And I bought in to what he was saying…hook, line and sinker.

As it turns out, I worked on my doctorate in some pretty impressive company. One classmate became the Deputy Director of the FAA; another the Director of Library Services for all of Los Angeles County. I even attended classes with the Captain of the Palace Guard for Saddam Hussein!

The sad news is, though, that I’ve never actually passed a referral to – or received one from – any of these high-level classmates. That’s right. Even though I founded, while working on my doctorate no less, what turned out to be the world’s largest networking organization, I never did utilize much of the “elite network” I was told I would have for a lifetime.

Why is that? Because even though the degree program certainly delivered the opportunity to meet valuable contacts, it never taught me the skills needed to utilize them. After graduation, we quickly spread out to realize the fruits of our labors, and outside of the classroom, we had no real context in which we could keep in touch.

Telling us that we had a great network, but not giving us the tools on now to capitalize on that network, was like telling someone there is a car out there but not giving him any idea of how to drive it!

In all fairness to my particular program, when I was an entrepreneur getting my graduate degree it was in the early- and mid-80s, and today’s tools – particularly social networking and other online services – weren’t readily available to allow us keep in touch. Today, however, there are a multitude of options to help you maintain the relationships you make while pursuing a college or university degree.

1. Take Advantage of Your School’s Alumni Services Department

Interestingly, colleges and universities have only recently realized this same thing: In order to increase and maintain alumni engagement long after graduation, it is vital to establish the connection with the alumni before they leave and spread out all over the country and around the world. They are doing this by creating networking “affinity” groups and other opportunities to get involved. These efforts help students sustain their relationships with each other and – through this – sustain their connections with their universities.

By remaining active with your alumni organization, you may also have the opportunity to share news about your business that may catch the eye of your fellow graduates. Because I kept my schools updated with what I was doing in business, I was given a full feature article in one undergraduate university I attended, and two features in another!

2. Technical Tools Do Much of the Work For You

With the constant moving around that everyone does today, people are making more contacts than ever…and it’s impossible to keep track of every valuable contact without the use of technical tools. For this reason, it’s vital to set up – and maintain – a database of the people you come in contact with.

In addition to the standard contact databases available in Microsoft Outlook or Apple Contacts, or the more robust contact management systems such as ACT, there are web-based contact storage systems that let you store your contacts in “the cloud.” You can do this in Gmail, MSN Live, Yahoo – or through your account in LinkedIn or Plaxo.  My favorite online system is www.Relate2Profit.com. They have elements that directly relate to someone’s networking efforts.

Don’t forget the amazing capabilities of smart phones to help you store important contact information. For example, there’s a new mobile app available for iPhone and Android phones called Go2Tag. This app literally allows you to create and apply customized “tags” to your contacts, so that you can remember who came from where, and where they’re from: university classmates, those you met at a particular chamber or other networking group, contacts you meet at trade shows…even those you make through church, civic groups, or your kids’ school or sports activities).

3. Online Business and Social Networks

Facebook was started at Harvard University, and now it’s morphed into an international network of people, from students to parents, from entrepreneurs to brands, from friends to families and more. I hear stories all the time about how adults have re-connected with classmates they haven’t seen in years. LinkedIn is the largest “business-only” social network, and you will likely find many of your former classmates on there.

These are just two of the many social networks available for you to connect and keep in contact.

As you can see, there are many tools available today for maintaining contact with former classmates; you decide which work best for you. The main thing is to maintain touch points with these potentially wonderful business contacts. You can’t just pick up the phone and ask for a favor out of the blue 10, 15 or 20 years later!

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His newest book, Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com. Dr. Misner is also the Senior Partner of the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

What is networking?

The definition of networking, according to Entrepreneur.com, is “Developing and using contacts made in business for purposes beyond the reason for the initial contact. For example, a sales representative may ask a customer for names of others who may be interested in his product.”

Let’s take this definition a little bit further by introducing the force of the Internet.  Let’s define online networking as “Creating contacts in an online environment for purposes beyond the context of the original contact. For example, a book marketer may approach an Internet forum full of goat herders to see if there are any authors there who might need his help.”

What’s the importance of networking?

The importance of networking depends on the how much value you can get out of it.  If you use it to create enough business to reach your goals, then it’s very important.  If you network for purposes that don’t aid you in your endeavors, then it’s not worth much.

How you network is key to its importance and value.

How do I network online?

Let’s assume you’re just starting out with your online presence.  You don’t know anybody and nobody is aware of you.

Step 1: Determine what you have to offer.  If you have nothing to offer, then go learn a useful skill set.

Step 2:  Determine what types of people need what you have to offer.

Step 3:  Seek out like-minded people.  Using your favorite search engine, search for websites tailoring to people who share similar interests with you.  These can be interests other than the service/product you have to offer.  Take my goat herder example from above (as silly as it sounds).  You might find groups on Facebook, Internet forums, meet up groups, blogs, or any other social media site.

Step 4:  Start authentic dialogue.  This is the only way to get people interested in what you have to offer.  Remember, people are buying YOU.  Be open about yourself and what you have to offer.  Test your mettle.

I’m using this process myself.  I didn’t just make it up for the sake of making myself look smart.  Use this process and you will get results.

What kind of online networking results are you getting?

If you want more information on networking, check out Dr. Ivan Misner’s posts. He’s the master of networking.

You see, people like for others to listen to their opinions and advice. By inviting your network members to talk, you can get better acquainted with their knowledge, decision-making abilities and attitudes. Receiving someone’s advice also gives you a perfect reason to contact her again, to thank her and let her know what you plan to do. This is a great way to keep your resources informed and, of course, to get their opinions about what you are doing.

Here’s a story about how a simple request for advice led to much more…

An owner of a small creative services firm relocated across the country, from one state to another. The new state offered a more favorable business climate for her business. The complexities of her business set-up in her former state, however, prevented her plans from moving forward. Frustrated by the lack of success in trying to communicate with government entities in another state two time zones away, her plans for business development in her new state literally came to a standstill.

The business owner decided to approach a CPA who had recently joined her networking group. She sat with the CPA briefly after the networking meeting, and gave a brief overview of the situation. The CPA turned out to be very knowledgeable about interstate business, and in one or two sentences identified the crux of the problem and what the business owner needed to do to move forward in her new state.

That sounds like a happy ending…but it doesn’t end there.

Because the CPA proved so very knowledgeable, the business owner enlisted the services of the CPA, who was able to take care of the problem in less than two weeks. Incredibly relieved of this burden, the business owner then transferred all of her financial and recordkeeping functions to the CPA’s firm, and referred at least three other business owners to that CPA, based on the wonderful help she had received. As an added bonus, the CPA, learning about what types of services offered by the business owner, referred to her someone who ended up purchasing an array of her services over a long period of time.

And all of this happened from one single request for a bit of expert advice from one member of a networking group to another!

When preparing to ask your network for advice, here are some important tips:

Ask your network member for advice or opinions on something she enjoys talking about, and to which you expect her to have an answer.

Asking someone in your network for advice on an issue or area that is not in her area of expertise will only put her on the spot and make her uncomfortable. People don’t like being put on the spot in that way.

Listen carefully and respond appropriately, directing your questions toward what your network member says in conversation.

If you’re going to ask for advice, then make sure you are seriously going to consider the expert opinion you are seeking. If the person feels you are not really interested in what she has to say, she will not be enthusiastic about helping you in the future.

Have a logical reason for wanting the information.

If the person to whom you address your questions feels you are just using her as an excuse to promote your services, or for reasons that are not entirely scrupulous, she will not only be less likely to help you in the future, she will also be less confident of your ability to help her…or her clients!

Avoid potentially controversial and sensitive issues.

This may sound like common sense, but there is a limit to what you should ask someone with whom you are in a networking relationship. If you delve too far into the sensitive or personal, you might cause the person to feel uncomfortable, and could even damage the relationship in the future.

Don’t ask your network member to give you advice that she would otherwise charge you for.

A quick question or two in the area of the members’ expertise is fine, but be careful not to cross the line between advice and free service. In the case of the business owner we described above, notice she was quick to recognize when to switch from a quick-advice conversation, to enlisting – and paying for – the valuable services of the CPA.

Finally, remember this very important – and often overlooked – piece of advice: People are more likely to remember their own words than others, so if you want people to remember your conversation, let them do most of the talking.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.  His newest book, Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com.  Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

Networking is more than shaking hands and passing around business cards. Based on a survey I conducted of more than 2,000 people throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, it’s about building your “social capital.” The highest-rated traits in the survey are the ones related to developing and maintaining good relationships. For years I’ve been teaching people that this process is more about “farming” than it is about “hunting.” It’s about cultivating relationships with other business professionals. It’s about realizing the capital that comes from building social relationships.

The following traits were ranked in order of perceived importance to networking. They are the traits that will make you a “master networker.”

1. Follows up on Referrals. This was ranked as the NUMBER ONE trait of successful networkers. If you present an opportunity, whether it is a simple piece of information, a special contact, or a qualified business referral, to someone who consistently fails to follow up successfully, it’s no secret that eventually you’ll stop wasting your time with this person.

2. Positive Attitude. A consistently negative attitude makes people dislike being around you and drives away referrals; a positive attitude makes people want to associate and cooperate with you. Positive business professionals are like magnets. Others want to be around them and will send their friends, family and associates to them.

3. Enthusiastic/Motivated. Think about the people you know. Who gets the most referrals? People who show the most motivation, right? It has been said that the best sales characteristic is enthusiasm. To be respected within our networks, we at least need to sell ourselves with enthusiasm. Once we’ve done an effective job of selling ourselves, we will be able to reap the reward of seeing our contacts sell us to others! That is motivation in and of itself!

4. Trustworthy. When you refer one person to another, you are putting your reputation on the line. You have to be able to trust your referral partner and be trusted in return. Neither you nor anyone else will refer a contact or valuable information to someone who can’t be trusted to handle it well.

5. Good Listening Skills. Our success as networkers depends on how well we can listen and learn. The faster you and your networking partner learn what you need to know about each other, the faster you’ll establish a valuable relationship. Communicate well, and listen well.

6. Networks Always. Master networkers are never “off-duty.” Networking is so natural to them that they can be found networking in the grocery store line, at the doctor’s office and when picking the kids up from school, as well as at the chamber mixers and networking meetings.

7. Thanks People. Gratitude is sorely lacking in today’s business world. Expressing gratitude to business associates and clients is just another building-block in the cultivation of relationships that will lead to increased referrals. People like to refer others to business professionals who go above and beyond. Thanking others at every opportunity will help you stand out from the crowd.

8. Enjoys Helping. Helping others can be done in a variety of ways, from literally showing up to help with an office move, to clipping a helpful and interesting article and mailing it to an associate or client. Master networkers keep their eyes and ears open for opportunities to advance other people’s interests whenever they can.

9. Sincere. Insincerity is like a cake without frosting! You can offer the help, the thanks, the

listening ear, but if you are not sincerely interested in the other person, they will know it! Those who have developed successful networking skills convey their sincerity at every turn. One of the best ways to develop this trait is to give your undivided attention to the individual with whom you are developing a referral relationship.

10. Works Their Network. It’s not net-sit or net-eat, it’s net-WORK and master networkers don’t let any opportunity to work their networks pass them by. They manage their contacts with contact-management software, organize their email address files and carry their referral partners’ business cards as well as their own. They set up appointments to get better acquainted with new contacts so that they can learn as much about them as possible so that they can truly become part of each other’s networks.

Do you see the trend with these 10 points? They all tie in to long-term relationship building, not simply stalking the prey for the big kill. People who take the time to build their social capital are the ones who will have new business referred to them over and over. The key is to build mutually beneficial business relationships. Only then will you succeed as a master networker.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.  His newest book, Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com.  Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

With social media, the key to success is outlining a strategy that takes into account the amount of time you can realistically dedicate each day to your online marketing efforts, and to be consistent.  People have a tendency to get online at random times and start clicking away. Then something mysterious happens in the “space-time continuum” and all of a sudden two hours go by and they have nothing to show for it!  Here’s how to avoid falling victim to that trap . . . have a plan and work it! Write up a plan for how often you will work your social media and for how long.

Sit down and map out a weekly schedule that outlines specific days and times during which you will spend developing your social media strategy. Figure out what’s realistic and what makes sense for your company and go from there. For example, you might schedule yourself simply to post one update at 9 a.m., one at 1 p.m., and one at 5 p.m. daily, and then dedicate 10 minutes to responding to comments and direct messages at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you might then dedicate 10 minutes at 10 a.m. and 10 minutes at 3 p.m. to re-tweeting people’s comments that you find valuable and also thanking people for mentioning you or for re-tweeting your posts. This is just an example, but you should definitely take the time to devise a social media strategy along these lines that specifically makes sense for you.

Leverage your time! Be sure to utilize the various tools currently available that are designed specifically to save you time in your social media efforts. For example, sites like http://ping.fm, www.seesmic.com, and www.tweetdeck.com are designed to send your social media updates to multiple social networking sites, including Twitter and Facebook, with one click.

Some sites even allow you to link multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts (if you have more than one) to one desktop application where you can post updates to all sites as well as view and respond to your friends’ posts on those sites and keep a log of all your past posts. This means no more logging into multiple social networking sites . . .  you can manage all your social networking accounts from one place!

Also, there are sites such as www.cotweet.com where you can schedule updates in advance so your updates will be posting even while you’re not online. With all the traveling I do, this is a tool that I’ve personally found to be very useful.

Once you have your strategy in place, you will no doubt be anxious to start seeing a return on your online networking investment and it’s very important to remember one thing: Networking, whether online or face-to-face, is more about farming than it is about hunting.  It’s about cultivating relationships with people. The bottom line is – it takes time. It is about building the credibility of your brand. That doesn’t happen overnight.

Return on Investment (ROI) is directly correlated to either:

1.     Dollars spent (online paid marketing), or

2.     Time and/or effort spent – in saturating and building strong profiles on whatever social media channels are deemed effective for the brand (including blogging).

Don’t forget that some businesses will benefit much more from spending more effort on “niche” networks that may have less traffic, but that are more targeted to the brand’s ultimate consumer.

If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep it will not be successful. It is important that you create a network that is both wide and deep. You do this by being visible and engaging in the conversation. Over time, this gives you credibility that leads to building your brand and your sales and that will ultimately give you the biggest ROI for your online marketing efforts.

Most of what I’ve discussed so far has focused on what you should do in order to carry out an effective and profitable social media campaign for your business. But there are also some things you should be sure to avoid in order to be successful.

Below are the top five common mistakes that businesses make when it comes to social media networking—avoid all of these:

1.     Spending too much time on sites you enjoy and not fully evaluating whether those particular sites are the most effective ones for your efforts.

2.     Going onto a site for “work” and then running down rabbit holes getting distracted by friends who may have posted something interesting or something that requires a response.

3.     Not being able to properly define when it is more cost-effective to delegate certain social media responsibilities to someone else to handle.

4.     Setting up a blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter page and then not keeping it populated – consistency and fresh content are key.

5.     Forgetting that social media is about engaging in the conversation and not just about selling.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.  His newest book, Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com.  Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

The second night we were anchored off Hope Island, and very strong winds came up. Our captain started the engines and backed the ship up, letting out more length of chain to the anchor. Curious (and I must admit, a bit concerned), I asked him how it was possible for such a small anchor to hold the ship in place with the winds blowing against it so strongly.

“It is the chain that is holding the ship, not the anchor,” he informed me. After the anchor is lowered, the captain looks to the first mate, who signals from the prow which direction the chain is laying on the bottom of the sea. The captain can then maneuver into the right position and let out the necessary amount of chain to hold the ship in the particular conditions at that time.

This particular night, with the winds growing stronger, he recognized that he needed to let out more chain.
Well, I began to see how this dynamic was relevant to networking. An anchor in any good networking program is the system, the process of doing business through relationships. But it’s not the system or the process that has the strength at all! It is the length of the chain holding the networking program in place!

As you take a look at the networking groups you may be participating in, think about the links or relationships you have formed with the individual members. How many links does your chain have? Do you have strong relationships with many of the other members of the group, or are you closely linked with some, but disconnected and detached from others for whatever reason?

So how do you go about letting out more chain during times when the economic winds have strengthened against our businesses? I submit that it’s time to get serious about developing stronger relationships with each and every member of the networking groups you participate in, even with the people you don’t think have the contacts you might want or perhaps are in a business that is not exactly symbiotic with yours.

Have you done one-to-ones with those people as well? Spending the time to do one-to-ones with each and every active member of your network helps you develop a longer and stronger chain. Each person in your network is one of the links that lengthens that chain.

The wisdom of laying down a longer chain to strengthen the ability of the anchor to hold strong is critical for the success of your personal network.

Another aspect of this anchoring process is watching the first mate. Look for networking organizations that have leaders who are qualified to signal the direction the chain is lying as the dynamic in your group changes. Watch for guidance in what adjustments to make to ensure that your network is pointed in the right direction. At one point in our anchoring process while at sea, the first mate literally dove into the water to loosen the chain where it had become hooked on a coral formation. You need qualified people in your personal network who are willing to dive in to help lead a network in the right direction.

So starting this week, try making your main focus the development of your “relationship chain” within your personal network. I guarantee it will be what anchors your business and your networking efforts for longevity, despite economic fluctuations. The old adage that a chain is as strong as its weakest link is true for a network as well as a ship.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Called “The Father of Modern Networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest #1 bestseller, The 29% Solution can be viewed at www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com).

Q: Aren’t there times when networking is just not appropriate? I feel like I am never able to just relax and enjoy an event in order to be a successful networker.

A: Although I advocate that networking is a lifestyle and that you need to incorporate it into everything you do, I also believe that you must honor the event. This means that in some cases you are going to network a lot differently than you would in other cases. For example, networking at a chamber mixer is one thing, while networking at a church social is something completely different.

First, we must understand what I mean by “networking.” I believe that networking is part of the process of developing your social capital. Building your social capital hinges on the development of meaningful relationships with other people. Since one should always be working on building meaningful relationships with other people, he or she should always be networking. However, that doesn’t mean someone should always be trying to sell something to someone, because that rarely facilitates the development of meaningful relationships. Herein lies the misinterpretation of the practice of networking. Some people think that networking means to be constantly selling your products or services.

To me, networking means that you should constantly build relationships. The best way to build relationships is to help someone whenever possible. A good networker has two ears and one mouth and should use them proportionately. Hence, if you understand networking to be the process one uses to develop relationships and build one’s social capital, then it makes sense that someone should network everywhere-including the church social. The key is that you must honor the event.

To truly honor the event, you need to network appropriately. That means your networking approach must be different in a chamber meeting compared to a social event. In both cases, you should make contacts, put people together, help others and build relationships. However, you should not be actively promoting your business in one of those two groups. (Hint: It’s not the chamber.) Instead, at a church function, you should simply focus on putting people together and helping others.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Last year, I had the opportunity to attend a formal dinner put on by the “Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.” This was a black-tie social event, not a business networking dinner, yet I was able to make a great contact that ended up being immensely successful for me (and, I hope, for one of the people I met there).

You see, seated at my table were a prominent senior partner to a major international law firm, a former member of the Beach Boys and Buzz Aldrin, part of the first mission to set foot on the moon and now an entrepreneur as the founder of the ShareSpace Foundation. During the course of the evening, I mentioned to Aldrin that I was working on a new book entitled Masters of Success. He’s certainly attained a well-known level of success and has some very strong feelings about the future of the space program, so I thought he might be interested in sharing his thoughts in this new book. After getting to know each other better, I asked him if he would be interested in contributing a chapter to the book. He was. Consequently, he is one of the prominent contributing authors to the book, and I believe it’s a win-win for both of us.

As you can see, it is desirable to keep your networking goals in sight at all events and opportunities, without becoming a networking vulture or someone that everyone else runs from when they see you coming. Honor the event and tailor your networking strategies so that you fit in without being tuned out.

Another very important aspect of successful, active networking is to be sincere. There are people who are so successful at networking that they are able to network virtually everywhere, and it’s because they really care about making connections for others, not just for themselves. I have seen that those who network exclusively for selfish gain come across as very shallow and insincere.

Make no mistake about it: Networking can be done with a selfish end in mind, but if you are truly living the mantra that “givers gain,” you will come across very differently. No one minds the opportune exchange of information that will benefit one or more people, even when that exchange takes the form of a business card at a bar mitzvah.

Once, someone I barely knew contacted me and asked if I would promote his business service within my networking organization. I considered this person a business associate, but definitely not someone I knew very well. That request made me think about how many people assume that if they’ve met you, they can ask for something that only a close associate would be willing to do.

Master networkers know that having a good contact doesn’t necessarily make someone a good connection. Having run an international networking organization for more than two decades, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that it’s not “what you know,” or even “who you know.” It’s “how well you know them” that really counts in building a powerful personal network.

This means your network must not only be broad, it must also be deep. Unfortunately, I believe most people focus on the broad aspect more than the deep aspect. In other words, they concentrate on making more and more contacts hoping to find that one special person who’ll solve their business needs this month.

When developing a reliable and effective network, it’s very important to keep depth in mind as much as breadth! What do I mean by this? When you need to rely on others to help you out (promote your program to their client base or cross market your products), it’s critical that you’ve done the work of strengthening your connections well in advance of your need.

When you’re considering asking someone in your personal network for a favor, ask yourself if they’re a “contact” or a “connection.” In this context, a contact is someone you know, but with whom you haven’t fully established a strong relationship. On the other hand, a connection is someone who knows you and trusts you because you’ve taken the time to establish credibility with them.

Unrealistic expectations of your network come from trying to “use” your network for support that your contacts might not feel you deserve, or feel they have no obligation to provide. You really do have to earn the loyalty and engagement of your referral sources. You want your network to have very deep roots.

In Southern California, we have many huge, tall and lush eucalyptus trees that topple over fairly easily in heavy winds almost every year. When they’re uprooted and blown over by the wind, you can see that their root system is broad and wide, but not very deep at all. Don’t let this happen to you! The following are some tangible ways to deepen the roots of your network:

• Build quality relationships. Take the time necessary to deepen the relationships between you and your referral sources. We’re all so driven and pressed for time; but in order to deepen your networking relationships, you must make the time to go beyond the normal business interactions with those from whom you want to be able to ask for support. Invite them to appropriate social functions, backyard barbecues and sporting events. Get to know these key people outside of the business environment whenever possible. The more of a friendship you can count between you, the more expectations you can both have from each other’s networking efforts.

• Think about where you can network to help build deep roots. There are the tried-and-true places to network, such as referral groups, networking mixers, social events and online networks. I talk about several different types of networks that you should consider in my article, “Want to Join a Networking Group?.”

• Remember, however, that it’s not enough to just show up; you must establish credibility with people before you can expect them to help you in some way. When someone tries to hurry the process, they tend to hurt relationships–not build their business.

• Change your focus from “what’s in it for me?” to “what can I offer you?” This is perhaps the most powerful technique for deepening and widening your networks. When building a deep network, do the things you can to bring business and contacts to your networking partners. Share pertinent information with them and invite them to business meetings that’ll position them favorably with others they need to get to know. Keep in mind that you want to get to the point where your networking partners know you always have something to give them. In short, do what it takes to “earn” the help you might need to ask for down the road. It’s no wonder the most effective and powerful networking entrepreneurs live by the philosophy that “givers gain.”

I hope you’re seeing a trend in each of these points. When deepening your network, you want to focus on giving to your referral sources. It’s that tried-and-true analogy of farming versus hunting when building a business through word of mouth. Give your time, give your knowledge, and give what your referral sources need to succeed. As you develop stronger networking skills, it’s better to put on the farmer’s overalls and cultivate the connections you need to be able to call in support for programs and products you want to promote.

We all know the best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago; however, the next best time is right now! It’s never too late to change your focus and develop business relationships with very deep roots–as well as far-reaching breadth.

I’m often asked these days about how to network and build a referral business as a home-based business owner. Let me start by saying that I ran two home-based businesses for many years. During the eight years I worked from home, I learned a great deal about the pros and cons of working from home and how it related to my networking efforts.

Working from home has its own unique rewards and challenges. And although most of the networking techniques that work for any business also work for most home-based businesses, there are at least two important issues that I think apply to a home-based business more than any other.

The first issue relates to introducing yourself to others in networking environments. One important thing I learned while being a home-based business owner related to how I promoted myself at networking groups or when meeting people one on one.

My opinion in this area rubs some home-based business owners the wrong way, but I feel strongly about it: When networking, I don’t recommend you share the fact that you run a home-based business. I believe this characteristic is what I call a “neutral/negative” feature of your business. That is, telling people you meet in networking environments that you “work from home” has either a neutral or a negative impact because it either doesn’t matter to them, or they’re not impressed that you operate your business out of your house.

When I worked from home, I rarely, if ever, met anyone who said, “Oh, fantastic, you work from home–I must do business with you!” Working from home was just not something that I found made people “want” to do business with me; therefore, why should it be emphasized when meeting people through networking?

I open with this issue because it’s something that I see being done to this day. Often, when I attend a networking function, I see someone stand, say what they do, how people can refer them and then add at the end that he or she runs a home-based business. I believe that bit of information will generally have no impact or a negative impact on what people think of your potential abilities–it almost never has a positive impact on people wanting to do business with you. (Please note that I never hid that my business was home-based. I simply didn’t bring it up until after I had a business relationship with the individual.)

The second issue is that it’s important to break out of what I call Cave-Dweller Syndrome.

I find that many home-based business owners seriously suffer from Cave-Dweller Syndrome. Here is how the non-home-based business owner suffers from this syndrome:

He gets up each morning in a large cave with a big-screen TV–his home. He goes out to his garage and gets into a little cave with four wheels–his car. He goes to another really big cave with plenty of computers–his office. At the end of the day, he gets back into his little cave with four wheels and drives back to the large cave with the big-screen TV and can’t figure out why no one is referring him.

For home-based business owners, it’s far worse because they don’t even leave their large cave with the big screen TV to go to the cave with the computers. They’re one and the same!

And it’s even harder for those working from home to get out of their caves. So for you home-based business owners who want to build your business through word of mouth, you have to be visible and active in the community by participating in various networking groups and/or professional associations. It’s critical for you to join organized networking groups and professional associations that will get you out of your cave. These kinds of groups include: Casual Contact Networks (like your local chamber of commerce), Business Development Networks (like my own BNI), professional organizations (almost all professions have one), and service clubs (like the Rotary or Lions Clubs).

Look for other ways to be very visible in your circle of influence. For example, be active in your child’s school PTA or your church. Keep your eye open for opportunities to be involved in groups of people who come together for a common cause.

These opportunities will afford you the chance to build relationships, and that’s what social capital is all about. Visibility leads to credibility which, in turn, leads to profitability.

The bottom line is, networking doesn’t change too much whether your business is based from home or a corporate location. But there are a few key points to remember that are specific to working from home. The dynamics of developing a strong word-of-mouth-based business transcends your business location.

The caveat for the home-based business owner is that you’ll have to be even more diligent and focused about finding those networking opportunities.

Q: What do you see as effective strategies for further facilitating business networking using the Internet?

A: The short answer is that it’s a great way to communicate with people, but it’s not a panacea to solve your networking needs anymore than it will solve all your advertising needs.

The Internet is an excellent vehicle for networking via bulletin board and chat room communities. These communities allow people to connect on a regular basis, exchange information and ideas and get to know one another a little better. In addition, staying in touch via the Internet has no equal. I’ve found it to be a very powerful mechanism for regularly connecting with people with whom I already have a casual relationship. That’s the key–that the Internet is a great tool for staying in touch with people you’ve already established a connection with. Granted, you may do some business with people that you’ve met on a Web community. However, for the most part, people do “repetitive” business with people they know and trust. Sure, I’ve seen some business relationships begin, develop and prosper via the Internet, but I’ve found that most repetitive referral relationships start through personal contact and are maintained via Internet communication. Nothing beats good old-fashioned face-to-face networking to start the process of building a relationship and trust.

A couple years ago, I wrote the forward to the book Internet Prophet by Mary Diffley. In it, I stated that we don’t live on Little House on the Prairie anymore, and today’s frontier isn’t in the West, it’s on the Net. We live in the Internet age, where change seems to take place at light speed. If you’re in business today, you definitely need to be on the Net.

The Internet simultaneously flattens the communication hierarchy while broadening people’s access to ideas, information, products and services. The Internet is to the world what the printing press was hundreds of years ago. It is to the world what radio and television were only decades ago. The Internet has opened doors and opportunities in a way beyond anything that has preceded it.

In only a few short years, an entire technology, vocabulary, culture, and marketplace has been born. Cyber entrepreneurs, customers, and a whole new economy have evolved at such a blinding speed that it’s no wonder so many business owners are at a loss about what to do and how to do it when it relates to the Internet and their business.

Understanding e-business fundamentals, creating an Internet business plan, developing and marketing a company’s website, and understanding how to network on the Internet are all new concepts for today’s business professional, including authors trying to sell their books on the Internet. Those businesses that neglect to consider these issues today will most surely be a casualty of this new technology tomorrow. But more importantly, those businesses that do consider these issues today will be the success stories of tomorrow.