Six Dollars = ?

Remember in grade school when you exchanged names at Christmas time to secretly give small gifts to that person. Well, Secret Santa is alive an well in Toledo, Ohio.

Jeff Pettit is the owner of Artistic Memorials, a firm that creates markers for grave sites and other public locations. Jeff is the first to admit that the economy is affecting his business. Recently Jeff and his wife attended a Dave Ramsey financial seminar and Jeff came away knowing that he wanted to give back in some way. He called me and asked if he could subsidize the December Certified Networker monthly lunch at six dollars per person. Now what nice surprise.

At the lunch Jeff explained his reason for making this offering. He hoped that each six dollar amount given might be a catalyst for that person to "Pay it Forward." And he hoped that the six dollar gift would multiply as it moved forward.

What would you do if you had received that unexpected six dollars to continue the gift giving?

It's as Easy as One, Two, Three

Here is my thought for the day on relationship development.

Typically, most experts divide the levels of relationship into three levels. Just like in the three bears -- Goldilocks had to get to the right porridge and the right-sized chair. We have to determine with each person we meet, to what level the relationship can travel.

In the last couple years, I've realized that three levels really doesn't tell the story.

The middle level is where we gain connectivity; some people call it the relationship level and others call it the credibility level.

Here's what I propose. We need to divide that level into three segments, too. So we'd have Level 1 Relationship, Level 2 Relationship and Level 3 Relationship. Each level has descriptors of that paricular Level, which make it different from the others.

I have felt this for a long time, but it wasn't until just recently that I began to articulate it.

What do you think about this?

Hair Color

A couple weeks ago, I attended a Youth Leadership Toledo lunch. At the lunch the young gentleman that I sat next to, Alberto Serrano, a sophomore at Maumee, Ohio high school, made my day when he exclaimed about my hair. Now I have to tell you that I never want to be ordinary with my hair and it has been wilder in the past. Right now it still gets comments like Alberto's but for me its tame.

Alberto has beautiful, dark, shiny black hair. He told me that he wants to dye his bangs red but that he was discouraged from doing so, because it just wouldn't be right. This didn't come from his mom, by the way.

Alberto sent me a thank you note for coming to the lunch with the students and in the note he said that my image had given him the feeling that he should express himself sometime in the future, too. Maybe now is not the right time, but soon.

When I was in high school, boys were starting to imitate the Beatles' hairstyles. One coach refused to allow students with long hair (and if you look back those styles were mild) to try out for his team. I guess those were the times.

I hope that Alberto gets to color his hair soon. After all, what is important here. Hair or a well-adjusted, community-minded young man.

Is it a Fit?

Recently two of my friends have shared experiences with me about being strong-armed by referral sources. In both instances my friends didn't feel good about the situation.

I asked a few questions in each of the above situations.

In both, my two friends didn't have knowledge of the target market of the said partners. Now, I tell ya' that's a killer right there. How in the world can anyone help another if the person wanting help (in the form of new business) doesn't know and can't articulate what prospects they want?

Yeesh!

Secondly, in each situation, my friends were feeling pressured to be in the partnership. This is where I tell everyone to take a step back. If you are having gut level feelings like this, it is probably because your gut is trying to tell you something.

I think a very good phrase to use in this instance is, "You know I'd rather preserve our friendship than jump into something that just doesn't seem right for both of us."

Referral partnerships should feel natural. If it doesn't at the beginning, just like in a marriage, it probably won't get better later.

What is your experience in working with referral partners?

Blah, blah, blah, me, me, me

Yesterday afternoon a guy called me. I am loosely acquainted with him. But that's it, l-o-o-s-e-l-y!

He called because he wanted me to connect him with one of my friends who is a fairly important person in the BNI network. This gentleman who called me is not a member of BNI and the reason he wanted the connection was that he wanted to gain an opportunity to sell a product at an upcoming BNI conference. I shared with him that BNI does business with its members in all aspects. Therefore it would be fruitless for me to connect him with this person.

He went on to say, "Well you know, I've been a member of BNI in the past and I wouldn't have a problem joining again. I was also (at the same time) a member of (competing group to BNI) but neither of them have worked very well for me." Duh! I wonder why! I wonder where his loyalties lie? Probably not far outside his skin.

The whole, late, Friday afternoon conversation was about him, his product, his lack of success with networking groups, his referral requests that were not honored, etc. It just doesn't work for him. Never in the conversation did he talk about what he could give. I felt like I needed to wash my hands when I finally clicked the off button on the phone.

The frustrating part for me is that if people could just get the concept of giving without expectation, especially in the referral world, that wonderful things will come back. I truly do believe that the universe pays back, not necessarily in a direct way.

Anyway, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I think it is especially impactful in this week before the American Thanksgiving. Maybe this week, we can all give a referral or help to someone who is not expecting it.

What do ya' think?

Adversity = Product

My friend Christine Kummerer lost her job due to the economic slowdown in NW Ohio. A graphic artist, she decided to take a deep breath and start her own company, Kreations by Christine. She also participated in some of the job clubs, not convinced that business ownership was for her. Lucky for the club members, Christine is creative, or Kreative as her business card implies!

She has developed resume business cards taking the now old idea of the
"brochure" business card and instead, turning it into a mini resume. I think this is just such a usable idea for the job seeker who may be attending many networking events. Whipping out the letter-sized resume always seemed so awkward and especially for the person receiving it. What it the heck do you do with that big pile of paper, when you want to keep your hands free to shake hands and write notes? With the resume business card, it gives enough information that it can create interest.

Job seekers everywhere can connect with Christine at ckummerer1@roadrunner.com to order this ingenious marketing product. What do you this of this idea?

Sweepstakes

Was at a morning networking meeting this week where Dionne Neubauer, the COO of the chamber delivered a talk about all the opportunities that the chamber provides to its members.

Also, my networking tip at this event was for people to write two things of interest about themselves on one business card and then to be willing to share one point of interest with someone they chat with after the meeting and also to find out about this person's interest.

So after the meeting I was at the back of the room chatting with my friend Lynne Calvelage. She is co-owner of my favorite coffee shop in Findlay, Coffee Amici. She commented, "I get it, there is lots of stuff for us as business people to do, but we have to take advantage of it. It doesn't just happen." Within seconds Jody Walters, sales person for the FindlayNOW magazine joined us. She said, "Guess what one of my interests is!" Lynne and I were amazed that she enters sweepstakes on a regular basis AND she wins."

The three of us looked at each other and said, "If you don't play, you don't get a chance to win!"

I guess you had to be there, but it really rung true at that moment.