To Kiss Or Not To Kiss?

August 27, 2014

I was at a networking event recently, and spotted a lady that I’d met a few times before. I approached her, offering my hand to shake. She ignored this, and leant right over and kissed me on the cheek. I was a little taken aback by her directness: after all, I didn’t know her well, and the event was being held in a very ‘professional’ setting – the offices of a law firm. More than that, as an Unnatural Networker, I find meeting people hard enough without having to think about kissing them. When it comes to networking, I’m just [...]

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Networking Ninja

August 19, 2014

Here’s my advice on how to become a Networking Ninja, so you work the room quicker than before, better than before and with more confidence than before… Networking within BNI is often pretty pleasant. Members have been trained how to do it well.  They ask lots of good questions about your business. You know that you’ll be welcomed into any group you approach. And, although networking is never easy, BNI makes it as easy as it’s possible to be.

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Red Light Networking

August 12, 2014

I was stopped at a red light at some road works a few weeks ago and the car ahead of me (who was nearest the lights) just moved off and ran the red light.  Maybe he just got sick of waiting, or maybe he thought that the lights were broken and stuck on red as they seemed to stay red for ages.

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Celebrate Business Networking With Me – Or Perhaps Not?

August 5, 2014

I guess we all have something to celebrate on the back of me being awarded an OBE for ‘Services to Entrepreneurship in Social and Digital Development’ in the New Year Honours 2014! Why you?  Well, I assume you are an entrepreneur.  These are the great people that BNI attract, and I assume you ‘get’ digital as you are logging on and reading a blog.  The part missing from the Queen’s Citation to me was ‘networking’.  Everything I have done and continue to do is about helping business people understand how to network online.  I know 100% that as a BNI [...]

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The Golden Rules Of Networking

July 29, 2014

I was at The Open recently with a group of people and the subject of networking came up over a beer. I was listening and it came across as if networking was almost like a science. What to do, what not to do, how to behave, how not to behave. How do you work a room effectively? Should you network online or offline? I was then asked the question I was dreading… “Ewan, what do you think?” I said: “Networking is simple. People make it more complicated than it needs to be”.

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Finding Your ‘Great Aunty Jean’s’

July 16, 2014

Your network is a unique mix of individuals who know, like and trust you. It won’t be the same as anyone else’s network as it’s made up of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and other business buddies. It’s this diversity which makes each network distinct from any other and we should celebrate that fact. However, it is also worth remembering that not every network is born equal and some are more relevant to particular areas of our life than others. For example, past colleagues and business buddies are often those we associate with our business networking activities. But that doesn’t mean [...]

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Focusing On Your Goals – Part One

July 8, 2014

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of setting clear goals if you want an effective referrals strategy. The clearer you are in your own mind about what you are looking for, the better placed you are to communicate those needs to your network and to help them find and convert the opportunities to refer you. If you are going to attend networking events or join groups, you need to pick the right ones for you and understand what success is going to look like for you.

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Who to Build Relationships With?

July 1, 2014

“Everyone”, I hear you scream, and yes that’s true, in general. Always remember that you never know who the people you know, know.  Therefore, you never know who the people you don’t know, know! It’s so easy (in fact it’s too easy) to make the mistake that the person in front of you doesn’t have the same personality as you, which by the way, is what makes the world go around. Therefore, we haven’t really got the time to build relationships with them because it’s too much like hard work. If you are going to proactively build relationships, who would [...]

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