Whether it's your first week with CarbonCopyPro or the day you make the decision to join us, your sponsor and leaders have made an enormous commitment to you. New tools, websites, lead systems and back office training are second to none. 20 conference calls weekly. The MMG and LST teams are visionaries. We are shaking the very foundation of commissions for serious entrepreneurs which will have a massive effect on creating millionaires.
The great mind of Paul Zane Pilzer fully predicts 10 million new millionaires in the next decade. Likely, enlightened by this news, word has spread spread fast. Over 500,000 internet searches on home business and networking happen before Noon daily. My last report showed WMI's growth since partnering with CCPro is somewhere North of 300%. So there is no shortage of leads or individuals searching.
A fact which explodes me to expand this critical post you're reading now.
Put your mind at Day One. After you're all set up, and ready for leads, I get the same flood of the exactly the same calls and emails - on the same topic. 'I just need leads, cheap and fast!' 97% of networkers struggle and give up for reasons we know to be self evident. The do not know their target. The difference between genius and insanity is results. Let's solve this once together right now permanently so you can't fail.
From now on, think and recruit like a CEO.
Ever notice that CEO's and major leaders always drag an entire team with them? Perhaps politics is a better example of group leadership movements but in terms of being profitable or doing 'real work' we'll stick to CEO's.
Here's the secret, the big picture, the "aha". Your primary target is other networking leaders. You are on a quest day and night to form bonds with CEO's and VP's with sphere of influence under them already. Shape every peptide in your body to see the "one offs" or single sales to individuals as secondary.
Headline: Add 20 new reps weekly. Lock in higher group residuals. Sponsor entire teams.
OR
Headline: Reach your $250k income dreams. Full turnkey home business system.
Which ad would be attract a leader or 'just a lead' for the same advertising dollar?
Sure, for starters you'll buy some leads and recruit Joe or Sue that wants money, time and freedom. Who doesn't want to be a millionaire? Millions seeking and few make it by not making a slight but critical shift. Your income is solely the result of your value to others - so why not buy in bulk and be valuable to other leaders? It takes the same effort to strike conversation with a giant leader from another group as it does just one person.
That's the only true path to making it happen in months or the slow path of burning up energy and money on hunting rabbits instead of elephants. CEO's hunt elephants, hire Alpha dogs, and strategize on casting one net for entire schools of fish.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Networking Opportunities - Make an Entrance and Leave with Recognition
You've probably been to a party or two this winter with no success in the networking field. Most of us have. It's not always easy to get into the popular circles and negate the crowds at parties for attention and recognition, but there are a few solid tips that you might want to have in your repertoire before you enter the realm of networking. Establishing connections is important for your business.
Face to Face Interaction Required
No matter how dynamic your digital influence may be, you're definitely leaving money on the table if you have no personal identity. How many people do you see in the average week? Winter season offers magnanimous opportunities to be seen and get recognition for your accomplishments, but you'll have to get out there and squeeze the field.
Know the Territory Intimately
Regardless of where you're going for the party, you should know the territory. Find out who will be there ahead of time and be prepared with a few details of recognition before you arrive. Knowing something about the primary players at a party will give you the edge. When you ask about Mayor Heath's husband who slipped on the ice three weeks ago, she'll remember your name and that you inquired.
Identify Common Factors
What do you have in common with other guests? As you enter, if you've not noticed before, you might notice the vehicles in the parking lot. Are there a lot of pickup trucks and you drive an F-350 Duelly? You might recognize some kindred spirits inside. Smile and wave at those you know, and speak to them with recognition. Use names if you know them. (Be sure not to call someone by the wrong name.)
Read the Local Society Sheets
Keep up with local action, know the popular folks about town, and remember just who's been on vacation lately. Those details will carry you through a night of too many white wines and sarsaparillas. But more than getting you through, they will bring you recognition and identity. Your friends will remember that you remembered them.
Introduce Yourself to Strangers
Any loners standing off to the side, take a moment and befriend them. Introduce yourself and take a moment to get to know them. Nobody wants to be alone and by taking a moment to introduce yourself, you'll be remembered by that one person. You never know when that one person may mean success to your business.
Small Talk and a Smile
When you smile, the light opens up and you accept friends. No matter what you're talking about, smile. Don't introduce big issues, just get to know your new friends and let them know you'll remember them. Say their name frequently and remember details by repeating them back to the person you're talking to. This is a great time to exchange cards.
Face to Face Interaction Required
No matter how dynamic your digital influence may be, you're definitely leaving money on the table if you have no personal identity. How many people do you see in the average week? Winter season offers magnanimous opportunities to be seen and get recognition for your accomplishments, but you'll have to get out there and squeeze the field.
Know the Territory Intimately
Regardless of where you're going for the party, you should know the territory. Find out who will be there ahead of time and be prepared with a few details of recognition before you arrive. Knowing something about the primary players at a party will give you the edge. When you ask about Mayor Heath's husband who slipped on the ice three weeks ago, she'll remember your name and that you inquired.
Identify Common Factors
What do you have in common with other guests? As you enter, if you've not noticed before, you might notice the vehicles in the parking lot. Are there a lot of pickup trucks and you drive an F-350 Duelly? You might recognize some kindred spirits inside. Smile and wave at those you know, and speak to them with recognition. Use names if you know them. (Be sure not to call someone by the wrong name.)
Read the Local Society Sheets
Keep up with local action, know the popular folks about town, and remember just who's been on vacation lately. Those details will carry you through a night of too many white wines and sarsaparillas. But more than getting you through, they will bring you recognition and identity. Your friends will remember that you remembered them.
Introduce Yourself to Strangers
Any loners standing off to the side, take a moment and befriend them. Introduce yourself and take a moment to get to know them. Nobody wants to be alone and by taking a moment to introduce yourself, you'll be remembered by that one person. You never know when that one person may mean success to your business.
Small Talk and a Smile
When you smile, the light opens up and you accept friends. No matter what you're talking about, smile. Don't introduce big issues, just get to know your new friends and let them know you'll remember them. Say their name frequently and remember details by repeating them back to the person you're talking to. This is a great time to exchange cards.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
6 Tips To Better Networking - Things Anyone Can Apply Today
The other morning I was networking with a kind woman who asked me what the most important things were in networking. As I wrote the email back to her later, I thought I'd make some suggestions on how to best network in general to the bulletin as well - who knows whom it may help?
(1) Remember to be yourself; speak with people like they are people and not sales subjects. You are simply meeting people, learning who they are, what they do, and then looking for ways in which you may be able to "broker synergy" - introducing them to someone who can help them, buy from them, or otherwise.
(2) It isn't about YOU. If you treat networking as a personal showcase, and talk only about you - you'll be mightily unpopular with your "network." If, on the other hand, you be sure to split time with those you meet - you can BOTH effect great results.
(3) Networking takes time and faith - no, I'm not talking religious faith - but more belief that it will work - and along with that patience and time. Rome wasn't built in a day - neither will be your network. Conservatively expect 12 months to see real results. You may be able to see something in 6-9 months if you try hard to meet and particularly to help people.
(4) Never stop networking - keeps eyes and ears open for how you can assist and help others at all times. While on vacation, floating down the river, I met someone I was able to refer a great place to stay to, in the next town they were headed to. You just never know....
(5) Never judge a book by it's cover - you never know (a) who people are and (b) who they may know. A quick anecdote - when I worked for AT&T a gentleman walked into our small business center and was dressed in overalls badly stained. The two women I worked with asked me to handle him as they figured he was a bad prospect by his appearance. Turned out he owned a huge local company with needs for over 200k in phone systems, and that he'd had to work in the one warehouse that day, to cover for a shift manager who was injured. In addition, Ronnie is still someone I network with almost 20 years later.
and
(6) Networking brings out a real chance to better yourself and increase your value to friends, family and others, as you help everyone get ahead and meet each other. It is also a chance to form superb friendships - with people you otherwise never ever would have met.
Cheers and happy networking!
(1) Remember to be yourself; speak with people like they are people and not sales subjects. You are simply meeting people, learning who they are, what they do, and then looking for ways in which you may be able to "broker synergy" - introducing them to someone who can help them, buy from them, or otherwise.
(2) It isn't about YOU. If you treat networking as a personal showcase, and talk only about you - you'll be mightily unpopular with your "network." If, on the other hand, you be sure to split time with those you meet - you can BOTH effect great results.
(3) Networking takes time and faith - no, I'm not talking religious faith - but more belief that it will work - and along with that patience and time. Rome wasn't built in a day - neither will be your network. Conservatively expect 12 months to see real results. You may be able to see something in 6-9 months if you try hard to meet and particularly to help people.
(4) Never stop networking - keeps eyes and ears open for how you can assist and help others at all times. While on vacation, floating down the river, I met someone I was able to refer a great place to stay to, in the next town they were headed to. You just never know....
(5) Never judge a book by it's cover - you never know (a) who people are and (b) who they may know. A quick anecdote - when I worked for AT&T a gentleman walked into our small business center and was dressed in overalls badly stained. The two women I worked with asked me to handle him as they figured he was a bad prospect by his appearance. Turned out he owned a huge local company with needs for over 200k in phone systems, and that he'd had to work in the one warehouse that day, to cover for a shift manager who was injured. In addition, Ronnie is still someone I network with almost 20 years later.
and
(6) Networking brings out a real chance to better yourself and increase your value to friends, family and others, as you help everyone get ahead and meet each other. It is also a chance to form superb friendships - with people you otherwise never ever would have met.
Cheers and happy networking!
5 Simple, Easy Ways to Stay In Touch With Clients, Contacts, and Prospects
You've simply got to stay in touch with your network. The old adage, "Out of sight, out of mind," is grounded in real truth.
With time being in such short supply and your network continually growing, how can you stay in touch efficiently and effectively?
Here are 5 tips for staying in touch and remaining top-of-mind with your entire network:
1. Send Out Cards (www.sendoutcards.com).
Create personalized hard-copy greeting cards through an on-line service that uses real stamps and are mailed through the U.S. Mail. They are inexpensive and look just as good as a real handwritten greeting card. You can even scan in your own handwritten signature, and it's almost as fast as writing an e-mail.
Tip: Since so many holiday cards go through the U.S. Mail in December, why not consider sending a more outstanding "Kick Start The New Year" card campaign in January?
2. Send out a personal newsletter once a month.
Give your clients and contacts tips and free information. This newsletter doesn't have to be lengthy - just meaningful and relevant to your network. Tell your contacts and clients where you will be speaking, what articles you've written, and new information for their business.
Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) has a very easy, inexpensive service, and pre-designed templates that allow you to use your firm's logo, etc.
3. Use Google Alerts.
Set up a Google Alert system so that you know when your clients and contacts are showing up on the web. Go to www.google.com/alerts and sign up for various alerts that pertain to your network. When you see them appear on the web, send them a quick e-mail acknowledging you've noticed the news. They will appreciate your awareness and remember your attentiveness.
4. The 6-month Outreach Program.
Run down your contact base every six months. Check in by phone or e-mail with folks you are curious about or who you want to let know you are thinking about them. Isn't it worth just one hour every six months to be top-of-mind with your key contacts? You never know what new projects and needs have cropped up for them.
5. I was thinking about you...
With time being in such short supply and your network continually growing, how can you stay in touch efficiently and effectively?
Here are 5 tips for staying in touch and remaining top-of-mind with your entire network:
1. Send Out Cards (www.sendoutcards.com).
Create personalized hard-copy greeting cards through an on-line service that uses real stamps and are mailed through the U.S. Mail. They are inexpensive and look just as good as a real handwritten greeting card. You can even scan in your own handwritten signature, and it's almost as fast as writing an e-mail.
Tip: Since so many holiday cards go through the U.S. Mail in December, why not consider sending a more outstanding "Kick Start The New Year" card campaign in January?
2. Send out a personal newsletter once a month.
Give your clients and contacts tips and free information. This newsletter doesn't have to be lengthy - just meaningful and relevant to your network. Tell your contacts and clients where you will be speaking, what articles you've written, and new information for their business.
Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) has a very easy, inexpensive service, and pre-designed templates that allow you to use your firm's logo, etc.
3. Use Google Alerts.
Set up a Google Alert system so that you know when your clients and contacts are showing up on the web. Go to www.google.com/alerts and sign up for various alerts that pertain to your network. When you see them appear on the web, send them a quick e-mail acknowledging you've noticed the news. They will appreciate your awareness and remember your attentiveness.
4. The 6-month Outreach Program.
Run down your contact base every six months. Check in by phone or e-mail with folks you are curious about or who you want to let know you are thinking about them. Isn't it worth just one hour every six months to be top-of-mind with your key contacts? You never know what new projects and needs have cropped up for them.
5. I was thinking about you...
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
You have no doubt heard the expression: "It's not what you know, it's who you know."
The Little Girl Who Wanted To Fly
Here is just ONE of the many inspiring uplifting MLM stories from the new book Chicken Soup For The Network Marketer's Soul
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wanted to fly. She would lie on her back on the soft green grass, and stare wide-eyed at the immense blue sky. "Look," she would ponder to herself, twirling a blade of grass in her teeth, "Those geese are flying high. And the clouds are floating by."
A rare plane would sometimes pass by in the sky high above her sight, leaving the white tracer of its tail across the sky of her mind.
One day, when I grow up, she mused to herself, I too, will fly.
Carefully, she tucked her dream inside her heart. Young as she was, she already learned that if she shared her dream, others would shatter it with ridicule and put downs, scorn and sarcasm. So she smiled to herself, bided her time, and kept her secret dream in silence.
Years went by. The little girl grew and became a beautiful young woman.
Every so often, the little girl/beautiful young woman would take her secret dream out of the secret place inside her heart, spread it out, and remember her innermost secret desires: YES! Someday, she would fly!
In school, she learned to only put down on paper what the teachers liked so she could get those big bright A's on her report card. And get approval from all the adults around her. She never mentioned her dreams to anyone again. As her new adult life became busy, even she forgot about them.
After graduation, she got a J-O-B.
That's when she learned a very cruel lesson. She could work fifty-one weeks of the year, commuting two hours a day on a hot crowded subway, to get one week off a year to lie on her back, stare at the sky, and remember her dream of how much she wanted to fly. But now, she was so tired from working fifty-one weeks of the year, commuting two hours a day, and enduring the suffocating hot ride on the packed subway train every day. At work she put up with the on-going insulting remarks of her fellow workers who spent hours every day telling each other sad and depressing stories of their lives while making wounding, sarcastic jokes at others' expense. They went on and on about how much they hated their jobs. Complaining, whining, belittling. How they all wished they could do something else.
Somehow, the little girl realized these people would never leave the prisons of their own minds. They seemed to enjoy, in some perverse way, complaining.
Our little girl, who was now a beautiful young woman on the outside, but still a girl in her heart, buried her treasured dreams deeper inside herself. In fact, she was so busy and so tired, that even she forgot all about them.
One day a friend invited her to an "Opportunity Meeting." To her surprise, everyone at the Opportunity Meeting was talking about wanting to fly!
Live the life of your dreams. What you believe, you can achieve.
The sky's the limit.
Fly HIGH.
Create the life of your dreams.
Oh my! The little girl/beautiful young woman wondered if she was dreaming . . . or hallucinating. All of these people were talking about their dreams! And some of the people were actually living their dreams.
The little girl/young wide-awake woman was spellbound as she listened to story after story unfold of people growing into the realization that they could actualize their dreams! They could make their deepest desires a physical reality. People were making their dreams their real living realities!
The little girl began pinching herself to see if she was real.
As she left the Opportunity Meeting, clutching her new dream-building kit, she was beyond excited, thrilled, and on-fire! She couldn't wait to get home and start studying all about it and listened late into the night to the CDs about people who were flying-people who were living their dreams; people who only worked ten hours or twenty hours a week-from beaches, from sailing ships, from home offices, from verandas! People who did not commute two hours a day on hot, crowded, stifling subway trains.
People who were their own bosses; people who made their own decisions on where to work, when to work, and how to work; people who had their own businesses; people who worked from home, or from wherever they wanted to work.
"WOW! WOW! WOW," was all the little girl/young woman could say. The next day she flew home from work. She was even more on fire and called up her friend who had taken her to the Opportunity Meeting.
"How do I get started? What do I do? Please tell me how to do this. I want to fly!"
Being an exceptionally smart young woman, she listened carefully and then followed all the advice and suggestions of the people who were already flying.
Learning to fly, of course, has its ups and downs. Nevertheless, the young woman kept up with her flying lessons. Every day, she practiced more. She studied. She mentored. She trained. In the beginning she went out with her flying instructors. Until the big day came-she went out solo! She got her wings. WOW!
Today, she has her own flying school and teaches people all around the world how to fly in the jet of their own dreams. She teaches people how to use the vehicle of Network Marketing to create a life that others only dream of: a lifestyle of play, fun and ease; a lifestyle with more money than bills; a lifestyle that helps other people create more money than bills; a lifestyle that empowers people to live their dreams; a lifestyle that includes lots of flying-flying to all kinds of fun events, flying to conventions, flying on dream vacations that she keeps winning from her Network Marketing company, flying to the bank to deposit her paychecks.
Most importantly, she flies to the heights of her own innate God-given talents, dreams and achievements. She is living her life to its fullest potential, growing and stretching her wings everyday, learning to fly better and faster, further and wider.
All of her new friends and fellow Networkers are the most incredibly positive people. People who want to grow and evolve. People who aspire to be the very best they can be. People who study and apply self-improvement and pure communication and who see the best in other people, speak of the best in other people, and mastermind to help each person fulfill their own great destiny. No more whiners and complainers. She's living a life that others have long forgotten how to dream of.
Her greatest thrill is to meet people who forgot their dreams, and to remind them of their own special dreams, to wake them up to their dreams. And to show them how to fly to whatever heights they want to go.
Here is just ONE of the many inspiring uplifting MLM stories from the new book Chicken Soup For The Network Marketer's Soul
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wanted to fly. She would lie on her back on the soft green grass, and stare wide-eyed at the immense blue sky. "Look," she would ponder to herself, twirling a blade of grass in her teeth, "Those geese are flying high. And the clouds are floating by."
A rare plane would sometimes pass by in the sky high above her sight, leaving the white tracer of its tail across the sky of her mind.
One day, when I grow up, she mused to herself, I too, will fly.
Carefully, she tucked her dream inside her heart. Young as she was, she already learned that if she shared her dream, others would shatter it with ridicule and put downs, scorn and sarcasm. So she smiled to herself, bided her time, and kept her secret dream in silence.
Years went by. The little girl grew and became a beautiful young woman.
Every so often, the little girl/beautiful young woman would take her secret dream out of the secret place inside her heart, spread it out, and remember her innermost secret desires: YES! Someday, she would fly!
In school, she learned to only put down on paper what the teachers liked so she could get those big bright A's on her report card. And get approval from all the adults around her. She never mentioned her dreams to anyone again. As her new adult life became busy, even she forgot about them.
After graduation, she got a J-O-B.
That's when she learned a very cruel lesson. She could work fifty-one weeks of the year, commuting two hours a day on a hot crowded subway, to get one week off a year to lie on her back, stare at the sky, and remember her dream of how much she wanted to fly. But now, she was so tired from working fifty-one weeks of the year, commuting two hours a day, and enduring the suffocating hot ride on the packed subway train every day. At work she put up with the on-going insulting remarks of her fellow workers who spent hours every day telling each other sad and depressing stories of their lives while making wounding, sarcastic jokes at others' expense. They went on and on about how much they hated their jobs. Complaining, whining, belittling. How they all wished they could do something else.
Somehow, the little girl realized these people would never leave the prisons of their own minds. They seemed to enjoy, in some perverse way, complaining.
Our little girl, who was now a beautiful young woman on the outside, but still a girl in her heart, buried her treasured dreams deeper inside herself. In fact, she was so busy and so tired, that even she forgot all about them.
One day a friend invited her to an "Opportunity Meeting." To her surprise, everyone at the Opportunity Meeting was talking about wanting to fly!
Live the life of your dreams. What you believe, you can achieve.
The sky's the limit.
Fly HIGH.
Create the life of your dreams.
Oh my! The little girl/beautiful young woman wondered if she was dreaming . . . or hallucinating. All of these people were talking about their dreams! And some of the people were actually living their dreams.
The little girl/young wide-awake woman was spellbound as she listened to story after story unfold of people growing into the realization that they could actualize their dreams! They could make their deepest desires a physical reality. People were making their dreams their real living realities!
The little girl began pinching herself to see if she was real.
As she left the Opportunity Meeting, clutching her new dream-building kit, she was beyond excited, thrilled, and on-fire! She couldn't wait to get home and start studying all about it and listened late into the night to the CDs about people who were flying-people who were living their dreams; people who only worked ten hours or twenty hours a week-from beaches, from sailing ships, from home offices, from verandas! People who did not commute two hours a day on hot, crowded, stifling subway trains.
People who were their own bosses; people who made their own decisions on where to work, when to work, and how to work; people who had their own businesses; people who worked from home, or from wherever they wanted to work.
"WOW! WOW! WOW," was all the little girl/young woman could say. The next day she flew home from work. She was even more on fire and called up her friend who had taken her to the Opportunity Meeting.
"How do I get started? What do I do? Please tell me how to do this. I want to fly!"
Being an exceptionally smart young woman, she listened carefully and then followed all the advice and suggestions of the people who were already flying.
Learning to fly, of course, has its ups and downs. Nevertheless, the young woman kept up with her flying lessons. Every day, she practiced more. She studied. She mentored. She trained. In the beginning she went out with her flying instructors. Until the big day came-she went out solo! She got her wings. WOW!
Today, she has her own flying school and teaches people all around the world how to fly in the jet of their own dreams. She teaches people how to use the vehicle of Network Marketing to create a life that others only dream of: a lifestyle of play, fun and ease; a lifestyle with more money than bills; a lifestyle that helps other people create more money than bills; a lifestyle that empowers people to live their dreams; a lifestyle that includes lots of flying-flying to all kinds of fun events, flying to conventions, flying on dream vacations that she keeps winning from her Network Marketing company, flying to the bank to deposit her paychecks.
Most importantly, she flies to the heights of her own innate God-given talents, dreams and achievements. She is living her life to its fullest potential, growing and stretching her wings everyday, learning to fly better and faster, further and wider.
All of her new friends and fellow Networkers are the most incredibly positive people. People who want to grow and evolve. People who aspire to be the very best they can be. People who study and apply self-improvement and pure communication and who see the best in other people, speak of the best in other people, and mastermind to help each person fulfill their own great destiny. No more whiners and complainers. She's living a life that others have long forgotten how to dream of.
Her greatest thrill is to meet people who forgot their dreams, and to remind them of their own special dreams, to wake them up to their dreams. And to show them how to fly to whatever heights they want to go.
How To Network Your Way To Success In Any Industry
You have no doubt heard the expression: "It's not what you know, it's who you know."
Your ability to quickly and effectively transform yourself from a perfect stranger into the perfect ally in a matter of minutes will give you a tremendous advantage over your reserved peers and competitors. It is through successful networking that you gain access to the people and resources you need to achieve your goals. But what exactly does networking mean? Webster offers the following definition:
"A process by where people who have common interests and concerns come together to exchange ideas and information, for the purpose of professional development and accomplishment."
If you have a product, service, talent, or company to market and you are fully prepared to do business with others, the following steps will help you network your way to success.
1.) Upgrade Your Appearance: Humans are visually oriented creatures. We develop impressions, form judgments, and make assumptions (right or wrong) based upon what we see. Take time to pay attention to the details of your appearance and look the part that you want to play (e.g. consultant, accountant, marketer, lawyer, etc.). This does not mean that you need to be decked out in designer clothes. It means you need to understand the importance of putting together a visual presentation that says you care about how you are perceived.
2.) Be Objective Oriented: Before you set out to network ask yourself, "What do I have to offer of value to others?" It's in helping others fulfill their objectives that your services, products, and talents are utilized. Your mission is to make sure that the information you share with others is applicable to the fulfillment of those objectives. Keep this in mind as you navigate your way through conversations.
3.) Be Tactful: In this reality tv-driven era that we live in where everything is bold and crass, those tactics don't work in networking situations. People are more likely to be offended by brash, over-the-top personalities. Don't let your personality quirks blind people to the benefits of doing business with you.
4.) Have A Mental Script: Practice your introductions and be able to clearly and concisely explain who you are, what you do. It's also crucial that you supply supporting facts and details to give people a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of what you have to offer as an ally. And be consistent with the professional information that you publicly divulge. People often share notes with each other about who they meet. When those notes are compared, you want to make sure that an accurate and authentic picture of you is painted.
5.) Provide Business Reasons: Why should anyone care about what you have to say? They don't - until you make your conversation beneficial to them and provide the business reasons to take interest in what you are saying. The real interest people have is not in you, but what you can offer or do for them. Cater to it at every turn.
6.) Qualify Your Contacts: This is done by done by asking questions. Asking questions allow you to get clarification or amplification of details which will confirm or diminish interest, and reflect your comprehension of what your contact is saying.
7.) Listen More Than You Talk: This rule applies no matter who you are networking with. Through active listening we can evaluate what our potential business ally has to offer and identify their needs and concerns. Talking too much reduces your chances of getting this vital information and makes you come off as self-centered. It's also annoying. You will discover that asking questions will help you to balance your conversations in both directions.
8.) Issue A Call To Action: After you have qualified your contact as a potential business ally, you should issue a call to action. This can be an invitation to meet with you at a future date to incorporate yourself into the equation for their (greater) success, to offer services that provide solutions to challenges/problems, negotiate the sharing of resources, or discuss business ideas, plans, or opportunities. This is usually done over lunch or dinner, but you can think outside of the box and invite people to activities and events that afford you the opportunity for one-on-one dialogue with minimal distraction. This is why golf has become the networking activity of corporate America. Rule of thumb: if you issue the invite, you pay the tab.
9.) Follow-Up & Follow-Through: Once you obtain your new contacts, it's imperative that you follow-up with them. Send an email to say hello, or to arrange for the aforementioned lunch or dinner date. It's important to note that it's during this critical stage which most people stop their networking efforts when in fact, the greatest effort and energy utilized in the networking process should be used to convert your contacts into profitable relationships. By profitable I mean relationships that yield beneficial dividends - financially or otherwise.
10.) Deliver The Goods: We network as a means to an end. Often that end is the delivery of a product or a service, but it's also being able to deliver on potential or a promise. Ultimately, when we network, we are seeking those opportunities. At the end of the day, that's what networking your way to success is all about.
Your ability to quickly and effectively transform yourself from a perfect stranger into the perfect ally in a matter of minutes will give you a tremendous advantage over your reserved peers and competitors. It is through successful networking that you gain access to the people and resources you need to achieve your goals. But what exactly does networking mean? Webster offers the following definition:
"A process by where people who have common interests and concerns come together to exchange ideas and information, for the purpose of professional development and accomplishment."
If you have a product, service, talent, or company to market and you are fully prepared to do business with others, the following steps will help you network your way to success.
1.) Upgrade Your Appearance: Humans are visually oriented creatures. We develop impressions, form judgments, and make assumptions (right or wrong) based upon what we see. Take time to pay attention to the details of your appearance and look the part that you want to play (e.g. consultant, accountant, marketer, lawyer, etc.). This does not mean that you need to be decked out in designer clothes. It means you need to understand the importance of putting together a visual presentation that says you care about how you are perceived.
2.) Be Objective Oriented: Before you set out to network ask yourself, "What do I have to offer of value to others?" It's in helping others fulfill their objectives that your services, products, and talents are utilized. Your mission is to make sure that the information you share with others is applicable to the fulfillment of those objectives. Keep this in mind as you navigate your way through conversations.
3.) Be Tactful: In this reality tv-driven era that we live in where everything is bold and crass, those tactics don't work in networking situations. People are more likely to be offended by brash, over-the-top personalities. Don't let your personality quirks blind people to the benefits of doing business with you.
4.) Have A Mental Script: Practice your introductions and be able to clearly and concisely explain who you are, what you do. It's also crucial that you supply supporting facts and details to give people a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of what you have to offer as an ally. And be consistent with the professional information that you publicly divulge. People often share notes with each other about who they meet. When those notes are compared, you want to make sure that an accurate and authentic picture of you is painted.
5.) Provide Business Reasons: Why should anyone care about what you have to say? They don't - until you make your conversation beneficial to them and provide the business reasons to take interest in what you are saying. The real interest people have is not in you, but what you can offer or do for them. Cater to it at every turn.
6.) Qualify Your Contacts: This is done by done by asking questions. Asking questions allow you to get clarification or amplification of details which will confirm or diminish interest, and reflect your comprehension of what your contact is saying.
7.) Listen More Than You Talk: This rule applies no matter who you are networking with. Through active listening we can evaluate what our potential business ally has to offer and identify their needs and concerns. Talking too much reduces your chances of getting this vital information and makes you come off as self-centered. It's also annoying. You will discover that asking questions will help you to balance your conversations in both directions.
8.) Issue A Call To Action: After you have qualified your contact as a potential business ally, you should issue a call to action. This can be an invitation to meet with you at a future date to incorporate yourself into the equation for their (greater) success, to offer services that provide solutions to challenges/problems, negotiate the sharing of resources, or discuss business ideas, plans, or opportunities. This is usually done over lunch or dinner, but you can think outside of the box and invite people to activities and events that afford you the opportunity for one-on-one dialogue with minimal distraction. This is why golf has become the networking activity of corporate America. Rule of thumb: if you issue the invite, you pay the tab.
9.) Follow-Up & Follow-Through: Once you obtain your new contacts, it's imperative that you follow-up with them. Send an email to say hello, or to arrange for the aforementioned lunch or dinner date. It's important to note that it's during this critical stage which most people stop their networking efforts when in fact, the greatest effort and energy utilized in the networking process should be used to convert your contacts into profitable relationships. By profitable I mean relationships that yield beneficial dividends - financially or otherwise.
10.) Deliver The Goods: We network as a means to an end. Often that end is the delivery of a product or a service, but it's also being able to deliver on potential or a promise. Ultimately, when we network, we are seeking those opportunities. At the end of the day, that's what networking your way to success is all about.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Power of Word of Mouth Referrals
Perhaps no other type of marketing is more powerful than word of mouth. When your clients tell other potential clients about you, more information is passed than simply who you are. In fact, they are likely to tell of your dedication, your effectiveness and overall how beneficial their experience with you is.
This provides the potential client with a simple, straightforward and very promising impression of you.
Word of mouth can also be one of the most difficult types of marketing as well. With the wrong information, a past client can do harm to your business. Or, if you do not give 100 percent the best results to that person, word of mouth can be rather troublesome. For this reason, work to make sure that every client that leaves you is satisfied with the service and knows that you will handle any possible problem that arises. Then, even in a negative situation, chances are good that they will remember you as fair and honest, which translates into more positive word of mouth advertising for you.
Initiating Word Of Mouth Yourself
While the best type of word of mouth marketing is when it is done by your current clients, without any type of incentive to do so, this doesn't always happen in a world full of possibilities. Therefore, sometimes it is important to help to encourage it.
For example, many professionals offer their clients a discount or another incentive to tell their friends about them. If their friend comes in to do business with you, they end up getting some benefit whether it's something trivial or even a monetary incentive. The end result then, is that they are much more likely to talk about you and your business.
What type of incentive you offer is up to you, your budget and what would work in your line of business. But, it doesn't have to make you feel like you are giving away the bank. The goal is to encourage them to talk about their experience with you, which in turn will deliver rewards on your end and the new clients they refer. In these cases, you are actually encouraging and promoting word of mouth yourself.
This provides the potential client with a simple, straightforward and very promising impression of you.
Word of mouth can also be one of the most difficult types of marketing as well. With the wrong information, a past client can do harm to your business. Or, if you do not give 100 percent the best results to that person, word of mouth can be rather troublesome. For this reason, work to make sure that every client that leaves you is satisfied with the service and knows that you will handle any possible problem that arises. Then, even in a negative situation, chances are good that they will remember you as fair and honest, which translates into more positive word of mouth advertising for you.
Initiating Word Of Mouth Yourself
While the best type of word of mouth marketing is when it is done by your current clients, without any type of incentive to do so, this doesn't always happen in a world full of possibilities. Therefore, sometimes it is important to help to encourage it.
For example, many professionals offer their clients a discount or another incentive to tell their friends about them. If their friend comes in to do business with you, they end up getting some benefit whether it's something trivial or even a monetary incentive. The end result then, is that they are much more likely to talk about you and your business.
What type of incentive you offer is up to you, your budget and what would work in your line of business. But, it doesn't have to make you feel like you are giving away the bank. The goal is to encourage them to talk about their experience with you, which in turn will deliver rewards on your end and the new clients they refer. In these cases, you are actually encouraging and promoting word of mouth yourself.
Business Women - Is Business Networking With Other Women in Business One of Your Issues?
Business today as much as yesteryear is about relationships. With women business owners and women executives expanding their influence within the marketplace, meeting fellow women business owners just makes good business sense. Yet, where does one find them and more importantly know if it is a good fit?
Each community has a plethora of groups where the primary membership is women. There are national organizations such as: National Alliance of Business Owners, Business and Professional Women (BPW), E-Women Network; Women in Construction; just to name a few with local chapters.
Chambers or service organizations may have small business committees where women in business can meet other women in business. Couple these organizations with business after hours and other related business events such as seminars to workshops provide a rich environment for women in business wanting to connect with other women in business.
With plenty of opportunities, meeting other fellow female business owners won't happen if your marketing skills (networking) along with your self leadership skills are lacking. Many women in business due to their hectic schedules and demands may not be open to other women who they perceive lack professionalism.
If you are business networking, make sure that you always look and at as the very best professional person that you can be. Taking such actions may require attending some professional development such as improving your speaking through Toastmasters or working with an Executive Coach.
After meeting fellow female business colleagues, take some additional time to meet them over coffee and see where your energy connects. You may discover an unknown strategic partner who was looking for someone to help out with a prospective contract or sale.
Finally, when networking remember to bring value to the other person. Ask if there is anything that you can do to help this other woman in business? By focusing on the other woman truly demonstrates your values and genuine concern for helping other women business owners and executives.
Each community has a plethora of groups where the primary membership is women. There are national organizations such as: National Alliance of Business Owners, Business and Professional Women (BPW), E-Women Network; Women in Construction; just to name a few with local chapters.
Chambers or service organizations may have small business committees where women in business can meet other women in business. Couple these organizations with business after hours and other related business events such as seminars to workshops provide a rich environment for women in business wanting to connect with other women in business.
With plenty of opportunities, meeting other fellow female business owners won't happen if your marketing skills (networking) along with your self leadership skills are lacking. Many women in business due to their hectic schedules and demands may not be open to other women who they perceive lack professionalism.
If you are business networking, make sure that you always look and at as the very best professional person that you can be. Taking such actions may require attending some professional development such as improving your speaking through Toastmasters or working with an Executive Coach.
After meeting fellow female business colleagues, take some additional time to meet them over coffee and see where your energy connects. You may discover an unknown strategic partner who was looking for someone to help out with a prospective contract or sale.
Finally, when networking remember to bring value to the other person. Ask if there is anything that you can do to help this other woman in business? By focusing on the other woman truly demonstrates your values and genuine concern for helping other women business owners and executives.
Monday, November 26, 2007
How to Secure Your Network?
Network security is a method of preventing your computer network from the unauthorized user access, email spoofing, Trojan horses, denial of service, hacking, viruses, spyware and intruders etc. There are different securities mechanisms are being employed to protect the network. If a hacker gets control of your computer or network, he can send viruses or steal your company’s confidential data. Similarly if any computer in your network is infected with the viruses or spyware, all other computers will also be infected if no proper security system has been implemented. Securing a network is most important job description of the network administrators, security specialists, network engineers and IT managers. You can secure your computer network by the following security methods.
Network Security Tips
Use Virus Protection Software
Don’t open unknown email attachments
Use regular backup of your critical data
Make boot disk
Use Firewall program
Authenticate users
Implement Security Policy in your network
Keep an inventory of your software and hardware and make a list of all the devices.
SCAN TCP/UDP services
Don’t provide more rights to the system resources than necessary.
Perform the network security testing and find the holes and fix them.
Place your server at very safe place.
Prepare an Assistant Network Administrator and train him/her about all the security related matters so that he/she can control the network in your absence.
Monitor the user’s activities on the internet and block all the unwanted websites, web applications which have security risks.
If you have wireless network then the following methods are very helpful in securing your wireless network.
Wireless Network Security
SSID (Service Set Identifier) –
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol)
MAC Addressing (Media Access Control)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
Network Security Tips
Use Virus Protection Software
Don’t open unknown email attachments
Use regular backup of your critical data
Make boot disk
Use Firewall program
Authenticate users
Implement Security Policy in your network
Keep an inventory of your software and hardware and make a list of all the devices.
SCAN TCP/UDP services
Don’t provide more rights to the system resources than necessary.
Perform the network security testing and find the holes and fix them.
Place your server at very safe place.
Prepare an Assistant Network Administrator and train him/her about all the security related matters so that he/she can control the network in your absence.
Monitor the user’s activities on the internet and block all the unwanted websites, web applications which have security risks.
If you have wireless network then the following methods are very helpful in securing your wireless network.
Wireless Network Security
SSID (Service Set Identifier) –
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol)
MAC Addressing (Media Access Control)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
Current Internet Network Security Policies Are Nonsense!
Internet network security policies are flawed in strategy and implementation.
Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.
Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.
The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.
New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.
Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.
Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.
The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.
New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Developing Referral Relationships
Once you've received a referral, gathered information, and ranked the lead, it's time to pick up the phone. The following advice and scripts will help you at each step of the lead-conversion process.
Making first-time contact
The first call is the hardest one. Until you make first contact you really don't know the quality of the lead. It could turn out to be a huge business opportunity - or nothing at all. You have to hope for the best. The referral lead could result in years of business and an important new referral alliance, or it could go into the trash 60 seconds after you make the call. As you initiate contact with a new referral, heed the upcoming advice. Know the two objectives of your first call or visit.
The primary objective of your first contact, like the objective of any other first sales call to a new prospect, is to book an appointment. The first appointment might take the form of an exploratory session aimed at determining the wants, needs, and desires of the lead, or it might be an appointment to conduct a buyer consultation or listing presentation.
The secondary objective of your first contact is to open the door, establish trust and respect, demonstrate your knowledge, and establish your position as a reliable resource.
In your first contact, you're not trying to make a sale; you're just trying to achieve a face-to-face meeting.
Use the name of your referral source to open doors
The best way to get beyond your prospect's defenses is to share the name of your referral source. By presenting the name of your mutual associate, you establish immediate rapport and credibility. In your opening statement, include a reference to your referral source using a script such as this:
"Hello, Mr. Smith, this is Dirk Zeller with Real Estate Champions. The reason for my call is that your name came up in a conversation yesterday with Bob Jones with the Acme Delivery Company."
Then continue by using a linking statement such as:
"He said you're neighbors," or "He said you used to work together,"
Or
"He said your sons play soccer on the same team."
"Well, Bob Jones is a very valuable client. Bob knows I primarily work with referrals; he suggested I give you a call. He thought it would be worth a few minutes of our mutual time to see if we should meet."
You could also use a variation like:
"Bob was pleased with the service I provided to him and his family. He thought you'd like to evaluate how I might be able to assist you in the future."
Converting referrals into clients or referral sources
Once you've established a solid opening connection, it's time to ask probing questions that help you determine the wants, needs, desires, and expectations of the lead. Depending on your findings, the lead might result in a qualified prospect that you convert into a client, or you might determine that while the lead isn't ready to buy or sell, or to commit to an exclusive agent relationship, the person is a valuable resource to be added to your referral database.
Personal visits and calls
Leads generated through referrals come with a higher client-conversion probability than leads received from ad calls, sign calls, or any other cold sources. Due to that fact, consider investing some additional time as you launch the relationship. Instead of, or in addition to a personal call, consider stopping by to personally meet your new leads in their home. Once they attach a face and voice to your name they'll find it more difficult to reject you or select someone else to represent their interests.
If a personal visit isn't possible, aim to enhance the sense of personal connection through an increased number and frequency of calls. It takes, on average, four to six calls for you to leave a lasting impression.
Written notes, e-mail messages and mailers
Between calls and personal visits, build a bridge with personal notes and e-mail messages. Written communications will never replace the personal touch of phone calls or face-to-face visits, but in between live contact they do a great job of keeping the connection alive.
Send market updates, testimonials, letters from other satisfied clients, information on your current listed properties, and news about key awards or recognition you've received.
Beyond that, treat leads as if they're already clients by adding them to your newsletter list and to insider mailings that share news from your office.
Making first-time contact
The first call is the hardest one. Until you make first contact you really don't know the quality of the lead. It could turn out to be a huge business opportunity - or nothing at all. You have to hope for the best. The referral lead could result in years of business and an important new referral alliance, or it could go into the trash 60 seconds after you make the call. As you initiate contact with a new referral, heed the upcoming advice. Know the two objectives of your first call or visit.
The primary objective of your first contact, like the objective of any other first sales call to a new prospect, is to book an appointment. The first appointment might take the form of an exploratory session aimed at determining the wants, needs, and desires of the lead, or it might be an appointment to conduct a buyer consultation or listing presentation.
The secondary objective of your first contact is to open the door, establish trust and respect, demonstrate your knowledge, and establish your position as a reliable resource.
In your first contact, you're not trying to make a sale; you're just trying to achieve a face-to-face meeting.
Use the name of your referral source to open doors
The best way to get beyond your prospect's defenses is to share the name of your referral source. By presenting the name of your mutual associate, you establish immediate rapport and credibility. In your opening statement, include a reference to your referral source using a script such as this:
"Hello, Mr. Smith, this is Dirk Zeller with Real Estate Champions. The reason for my call is that your name came up in a conversation yesterday with Bob Jones with the Acme Delivery Company."
Then continue by using a linking statement such as:
"He said you're neighbors," or "He said you used to work together,"
Or
"He said your sons play soccer on the same team."
"Well, Bob Jones is a very valuable client. Bob knows I primarily work with referrals; he suggested I give you a call. He thought it would be worth a few minutes of our mutual time to see if we should meet."
You could also use a variation like:
"Bob was pleased with the service I provided to him and his family. He thought you'd like to evaluate how I might be able to assist you in the future."
Converting referrals into clients or referral sources
Once you've established a solid opening connection, it's time to ask probing questions that help you determine the wants, needs, desires, and expectations of the lead. Depending on your findings, the lead might result in a qualified prospect that you convert into a client, or you might determine that while the lead isn't ready to buy or sell, or to commit to an exclusive agent relationship, the person is a valuable resource to be added to your referral database.
Personal visits and calls
Leads generated through referrals come with a higher client-conversion probability than leads received from ad calls, sign calls, or any other cold sources. Due to that fact, consider investing some additional time as you launch the relationship. Instead of, or in addition to a personal call, consider stopping by to personally meet your new leads in their home. Once they attach a face and voice to your name they'll find it more difficult to reject you or select someone else to represent their interests.
If a personal visit isn't possible, aim to enhance the sense of personal connection through an increased number and frequency of calls. It takes, on average, four to six calls for you to leave a lasting impression.
Written notes, e-mail messages and mailers
Between calls and personal visits, build a bridge with personal notes and e-mail messages. Written communications will never replace the personal touch of phone calls or face-to-face visits, but in between live contact they do a great job of keeping the connection alive.
Send market updates, testimonials, letters from other satisfied clients, information on your current listed properties, and news about key awards or recognition you've received.
Beyond that, treat leads as if they're already clients by adding them to your newsletter list and to insider mailings that share news from your office.
Beware of The Itis
Strange subject line don't you think?
If you do not know what the Itis is and how it can be devastating to your network marketing career then listen closely.
Let me start with a little background . . .
A few days back I was watching a TV show with my family. They were watching a show called Boondocks.
The show itself is an outgrowth of a comic strip. It's actually an adult oriented cartoon based around an African American family which highlights and pokes fun at the racial tensions here in America. Well, this particular episode was about how one of the main characters was given the opportunity to open his own soul food restaurant, called "The Itis", and what happened there after.
If you don't know what the "Itis" is, it is actually pretty funny, in fact I am laughing about the whole concept right now as I write this, it is that tired feeling you get after you eat a huge and unhealthy meal. If you've ever eaten lunch and wanted to take a nap 15 minutes after you finished eating you've fallen victim to the Itis. It stops you in your tracks and puts you to sleep. Well, in this show, that is exactly what food from this soul food restaurant did to anyone who ate it.
It stopped them in their tracks and put them straight to sleep. People were falling asleep at the table and I think one woman went into a comma. It was pretty funny to see this concept taken to that extreme, and naturally the show conluded with the restaurant being closed.
Well what does all this have to do with network marketing and your business?
Simple . . .
I see people fall victim to the Itis everyday in their network marketing efforts. Not the type of Itis I've described above, but a much more sinister and personally elusive form.
Here is how it happens . . .
They will join a new business and after 15 minutes of really hard work promoting it by sending out a few emails and not getting any response they will start to say "It is not working". Then they will buy information product after information product looking for the golden key to success and after skimming through the information and putting in a good two hour solid effort to see if IT works they say "It is not
working. Then they go off and buy an new golden ticket to freedom and income. They find a new business or they find a new info product that promises them the world and they always meet with the same results. They put their brain to sleep after gorging on a meal of
easy promises of riches and enter into a comma like state of waiting for success to find them for an undetermined amount of time. When they wake up and see that making money online or in their network marketing efforts actually takes effort they aren't having it.
They look for another meal filled with easy promises of riches to put them back into their comma like state where they can relax as they dream of the success that is just going to happen around them. When they find it they gorge. They never really think to look at themselves as they grow fat and lethargic from all this consuming. They never realize that the reason that they are not getting anywhere is because they aren't really moving, except to the next so called easiest meal.
If you do not know what the Itis is and how it can be devastating to your network marketing career then listen closely.
Let me start with a little background . . .
A few days back I was watching a TV show with my family. They were watching a show called Boondocks.
The show itself is an outgrowth of a comic strip. It's actually an adult oriented cartoon based around an African American family which highlights and pokes fun at the racial tensions here in America. Well, this particular episode was about how one of the main characters was given the opportunity to open his own soul food restaurant, called "The Itis", and what happened there after.
If you don't know what the "Itis" is, it is actually pretty funny, in fact I am laughing about the whole concept right now as I write this, it is that tired feeling you get after you eat a huge and unhealthy meal. If you've ever eaten lunch and wanted to take a nap 15 minutes after you finished eating you've fallen victim to the Itis. It stops you in your tracks and puts you to sleep. Well, in this show, that is exactly what food from this soul food restaurant did to anyone who ate it.
It stopped them in their tracks and put them straight to sleep. People were falling asleep at the table and I think one woman went into a comma. It was pretty funny to see this concept taken to that extreme, and naturally the show conluded with the restaurant being closed.
Well what does all this have to do with network marketing and your business?
Simple . . .
I see people fall victim to the Itis everyday in their network marketing efforts. Not the type of Itis I've described above, but a much more sinister and personally elusive form.
Here is how it happens . . .
They will join a new business and after 15 minutes of really hard work promoting it by sending out a few emails and not getting any response they will start to say "It is not working". Then they will buy information product after information product looking for the golden key to success and after skimming through the information and putting in a good two hour solid effort to see if IT works they say "It is not
working. Then they go off and buy an new golden ticket to freedom and income. They find a new business or they find a new info product that promises them the world and they always meet with the same results. They put their brain to sleep after gorging on a meal of
easy promises of riches and enter into a comma like state of waiting for success to find them for an undetermined amount of time. When they wake up and see that making money online or in their network marketing efforts actually takes effort they aren't having it.
They look for another meal filled with easy promises of riches to put them back into their comma like state where they can relax as they dream of the success that is just going to happen around them. When they find it they gorge. They never really think to look at themselves as they grow fat and lethargic from all this consuming. They never realize that the reason that they are not getting anywhere is because they aren't really moving, except to the next so called easiest meal.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Networking for Jobs - Who Needs Networking?
Networking is one of the most important business and career development skills anyone can learn. Yet, even to a seasoned professional it can seem intimidating or positively scary some of the time.
I am sure that you will agree that the term "networking" is one of the most clichéd and misunderstood words in our vocabulary; the dictionary defines networking as "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions." Strangely it doesn't define the rationale of networking.
If we view networking as the process of developing and maintaining quality relationships that are mutually advantageous, it won't take long to realize that networking is an important business and career development process. The continual building of relationships that can last a lifetime is what makes networking an essential part of our own development. This is why we do need to learn networking skills and keep our contacts in touch with us regularly.
Because, when we lose touch with someone, then call on them when we are in need, we create a negative networking situation and your contact no longer want s to talk to you. The person at the receiving end perceives the call as "he can't be bothered to keep in touch, till he wants something"
So, positive networking needs to become a way of life. As the old saying goes "It's not what you know but who you know." This is truer than ever in today's competitive world.
However, networking is not something that comes easily to everyone. You may be essentially a shy person, possibly feel you don't have the wherewithal, or as most of us are today, just plain busy. More than likely, you may feel you simply don't have the time to network. This is just an excuse!
Whenever you meet someone new, you have the opportunity to network and learn new things thus enriching your own existence. The truth then is: we really don't have time NOT to network.
Networking can be done any place, any time. As you learn about the other person you are networking with and how you can help them, they learn about you and how they can help you. This reciprocal effect is a direct result of you becoming interesting because you are showing interest. Help others connect to the people you know can help them, keep your promises and stay in touch.
You will frequently have opportunities to meet new people whom you can add to your list of contacts. Once you have established a connection, identify the people who can help you, stay connected, and keep your network growing. Identify the organizations and activities where people you want to know gather, get involved and become known.
Networking does not have to be difficult; in fact it can be quite fun, but bear in mind that you will need to continually work at it. Then, before you know it, you will have a strong network behind you whenever you need to call upon it.
I am sure that you will agree that the term "networking" is one of the most clichéd and misunderstood words in our vocabulary; the dictionary defines networking as "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions." Strangely it doesn't define the rationale of networking.
If we view networking as the process of developing and maintaining quality relationships that are mutually advantageous, it won't take long to realize that networking is an important business and career development process. The continual building of relationships that can last a lifetime is what makes networking an essential part of our own development. This is why we do need to learn networking skills and keep our contacts in touch with us regularly.
Because, when we lose touch with someone, then call on them when we are in need, we create a negative networking situation and your contact no longer want s to talk to you. The person at the receiving end perceives the call as "he can't be bothered to keep in touch, till he wants something"
So, positive networking needs to become a way of life. As the old saying goes "It's not what you know but who you know." This is truer than ever in today's competitive world.
However, networking is not something that comes easily to everyone. You may be essentially a shy person, possibly feel you don't have the wherewithal, or as most of us are today, just plain busy. More than likely, you may feel you simply don't have the time to network. This is just an excuse!
Whenever you meet someone new, you have the opportunity to network and learn new things thus enriching your own existence. The truth then is: we really don't have time NOT to network.
Networking can be done any place, any time. As you learn about the other person you are networking with and how you can help them, they learn about you and how they can help you. This reciprocal effect is a direct result of you becoming interesting because you are showing interest. Help others connect to the people you know can help them, keep your promises and stay in touch.
You will frequently have opportunities to meet new people whom you can add to your list of contacts. Once you have established a connection, identify the people who can help you, stay connected, and keep your network growing. Identify the organizations and activities where people you want to know gather, get involved and become known.
Networking does not have to be difficult; in fact it can be quite fun, but bear in mind that you will need to continually work at it. Then, before you know it, you will have a strong network behind you whenever you need to call upon it.
Five Tips For Using MySpace
I remember the days when AOL was pretty much the only community in town. In fact, I remember when they billed you by usage time versus a flat monthly fee.
Today, there are many networking communities available. My favorite is MySpace. I have met more people and gained more business from MySpace than from any other networking community.
I'd like to share five tips on using MySpace:
If you are there to network, then make it easy for folks to network with you. Often I find folks who say I need their last name or email address to friend request them. Since they are currently a stranger, I don't have that information. Their profile tells me they want to meet others but their profile settings make that near impossible. Choose settings that allow others to communicate with you and friend request you.
Share information. Posting ads is not sharing information. I've actually deleted those who only advertise. I want to know YOU. I want to know who you are. Networking is about knowing one another and hopefully helping each other. If all you do is advertise, I am not going to send business your way. I do not want to send those I know to folks who only pitch products and services.
Join a few groups. MySpace has thousands and thousands of groups. Do a search and find a few groups that revolve around your interests. For example, I joined a scrapbooking group. I also joined a group talking about a t.v. show I enjoy. Finally, I joined a Starbucks group as I love Starbucks. Find groups that are YOU and join a few. You'll meet others that you already share something in common with.
Use the email and comment functions. Talk to others but more importantly when folks talk to you, answer them. I still communicate with folks I met the first day I began networking on MySpace. Just as I answer personal email in a timely manner, I also try to answer MySpace mail and comments in a timely manner.
Remember your words and photos will be seen by many. I sometimes shudder when I see someone who claims to want to gain business swearing up a storm and posting very non G rated photos. This is going to turn off potential business contacts. The bulletin feature is wonderful, but when the topic is a string of profanity I never even open it. When I was working on AOL, we had a rule of "if you wouldn't say it to your grandmother, don't say it here". I really believe this applies in a networking community also.
Today, there are many networking communities available. My favorite is MySpace. I have met more people and gained more business from MySpace than from any other networking community.
I'd like to share five tips on using MySpace:
If you are there to network, then make it easy for folks to network with you. Often I find folks who say I need their last name or email address to friend request them. Since they are currently a stranger, I don't have that information. Their profile tells me they want to meet others but their profile settings make that near impossible. Choose settings that allow others to communicate with you and friend request you.
Share information. Posting ads is not sharing information. I've actually deleted those who only advertise. I want to know YOU. I want to know who you are. Networking is about knowing one another and hopefully helping each other. If all you do is advertise, I am not going to send business your way. I do not want to send those I know to folks who only pitch products and services.
Join a few groups. MySpace has thousands and thousands of groups. Do a search and find a few groups that revolve around your interests. For example, I joined a scrapbooking group. I also joined a group talking about a t.v. show I enjoy. Finally, I joined a Starbucks group as I love Starbucks. Find groups that are YOU and join a few. You'll meet others that you already share something in common with.
Use the email and comment functions. Talk to others but more importantly when folks talk to you, answer them. I still communicate with folks I met the first day I began networking on MySpace. Just as I answer personal email in a timely manner, I also try to answer MySpace mail and comments in a timely manner.
Remember your words and photos will be seen by many. I sometimes shudder when I see someone who claims to want to gain business swearing up a storm and posting very non G rated photos. This is going to turn off potential business contacts. The bulletin feature is wonderful, but when the topic is a string of profanity I never even open it. When I was working on AOL, we had a rule of "if you wouldn't say it to your grandmother, don't say it here". I really believe this applies in a networking community also.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Finding Network Marketing Leads
Getting a network marketing lead is not an easy process and involves a lot of work. However you can achieve network marketing success by following a few simple but detailed instructions and using network marketing tools. Network marketing success involves not only getting a lead but also keeping the lead and developing a good business relationship that’s the key to network marketing success.
Network marketing success: what steps to take
If you want to achieve the network marketing success, especially while doing your network marketing online, you will need to use various network marketing tools. One of the network marketing tools that are available to you is the network marketing prospecting website. The network marketing prospecting website will allow you to find leads and clients and build your marketing campaign.A Network marketing prospecting website can also post the valuable information to your prospective clients. As you can see, the network marketing prospecting website is one of the key network marketing tools that will bring you network marketing success.
You should also study the network marketing tools that are being used by other networkers. This can also contribute to your network marketing success since you will be able to find valuable information. Go through the network marketing prospecting website of your competitor(s),research various network marketing tools that are available online, hold on to this valuable information and you are on your way to network marketing success.
There are things besides network marketing prospecting website and network marketing tools that can contribute you your network marketing success, but you should start with the network marketing prospecting website and network marketing tools and then move on to other marketing ideas.
Network marketing success: what steps to take
If you want to achieve the network marketing success, especially while doing your network marketing online, you will need to use various network marketing tools. One of the network marketing tools that are available to you is the network marketing prospecting website. The network marketing prospecting website will allow you to find leads and clients and build your marketing campaign.A Network marketing prospecting website can also post the valuable information to your prospective clients. As you can see, the network marketing prospecting website is one of the key network marketing tools that will bring you network marketing success.
You should also study the network marketing tools that are being used by other networkers. This can also contribute to your network marketing success since you will be able to find valuable information. Go through the network marketing prospecting website of your competitor(s),research various network marketing tools that are available online, hold on to this valuable information and you are on your way to network marketing success.
There are things besides network marketing prospecting website and network marketing tools that can contribute you your network marketing success, but you should start with the network marketing prospecting website and network marketing tools and then move on to other marketing ideas.
Network Firewalls
A simplified definition for a network firewall is that it is a tool that implements the traffic checking that has to be done (for security purposes) among two or more networks.
The network firewall has multiple missions; primarily, the firewall is in charge of monitoring, inspecting, and controlling inbound/outbound network traffic. The network firewall utilizes the user-defined preferences in order to determine whether to permit or deny communication with a specific network. Those user-defined preferences usually define the characteristics and the criteria by which the firewall determines whether to allow or discard the network traffic. Specifically, packets will be checked to examine their purposes. If the content represents hostile intrusion attempts, unauthorized attempts or patterns that match those of denial of service attacks, then the firewall will automatically block them.
Additionally, the firewall will check the IP address of the sender of the packets. Usually, the firewall can discard the packets without even examining them. If the IP address is unknown and if the firewall is configured accordingly, it will automatically block those packets.
Network firewalls are mostly used in order to isolate all computers that belong to a specific network from the rest of the networks. To be concrete, the network firewall might be needed in order to separate different sub-networks within a big network of a corporation. Furthermore, the network firewall can be used to separate a private network from the Internet.
As you can see, network firewalls are very important if you plan to separate your network from any others that you wish limited/controlled communication with. You can think of the firewall as if it were a family dog that only recognizes family and relatives or friends.
The network firewall has multiple missions; primarily, the firewall is in charge of monitoring, inspecting, and controlling inbound/outbound network traffic. The network firewall utilizes the user-defined preferences in order to determine whether to permit or deny communication with a specific network. Those user-defined preferences usually define the characteristics and the criteria by which the firewall determines whether to allow or discard the network traffic. Specifically, packets will be checked to examine their purposes. If the content represents hostile intrusion attempts, unauthorized attempts or patterns that match those of denial of service attacks, then the firewall will automatically block them.
Additionally, the firewall will check the IP address of the sender of the packets. Usually, the firewall can discard the packets without even examining them. If the IP address is unknown and if the firewall is configured accordingly, it will automatically block those packets.
Network firewalls are mostly used in order to isolate all computers that belong to a specific network from the rest of the networks. To be concrete, the network firewall might be needed in order to separate different sub-networks within a big network of a corporation. Furthermore, the network firewall can be used to separate a private network from the Internet.
As you can see, network firewalls are very important if you plan to separate your network from any others that you wish limited/controlled communication with. You can think of the firewall as if it were a family dog that only recognizes family and relatives or friends.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data Book Review
Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data
by Jesper M. Johansson and Steve Riley
Addison-Wesley Microsoft Technology Series (2005)
As the title should tell you, this is an unabashedly Windows-oriented book. It's no surprise, considering the authors are both employees of Microsoft. Jesper Johansson is the Senior Program Manager for Security Policy, and Steve Riley is the Senior Program Manager in the Security Business and Technology unit. Both authors are extremely knowledgeable, and participate in speaking engagements around the world on a regular basis.
Microsoft-centric view aside, I deal primarily with Windows-based networks, so I found this book to be extremely informative in my security continuing education. The authors attempt to cover a great deal of ground, so by necessity, some areas are covered in more depth than others. The areas covered are divided into 6 parts: "Introduction and Fundamentals," "Policies, Procedures, and User Awareness," "Physical and Perimeter Security: The First Line of Defense," Protecting Your Network Inside the Perimeter," "Protecting Hosts," and "Protecting Applications."
The book is filled with practical, common sense analysis of security, both with respect to genuinely securing systems, and avoiding practices of "Security Theater." Each chapter ends with a section entitled "What You Should Do Today," reinforcing the action items suggested throughout the chapter. The book also includes a CD containing a few helpful tools. These include a password generator, a HOSTS file that blocks known spyware sites, and a script to revoke SQL Server PUBLIC permissions.
The writing style is at times humorous, and very down-to-earth. This book is valuable both as a casual read, and a comprehensive reference for securing networks. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Information Security field, as well as anyone looking for a place to start educating themselves about network security.
by Jesper M. Johansson and Steve Riley
Addison-Wesley Microsoft Technology Series (2005)
As the title should tell you, this is an unabashedly Windows-oriented book. It's no surprise, considering the authors are both employees of Microsoft. Jesper Johansson is the Senior Program Manager for Security Policy, and Steve Riley is the Senior Program Manager in the Security Business and Technology unit. Both authors are extremely knowledgeable, and participate in speaking engagements around the world on a regular basis.
Microsoft-centric view aside, I deal primarily with Windows-based networks, so I found this book to be extremely informative in my security continuing education. The authors attempt to cover a great deal of ground, so by necessity, some areas are covered in more depth than others. The areas covered are divided into 6 parts: "Introduction and Fundamentals," "Policies, Procedures, and User Awareness," "Physical and Perimeter Security: The First Line of Defense," Protecting Your Network Inside the Perimeter," "Protecting Hosts," and "Protecting Applications."
The book is filled with practical, common sense analysis of security, both with respect to genuinely securing systems, and avoiding practices of "Security Theater." Each chapter ends with a section entitled "What You Should Do Today," reinforcing the action items suggested throughout the chapter. The book also includes a CD containing a few helpful tools. These include a password generator, a HOSTS file that blocks known spyware sites, and a script to revoke SQL Server PUBLIC permissions.
The writing style is at times humorous, and very down-to-earth. This book is valuable both as a casual read, and a comprehensive reference for securing networks. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Information Security field, as well as anyone looking for a place to start educating themselves about network security.
Current Internet Network Security Policies Are Nonsense!
Internet network security policies are flawed in strategy and implementation.
Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.
Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.
The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.
New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.
In conclusion, internet network security policy implementors should focus on internal buy in among employees and proper dissemination to the entire IT work force,including contractors.This will ensure that the internet network security policy doesnt end up as a useless binder in your boss's cabin!
Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.
Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.
The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.
New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.
In conclusion, internet network security policy implementors should focus on internal buy in among employees and proper dissemination to the entire IT work force,including contractors.This will ensure that the internet network security policy doesnt end up as a useless binder in your boss's cabin!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Computer Security Training
Computer security training is considered as one of the hottest programs for the new millennium. It is a major part of information technology that prepares students to protect computers and networks. Computers undergo constant attacks from various virus programs and instances of frauds that cause the loss of millions of dollars annually. Computer security training programs assist users to overcome these difficulties. Colleges and universities, technical schools and online programs are the main arenas that provide advanced computer security training.
As all other IT programs, computer security training programs also start with foundation classes. Fundamental programs offer students a comprehensive knowledge about the tools and techniques to manage risks, and to detect and prevent computer attacks. Some of the major concepts discussed are hackers, software piracy, viruses, identity theft, stalking and credit card fraud. Students learn the latest technologies for protecting systems such as securing the operating systems, audit techniques, identification and authentication, cryptography and other network security mechanisms. The security training also encompasses sessions in threat assessment, incident investigation, system security administration, risk management and online security testing. Those who look for a career in computer security technology development get advanced training in system security engineering, software design, development and testing, secure operating system design, and design and application of network security techniques.
A computer security professional has a good idea about the planning, co-ordination and implementation of security techniques to protect computers from illegal attacks. They are also trained in educating users on computer security, monitoring the network for security breaches, installing safety software and taking instant action against cyber attacks.
Online computer security training is a new trend that teaches the latest technologies to save computers from online attacks. Online certificate and degree programs are available. Recognized online training programs help to attain credentials in security training. These valuable skills are useful for marketing yourself to computer security firms.
As all other IT programs, computer security training programs also start with foundation classes. Fundamental programs offer students a comprehensive knowledge about the tools and techniques to manage risks, and to detect and prevent computer attacks. Some of the major concepts discussed are hackers, software piracy, viruses, identity theft, stalking and credit card fraud. Students learn the latest technologies for protecting systems such as securing the operating systems, audit techniques, identification and authentication, cryptography and other network security mechanisms. The security training also encompasses sessions in threat assessment, incident investigation, system security administration, risk management and online security testing. Those who look for a career in computer security technology development get advanced training in system security engineering, software design, development and testing, secure operating system design, and design and application of network security techniques.
A computer security professional has a good idea about the planning, co-ordination and implementation of security techniques to protect computers from illegal attacks. They are also trained in educating users on computer security, monitoring the network for security breaches, installing safety software and taking instant action against cyber attacks.
Online computer security training is a new trend that teaches the latest technologies to save computers from online attacks. Online certificate and degree programs are available. Recognized online training programs help to attain credentials in security training. These valuable skills are useful for marketing yourself to computer security firms.
Network Performance Management - The 6 Pillars Of Network Management System
Now that we are in the 21st century, most companies need to have some form of connectivity or another in order to have their business running well. In another word, network management can be the life line of these companies. Can you imagine Yahoo, Google, and Ebay going down for a few minutes? Millions of dollars could be lost during those few minutes. As such, the importance of network management in this type of companies cannot be underestimated.
In order to understand network management better, we have to look at the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) which looks at security management, fault management, configuration management, accounting management and performance management.
Security Management
Security Management looks at alerting the personnel when resources are accessed. An example would be emailing or calling the network personnel that a resource is down and needed his attention or sending messages when certain files is accessed.
Fault Management
Fault Management is to log, find, and alert the network personnel of problems that will effect the systems operations.
Configuration Management Configuration Management is to identify effects on network's operation after tracking the software plus the hardware on the network.
Accounting Management
This is to watch and determine the usage of information or resources for billing purposes. A typical company such as a mobile company or internet service provider would need these features in their business operations to bill their customer.
Performance Management
Monitoring, assessing, and adjusting the available bandwidth and network resource usage are tasks that are performed by network personnel as part of performance management system. This is to make the network run more efficiently.
In order to have a good network management system, the 6 pillars of network management need to be implemented by the network personnel in their companies.
In order to understand network management better, we have to look at the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) which looks at security management, fault management, configuration management, accounting management and performance management.
Security Management
Security Management looks at alerting the personnel when resources are accessed. An example would be emailing or calling the network personnel that a resource is down and needed his attention or sending messages when certain files is accessed.
Fault Management
Fault Management is to log, find, and alert the network personnel of problems that will effect the systems operations.
Configuration Management Configuration Management is to identify effects on network's operation after tracking the software plus the hardware on the network.
Accounting Management
This is to watch and determine the usage of information or resources for billing purposes. A typical company such as a mobile company or internet service provider would need these features in their business operations to bill their customer.
Performance Management
Monitoring, assessing, and adjusting the available bandwidth and network resource usage are tasks that are performed by network personnel as part of performance management system. This is to make the network run more efficiently.
In order to have a good network management system, the 6 pillars of network management need to be implemented by the network personnel in their companies.
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