

Our focus is measuring your weekly activities and how they relate to moving people in your network through The VCP Process® all the way from Visibility through Credibility to Profitability.

Here are the recommended steps:

First thing every Monday morning block off 5 minutes.
Write down the names of 5 people who you want passing you steady referrals.
Next, in your Daily Planner block off a 2 minute segment of time for each of the 5 days of the week.
Then, during each of those separate 2 minute segments choose 1 of the 5 people who you want passing you steady referrals.
Finally, TAKE ACTION by doing something to help YOU move that person (who YOU chose) through The VCP Process® to networking on your behalf.

For example, if you are only at Visibility with 1 of those 5 people, what can you do in those 2 minutes to help you move to Credibility with them? Or, if you are only at Credibility with 1 of those 5 people, what can you do in those 2 minutes to help you move to Profitability with them?

At a loss for ideas on what you can do in 2 minutes to help compel someone to pass you referrals? Here’s a brief list of activities that you might want to consider:

Search the web for an article relevant to their professional (or personal) goals and email it to them.
Go to their Facebook timeline or LinkedIn profile and comment on one of their recent posts to show that you care about what they care about.
Send them an email acknowledging that you’re aware of who an ideal client is for them…and let them know you’ll continue to be on the lookout.
Call them up and invite them to accompany you on a meeting you already have scheduled with a prospective client of yours.

As noted above, this is a recommended series of actions that we suggest you implement on a weekly basis. If you do, the COMPOUND EFFECT of these weekly Power Habits will deliver you massive results in the medium and long term with your business relationships.

If this seems too simplistic to you right now, please take special note of the following. In a recent survey over a 12 week period, when asked if they REGULARLY dedicated just 2 minutes for each of the 5 days of the week to perform ANY of the above recommended actions towards staying “top of mind” with prospective Referral Sources…less than 50% of the respondents reported that they did not.

This means that people have identified key Contact Sphere Professionals who should be passing them referrals. BUT, they go weeks and weeks without performing small actions to compel these people to pass them referrals or even to stay top of mind!

Where would you fit into this survey?

In closing, we’d like to recommend you consider that the above Power Habit that can be performed is actually only 15 minutes of your work week. If you work a standard 40 hour week, it’s less than 1% of your time investment for that week. We believe that there should be no excuse for not dedicating 1% of your work week to “staying top of mind” with prospective Referral Sources. Do you agree?

We thank you for reading today’s post and extend an invitation to be on the lookout for next month’s contribution to this series – Part 6 called “The ABC’s of Business Networking”.

21May2012

Expose Yourself!–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Seriesstring(87) "Expose Yourself!–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Series"

For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®. Four months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-part monthly series of blog posts which addresses this and contains some very timely information for networkers across the globe. Today, we’re proud to share with you Part 4 of the series. Enjoy.

EXPOSE YOURSELF!
(Part 4 of 12 of the “Navigating The VCP Process® To Networking” Series)

In Part 3 of this series, we encouraged Business Networkers to honor the chronological steps of the VCP Process®. In other words, we pointed out that generating a steady stream of referrals takes an investment in time — as well as in the people in your own network. Take action, we recommended, and become visible. However, be cautious about “too much Visibility”.

Today, we’d like to revisit and expand upon the following concept that was introduced last month: If you put yourself out in the marketplace as a person of value, others will want to connect with you. Your role is to EXPOSE YOURSELF to your local business community in a valuable way so that people feel a personal connection with you and feel compelled to assist you.

Let’s dig deeper . . . If you’ve sought out Business Networking training and education in the past, you’ve most likely heard the following phrase: “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. However, today, we ask the question: “WHAT…do they know you for?”

You see, we believe that there is a strategic way to go about gaining Visibility in your local community. We believe that if you lead with positive intentions and follow up with valuable contributions, professionals will, in time, feel a personal connection with you and feel compelled to assist you (i.e. pass you qualified referrals and/or connect you with Referral Partners). Attempting to expedite the VCP Process® is almost never a good decision. And sometimes, it may even backfire.

You may have observed this type of behavior before where people shift into what’s considered to be ‘Visibility’-overload. In other words, every chance they get they’re doing random “stuff” (yes, that’s the technical term) to be visible without having any sort of thought out strategy. Do you know what a “Drive-By” is at a networking event? It’s when someone’s strategy (of lack thereof) is to meet everyone at a mixer. As such, they’re focused on passing out their business cards to anyone and everyone versus staying in a conversation for longer than 60 seconds. Has this ever happened to you? What was your perception of this person?

This and other “Random Acts of Networking” ultimately defeat the overall objective which is to build trust and credibility through cultivating relationships. Our fear is that people might be placing a lot of time into gaining Visibility, but NOT being able to capitalize on it. And, it is for this reason that we’d like to introduce the term HYPER-Visibility™. It’s when people try to get everyone to know them, see them, and hear them through a variety of different means in an effort to expedite the VCP Process® to Networking. Whereas, in actuality, it typically backfires and may even be detrimental to their reputation and perceived as overkill.

As alluded to before, try not to be plagued by HYPER-Visibility™ and ask the question: “WHY…do people know you?”

Is it because you:

Have volunteered to setup and break down your visitors table at your weekly networking event?
Have recently been awarded the “Helping Hand Award” in your local community?
Have numerous satisfied clients/customers who say positive things about you?

Or, is it because you:

Are at every single networking event in your local community (i.e. you’re everywhere!)?
Are the person who adds people to your weekly newsletter without permission?
Are constantly conducting ‘off the wall’ introductions (called Sales Manager Minutes in BNI) in an effort to be remembered?

Please be cautious that sometimes if those (albeit memorable, but) ‘off the wall’ introductions have nothing to do with training your network, they may not serve you well. Being over the top could actually push some people away who might otherwise be keen to learning more about you. Please also be aware that sometimes when you’re in roles of increased Visibility, your actions are clearer and even amplified. For example, if you volunteer to help support your local networking group – or even any association or charity – your visibility will be enhanced and you’re typically in the spotlight or under a microscope. Be cognizant, be strategic, and be prepared.

Visibility is an intricate part to the VCP Process®. When strategically planned out, this exposure could be your biggest ally. When attained for no particular rhyme or reason, it could be your biggest enemy. Hmmm . . . food for thought, isn’t it?

In closing, we’d like to recommend that you consider that there are actually two different interpretations to the title of this blog post “Expose Yourself!” First, it can be interpreted as the means by which you strategically and professionally navigate the first step of the VCP Process®. Or, it can be interpreted that sometimes when you are too visible or seeking visibility for the wrong reasons (or with the wrong approach) you actually “Expose Yourself!” Moving forward, our recommendation is to conduct an inventory of what steps you’re taking on a weekly basis to become visible within your own local community. Then, decipher if they are effective at doing the job of helping you move beyond Visibility to Credibility. If not, then please consider revising or replacing

We thank you for reading today’s post and extend an invitation to be on the lookout for next month’s contribution to this series – Part 5 called “Audit Your Activities.”

16Apr2012

Too Much Visibility?–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Seriesstring(91) "Too Much Visibility?–“Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Series"

For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®. Two months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-part monthly series of blog posts which addresses this and contains some very timely information for networkers across the globe. Today, we’re proud to share with you Part 3 of the series. Enjoy.

WHEN IS TOO MUCH VISIBILITY, WELL, TOO MUCH ‘VISIBILITY’?
(Part 3 of 12 of the “Navigating The VCP Process® To Networking” Series)

In Part 1 of this series, we introduced you to the moniker – The Networking Nomad™. In short, this moniker describes the type of networker who appears to be misinterpreting the very definition of Business Networking. Click here to review that blog post. In Part 2 of this series, we recommended you understand that ‘perception is reality’ when it comes to networking – and we encouraged you to be careful about whether or not your network perceives you as a PREDATOR or a PARTNER. Click here to review that blog post.

Today, we’d like you to give some serious thought to the very first letter in the VCP Process® to Networking. In short, your goal should be to first enter Visibility with people, then perform activities that will help you build trust and Credibility with them, and finally through time and the strengthening of that relationship, they will most likely pass you consistent referrals in the Profitability stage. After all, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”

Years ago, only the elite networkers were privy to this powerful concept. These days, chances are this valuable information has trickled down to the average networker. This is both a good thing – and a bad thing. From our perspective, the good thing is that the average networker is now aware of this concept. The bad thing is that the average networker typically misinterprets and mismanages the implementation of this concept. Don’t agree? Please hear us out . . .

Remember the movie “A Few Good Men” with Jack Nicholson where he forcefully delivers the famous line “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”? Well, the facts are clear and the truth in business networking is that the average networker’s strategy doesn’t focus on successfully navigating through the VCP Process® and doesn’t focus on finding Referral Partners whom they cultivate long term, mutually beneficial relationships with to provide them consistent referrals. Or worse yet, the average networker has no strategy at all.

The goal of networking is to build the ultimate network of professionals who, when asked:

Can and will support you
Can provide you with information to make you more valuable
Can vouch for you
Can lend you their credibility when introducing you to people in their networks
Can refer to you on a consistent basis

If you put yourself out in the marketplace as a person of value, others will want to connect with you. Your role is to expose yourself to your local business community in a valuable way so that people feel a personal connection with you and feel compelled to assist you. Most people have no concept of this strategy. That’s what makes it so potent. And then the dilemma is that a large percentage of those exposed to this strategy will never do the hard work that it takes for success to become a reality. But, as noted above, the average networker typically misinterprets this concept.

Here’s an example:

Ivan met a woman years ago who told him she was the consummate networker – 100’s of contacts and a wide-ranging network of people from all walks of life. Then one day in a conversation with him, she dropped a bombshell and said her networking efforts weren’t paying off. She went on at some length about all the groups she went to, people she met, and how she made all these contacts but wasn’t getting any business. The truth is that she was so busy running around and making appearances that she wasn’t learning how to actually ‘work’ these networks and build deep relationships.

A music teacher once told his students: “Lousy practice makes a lousy musician.” The same holds true for networking; lousy networking makes a lousy networker! This is why “practice doesn’t make perfect – perfect practice makes perfect.”

In closing, we’d like to recommend that you consider reflecting back upon your own networking journey and ask yourself: “Have you exhausted all opportunities in your local community to attend Business Networking and/or Referral Marketing Training workshops? Have you sought out an expert or someone that has proven results from their networking efforts that you can ask to be your accountability partner? And…if you have attended workshops in the past, what are the results you’re getting today? If you’re not getting the number of referrals you expect, maybe it’s time to revisit those workshops?”

We thank you for reading today’s post and extend an invitation to be on the lookout for next month’s contribution to this series – Part 4 called “Expose Yourself!”

16Feb2012

New Blog Series with Top Referral Marketing Trainer TR Garland!string(63) "New Blog Series with Top Referral Marketing Trainer TR Garland!"

In this video, TR Garland and I announce the launch of our new, 12-month, BusinessNetworking.com blog series “Navigating the VCP Process® to Networking,”

TR is not only my good friend, he is one of the top referral marketing trainers in the world and he and I co-authored the #1 Amazon Best-seller Building the Ultimate Network together. I am really excited to be doing this new blog series with TR because he is in the top 1% across the globe in regard to understanding how to implement referral marketing effectively and this series is going to be a huge resource for people in learning how to understand and implement the VCP (Visibility, Credibility, Profitability) Process® effectively to produce real, business-boosting results from networking efforts.

Whether you’re a businessperson, an entrepreneur, a novice or seasoned networker, or simply someone who wants to learn, be sure to come back to this site on Monday (2/20/12) which is when we will be posting the first blog in the series!

So what do you think? Are you as excited about this new series as TR and I are? Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts . . .

5Dec2011

What Do You Do When People You Don’t Know Ask For Business?string(65) "What Do You Do When People You Don’t Know Ask For Business?"

I received an e-mail this year from a man named Robert and it contained an excellent question. The full message read:

Good morning, Dr. Misner.

I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.

When it comes to networking and being a connector, how do you handle requests from people you barely know (or don’t know at all) who ask you to give them the names of your contacts so they can connect with those people for their own ventures or projects?

For example, I received a message from a woman I met years ago via the Chamber of Commerce. She was laid off by the Chamber and now is attempting to find her niche. She sent me a message on LinkedIn that read:

“Hello and Happy summer! Do you know personally any life/disability agents or financial planners? I need to meet as many as possible in RVA to see if they can use our medical services at Portamedic to complete the medical portion of the insurance applications. Please forward any names to me if you do. Thank you.”

This is a great question, Robert.

When people contact me with requests like the one you’ve described, I refer them to my article on the VCP Process and explain to them that though I appreciate them reaching out to me, we’re not even at “visibility” yet. In order for me to feel comfortable referring them, I would need to build a relationship over time that gets us to strong “credibility.” When most people read the article, they move on to someone else because they think that networking is about “direct selling” and they don’t understand that it is about long-term relationship building.

How would you respond to this and what is your “policy” for giving referrals? Please leave your feedback in the comment section.

1Aug2011

Get to Know the Go-to Items on Your Referral Marketing Checkliststring(64) "Get to Know the Go-to Items on Your Referral Marketing Checklist"

August 1, 2011

Ivan Misner

campaign, checklist, Credibility, list of collateral materials, materials, Networking, Success Credibility, Marketing/Sales, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Success, Word of Mouth 8

Last week I had a couple of blog readers comment that they felt they would benefit from a detailed description of each of the items on the checklist of materials for a successful word-of-mouth campaign. Thank you to Betsy Maniotis and Adam Erstelle for taking the time to send in their feedback and I’m more than happy to comply with their requests for the list below.

1) Testimonial letters from satisfied clients–Testimonials are one of the most effective ways to showcase the quality of the products or services you provide. You can keep hard copies in a binder, or you can post them to your website. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can ask the clients in your network to “recommend” you.

2) Photos of yourself, your office facilities, equipment, and/or products–A professional photo, or headshot, is important for promotional opportunities and for your social media profiles. Photos of your office or business operation and products help to legitimize your business and gain credibility.

3) Logos of your key customers–You can put these on your website to show the type of clients you have successfully served.

4) A list of your memberships and affiliations–This is very helpful when you meet someone for the first time — it’s a great way to see if you have mutual acquaintances or business associates. It may also lead to an introduction to someone in one of your organizations to whom you have been hoping to be introduced.

5) Question-and-answer sheets–One of the quickest ways to learn about a person’s business as a networker — and for him to learn about yours — is to make the initial meeting as organized as possible. A sheet with questions that you can each ask each other can ensure you don’t forget to find out the most important information about each other’s businesses, the information that could lead to a referral the quickest!

6) Photos of awards and certificates you and your staff have earned–These items can rank almost as high on the credibility factor as testimonials.

7) Articles you have published, or in which you’re mentioned–Writing articles (or being professionally mentioned in them) is a great way to become known as an expert in your field — and people like to know they are working with experts.

8) A one-page flier–You should have a brief overview of your business ready to pass along at all times — both a hard copy to fax and an electronic copy to e-mail — in case you meet someone while networking who wants to quickly pass along your information to a prospective client she knows.

9) New-product or service announcements or press releases–As you network, make sure the people who might potentially hire you — or refer others to you — are immediately informed when you offer new products or services, or if you are expanding you operations geographically, or of any other achievements that might help further establish you. The best way to do this is through press releases and announcements. In addition to submitting these to news outlets, you can also hand these out at meetings, or you can post them on your website and on your social media accounts.

10) Current brochures, circulars, and data sheets, and product catalogs–This may seem like a no-brainer, but quite often I’ve noticed that business owners are too busy running their business and neglect their collateral materials. If you hand out a brochure that doesn’t list your most recent offerings, you could miss a chance of earning the business of someone looking for just these offerings.

11) Items that reflect your “brand”–These items go a long way in building the consistency and recognition of your brand: Logos, trademarks, service marks, patterns, designs you’ve used, posters, banners, and display materials used at trade shows.

12) Items that help you explain your business to your network–These can include: your annual report, capability statement and prospectus; your motto, mission statement or service pledge; or even a written history of your company. You can also use information from newsletters or news-type publications, survey results (from surveys created and compiled by you or by others in your industry), presentation notes or slides (including audio or video), advertisements you’ve run, or audio or video presentations.

13) Client or customer proposals, bid sheets, or marketing letters you have written to existing clients–Keeping this information top-of-mind will come in very handy if you are at a networking event and have the opportunity to talk to a prospective client in depth. The prospect may have a specific need that is similar in scope to jobs you have already bid on, and having the ability to quickly refer back to previously-completed proposals may give you an edge with the prospect.

14) Articles on trends affecting your target market–Keeping up with issues and news items that are important to people helps you to be able to target your conversation and, subsequently, your products and services more directly to your prospects whom you want to turn into clients.

Remember, this is not a complete list of items needed to market your business. The items in this list are focused on enhancing your networking activities which will lead to greater word of mouth and referrals.

25Jul2011

Do You Have the Right Materials for a Successful Word-of-Mouth Campaign?string(72) "Do You Have the Right Materials for a Successful Word-of-Mouth Campaign?"

July 25, 2011

Ivan Misner

campaign, Credibility, list of collateral materials, materials, Networking, Success, Word of Mouth Credibility, Marketing/Sales, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Success, Word of Mouth 9

In order to run a successful word-of-mouth campaign, you need to build an arsenal of credibility-enhancing materials. You should always have these at your disposal to make the most of every networking opportunity.

Below is a checklist of items you may already have available or wish to begin assembling, which can be used as collateral materials in developing your desired image. These are not ranked in a particular; they are all key components of the toolkit of a successful word-of-mouth campaign.

Note: Please keep in mind that this is not a complete list of items needed to market your business. The items in this list are focused on enhancing your networking activities which will lead to greater word of mouth and referrals.

1-Testimonial letters from satisfied clients

2-Photos of yourself, your office facilities, equipment, and/or products

3-Logos of your key customers

4-A list of your memberships and affiliations

5-Question-and-answer sheets

6-Photos of awards and certificates you and your staff have earned

7-Articles you have published, or in which you’re mentioned

8-A one-page flier

9-New-product or service announcements or press releases

10-Current brochures, circulars, and data sheets, and product catalogs

11-Items that reflect your “brand”

12-Items that help you explain your business to your network

13-Client or customer proposals, bid sheets, or marketing letters you have written to existing clients

14-Articles on trends affecting your target market

For the sake of space, I didn’t go into much detail here regarding each of the items in this list but I can certainly go into plenty more of an explanation as to what these items entail.

I’ll leave it up to all of you blog readers to weigh in on whether or not you’d like to see a follow up blog explaining each of the items listed above . . . so, leave a comment and let me know–should I write a blog giving the details regarding these items? Thumbs up, or thumbs down?? . . . Thanks!

11Jul2011

Credibility Is Crucial, But How Do You Build It?string(48) "Credibility Is Crucial, But How Do You Build It?"

July 11, 2011

Ivan Misner

building credibility, Credibility, ethical standards, Networking, results Building Relationships, Connections, Credibility, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics 10

It’s amazing what a word-of-mouth campaign can do for your business. People rely on recommendations from trusted sources much more than they do from mere advertisements. The best thing is, the costs associated with running a successful word-of-mouth campaign are usually a fraction of what a traditional advertising campaign can run!

However, as the saying goes, “there is no free lunch.” What you save in dollars spent, you must replace with time and effort. Simply saying to yourself that you are going to market via word of mouth does not guarantee immediate success.

I consistently tell people interested in networking that two of the most crucial things they need to do in order to achieve results from their networking efforts are to plan and execute a schedule of networking events and activities that will put them in front of people and they will also need to begin building their credibility.

So how do you begin building your credibility? There can be a variety of ways to do this depending on whom you are trying to build credibility with, however, in my experience, one of the absolute most important ways to build credibility is to always, always, always hold yourself to the highest ethical standards. Be fair in your pricing, make sure the work you are hired to do is provided with the highest standards in quality; and certainly never over-promise and under-deliver.

What are some of the best ways you have found to build credibility with others when networking? Do you have a story about a way you built credibility with someone that was particularly effective? If so, l’d love to hear it—please leave a comment in the comments section!

31Mar2011

Jack Canfield Talks about Why the VCP Process® Makes Sensestring(59) "Jack Canfield Talks about Why the VCP Process® Makes Sense"

A couple of weeks ago, Jack Canfield and I did a one-hour interview where we talked about business networking and success principles. In about a month, the video of the interview will be available to view on Jack’s website (www.JackCanfield.com) in the “Inner Circle” section.

In the meantime, I invite you to check out the 3-minute video above where Jack talks about some of what he picked up about networking during our interview and why the VCP Process® really strikes a chord with him.

23Mar2011

Do You Want To Become a Best-Selling Author? Here’s Your Chance. . .string(74) "Do You Want To Become a Best-Selling Author? Here’s Your Chance. . ."

I’m working on a new project with Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer, which gives small business owners, entrepreneurs, and businesspeople around the world the opportunity to establish themselves as experts in their field by achieving best-selling author status.

We recorded a call outlining the details of the project last month and you can listen to the call for free by clicking here. If you have ever been interested in becoming a best-selling author, I highly encourage you to listen to the call today as registration for participation in the project ends this Friday (3-25-11).

One of the reasons I chose to become involved with this project is because I firmly believe that being recognized as a best-selling author is a highly effective way for businesspeople to establish credibility as an expert in their field and drive business, and I wanted to be a part of an initiative that helps give people this opportunity. I also think that Nick Nanton is the perfect person to partner with in a project of this nature because of his experience and his background in promoting hundreds of authors to best-seller status.

Nick is known as The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to the top Celebrity Experts for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. He is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored 8 best-selling books, including Celebrity Branding You!®. Nick has led the marketing and PR campaigns that have driven more than 100 authors to best-selling status.

If you’d like to find out more about this opportunity, listen to the free recording of the call. You will learn how you can:

Become a Best-Selling Author
Position Yourself Above Your Competition
Use Your Best-Seller Status in Your Marketing to Grow Your Business
Use a Book to Drive Traffic and Lead-Generation on Your Website
Repurpose Your Content to Get Business Even from People Who Don’t Buy or Read Your Book
And More

CLICK HERE to listen to the free recorded call now.

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