Category Archives for referrals

Does Your Referral Network Remember Your Message


To Get Referrals; Your Referral Network Must Know Your Message

Is the message you give your referral network effective or is it lost in the clutter? To have an effective referral network; your members must know your message succinctly and clearly. If they don’t; not only will they not refer you, they can’t refer you! They simply do not have the necessary information.

You Must Provide a Clear Message to Your Referral Network

I don’t believe enough can be said about the quality, context and content of your message to your referral network. All small and most medium sized businesses succeed or fail on their ability to get people talking about the business, the individuals, the products and the services; if you can’t get this conversation going, you will not succeed!

Your Message Must Be Easy to Remember

Make it easy on yourself and your referral network; create a easily remembered message. Your referral network wants to help you, but they only have a limited amount of time and bandwidth for it to happen. It’s up to you to create a message they can easily share with their contacts.

Your Message Must Be in the Form of a Story

We have all heard “facts tell and stories sell”; your message to your referral network is no different! You need to give them something they can remember and put to use on your behalf.

Don’t Clutter Your Message with Too Much Information

Most organizations and individuals clutter their messages. They create a message which lacks focus and can’t stick with the audience. The problems come from a position of fear. People are afraid they will miss an opportunity because they don’t share a particular fact; instead they share too many facts and nothing gets communicated or remembered.

You must be specific with your message. Decide the specifics of what you want to communicate and then focus. Avoid over communicating and cluttering; make it easy for your network to remember.

If the message cannot stick; your referral network will not remember!

You Need To Make Your Message Sticky

Chip and Dan Heath wrote a book a few years ago Made to Stick and this is what you must do with your message. You message must stick with your audience. It goes back to the old speech writer’s or presenter’s instructions; tell your audience what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell your audience what you told them.

Your message must be one specific message and your referral audience will help you!

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You Must Speak the Language of Your Referral Network


Do You Speak the Language of Your Audience

Successful networkers, business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, salespeople and others have one significant trait in common; the ability to speak a language their audience understands. The ability to speak in a manner your audience understands is the key to effectively delivering your message! This is especially true with your referral network; the topic of this article.

If your referral network doesn’t understand your message; they will be ineffective in providing referrals and, in most cases, they will not even make an attempt on your behalf. Your referral network wants a message which is clear, to the point and easy to remember. Anything else and your attempts to convey your message will be wasted effort.

Things to Avoid When Delivering Your Message

Things you want to avoid in your message:

  • TMI – Too Much Information;
  • Overuse of industry jargon and acronyms;
  • Complex terms and descriptions;
  • Lists of skills, abilities, products and services;
  • Irrelevant references and information;
  • Too many options;
  • The appearance of a “Jack of All Trades, but Master of None”; and
  • Trust, reliability and credibility issues.

TMI – Too Much Information

Sometimes we get carried away when we start talking about what we do or have to offer. If your goal is to educate your referral network they must have a clear understanding of what you do, the products you sell or the services you provide. You need to know and be able to convey your primary message.

Overuse of Industry Jargon and Acronyms

Your goal should not be to make your referral network an expert in your field. (As a side note, if a conversation can rapidly create experts; you have a bigger problem to address!) You want to avoid using jargon and acronyms because your referral network, most likely, will not remember these terms or, at least, be unable to explain the terms. Rather than be embarrassed, they will not give the referral!

Your job is not to impress your referral network; your job is to educate your referral network!

Complex Terms and Descriptions

This is a big problem for many professionals whether they are doctors, engineers, computer nerds (I’m one so I can say this) or others where there are many complex terms. Using these terms may impress your referral network or most others in your audience; but they won’t bring you referrals. Your referral network must be able to easily tell your story. If they can’t; they won’t!

Lists of Skills, Abilities, Products and Services

Lists will be forgotten. Pick one or two, at the most, important points and then use those points in a story explaining the value provided. People remember stories, they do not remember lists.

Irrelevant References and Information

Don’t bog your audience down with unnecessary information. You want them to remember the important points so don’t get carried away with irrelevant details. Make your story easy and, even better, enjoyable to relate.

Too Many Options

Focus on the key points you want your audience to remember! Don’t give them a list of options and hope they remember something. Make it easy for them to make your case and refer you.

The Appearance of a “Jack of All Trades, but Master of None”

In an attempt to avoid missing opportunities we often try to present ourselves as being able to do anything and everything. Your referral network will never be able to figure this out and effectively refer you. They may give a referral saying you can do anything, but it diminishes your value and your ability to be compensated for the value you bring to the table. People will take advantage of you and without the initial specificity you will be hard pressed to argue the point.

Trust, Reliability and Credibility Issues

Lastly the language you speak MUST speak to your trust, reliability and credibility. These traits are critical to a strong referral network. If the members of your referral network have any doubts or concerns regarding your trust, reliability and credibility; they will not take a chance and refer you. Your referral network has built a relationship with their network and they will not risk jeopardizing those relationships on someone they do not find trustworthy, reliable or credible.

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Referrals: To Get Referrals You Must First Give Referrals


Referral Success Starts with a Give First Mentality

Recently Constant Contact reported 82.6% of businesses rely on referrals for new customers. What Constant Contact did not say is; how you can increase your referrals to build your business.

Increasing referrals is best accomplished with a give first mentality. When you refer a potential customer, employee, product or service; you are serving two people, having specific needs. You are helping both parties solve their problem and you MUST have no expectations.

A Successful Referral Network Starts When Your Network Knows You Are Different

First, Your Network Is Not About You!

Your network members must know you are different! You must demonstrate you are networking for mutual benefit; not personal gain. Mutual benefit does not simply mean an exchange of goods and services; mutual benefit means a legitimate concern for each party and an interest in each other’s success.

Second, A Referral Network Is Based Upon Knowledge of the Value Proposition of Your Members

  1. What value do your network members offer to their audience?
  2. What differentiates your network member from their competitors?
  3. What stories can you relate of how your network members helped their audience to explain their value?
  4. How would you describe their ideal audience? and
  5. Can you connect the dots between opportunities and the members of your network?

When you take the time to learn this information about your network members; they will understand your sincerity in being a valuable contact. When you make your first referral they will understand your commitment to being a referral member.

In one of his many training programs, Power Networking, Brian Tracy speaks of his networking process. He asks people he meets to describe their ideal client, he makes notes on the back of their business card and immediately begins looking for an individual or organization which meets the description so he can make a referral.

Do you do this? Are you looking for ways to help the members of your network find new opportunities and business?

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Why You Want to Add the Most Connected People on LinkedIn… to Your Network


Why You Want to Add the Most Connected People on LinkedIn to Your Network

Have you seen those people on LinkedIn bragging about their 20 or 30 THOUSAND connections? Is it a little off-putting and lead you so say so what? We all know there is no way they can know or stay in touch with all these people so what’s the value?

Depending upon what they do there is value to them; but there is also value to you; but only if you are connected!

Grow Your Network Value 1 – Millions of Connections

We can say all we want about these massive connectors and how they can’t do this and they can’t do that; but there is something they can do, which may have massive value to you. They are connectors and because they have 20 or 30 THOUSAND connections; connecting to them will bring 20 or 30 THOUSAND people one degree of separation away from you. It will also bring millions of people just two degrees of separation from you. Do you know of any other way you can get one or two degrees of separation away from millions people?

Grow Your Network Value 2 – Millions of Current Addresses and Contact Information

Have you ever bought a mailing list? If so, you know there can be issues with the accuracy and how current the information. On LinkedIn your connections are responsible for keeping their information current. With mailing lists you are depending upon some organization, which is periodically surveying the people on the list, to get updates. Which do you feel is more reliable?

Grow Your Network Value 3 – Increase the Number of Times You Show Up in Search Results

Although I’m not necessarily big on SEO with LinkedIn; I feel it is important to identify the importance of a large network if you are hoping for SEO results.

I see many “LinkedIn experts” constantly talking about SEO and showing results of how tweaking your profile can improve your search result. I don’t disagree, but when they take these results and try to project them to massive results; I take issue. You can only show up in the search results when it is a first, second or third level connection or someone who is a member of one of your groups. If you have a small network you can spend an eternity improving your search terms, but it won’t make much difference; you will still get limited exposure.

Grow Your Network Value 4 – A Simple Acknowledgement of One of Your Posts or Comments Can Go to Thousands and Potentially Millions

Massively connected people have some or in cases a lot of influence over their networks. It’s like the E.F. Hutton commercials; when the person on TV says, “My Broker is E.F. Hutton and …” Everyone in the picture stops and leans in and then the voice over comes on and says, “when E.F. Hutton talks, everyone listens.” Some of these massively connected individuals have that kind of sway with their audience and it can work to your advantage if your message is GREAT!

Grow Your Network Value 5 – You Can Put Yourself in Front of this Person’s Connections… Frequently!

Would you like to be in front of Brian Tracy’s, Mark Victor Hansen’s, Jack Canfield’s, Les Brown’s, Robert Allen’s, or some celebrity’s audience on a regular basis; it’s possible with LinkedIn and all that’s required is their accepting your LinkedIn invite which, by the way, is not that difficult to get.

Once connected you can get in front of their audience through recommendations, your endorsements of their skills, comments and likes of their posts, birthday wishes, congratulatory notes, etc. The possibilities are endless and the opportunities are great.

Massively connected people can bring you massive exposure. If you have a GREAT message and you can get the attention of a massively connected individual you have the potential to reach a massive audience with their implied endorsement. There is more power in these individuals than any mailing list. Build your network with well connected people and see your sphere of influence grow!

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve!

Do you need help with your message? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out the UPPROACH site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

The Lost Art of THINKing


The Lost Art of THINKing

THINKing has become a lost art! One of the messages conveyed by Earl Nightingale in his 1950’s classic “The Strangest Secret” was the comment from Dr. Albert Schweitzer about man’s problem being the lack of THINKing!

Today it’s no different! In our tough economy people are constantly looking to others to solve their problems or to find the answers. In reality we can solve our own problems and find our own answers if we choose to do our own THINKing and ACTing!

We can’t leave the work, we must do, to someone else; we must take responsibility!

You Need to Think from the Outside Your Box

You may believe you have heard this before but this is different! If you are paying attention and THINKing about what you just read, you recognize the difference! Most of us are familiar with people saying “You must think outside the box.” What they mean is you need to look beyond the normal pool of answers for something new.

I disagree!

I believe you must stand outside your box and look in!

Inside your box you will find all the skills, abilities, education and experiences you have had and the stories telling how you used those personal attributes. The stories you find will help you better understand what you have given to customers and employers and what you have to give to your future customers and employers.

Inside Your Box You Will Find the Stories to Tell Your Referral Network

The idea is you want to look into the box to see all you have done throughout your career. You want to see the stories of how you applied your skills, abilities, education and experience. When you see the stories from your past; they will serve two purposes: 1) give you the stories you need as you describe to your referral network how you applied your skills, abilities, education and experience to solve problems and 2) help you to rebuild your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Additionally the process does one more thing; it gets you THINKing again. THINKing for many is not a regular practice and ACTing on those thoughts is even more foreign for most. However, THINKing and ACTing are two skills you must put to work, so you can get back to work!

Experiencing the “What If” Syndrome

If you are unemployed or under employed; I’m willing to wager that at some point in the past you have gone through the “what if” process. What if I could do what I want to do? What if I hadn’t been pushed into this or that career? What if I had followed that dream or idea? We have all had these thoughts and we have allowed them to fall to the ground; to go unrealized!

Yes, there are plenty of excuses: timing, finances, family obligations, lack of time, not knowing how to start, not being sure of what resources would be required, etc. Well it’s time to put the excuses behind you and move forward. You need to THINK and ACT; you cannot delay.

My THINKing Story

After 9/11/2001, like many, my business was turned upside down. The contract work I had been doing dried up. I had to do something, but I struggled trying to figure things out. The reason I struggled – I wasn’t THINKing! I wanted things to recover quickly and, as a result, I waited around for the recovery to occur. Guess what? It didn’t!

At this point I wasn’t suffering from the problem of looking to someone else for answers; I was simply sitting and waiting for things to happen. It doesn’t work that way; if you sit around and wait for things to happen; sure enough they will – it’s just the things which happen are not the things you want.

What you get are bills piling up, endless frustration, family issues, bill collectors calling, utility shut off notices and scrimping to buy food and gas.

Eventually I gathered myself together and started THINKing from outside my box. I looked at the current economic climate and the skills employers were desperately looking to add. Having worked for many years in the technology space I came to the conclusion I should position myself as an IT Security Specialist. To read the story of how I was able to re-craft myself check out My 9/11 Story.

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve!

Do you need help with your message? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out the UPPROACH site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

Four Easy Ways to Double the Effectiveness of Your Referral Network


Four Easy Ways to Double the Effectiveness of Your Referral Network

SMBs – Small and Medium Businesses – depend upon referrals, in fact Constant Contact did a study and 82% of the small business owners surveyed said their primary source of growth comes from referrals. Brian Tracy, one of the top business strategists and trainers, once said only 1 or 2 out of every 100 connections will play a role in your business growth. The conclusions… 1) you need to build a Referral Network and 2) you don’t know which connections will deliver business growth through referrals.

If Your Business Growth Depends on Referrals; You Must Have a Strong Referral Network

To survive, your business must continue to grow; referrals from current customers, prospects, family, friends and contacts are integral to the process. So here are the “Three Easy Ways to Double the Effectiveness of Your Referral Network.”

  1. Build Your Network – You never know who will provide your next referral;
  2. Establish Your Credibility – If your referral network doesn’t find you credible; they will not refer people to you;
  3. Explain Your Value Proposition – Your network must understand, not just know, the value you bring; and you must
  4. Keep Yourself in Front of Your Referral Network – You must be Top-O-Mind with your network so they think of you when opportunities develop.

Build Your Referral Network

Building your Referral Network is critical to your growth. You need new people coming in who can promote you, your products and your services. It is true you never know who will provide your next referral, but if you build with the “right” connections you can improve your chances for good referrals. Identify the type of individuals you need in your network so you can target those who have the best potential to bring your referrals.

Your Referral Network Must Find You Credible

If you want your network to refer you to potential customers they must find you credible! If you cannot establish your credibility with your Referral Network; it’s a lost cause.

When someone refers you they are putting their reputation on the line along with yours. If the members of their Referral Network listen to them; they have established credibility within their network and a bad referral could damage their credibility so they must be careful! They are not going to be willing to put their own reputation and credibility at risk for someone they do not know!

You must be credible!

Explain Your Value Proposition to Your Referral Network

Your Referral Network must understand the value you bring. Many people try to do this by listing their skills and, in all honesty, this doesn’t work. When people hear a list of skills, at best, they will remember a few and probably with little accuracy. What you want is to tell your audience stories about the things you have done. If you are talking about skills; explain them in a story. It is much easier to remember stories and easier to relate those stories to others. Stories also help with connecting the dots as opportunities are explained.

Stories also add to your credibility. Stories help things become real in the mind of the listener and they become more interested in your situation and helping you.

Keep Yourself in Front of Your Referral Network

The last thing you must do is keep yourself in front of your Referral Network. Stay in touch, keep them apprised of what you are doing; let them know about the projects where you are engaged or recently completed.

You also want to stay in front of your Referral Network by acknowledging the things they, their families, and their companies do; if you read about something positive, let them know. You also must acknowledge any events in their lives you know. If you know about birthdays and anniversaries wish them well or congratulations. If there is a job change, new venture, promotion or other event; send or post an acknowledgement.

If members of your network post something take a moment and click like or comment. This accomplishes two things 1)it acknowledges their activity and raises your credibility in the eyes of the individual and 2) if you are regular in the process it raises your credibility in the eyes of the other members of your Referral Network! You are in front of your network, not promoting anything of yours, but promoting your network members and their activities. People appreciate seeing you be positive and helpful to themselves and others.

There you have it Four Easy Ways to Double the Effectiveness of Your Referral Network: Build Your Network, Establish Your Credibility, Explain Your Value Proposition and Keep Yourself in Front of Your Referral Network!

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve! Let me know what you think of my articles; are they helpful? If you like what I have to say; please follow my blog so you don’t miss any of my posts.

Do you need help building credibility with your Referral Network? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out the UPPROACH site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

Top-O-Mind: When Was the Last Time You Thanked a New Connection?


Top-O-Mind: When Was the Last Time You Thanked a New Connection?

With LinkedIn and other Social Media sites it is easy to set your self apart from 99% of the other members. It’s as simple as saying “Thank You”. When you connect with a new person your thank you is the beginning of a relationship; the beginning is NOT simply sending or accepting an invitation to connect!

Simple Actions Can Reap Big Rewards

Your network can be a valuable resource and treating your members with respect and courtesy WILL work to your advantage. People love to be appreciated, especially because it doesn’t happen very often.

Thank Yous Are a Big Deal!

Very few people look for opportunities to appreciate family, friends and their network. We have become so busy and wrapped up in ourselves that the niceties in life have been forgotten. Because society has moved away from simple courtesies you have an open opportunity to show you are different!

Regardless of how busy you are or they are; people like to be acknowledged and appreciated! They like to know someone recognizes their efforts and is willing to say so. Be that person, be something different, reach out and appreciate the things others do!

When to Thank Your Connections

The opportunities to thank your connections are unlimited. As noted above, one of the first opportunities is when you are invited to connect or when an invitation you extended is accepted.

Less than 1% of LinkedIn members take the time to thank new connections.

Connection “Thank Yous” are private emails between you and your new connection. Your thank you is important because it starts to set the tone for the relationship; remember you are building your credibility.

Other times to thank your connections include when they like or comment on your post, send you congratulations on something work related, send you a birthday greeting or share something with you.

You can also thank your connections when they endorse you for a skill or write a recommendation.

How to Get the Most Mileage Out of a Thank You

Any thank you must, most of all, be sincere! Your sincerity will show and conversely a lack of sincerity will show as well; don’t mess it up!

With that caveat in mind; there are ways to get more mileage out of your thank yous. When you send an email thank you; it is between you and the recipient.

When you do the thank you as a post; all of your connections have the potential to see your thank you as well as the connections of the individual you are thanking. Again, you are working to build your credibility and being a thoughtful, caring person goes a long way in building credibility and trust.

If you are thanking people; you just can’t be all bad!

Taking time to tell someone you appreciate what they did or what they wrote is often overlooked because we don’t think it’s a big deal! However, what is you feeling when someone offers you thanks for something; regardless of the size of the effort? You may be a little embarrassed and feel it wasn’t necessary; but you still liked being acknowledged. Your connections are no different; a little acknowledgement can go a long way!

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve!

Do you need help with your message? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out the UPPROACH site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

How to Stay Top-O-Mind and Not Wear Out Your Welcome!


How to Stay Top-O-Mind and Not Wear Out Your Welcome!

From experience I’m learning just because I feel what I say is important and some people agree with me; doesn’t mean everyone feels that way. You must be careful you do not wear out your welcome and tick off your audience!

So how do you stay Top-O-Mind? That’s what this post is all about!

It’s Easy to Wear Out Your Welcome Regardless of Your Intent

My son frequently tells my wife and I how humble he is. He’s very diligent in the process and talks about how he defines humility. Of course he is kidding – or at least I hope he is – if he’s not kidding he has no idea what the word means!

However, in his attempts to convince his mother and I; it gets old quick! He is wearing out his welcome on this issue.

Over Communicating Can Have Its Risks Too

When we are communicating with our audience we run the same risk. Again regardless of intent we can simply wear out our welcome. We need to be concerned with how and how often we reach out with our messages. We also must be concerned about the content of our messages; regardless of how relevant they may seem to us; our audience may not feel the same way. In fact, our audience may feel we are over doing it.

I sent the link to my post about “Neglect Is Your Ally” to several people and I had one individual respond by asking me to take him off my distribution list. However, it made me realize maybe my tactic wasn’t so good and maybe some people don’t like my posts. I need a lesson in humility from my son.

So How Do We Maintain Contact While Respecting People’s Privacy

Fortunately LinkedIn provides a way. Daily we receive updates from LinkedIn telling us what is happening with our connections: birthdays, promotions, new connections, their posts, job changes, new volunteer activities, etc. If you are astute you realize each of these is your opportunity to reach out to your connections and acknowledge their activity, accomplishment or special day.

You cannot let these opportunities go to waste! Even if you don’t know the person a congratulations, a like, a happy birthday, etc. will be meaningful. You need to take every chance you get on every Social Media platform to reach out and stay Top-O-Mind.

One complaint or request to be removed from the mailing list isn’t disaster, but it is a wake up call. Don’t wear out your welcome, you are hoping you can call on your network in the future and upsetting them doesn’t put them in a helpful frame of mind.

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve!

Do you need help with your message? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out the UPPROACH site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

Can YOUR Network Get You Where You Want To Go?


Can YOUR Network Get You Where You Want To Go?

YOU CAN GET ANYTHING IN LIFE YOU WANT… IF YOU HELP ENOUGH OTHER PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT!.
… Zig Ziglar

We all have goals. We all want to go or get somewhere? A very few can do it on their own: the majority cannot… they need help!

Help starts with your network. The members of your network can open doors for you and, likewise, you can open doors for them. However, this only works if you have the “right” members, are a participant and you know about the members of your network; and last but most important your network members know about you.

Building the “Right” Network: a Quality Network

Successful networking requires you have the “right” members in your network. The “right” members are those you can help and those who can help you. This is what I refer to as a quality network.

What do I mean by a quality network? I define it as one which offers an equitable value exchange and is comprised of members capable of helping each other. The help can take various forms including information, perspective, guidance and connections. For the purpose of this post I am focusing on connections.

The Importance of Knowing the People in Your Network

For example I recently found someone on LinkedIn I wanted to connect with to discuss career opportunities. This was a second level connection of mine; meaning someone in my network was directly connected to my target. I contacted Ed, the mutual connection, to learn whether he knew my target. It turns out Ed knows the target very well and is happy to make the introduction.

As I talked about my interest in this connection; I also asked Ed about his new business.

Connecting the Dots…

In the process, I realized Ed was working in a similar world with my friend Jake. As I connected the dots it makes sense for Ed to meet Jake to better understand markets, but also to see what synergy exists. From Jake’s perspective his company is always looking for acquisitions which compliment and grow their business; maybe there is an opportunity for the two businesses. I don’t know; I’m just the connector starting the process to see what might develop.

Does this introduction add anything to me; not necessarily, but Ed and Jake may look more favorably upon me as a result and in the future that may be valuable.

This story is an example of a network which can help you get to where you want to go when you have the “right” members. You need to take a critical look at your network to determine whether you have enough knowledge to know what your network offers and whether it can get you to your desired goal. If you don’t know what, if anything, it offers; it’s time to figure it out!

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My name is Tom Staskiewicz and my goal is to help everyone do a little better, get a little further and reach the success they are destined to achieve!

Do you need help with your message? Are you struggling for people to know you and what you have to offer? If so, I can help. My contact information is below or Email  Me Now! and lets get started.

Whatever I can do to help you or anyone to move forward in reaching your goals; I’m all for it. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Check out our career site and sign up for our newsletter of career tips and ideas for job seekers, small and medium business owners, self-employed individuals, contractors, consultants or whatever; anyone wanting to move their career forward!

If You Want More Recommendations; then Give More Recommendations


Get More Recommendations

Have you ever seen a business use the message “The best compliment we can receive is your recommendation or referral?”

Although that is a very true statement; it is also true that the statement is not very effective in getting you more recommendations. Yes, it is a call to action; but it is a very weak call to action.

Marketing studies have long shown that a satisfied customer tells one or two people. Today, with Social Media, those numbers be drastically improved; all you need to do is get the recommendations.

So, how does that happen?

It starts with you; with your being proactive and reaching out to others.

The Key to Getting Anything; Is, to Give Something

If you have not noticed the old mantra of “Ask and you will receive” has changed; today the new mantra is “Give and you will receive”! What this means is that if you want recommendations; you are best served by giving a recommendation first!

The UPPROACH: Give a Recommendation First

Don’t wait for something to happen; make something happen! Take the initiative and write a recommendation for that person.

Get a Recommendation

Once you write the recommendation; it is much easier to ask for and get a recommendation. When you give something of value; people want to reciprocate. People do not like to be indebted to someone; therefore they look for a way to pay you back. When they can do it in kind; all the better.

So get started and start writing those recommendations and reaping the results!

Are you at a loss as to how to write a recommendation get our free report The Art of Giving a Recommendation.

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Tom Staskiewicz speaks and coaches on structuring Social Media and Professional Networking to help businesses, organizations, and individuals establish and manage their Social Media presence to increase efficiency, improve decisions, and respond to your audiences. Your Social Media presence doesn’t just happen and will not take care of itself. Tom helps you with those processes so your Social Media efforts will work for you.

If you are interested in learning more about how Tom can you and/or your organization develop your Professional Network or Social Media email Tom for information.