Understanding cultural differences when doing business around the world is becoming more important in a global society. Even within large countries like the United States, there are differences from one region to another. When you go beyond that and look at one country vs. another, the differences become even more impactful on business. When we […]
Has someone you didn’t even know ever solicited you for a referral or business? I call this “Premature Solicitation.†(Say that fast three times and you might get in trouble!) I’ve been a victim of “premature solicitation†many times. I was recently speaking at a business networking event and before my presentation a man came […]
My colleagues and I, as co-authors of my most recent book (Business Networking and Sex – not what you think), thought that it would be interesting to see if men and women learned how to network differently. So in one of the surveys we created during the course of writing the book, we asked participants […]
How many times have you seen an entrepreneur, maybe even yourself, go to a networking event, meet a lot of people, and then leave and never talk to them again? Too often, right? And it’s not because you don’t like them or ever want to see them again, but because you’re a busy person with […]
As part of the survey for the book, Business Networking And Sex (not what you think), my co-authors and I asked several questions that weren’t used in the final manuscript. The survey was open to the public and was conducted with over 12,000 business people from every populated continent in the world. One of the […]
When it comes to networking, the little things add up. Repetition produces results—especially when building your referral networking business. Because the little things do add up, below are some simple things for you to consider regarding your attitude, body language, and congruence. This will help you determine whether or not people perceive you as approachable […]
There are tried-and–true networking techniques that are so simple it seems they cannot be really effective. Many times we try to re-evaluate, improve upon and complicate them. An experience I had once while on vacation reminds me of how we try to make some things harder than they really are. I was in Hawaii enjoying […]
“Wow, your baby sure is ugly!” When was the last time you heard someone say this? Maybe never, because no one is willing to say that out loud! How about this one? “Your clothing, marketing message, and overall business image are not referable.” Ouch, that hurts! We occasionally think this about the people we meet, […]
During the “back to school†season, I often recall the first day of the first class I took as I pursued my Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. The professor spent the first part of the class talking about the “elite network†of peers we were going to be working alongside for the next […]
A common assumption is that an extroverted “people person†is the best type of networker. But this isn’t necessarily true. Most people who have started their own businesses and who depend directly on others buying their products or services have at least a certain comfort level in dealing with people. They may not be outgoing […]
