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Networking is absolutely vital to the growth of your business and when you are not a natural networker you have to get creative. I'm leading a Working Group in Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid Intensive and my team is coming up with great ideas! When the topic of the week was networking, which is one of the mandatory BYS strategies, the ideas flowed. Networking is easy when you step into service One participant shared that she did community service and it turned out that the people she worked with became outstanding referral partners. And all she had done was to show up and share their passion for serving their community. I know that when I serve as a team leader in a learning environment I make lasting friends who sometimes become clients and sometimes become referral partners. And I'm just there to help them succeed and am having a great time doing it. Take a new approach to your networking group When I was in a networking group it felt like we were just trying to sell to each other our stuff. But another of the participants in my team said she stood up and said, "How I can serve your clients is by…." What a difference that made. What a great space to come from. It makes the entire networking organization your referral partners rather than a so-so potential client. And referrals keep on growing as you keep on deepening your relationships. Develop your own comfort zone I had my hands analyzed once and was told that I am more comfortable in groups when I have a job to do. That sure made sense, so I now make it a point to volunteer to be a greeter or take some part in the structure of the event. That goes back to the idea of deepening relationships through community service. Add extra value When I give a teleclass I now offer a 20-minute coaching session to each of the participants. What happens during those sessions is that we get to know each other and it often leads to my being hired to coach them. That's not why I do it - I do it to add value to the course - but those individual session give me an opportunity to interact on a personal level that we both enjoy and benefit from. Simply stay in service. Think referral partner It's very easy for me to see someone I am drawn to and open a discussion that has the potential for making us referral partners. I ask them about their ideal client and get a clear understanding of what they offer so I can effectively refer people to them. And then I tell them about my work and my ideal client. And presto, we are referral partners. No, networking is not my thing, but helping others is. I make a great referral partner and love doing it. And that makes me a great networker whether I planned it that way or not! © 2009 Cara Lumen Feel free to reprint this article if you include the following: Cara Lumen, MA, Your Idea Optimizer helps you turn your ideas into steady profit. As a business developer, content developer and educator, Cara helps you make money from what you already know. You can learn more about how to put your wisdom to work through her radio show www.blogtalkradio.com/passioantelyonpurpose and her Passionately On Purpose emagazine at www.caralumen.com
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Cara Lumen |