Unlikely Partners

Today, I visited with the Bowling Green, Ohio, Silver Dollar BNI chapter for a visitor day.

There are several reasons to have a visitor day; new members and new opportunities.

But who would think that a Heating and Cooling guy and a woman that sells Shaklee would have anything in common.

This is what I love about networking. It is so unpredictable.

Today the visitor, the HVAC guy, talked about being new to town and that they are focusing on those types of issues that are more "green" like geo-thermal and wind turbines. In fact the company name is Green by Design.

The member, Kaylene Smith, asked for people who want to live "green" lives as her referral request. Shaklee's products support that lifestyle. Now, I don't know what is going to happen with these two, but it sure would stand to reason that they might have customers in common and would be able to refer to each other.

Who'da thunk it?????

What's the most unlikely referral pairing that you have run into?

Sticking Together

Today was the monthly lunch for our Certified Networker community. It is almost always limited to those who have graduated or are currently in the class.

A little over 30 people made me proud.

They wanted to know about each other.

They asked how they could help.

They were asked today to name a grad that they will personally invite to next month's lunch.

Wow! Can you imagine what can happen if 60 of us are all in one room.

It's almost scary!

Lynda's Ladies

Saturday, I walked with a group of women, Tracee, Nicole, Amanda, Kelly, Pam, Kelly and Tina. We were were honoring our friend, Lynda Goodremont ("Good Copiers, Good People") Kelly Elton, who works for Goodremont's organized the team. She set a goal of $500 for the team and thanks to a late donation from Dave Musteric of FISH Window Cleaning we surpassed the goal.

This was the first time for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and for once it was fairly easy for me, being only five minutes from my house.

I walked a fair share of the ten laps with Tracee Swank, a new business friend. Within the last several months Tracee has decided to open an independent insurance agency and also add business coaching to her repertoire. It was invigorating to hear all her creative ideas. It helped the pain of the walking on the hard surface be manageable.

At about four laps, I was bored and ready to quit, when I thought about our friend, Lynda, who kept living life to the fullest to the very end of her life. I realized that the little bit of discomfort I was feeling in my hips was nothing.

So I have to thank both Lynda and Tracee for helping me to honor my commitment.

Do you have an accountability partner for your various activities or one for everything?

Networking with Virginia

Long before the word networking was ever bandied about, my mother, Virginia Dickinson, set the tone for how I would run my life.

When she and my dad married, she had not traveled far from her birth home of Newark, Ohio. My dad, Connecticut born, was at Ohio State University getting his PhD. I don't know why my mom was in Columbus, but I think she was working there. Little did she know that her small world would soon change.

She and my dad moved 11 times in 17 years.

Or was it 17 times in 11 eleven years. (And they were not in the military.)

After all, more than ten, who's counting! At their heyday, she and my dad sent out close to 700 Christmas cards all with a personal note from one or both of them.

How could this SHY woman; the ninth child in a family of ten; who as a child never got a word in edgewise; have so many friends?

She made a decision after a couple moves. I heard her explain herself many times. If the day she moved to the new place, she didn't start making friends that very day, six months later she would leave town without friends. And so she made friends immediately!

Talk about pushing out of a comfort zone.

But she looked at the end result and realized that a little discomfort along the way, would be far outweighed by those wonderful new friends.

Talk about a positive networking attitude.

She set the tone.

Did your parents help you to understand the value of networking?

Being Memorable

Did you go to a networking meeting today?


If so, which person do you remember most?


What makes them so memorable?

Fred Schmits, is the owner and founder of Mobil Lube, a "come to you" oil change business in Findlay, Ohio. He is also a member of the Findlay BNI chapter. Several weeks ago they had a visitor day, where the goal was to invite lots of guests to attend.

The picture shows how memorable Fred made himself that day.


After all when you hear the words "oil change tech" what do you envision?

Certainly not the tuxedoed butler, complete with blue rubber gloves.

I'm guessin' that both visitors and member still have a picture of Fred in their head as he was dressed that day. It probably just won't go away.



What are some vivid examples of marketing that you have cemented in your brain?

The Handshake

In my mind the handshake signals everything in networking. It tells me if that person is confident, or if they are a little out of their element.

Or that is my perception.

Friday, I was in Wilmington Ohio, where I presented to a chapter of the Association for YMCA Professionals. This group is from West Virginia and areas in southern Ohio all the way to the Indiana state line.

I met Angela Wakefield, Senior Program Director at the Huber Heights YMCA, a branch of the Greater Dayton "Y."

Right away she impressed me with her firm handshake.

I asked her who taught her to shake hands. She shared that her father a military man did the job, along with teaching her to look people in the eye and drive stick shift.

I laughed as it reminded me of my friend Leasa Maxx, whose dad also taught her the intricacies of shaking hands and "driving a stick."

One of my goals in life is to encourage everyone woman to teach a younger woman the proper way to shake hands.

What lessons would you like to pass on to the younger generation?

Breaking News!

Scott Ginberg, the name tag guy's newest book, hot off the presses, is available. He'll even give it to you for FREE. Go here to find out how.


Actually, I have a copy. Not only is it chock full of good stuff, but it looks pretty impressive, too.


Shiny Cover


Shiny Pages


Scott, you may only be 27, but you know how to lead even us old(er) folk with your amazing ideas.


Get the book, read a couple pages and tell me what you think.