LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS - RELIABILITY

LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS – RELIABILITY

In her Leadership Insights cards, Dr Renate Volpe says “Reliability means doing what you say you will do.”

I remember as a young child, my father saying “You have no control over the name that you bring into this world, it is the name that I have given you – but the name that you take out of this world is the name that you make for yourself.”

It is something that has stood the test of time, in my mind, and has contributed to the shaping of the person that I have become.

As a business owner, and therefore a Leader, it is of utmost importance that your word, your reliability, your credibility and integrity make up who you are. Your clients will never trust you, if one of these aspects are in question and without trust you have nothing.

Once clients trust you, they will refer you thus building your business for you.

Remember trust is something that can take years to build and only a hint of suspicion to destroy.

Be reliable, be credible, have integrity and above all, honour your word, it is one of the ways that you honour yourself.

If you would like your own set of cards, please visit Dr Renate Volpe site on www.HIRS.co.za.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 9

THE POWER OF NETWORKING


Part 9


It’s all about integrity and credibility.

Imagine if you will, that you have been running around like a maniac trying to find someone to provide you with a service, let’s call it a handyman (for the purpose of this exercise). Now I am sure that we have all had the same sort of experience here, and if anyone reading this is a handyman and does not fit into this category, I apologise in advance. So you are hunting high and low for a handyman as there are several “little jobs” around the house that require a tad more expertise than you currently have. You find a flyer in your post box, or someone leaves a flyer on your windscreen, advertising their services as a handyman and you rush home to phone and make an appointment. You get an answering machine, you leave a message and . . . nothing! No one phones you back. Or, you get hold of the handyman and he promises to come and have a look, tomorrow, at what needs doing and give you a quote, and you stay at home the whole day waiting for him and . . he doesn’t pitch. Or, he comes round the following day, has a look at everything that need to be done and promises to send you a quote and . . . you never receive one. Sound familiar!

So when you are bemoaning the fact to anyone who will listen, somebody suddenly says, “hey, I’ve got a handyman type person who will come and assist you, his name is Joe Soap and his number is ……”, you are really excited. You see Joe Soap has come recommended. Now that is still only 50% of your problem resolved, because Joe Soap, could very well go the same route as the chaps referred to above, or he could actually be a real business person who actually wants the work.

Herein lies the problem.

First of all if Joe Soap, actually is a real business person, who wants and desires his business to be successful, he will of course pitch up, ascertain what needs to be done, give you a quote and then actually arrive to do the work and finally, he will perform the service in a professional manner. This means now, that you will refer him to all of your friends/colleagues and anyone else who requires anything done around the house and/or the office. His business will grow and he will flourish. You will become regarded as someone who ‘knows’ people and your credibility will become legendary and your business will flourish. Everyone is happy.

But what if . . . and here comes the crunch, what if after delivering you the wonderful service, Joe Soap, suddenly becomes like the rest of the handymen out there and becomes sloppy, doesn’t phone people back, doesn’t pitch up etc. Well not only will Joe Soap’s business die, like the rest of the handymen out there, but also your credibility will be affected – remember you have recommended him.

The moral of this story should now be obvious. If you want people to recommend you, not only is your credibility at stake, but you are putting theirs at risk as well if you do not deliver and/or behave in a professional manner.

Do not give people’s contact details out unless you have received their permission to do so! Not only will they not trust you again but in all likelihood they will not be happy to assist whomever you have given the details to, thus resulting in two people being pretty disgruntled with you.

If you are on the receiving end of getting someone’s contact details as a referral. Treat those details with respect – don’t be spamming them! That’s just rude! If you have received those details, it was for a specific reason, use them for that specific reason and not only will you gain the service/widget/assistance that you were looking for, but you will also gain a valuable contact.

Treat other people’s contact details, with the same dignity and respect that you would want other people to treat yours. I am sure you wouldn’t like to see your name and address and contact details sprawled all over the toilet door, so don’t do that with anyone else’s details.

The Business world in South Africa is a smaller place than you think, people talk, reputations are built up over time, but destroyed in seconds. Always, operate with Integrity and Credibility.

STAFF ISSUES - MANAGING PEOPLE

Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi, in their book - Leadership and the One Minute Manager say "In managing people it is easier to loosen up than tighten up."

In his book - The Heart of a Leader - Ken Blanchard reiterates this by saying "It's always better to oversupervise than undersupervise in the beginning."

The reason for this is pretty simple. When you hire new staff or indeed even promote someone into a new position, you have no idea how they are going to cope, in this particular position. So you need to monitor and nurture. Let's put the whole thing into some kind of perspective - a new born baby needs to be nutured and taken care of. As the baby grows into a toddler, then into a teenager, although you keep your eye on what they are up to, you don't need to give as much attention to them as you did when they were a baby. So it is with your staff.

The difference of course is that when you hire staff they are already grown up, well let's hope that they have! They need supervision, but as adults may feel that you are micro-managing or undue criticism, if you suddenly start tightening up on the way that you manage.

So, start off by being tough and as you gauge the situation and the integrity of the work that they are producing, so you can loosen up on your management style. This will indicate that you are giving them more responsibility and that your trust in their efforts has been cemented. Once they understand this, the relationship itself will be based on mutual respect.

SETTING THE BOUNDARIES

Dr Renate Volpe in her "Self Esteem Nuggets" says: "We all need a private psychological space that belongs to us. This space is both physical and emotional. We need to set bounderies and limits in terms of what we allow other to do to us. We also need to set limits on what we will allow ourselves to do for other people."

My Goodness! How I wish I had known Renate when I started my business 4 years ago! I would certainly have not make nearly as many mistakes as I have made! I wouldn't have allowed clients to get away with not paying me for work that I had done, even though they had been given a discount because I felt "sorry" for them or allowed people who are hungry for my contacts to disrespect me and not pitch up for meetings, without so much as an apology. I certainly would not have allowed people to demand the use of my Intellectual Property without payment, like my knowledge and experiance that I have gained through blood, sweat and in some cases many buckets of tears, is not worth them paying for it, but they want it anyway.

Well, as in most things in life, when you give up your power, people will take it with both hands and be sure to understand they certainly won't even thank you for it!

So, be sure to set the bounderies, in your own minds:

1. You get what you pay for - Client's will pay you what you ask for. If you discount your hourly rate and give out freebies, that is the type of client that you will attract and believe me, the more discount you give them, the more that you try and help them the harder it will be to get your money out of them. I found that the more worthy I thought of myself, the more I charged, the better the calibre of client I attracted. Don't sell yourself short!

2. I have worked very hard for the people in my contact data base. They are professional people. Their services are sought after and they are well respected. If people want the contacts I have in my data base, I am more than willing to share, at no cost. However, if you do not pitch up for a meeting that has been confirmed, not only are you rude, but you have also disrespected me. You are telling me that my time and effort are of no importance to you. That your time and what you want to do with that time is more valuable than my time. Let me explain what it means to me - it means that you are not trustworthy. It means that I will not refer you and/or your services and/or the widgets that you so dearly want to sell, to anybody. It also means that I will not give you any of my contacts - you would probably disrespect them to!

3. If you want to know what I know, understand that I have paid dearly for it. I am of a more generous nature than you probably realize. However having said that, I am not a fool and I will not have you demand things from me or br manipulated into thinking that it is your God given right to have everything for nothing. If you go to a lawyer you are charged, very handsomely I might add, for the use of his/her knowledge. If you go to a doctor, the same thing applies. So if you come to me for the use of all that I know, there will come a point where I will begin to charge you. Don't get all upset and bent out of shape - understand that to give you that knowledge takes time and effort - my time and my effort. Be prepared to pay for Intellectual Property.

If you would like to know more about Dr Renate Volpe and who she is, please feel free to visit her site on www.HIRS.co.za.

Do What You Do With PASSION

Trevor writes:

I appreciate Nikki's new found passion for blogging... and Nikki's right, it's all about PASSION... so let's continue the PASSION thread.

This is an extract from an article I wrote a few years ago:

PASSION and PURPOSE... two of the most important attributes anyone can develop for their personal success.

When you analyse what YOU believe to be YOUR Life's Purpose... and what you believe to be YOUR True PASSION in life... you can begin to start re-structuring your life to begin living to YOUR dreams... your PASSION.

Nothing, but nothing, becomes more compelling than a person who is on a mission... enjoying their lives to the full..!

And, YOU can begin living this lifestyle right now... every DECISION you take right now can move you one step closer to achieving your dream.

You can know that each step you now take can be the most PASSIONATE step you can possibly take because it is ON PURPOSE.

When I sat down to identify my true PASSION and PURPOSE in lfe for myself, a good few years ago, this is what I wrote... and how I identified what I wanted to do to live my life with increased PASSION (some will say that I've never really been short of this attitude to life.. :-)

- I LOVE my lifestyle... working from home... being my own boss... totally debt-free

- I am PASSIONATE about learning of new ways to GENERATE QUALITY INCOME and for testing and building new businesses

- I am REALLY PASSIONATE about discovering new ways to generate BIG INCOME from global markets via the Internet

- I LOVE to TRAVEL around the world WITH MY FAMILY - that is my idea of FUN

And... yes, that's how I live my life, right now, doing what I want to do, when I want to do it... it's great..!

Hmmm... only thing that has changed is that we have stayed SA-bound while our daughters are working their way through 'varsity. That's been our current passion, to support them through this important stage of their lives as they prepare to fly the coop.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

ATTITUDES

Good morning bloggers:

Dr Renate Volpe says in her Personal Mastery cards "If you feel depressed, you may indeed be angry".

Well personally, I think that it is good for us to feel anger and even depression on occasion. Like every other emotion, they are supposed to be felt from time to time.

The problem arrives however, when our lives are governed by feelings of anger and/or depression. You should then take yourself off to a professional of sort for assistance in dealing with these feelings.

Then of course there is the situation when you take these feelings with you to the office or on your travels to client's. Please believe me when I tell you that this is really not a good idea at all. Your client's will 'pick' up on this and react accordingly. You are putting yourself in a very real situation where you could lose the sale or even the client - so be aware of it.

You see your sub-conscience will project these emotions and the client's sub-conscience will pick up on it. Be aware of what you put out there! Look at yourself in a mirror, give yourself a 'pep talk", kick your own arse (if necessary), put your besst smile on your face, you know the one that lights up in your eyes as well, think positive thoughts and have an attitude adjustment!

Not only will you feel better, but you will come across better too. Your client will 'pick' up on the mood and react accordingly.

Think about what you are doing, how you are thinking and how the other person 'sees' you.

Hope you have a fantablous fear free Friday 13th.

Dr Renate Volpe has a whole bunch of cards in the following categories:

Self Esteem Nuggets

Assertive Living

Negotiation Intelligence
Personal Mastery

Networking Tips

Leadership Insights

If you would like to know more about these products or Dr Renate Volpe herself, please visit her website on www.HIRS.co.za

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUSINESS FOR YOU

For many of us, choosing the right business to be in is a serious decision. For me it was a no-brainer as fortunately I found "my passion" at an early age. However having said that, my understanding is that there are thousands, if not millions of people out there who are stuck in dead end jobs, performing mind killing excercises in order to put food on the table.

In many of these instances people feel the "need" and/or are forced, due to circumstances to start their own businesses and this is where it gets really scary, because they have no idea what they want to do and many of the avenues that they perceive are open to them are outside of their realm of understanding (like someone buying a franchise restuarant when they have only ever worked as a receptionist and can't even boil an egg) or completely outside of what their passion is - providing of course that they know what that passion is.

These businesses and these people are doomed to fail before they have even started!

I don't really know how to tell anyone to "find" their passion - you see, my passion found me! The only guidance and/or advice that I can give you here is that you need to ask yourself this one question. If you were to win say R50 000 000 on the lotto, what would you do - yes I know go on holiday, buy a house, a car and a jukuzi and then, then what? What would you do? When you know the answer to that question, the possibility is there that you are on the right track to finding your passion.

Knowing what your passion is, is the basic requirement that you need when choosing a job, a career and even a business.

I hope that you all find your passion or that your passion finds you!

Your job is a big part of you; choose the right one

Workplace staff

02 March 2007 at 06h00

Many students, and adults, are confused about the career choices they need to make. They are often unsure of their career interests and their own abilities, and often have limited knowledge of the world of work and the different career fields available. This is unfortunate as the result of this confusion is often an incorrect career-choice decision, which can lead to job dissatisfaction and an unfulfilled life.

Career counsellor Heather Jones believes that doing the wrong type of work for a sustained amount of time can lead to a deterioration in the quality of life. "Career-related research makes a link between career choice, job satisfaction and mental health. "In her own career, Jones found herself in a series of work positions to which she was unsuited. "I could never work out why I was unhappy in the jobs I had but, even more importantly, I was never sure of what I really wanted to do," she says. "There were times when I felt I would never find my niche."

Today, Jones runs a career-consulting business offering career counselling and career education to both young people and adults. She is passionate about people development and helping others to improve the quality of their lives by improving their career choices. "I am also very interested in the patterns and meanings of lives that you find embedded in the life career history," she says.

Jones has recently launched a career self-exploration workshop that focuses specifically on exploration - of the self and of the different career fields. The workshop helps people to identify their career interests, abilities, values and the meaning embedded in their life career histories. "We also focus on assessing levels of career maturity and the influence that family and culture has on career decision-making," she says.

The workshop includes a theoretical component, which is used to explain the various career-related concepts used. It also focuses on work environment and career field exploration, career decision-making, goal-setting and how to create a new reality for yourself. The workshop is run over one day and includes research assignments to be completed by participants. These research assignments include interviewing someone in a career field you have a particular interest in, obtaining information on specific careers and researching the world of work. "The workshop is fun, interactive and includes exercises, questionnaires, and individual and group work," explains Jones."From the response I have already received, it is clear there is a big need out there for this type of career workshop and individual career counselling. "Adults and students alike are seeking help for the important career choices we all need to make," says Jones.

Those interested in the Career Self-Exploration Workshop can contact Heather Jones on 011-312-2082 or 083-976-2716 or secretrain@xsinet.co.za

FULFULLING YOUR POTENTIAL

Good morning bloggers.

Dr Renate Volpe says: "If you wish to embark on a journey to fulfil your innate potential, challenge your present mindset."

How's that for some heavy thinking and soul searching and yes, even some challenging of our present mindset!

I don't know about you guys, but I certainly find that I need to stop, constantly, check where I am, look at where I want to be and then make what ever adjustments are necessary.

One of the greatest things about Networking is that I am constantly in the company of 'like minded' individuals, who think out of the box, and when we discuss issues, be they of a business nature and/or a personal nature, I am continually amazed by the innovative ideas, the novel way in which certain issues are looked at. This obviously brings a new perspective to the way I do things or even a new perspective to the way I see things.

Reading new material, even if it just a magazine, also broadens the mind. I am often hugely amused at the look on the faces of people I meet, who ask "What are you reading right now?" and I rattle off the 6 or 7 or even 8 titles of books that I am currently reading - it's a 'hangover' idiosyncrasy from my childhood I suspect, I have never been able to read just one book at a time! Keep current with what is happening in the news, especially from a Business perspective - it may just impact on your Business.

Above all, listen! Listen to what the people around you are saying. You don't have to agree with them, or share their opinions. What you do need to do though, is take what they are saying and process it in your own mind. Compare what they are doing to the way that you are doing things. Is their way better, could you improve on the way that you operate, could you be more efficient, more effective. Perhaps you could use part of what they do and marry it up with part of what you do and/or part of what someone else does, to create your own unique path. This is how you change your mindset.

Requirements though would be as follows:

An open mind.

A willing heart.

Determination to succeed.

A constant need to challenge yourself to be all that you can be and then some....

Do you have what it takes?

If you would like to know more about what Dr Renate Volpe is up to, please feel free to visit her website on www.hirs.co.za.

About Leaving A Slice For The RECEIVER

Trevor writes:

Following on from Nikkis post on AGGRESSIVE TAX STRUCTURING I refer to this press article that appeared in The Star Workplace where I wrote:

Extract from Entrepreneurs Are Not Born, They're (Self) MADE

The secret to entrepreneurship is recognising that business is a simple function of providing or developing a product or service that consumers want or need and who demonstrate that they are willing and able to pay for it.

Being keen life-long students of basic business principles, entrepreneurs understand that sales must generate more incoming revenue than outgoing costs, leaving a slice for the Receiver plus an acceptable after-tax profit to satisfy their personal needs and to finance their future dreams.

RegardsTrevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - http://www.innercircleforum.com/
trevor@innercircleforum.com

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 8

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 8

I promised to continue this section with some more tips on Networking.

The Art of Listening. My friend Geraldine always says that her mother used to say that “God gave us two ears and one for a reason!”

People as so busy trying to get their 5c worth in, that they don’t listen to the other person, what their needs are and therefore what their requirements are. If you don’t know what they need, how can you effectively sell your skill and/or widget – it might not be what they want at all!

Most people seem to think that you have to be an extrovert to be a good networker. This is often not the case. Most extroverts are usually too busy talking about their favourite subject matter, which usually means that they are talking about themselves.

Introverts on the other hand, seem to be better listeners. They are keen to find out what the possible synergies are, not just for themselves, but also for the people within their own network.

So when you meet with someone, and the purpose of the meeting is to see where there are possible synergies, ask the other people how you can help them. Listen carefully to what it is that they are saying. Encourage them to talk about their business, what it is that they do, take down notes and if you don’t understand, ask questions. You don’t have to know the intricate details of their business and how it works, but you need to have an idea of what it is that they do – remember you should be referring them to people within your network and it’s no good sending them someone to print their business cards, when what they need is someone to design the logo!

AGGRESSIVE TAX STRUCTURING

Good morning bloggers. This was taken off the SARS site - AGGRESSIVE TAX STRUCTURING. Please be aware of what the legalities are. If your Bookkeeper and/or Accountant is aware of any tax impropriety in your books and/or the running of your business, they are obliged, by law, to report the matter to SARS. The consequences will not be pleasant, I can assure you.

This is another reason, I always urge small business owners not to do their own books. You may not understand taxes and what can be claimed for and what cannot. Be aware!

Think carefully about what you are doing, if you are not giving the taxman his lawful share!

See article: AGGRESSIVE TAX STRUCTURING

NEGOTIATION

Good morning bloggers:

I have taken today's piece from Dr Renate Volpe's series on Negotiation Intelligence.

Renate says:

"Five Minute negotiation preparation:
* Know what you want to achieve.
* What is your exit point?
* Identify what the other side wants and needs.
* Determine your starting point.
* Work out how your proposal benefits the other party's interests."

Well, I for one have never thought about "how to" go about doing a negotiation. It has always just been something that is done, I've never thought about it or planned it, which would probably explain, why I don't consider myself a good negotiater.

Going forward however, I can clearly see the benefits of doing this quick point by point summary. I have no doubt that this would put a huge amount of perspective into what I am negotiating for.

For other benefits that Dr Renate Volpe has on offer, please visit her website on www.hirs.co.za.

So perhaps there is someone out there who is listening! My next question of course, is that it's great that this legislation has been drafted, but when will it be promulgated and when will the bill be signed thereby entering it into the pages of the law books?

Stifling red tape to be slashed
Jocelyn Newmarch
16 February 2007 11:59

Small business received a boost recently with the publication of the draft Companies Bill, intended to replace the three-decade-old Companies Act. The small business sector contributes about 41% to South Africa’s GDP and is most likely to create jobs. Because of this, legislation that helps the sector is also likely to boost economic growth. Government has been widely criticised for not doing enough to promote entrepreneurship and small business development.

Experts say the draft legislation will cut red tape for the sector and reduce the cost of compliance while promoting greater transparency and accountability. The BEE Codes of Good Practice, gazetted last week, also allow significant exclusions for small business. Taken together, these documents show that government is serious about helping small and medium-sized businesses. The document, published for comment on Monday, proposes new forms of companies — widely and closely held — to replace the existing distinction between public and private. Closely held companies will replace private companies and close corporations, and will need to meet fewer transparency and disclosure requirements.

They will not be required to appoint an auditor or an accounting officer to report on the financial statements. Some forms of closely held companies will only have to submit financial statements as required, for example by banks, but tax returns will still be mandatory. Widely held companies will have to meet two out of three requirements in a three-year rolling period. Turnover should be R50-million or higher, with R25-million worth of assets or higher and at least 200 employees for these companies.

Public interest companies, which include widely held companies and companies that have a significant impact on the economy, have to meet higher standards of transparency and disclosure, according to Piet Delport, head of mercantile law at the University of Pretoria. The Bill encourages corporate governance, transparency and accountability for these institutions, sets up corporate tribunals, protects minority shareholders and amends takeover and business rescue provisions.

But government will need to look at a massive education drive for both businesses and shareholders, said Nicolaas van Wyk of the SA Institute of Public Accountants. Van Wyk said there are a million registered close corporations and proprietary (Pty) companies that will need to convert, though some of these may be dormant. There are also concerns about whether the Companies and Intellectual Property Office will be able to cope with the demand. The Bill is a much-needed overhaul of the outdated Companies Act, which became law in 1973 and brings South Africa in line with international trends in company law.

THE RISE OF THE WORKING POOR

So it looks like, although SARS has come to the party on the issue of Small Businesses, Government Legislation hasn't. In simple terms SARS is making it easier for the "little guy" to grow and in so doing get to a point where the Small Business Owner actually may be in a position to employ a single person and thereby do his/her bit in attending to the unemployment issue. That's great news!

On the flip side however, legislation and the red tape that we all have to get through in terms of what needs to be registered and in particular the Labour Relations issue, is a huge deterrant in terms of getting us to a point where we actually employ someone to assist us.

Recent posts on the the Business Warrior site (www.businesswarriors.co.za) evidence the difficulties that Small Business Owners go through when wading through the muddy waters of staff and the requirements of the law.

The perception is that Staff and/or the employee seems to be able to get away with anything and everything, whilst the employer cannot put a toenail out of place without being hit by heavy fines and/or penalties. This places a huge burden on the sometimes already cash strapped individual. Legislation does not seem to take into account the loss of productivity due to staff members not working correctly and/or investigations on allegations of theft and fraud etc that is constantly perpetrated by the employee, not to mention the high costs of employing the services of people like Labour Attorneys and the like.

If Government want the SMME market to be the saving grace of the economy, then Government needs to "GIVE" in order to "get" and that giving must be in the form of more breaks in the Legislative requirements and the 'Red Tape' syndrome. SMME's on the other hand also have to play their part in changing their own mind sets - Red Tape requirements are not necessarily puddles of quicksand and as long as the processes and procedures are followed, although these can be time consuming, they can be accomplished with a minimum amount of fuss - even if the bother is still there.

See: The rise of the working poor : Mail & Guardian Online

THE NEW 100 MOST USEFUL SITES

Wow! Just when you thought you were doing much better in the technological age, this get's thrown at you, and you feel like you're back in the dark ages. I thought that I had been dragged, albeit, kicking and screaming into the 21st century - apparently not!

Well, if you are starting to suffer from information overload and are betwixed and between in terms of where to find the information that you are looking for - or not, try these for size.

Hope you have some time out over the Easter weekend and that you are not glued, the entire time, to the computer looking at new stuff that you did not even know existed!

Have a good one

Regards

Nikki

See: The new 100 most useful sites : Mail & Guardian Online

Business Cards For OVER-50's

Trevor writes:

Nikki talks about business cards in THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 7.

Just thought I'd mention, on behalf of some old fogeys that I know, that most business cards are useless to the over-50 generation whose arms get shorter whilst eyesight focal length gets longer.

For me the purpose of a business card is to stimulate a contact. Most graphic designers seem to think that the contact details should be secondary to the image and design.

Best business card for me is one that says:

My Name
What I Do
Contact Me Now
0800 1234567
largefont@contactme.now

Get my drift...?

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

SELF ESTEEM

Dr Renate Volpe of HIRS (www.hirs.co.za) says "Become all that you were meant to be!"

So many of us wander around this world looking for "ourselves" that we actually get lost along the way.

By all means "look" for yourself, but for heaven's sake, at some point you need to make a decision about who you are going to be and what it is in life that you want as your passion. Once that decision has been made, give it your all.

I once asked a young chap that I worked with if he wanted to go through life hanging onto someone else's shirt tails, living a very mediocre life, or did he want to be all that he could be? Something must have 'clicked' inside of his brain, because he suddenly did a '180', got all fired up and started producing really good work and was rewarded appropriately.

People who are 'being all that they can be' have a hunger for life, they live life to the fullest and are full of enthusiam for what they do and what they represent!

Quite frankly, I'd much rather be around someone who is 'in love with life' and all that it has to offer than someone who is forever complaining about what they don't have.

I say, get up off you butt and make it happen. Be all that you can be and it follows that you will "be all that you were meant to be".

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 7

Good morning bloggers - here's the next article. Have a great day!

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 7

I promised to continue this section with some more tips on Networking.

Business Cards. Many people take a lot of trouble with their business cards. The colours have to be just so, they have to be on special paper and when they come back from the printers they are scrutinized with a magnifying glass! Cool – if you have the time and/or inclination, I say go for it. I am told my business card needs to be tidied up and ‘there’s a lot more than you can do with it’ and this is usually by someone who is itching to redesign my logo (thereby changing my branding). My standard reply to this kind of situation is, my card has all the information that anyone needs on it. It tells them who I am, what I do, how to contact me – all the important information that I want to give someone. So in my opinion that’s all I need.

I have business cards with me where ever I go, whether it is on holiday to an exclusive safari lodge, or down the road to the pub. Always take your business cards with you, you never know when an opportunity is going to present itself and you want to be ready when it does. There’s nothing worse that scabbling around trying to find a piece of paper and a pen to take someone’s details down – it’s unprofessional and disorganized. As a last resort (never scabble around looking for a piece of paper and a pen) to take someone’s details down, use your cell phone (you’re much less like to lose that – unless of course you’re Trevor Nel who refuses to have a cell phone!).

If you have trouble remembering who people are, especially if you have been to a networking event and have come home with a fist full of business cards, make a point of writing something down on the back of the card to remember the person and/or what it is that they do.

I always put down where I met them as well, this jogs my memory and gives me a ‘visual’ memory of the person. When I get home and put all of their information on computer, in the contacts section, I use the spare bit of space under the “IM Address” to jot down things about the person and what it is that they do, so that when I am going through my data base and I can’t remember who someone is , I have something to jog my memory!

I will continue this saga next week, with some more tips on Networking.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 6

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 6

I promised to continue this section with your approach and attitude to Networking.

Most people seem to approach a Networking meeting with the “Let’s see what’s in it for me” glint in their eyes. Let’s face it folks, as Trevor Nel of Inner circle always says “We all come to these meetings to sell, not to buy”. So what would make your service, your widget your IP so much greater than the next person? Why would everyone in the room, suddenly stop wanting to sell their wares and in a unique 120 degree turn, all want to buy something from you – well the obvious answer is nothing!

So, you’re pretty much not going to achieve anything if you expect to be selling 50 deals on the night (day and/or whenever) of the meeting. Clearly your mindset needs to change.

Why not try going into the meeting with the idea that a) you are going to meet a whole new bunch of people (who also know a whole new bunch of people) and in doing so, you will strengthen and add to your data base or b) you are going to meet a whole new bunch of people who you can leverage off and perhaps form Strategic Alliances or Joint Ventures with or c) now here’s a unique thought – how about you are going to meet a whole new bunch of people who you can actually assist by pointing them in the right direction and thereby being a huge “Value Add” in their businesses.

Either way, you will have scored big time and will also have had value added to your network, your database and your business.

Networking for me, is about giving assistance and being of help to someone else, believe me – the more help you give the more business you will write. That’s not to say that you become a “mother Theresa” type of figure – you still have to make money to put food on the table, but at this point money should not be your primary objective.

So the next time you go to a Networking event, make sure that your mindset is right, it will open up a whole new avenue to you and help with building new relationships, which in turn will bring you an abundance of new business.

I will continue this saga next week, with some more tips on Networking. Remember if you would like a copy of Helen Nicholson’s book “Networking: The Unwritten Rule of Business you need to know”, please mail her on helen@helennicholson.co.za.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 5

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 5

I promised to continue this section with some great tips to Network with.

Let’s start off with some of Helen’s tips that she mentions in her book;

Follow Through – Helen writes “It is estimated that 3% of people follow up after meeting new people.”

The 97% that don’t follow up must all belong, well in part anyway, to the “Reluctant Entrepreneur” foundation that I was talking about in previous postings.

Yip, right people – everyone is just blown away by your product/widget/service that you are peddling at whichever networking event that you are at and they are going to do each other harm, in the rush to get to your door to do business with you! I guess some people just live in a perpetual dream world!

YOU have to make it work! Take the person’s business card, tell them that you are going to connect with them and then . . . wait for it . . . . yes, that’s right, you actually do phone them! What a novel idea!

In fact what you should be doing is sending them a mail with your Business Profile on it and in the e-mail, re-iterate that you will be contacting them in the near future and then actually contact them.

The reason that you are contacting them is to set up an appointment for a ‘one-on-one’ meeting. Yes I know that having these meetings can become tedious and time consuming, but this is the way to do it. Set up the meeting and actually pitch up. In my opinion, people who do not pitch up for meetings, or phone and cancel are disrespectful to me. Not only are they disrespectful, but their behaviour also tells me who they are, in one word - unreliable!

The reason you are having a ‘one-on-one’ meeting is to find out more about what they do. Your first question should be along the lines of “Tell me more about yourself and your business – I need to understand more about what you do in order to help you with people in my data base who may need your assistance/widget/services.”

Starting your meeting in this manner, does two things: 1) It gives the other person the opportunity for them to talk (and you to listen… carefully) and 2) They will then feel obliged to ask you what it is that you do and then try to assist you. Human nature and a person’s sub conscience will make them feel the need to reciprocate in some way.

Listen carefully to what they are saying about what it is that they do/sell etc and ask questions about the widgets/services until you have a basic idea (you don’t have to understand it 100% - remember you don’t have to know how to build a car in order to drive one).

Think about the people you have in your database/network and see if you can introduce them to the people who they may have synergies with and/or who may have need of their widgets/services. Help them make the connection.

I will continue this saga next week, with your approach and attitude to Networking. Remember if you would like a copy of Helen Nicholson’s book “Networking: The Unwritten Rule of Business you need to know”, please mail her on helen@helennicholson.co.za.