Butterfly or Mole?

Okay, here's my theory.

Those who say they love networking events are social networkers who like a butterfly flit from person to person without stopping to really connect. These are the people who also like to partake of all the food and drinks. They may be known as the king(or queen) of networking because they know so many people. A good networking event for them is a fun networking event.

Those who go to networking events because it is good business sense to do so, may not have fun at all. These events may be the ultimate challenge for them. They may be shy or not good at small talk. But when they measure the return on the investment for their time, they say, "I met a very good contact and we talked for quite a long time. We have an appointment to get together next week." Those people stay under the radar that identifies flashy networkers, so they may be unknown in their community. They could be called the networking mole.

Which are you, butterfly or mole? Which do you think is better?

Finding the Why

Module 8 was Friday. It is my favorite. In the four years of teaching Certified Networker, now to over 300 people, it really is a turning point for both the class and me. Through a process in class, the students find out (probably for the first time) why they do what they do. It is important to know that, because that is the emotional power for their success.

The participants in this current Friday morning class have been stars in every assignment. They all rose to the occasion with this work. We jokingly call this the Kleenex session and Friday was no different.

Denny Austin, shared that he saw did not personally experience being bullied as a youngster, but that he saw it enough. Working as an investigator on Worker's Comp Fraud cases, he has actually investigated a couple bullies from his past. The old saying of, "What goes around, comes around," certainly describes this situation. Denny said, "The reason I do what I do is that I want to be a good example to my three boys of what is the right thing to do."

Pat Golba-Lynch, also a member of the Friday class, sells Arbonne like many other women. But her story is different. A teacher's impatience with her left-handedness, made her lose her confidence as a youngster. Now Pat, helps women to feel confident, or to gain the confidence that she knows is so important. That's why she choose to become an Arbonne representative after a long time teaching career.

When you think about your career choice, why do you do what you do?

Word of Blog for WOMMA

Last year about this time I joined WOMMA, The Word of Mouth Marketing Association. I felt that this group was my answer to the professional association that I wanted to belong to in order to gain and share knowledge. While this organization may not fill that need for me, I learned a ton of new information just attending their conference early this year in Orlando. I wouldn't be the proud creator of this blog without having attended. I would not have heard and met Scott Ginsberg, a young man whose energy and creativity continues to spur me on.

You don't need to be a member of WOMMA to attend their conferences. So-o-o-o,

I'm spreading the word about WOMMA's Word of Mouth Marketing Summit. Scheduled for Dec. 12-13 in Washington, D.C., this is the ultimate word of mouth marketing event. There will be more than 70 speakers, several big-name authors, and three keynotes. Anyone who wants to get into word of mouth, viral, buzz, or blog marketing needs to be at this conference! Register online now at www.womma.org/summit2.

Don't miss your opportunity to learn more than you ever thought about word of mouth marketing.

Do you have an association that you can recommend for those connected to the word of mouth world, but who are not in the advertising and promo fields?

I Want That, Too!

A friend of mine, Leasa Maxx, Maxx Grafx, sent this cartoon to me a couple days ago and I immediately wanted to include it in this blog. I just received permission from Tallie Fishburne to use it. Tallie is the wife and business manager for Tom Fishburne, the creator of this cartoon and many others. You can view more of his work at www.skydeckcartoons.com. I think he has captured the essence of the power of word of mouth marketing. First I laughed and then I was in awe of his ability to simply send the message. Tom has a book of his cartoons called Brand Camp.

How do you think word on mouth has changed the way business is done? Or is it not different at all?

Pumpkins and People

Sunday I took advantage of the wonderful, Midwest fall weather and got out in my garden for a couple hours. It is always kind of a sad time to begin pulling out the plants that have produced all season, but at the same time there is for me a feeling of satisfaction to see the visual evidence of the last part of the harvest. Pumpkins, or at least my pumpkins, are an example of this.

My pumpkins vines are not well-trained. They wander all over the garden through the peony bushes on one side and on to the tall forest of asparagus. One even made it into the compost bin!

As a result, I'm always unaware of how many wonderful jack-o-lanterns in waiting are there. Sunday I pulled all the pumpkins from the secret hiding places and put them in a pile. It occurred to me that the pile could represent networking at its best.

Before I created the pile, I had no idea of what was there for me. After I gathered the gourds, I knew for sure the strength of the crop. If I don't gather and meet with a helpful, dedicated group of people on a regular basis, the strength of my networking is scattered. I know it is there someplace, but it is not organized or always helpful.

I have two ways I meet with helpful people -- my Partners for Success BNI Chapter keeps me connected weekly and my wonderful Master Mind gang gets together monthly.

What ways do you gather the people who help you to harvest more business and be more successful?