New Babies and Big Referrals

Dave the Nutrition Guy is talking to Ima Newmom, a young woman in her early 20’s. Ima is expecting her second baby in less than two years and was referred to Dave by her Mom, the Realtor in Dave’s Networking Group. The topic is Ima’s lack of energy and finding the right pre-natal vitamins.

A top notch networker, Dave’s referral radar is on alert. Why? He recognizes the “New Baby” Key Situation as a one of the biggest Power Team Targets he’s been trained to look for.

After answering all of Ima’s questions, making product recommendations, and placing the order, Dave puts away his product information and price sheets. He pauses for a brief moment, then looks deep into Ima’s tired but cheerful eyes. With a simultanious tilt of the head and slight squint of the eyes, subtly signaling sincerity, he asks, “So, how is everything else going with getting ready for the new baby? Are you changing things around at the house, and doing all the planning stuff like writing your Will and getting Life Insurance to protect the baby?”

Suddenly Ima is a little less cheerful and a little more weary. The look in her eyes acknowledge that Dave hit a nerve. Dave smiles. For starters, he is going to help Ima in more ways than just Nutrition. And to do that, he is about to create a few money making referrals for his Power Team!

Networking Sharpshooter

For those of you taking notes, Dave has not only identified the Target (New Baby Key Situation), he just pulled the Trigger, with a couple of carefully crafted questions to expose a need he can convert into a referral for someone on his Power Team.  

Guess what? It worked! Ima and her husband want to convert a covered patio off their master bedroom into a sitting room to use as a nursery for the new baby. Bingo – referral for the General Contractor! 

And yes, they’ve thought about a Will and know they need Life Insurance, but the young couple have been too busy with everything else to make those arrangements. No worries. Dave’s people will make the process easy! 

In fact, Dave gave such compelling recommendations, not only about the products and services, but how much he likes and trusts the people, Ima agreed it was time to get the growing family’s affairs in order and meet with Dave’s Power Team partners. Ima was so eager to get started, she gave Dave her number and asked that his Power Team partners call her right away! 

Lucky Guess?

Why didn’t Ima’s mom see the connections between her daughter’s needs and the prodcuts and services of her Power Team? Because she is more of an “Order Taker” than a referral “Creator” and overlooked the opportunity. She never asked and Ima hadn’t mentioned that among everything else going on in their busy life, she and her husband were thinking about a room addition, not to mention a writing a Will and taking out Life Insurance. 

Does that make Dave the Nutrition Guy lucky? Absolutely not. Dave knows that along with his Nutrition Business, which is in the Health and Wellness Contact Sphere, businesses in the Home Improvement and Finance Contact Spheres also share the New Baby Key Situation as a gold mine of referral opportnities. By asking a couple of Trigger questions to expose a need pertaining to the products and services of his Power Team partners, Dave has demonstrated masterful use of his networking Ammo belt:

Find Target: New Baby Key Situation
Pull Trigger: Asked two questions to expose a need
Fire Bullets: Gave compelling recommendations that resulted in money making referrals.

Wouldn’t you like to have Dave the Nutrition Guy on YOUR Power Team? Better yet, wouldn’t you like to have a Power Team full of networking sharpshooters just like Dave, regardless of what business they are in? Hang on amigo, because that’s where we are going next time, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me on Twitter!

Targets, Triggers and Bullets – Ammo Belt for Networking Sharpshooters

Power Team networkers know that building a business with word-of-mouth referrals is more about “farming” than “hunting.” More about nurturing relationships and cultivating credibility over time than the one-and-done, churn-and-burn cycle of today’s hype driven mass marketing. 

That being said, here are three words of war that typically strike fear into the heart of a dove (and boil bloodlust in the belly of the hawk) which we are going to give a FAST180 and redirect into the peace and love, good karma, Givers Gain® philosophy we hold so dear. Ready? Aim…

Target: As in Target Market: Who do you want your Power Team to find for you?

Triggers: – Questions your Power Team ask the Target to uncover a need leading to a money making referral. 

Bullets: Key “Bullet” points your Power Team shares with a Target in an enthusiastic and compelling recommendation explaining what makes you special, and why the prospect will benefit from working with you. 

OK fine, we’ve got some fun terms to play with. Now let’s put the concepts into perspective.

Targets = Six Key Situations

Your ability to recognize Targets that stare you in the face every day, yet continue to overlook, starts by setting your networking radar to alert you when you come across, or hear about, anyone in the Six Key Situations:

Getting Married
Having a Baby
Building a Business
Getting Healthy
Building/Buying a House
New In Town

Triggers = Questions

Terrific! Now you know what to look and listen for. What next? Pull the Trigger! Ask a Trigger question that will uncover a need and create a money making referral for someone on your Power Team.

Last time out we looked at 20 Questions which are specific Trigger questions to ask someone in the Getting Married Key Situation. Guess what? We’ve got 20 Questions for each of the Six Key Situations! That’s 120 money making referral opportunities you are probably missing on a regular basis. 

Bullets = Value

And finally, once a need is uncovered, your ability to hit the bulls eye with a powerful recommendation that consistently turns into business for your Power Team depends on how well you know your Power Team and how strongly you believe their business gives value to the prospect in the any of the Six Key Situations.

Find Target, Pull Trigger

As we said, the search for money making referrals begins by setting your networking radar on alert for the Six Key Situations. That’s your first task. But waiting around for someone to mention that they, or someone they know is getting married (or going through any one of the Six Key Situations) and then pulling a Trigger question is a slow draw. Too slow. Yes, you will occaissionally give some good referrals, but the idea is to give a lot of great referrals on an ongoing basis. 

Listen up: recognizing a referral opportunity is not about luck. It’s a skill. And it requires focus. As well as intention. Are you motivated to create high volume, high quality referrals for your Power Team? Yes? Here’s a secret: Opportunity is around the corner waiting to meet you! 

Two Big Triggers

So rather than sitting back, waiting for the Six Key Situations to cross your desk, be proactive and start searching. How? Talk to people and get in the habit of asking the following two “Big” Trigger questions in every conversation:

“What is your biggest challenge at the moment?”

“What is the next big event coming up for you?”

Whatever the other person says in reply will lead you to a referral opportunity. How well you play the role of Bragging Buddy for your Power Team will dictate the number and quality of money making referrals you generate. More on that some other time.

Right now I simply want you to commit the “Biggest Challenge” and “Next Big Event” Trigger questions to memory. Trust me: the two Big Triggers will transform your life as a Power Team networker!

In fact, they are so simple, and so powerful, I need to let the smoke clear so we can ask questions first and shoot bullets later, next time, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me on Twitter!

Opportunity Knocks Softly – Are You Listening?

 
Why are some people better networkers than others? Because they know more people? No, that’s not it. Being well connected certainly helps, but knowing tons of people does NOT automatically translate into tons of referrals. 

How about “people” people? You know the type, folks who strike up a conversation anytime, anywhere, with everybody they come in contact with, even if just for a minute. Nope! Confidence and the ability to talk to strangers increase the number of opportunities to create a referral, yet there are millions of great conversationalists who talk and talk, yet rarely, if ever, generate business for someone they know.

So if being well connected and the gift of gab are not guarantees of successful networking, what is the skill that separates people who create an ongoing stream of money making referrals from those who don’t? 

Simply put, great networkers see opportunity where others do not. In other words, they “connect the dots” others miss.

The First Dot

The first “dot” is recognizing that the person you are talking to has a “need.” Got a sore back? Talk to my friend the Chiropractor – he’s the best! Interested in building a custom home? I have a friend who is a great General Contractor, may I have him call you?

Unfortunately, most people consistently miss referral opportunities on a daily basis. Yes, they are trying to network, attending mixers and talking to people, but nothing ever seems to happen when it comes to creating business. Even in structured networking groups designed to build each other’s business, lots of folks fall short of the mark. 

Why? Failure to recognize opportunity. 

Wedding Example

A hapless networker is talking to someone who is planning a wedding. After asking when the wedding will be, or talking about how exciting it is to be getting married, and then exchanging “Wedding” experiences and stories, the networker fails to ask a few more questions to uncover a “need” which might be serviced by a business person they know. 

“Are you having any challenges at this stage of planning the wedding?”

“Are you going to buy a new house together or move into one of your current homes?”

“Have you updated your insurance and created a Will or Family Trust to protect your new spouse?”

The Second Dot

Great networkers are not only skilled at uncovering a prospect’s “needs,” they are also prepared to help by referring a variety of business people (people they like and trust) as the best person the Prospect could call for help with that particular need.

Connecting the Dots

But the big money isn’t created by simply recognizing opportunity and having a team of professionals from an assortment of businesses who provide a variety of goods and services. Great networkers take action, connecting the dots with an effective, enthusiastic and compelling recommendation, explaining to the prospect what makes the business person special, and why the prospect will benefit from working with your Power Team partner.

20 Questions

OK, enough concept and theory! Let’s get back to recognizing opportunity and uncovering a need. Here are 20 referral opportunities for your Power Team partners you might be overlooking (and the question to ask to uncover a need) when talking to someone who is planning a wedding:  

Attorney – Do you have a good Attorney to create a Will or Trust to protect your new spouse?
Auto Repair – Do you have a good mechanic you can trust to keep your family vehicles safe and reliable?
Cell Phones – Are you saving money with a combined Family Minutes rate plan?
Clean House – Do you have someone to clean the house before and after the Wedding?
CPA– Do you have a CPA you can trust for Tax Planning and Preparation as a married couple?
Errand/Delivery Service – Do you have someone you can count on to pick up groceries and run errands while you are busy with the Wedding?
Financial Planning – Do you have someone you can trust to help Invest for your retirement and a college fund if you decide to have children?
Furniture Sales – Do you know someone who can find furniture at a great price for the new household?
Insurance – Do you have a good Insurance Agent to protect your new spouse with Life, Health and Disability Insurance?
Interior Design – Do you have a Designer to help mix two houses of furniture?
Life Coach – Do you have a good Life Coach for Pre Marital Counseling?
Massage – Have you thought of giving a Gift Certificate for a Massage to the Bridal Party, Family or Bride and Groom?  
Mortgage – Do you know someone you can trust in the Mortgage business who can help you take some Equity out of your house to pay for the Wedding and Honeymoon?
Multi Media – Do you know someone who can take old photos of the Bride and Groom to create an entertaining and sentimental musical slideshow for the Wedding reception?
Nutritional Products – Do you have the best Nutritional Products to help you lose weight and feel great for the Wedding?
Personal Trainer – Do you know a Personal Trainer you can trust to help you lose weight and get in shape for the Wedding?
Pet & House Sitter – Do you have someone you can trust for Dog Walks and empty house visits when you are out of town on your honeymoon?
Realtor—Is this the right time to sell or rent one or both houses and buy one together?
Security System – Do you have a home Security System to protect your family?
Travel Agent – Do you have a good Travel Agent to help make recommendations, plans and reservations for the honeymoon?

Whew… that’s a lot of questions! No worries: next time out I will give you the TWO most important questions Power Team networkers must use in every conversation to create an abundance of money making referrals, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me On Twitter!

More than Money (part 2)

Last time out we left you wondering: “How do I make money when one of my Power Team partners talks to another person and the conversation turns to someone who is getting married?”

 

The answer? Let’s start with the concept of money. As in, making money. Regardless of the business you are in, we are talking about making money by doing more, or better, business.  

 

We’ve all heard the old saying, “it takes money to make money.” I am here to tell you that this classic cliché is in fact, only partially true. Sure, with enough cash, you can pay as many people, or buy as many ads, as it takes to build sales volume. But the expense has risk. Too often, businesses spend more on marketing and advertising than they get back in increased sales!

 

What Else Is there?

 

No way around it – we all need people who keep their eyes and ears open on a daily basis, eagerly searching for opportunities to refer business our way. And the more people the better. Face it: word-of-mouth networking works!

 

But is the motivation there? Do other people care enough about your business to keep your interests top of mind?

 

Like it or not, there are only a few basic ways of motivating people to help build your business. And it’s not complicated. Motivation almost always comes down to money. Either directly or indirectly. Sure, recognition is huge, and fear of loss is not to be overlooked, but with the exception of mom and a golden angel, most people will not work to build your business without compensation in the form of money.

 

Let me repeat. From the hourly wage of an entry level worker to executive salaries with a year end bonus and stock options, monetary compensation is motivation in the business world. And the more people motivated to help build your business, the faster your business will grow.

 

Paying Your Sales Force

 

OK, fine. We all agree: motivating other people to help build your business ultimately boils down to money. But where’s all this money going to come from? Relax, I’m not going to ask you for the money… let’s use other peoples’ money to compensate your sales force!

 

Sounds good, but how can you use other peoples’ money like that? Answer: understand that your Power Team IS your sales force and you pay them by systematically directing other peoples’ purchasing power to their products and services.
 
Let me beat a dead horse here: make money for your networking partners by creating quality, money making referrals for them, and in turn, they will send paying customers to you!

 

It’s an old concept. “What comes around go around,” “Good Karma,” and Dr. Misner’s “Givers Gain®” are all ways of saying: “help others first and they will help you in return.

“How Much Is Enough?

OK, I hear you. You ARE giving referrals. Got it. I am going to show you how to give a lot more referrals, and not only more, but better, higher quality money making referrals! 

How? By helping you recognize opportunities to build the businesses of your hand selected Power Team of networking partners, and in turn, train them to create business for you by finding people in the Key Situations your business thrives on. 

Example: Weddings create a huge opportunity to GIVE referrals. You just need to know how the different people and businesses on your Power Team can provide a valuable product or service to the couple going through the “Getting Married” Key Situation. Make the same sort of connections for all Six Key Situations and your referral productivity will skyrocket!

Next time out, 20 surprising “Getting Married” referral opportunities for a wide variety of Power Team businesses you may currently be overlooking, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me on Twitter!

More than Money – Part 1

Six Key Situations

 

Imagine yourself sitting at a desk. You are looking at a computer screen flashing short videos of two people talking. Although one person changes each time, the other person is always dressed in a Superman suit, complete with bright blue tights and a flowing red cape. Notice however that instead of a big “S” on his chest, there is a big “PT.”

 

The “PT” stands for Power Team and the person in the video wearing the Superman suit is your Power Team partner. Each 30 second video shows your Power Team partner chatting with a random person. Guess what? Your Power Team partner is prospecting for you!

The scenes are random and vary from waiting room chit chat at a Doctor’s office or Grocery Store line, to Chamber of Commerce press-the-flesh sessions and Industry Trade Shows. You are simply watching and listening as the two people talk.  

Now look at the computer keyboard. Across the top are six new keys you have never seen before! The first is dark green like the color of money and the size of a Silver Dollar. It is labeled “Getting Married.” Each of the other five keys are the same size but different colors.  

Imagine how great it would be if you could make money by hitting the green “Getting Married” key every time the topic of conversation on the computer screen turned to someone getting married. That’s it! As soon as the prospect talking to your Power Team partner says they, or someone they know, is getting married, you hit the key and CaChing – you get paid! 

Five More Hot Buttons 

It gets better! The other five keys are labeled:  

New Baby
Building a Business
Get Healthy
New in Town
Building/Improving a House

Every time the topic of conversation indicates that the prospect, or someone they know, is experiencing one these Six Key Situations, you hit the correct key and once again CaChing – you get paid!

Pick Your Team

Remember, you pick the people and businesses on your Power Team. Knowing you can hit the “Getting Married” button and get paid, it makes sense for you to start networking with people at a Tuxedo Shop. Or a Caterer, Florist, Event Planner, Photographer… you get the idea! 

OK, stay with me. Suspend your subconscious mind from wondering about what weddings have to do with you making money. We will get there. Trust me. But for now I want you to think about getting paid from conversations involving people buying/building or improving a home or building of any type.

Let me rephrase that. Regardless of what business you are in, when a prospect talks to your Power Team partner about someone they know in any of the Six Key Situations, you get paid. In this particular case, you would start networking with a Realtor, Interior Designer, Mortgage Officer, Architect, and Furniture Salesperson. Right? 

Confused on how you are going to get paid from your Power Team talking to people about weddings, houses and the other Key Situations which may or may not have anything to do (or so it appears at the moment…) with your current business? Stick with me – we’ll get there. Soon. Very soon. In fact, I’ll get started right now on Part 2 and will post it next time, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me on Twitter!

Contact Sphere = Networking Platform!

Every business person I talk to these days is looking for more business. NOW! The sense of urgency is palpable. Unfortunately, overnight success stories are far and few between. Sad, but true.

 

And we all know advertising is no quick fix. Face it: consumers suffer from information overload, numb to a sales pitch from any person or business they are not already connected to. More than ever, people will only do business with people they like and trust.

 

Not too long ago, when someone needed a new product or service they were limited to asking friends and family about who they knew, or rolling the dice, trying to get lucky in the Yellow Pages. Now we can go to Twitter and ask our network for referrals in real time and perform our own Due Diligence searching Google.

 

Bottom line: Information is moving faster and faster, but the source is more important than ever. You and I will gravitate toward doing business with people we like and trust. And that’s true whether you are building your business online, in person or over the phone.

 

The same is also true in reverse. People you never met will contact you to do business if someone they know and trust gave a strong enough recommendation about you. Particularly if that certain someone is in a business related to yours. Say a Florist recommending a Caterer or a Business Coach recommending a Website Specialist or Marketing Guru.

 

So let’s start building your business by networking strategically with other businesses that can work for the same client as you and will compliment what you are doing without becoming your competition. Let’s start creating your Power Team referral network!

 

Ideally, the people on your Power Team will act as your “Bragging Buddy,” a networking partner who makes the prospect, in many cases their current client, understand that you are the best possible person they could work with for the particular product or service you represent. 

 

Copyright 2009 Lee Abraham

 Start With Your Contact Sphere

 

Your business fits into one of six time tested relationships known as a Contact Sphere, a group of related business categories which traditionally pass business referrals back and forth. Knowing which Contact Sphere you are in, and which business categories your Contact Sphere is missing, makes it easier to find some of the key people you are looking for. People who will help build your networking platform and become top performers on your Power Team.   

 Where Do You Fit?

 

The illustration above is limited to only six business categories per Contact Sphere, and is far from perfect… there are gray areas for several businesses that could easily fit into one group or another.

 

If you are in a profession that is not listed, choose the Contact Sphere that seems most applicable. Rest assured that whichever Contact Sphere you choose will not eliminate the other from your networking efforts. We simply have to start somewhere, so make a choice!

 

Action Step: Take a note on all the business categories listed in your Contact Sphere. Start thinking about people you already know in these professions, people who are good at what they do and are looking to grow their business.  

 

Next time out, we will “Find Your Keys,” and unlock the hidden relationships and referral opportunities among different Contact Spheres, when our adventure in networking continues… Follow Me on Twitter

Jack of all Twitter, Part 1 – Say What?

Blogging doesn’t happen. There’s work involved. And if you are like me, when there’s a job to do, my first tendency is to try to do the job myself. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes not so good.

 

Consider the wide range of activities that need to happen for an idea, spinning around abstractly in your imagination as a concept, to finding its way out of your head, onto the internet, bouncing around with a life of its own.

 

Adequacy isn’t good enough. Material has to be sharp and provide value. The internet is a huge audience, and reaching that audience is a monumental challenge. These days, most people (except maybe your Mom, heirs to your Will, and the family dog) are too busy to care about all the details of your life, your problems and most of all, your opinions.

 

Don’t believe me? Look around. Is it just me, or is everyone dazed and confused from information overload and macro economic meltdown? Quick reality check: did you receive more or less Christmas cards than last year? I’m betting the under. Why? Too much info day in and day out has numbed the collective consciousness, tapping the energy needed to communicate, to the point of societal distraction and inactivity.

 

In today’s world, it’s a crap shoot whether or not a friend will read and respond to an email about your personal news, or return a phone call. Don’t take it personal. People are on overload! Imagine the degree of magnetic attraction needed to interest cyberspace peeps, or at least a statistically significant percentage of them, into caring enough about your opinion on your topic of choice to make the effort to visit your blog check it out.

 

And that ladies and gentlemen, is where I’m at today. I’m trying to crack the code of mass online impact. I want to find out how some folks reach millions of people and then help other authors, artists and do-gooders of all stripes do the same.

 

All this set up leads me to a formula I started putting together for publishing blog posts. The idea is to break down the steps into a system of developing an idea from grain to biscuits into a blog post we can all be proud of.

 

The goal is to measure self sufficiency in all steps required to create and manage intellectual property promoted online with WordPress, Twitter, and others. For me personally, I’m trying to identify where I need to bring in an expert with real internet skills to take my material to the next level. But in the mean time, as someone still doing all the work myself, I’m trying to learn as much as I can.

 

So anyway, I started putting together the formula. While my intentions were good, it turns out to be more than a sit down and get ‘er done kind of deal, so I’m breaking this piece into two parts.

 

Today, I’m just going to identify the variables the formula includes. Seems to me that the more of these steps completed, and how well they are executed, will result in how many people on the net give a rat’s patootty about what I, or anybody else, has got to say.

 

Here’s the criteria:

 -Am I creating unique content with my own voice and message?

-Am I utilizing all aspects of online media (audio, video, graphics, etc.) to project my message? 

-Am I contributing on a regular, frequent basis?

-Am I my own webmaster, creating my own website or blog with DreamWeaver, WordPress or something similar?

-Do I update my blog/website myself?

-Does my blog/website have all the slick bells and whistles, RSS feeds, links, widgets, subscribers, store…

-Am I promoting my material online with LinkedIn, Twitter, email tags, WordPress, MySpace and Facebook announcements, and other outlets?

-Am I promoting my material with word-of-mouth networking by meeting face-to-face with people?

-Do I have a business angle? Am I creating content online for personal satisfaction or to make money (either directly or indirectly)? What is my Product or Service?

 

OK, so that’s the criteria. At least most of it. I’m sure there’s more. Please send me any thoughts or comments about what goes into creating and managing the intellectual property you post online and promote. I’d love to know what you are up to and what’s working!

 

So in the spirit of quality control and production output, I’m going to get this info off my word processor and out on WordPress. I will now tweak before I twitter the rest (as in tweak the formula before tweating its completion). So please check back with me next time for “Jack of all Twitter Part 2 – Your Score!” next time when our adventure in networking continues… Follow me on Twitter

Internet Guru – The Search is On!

Everybody I talk to says Monday is the first day “back to business.” Sure, I get it, business as in “work.” My mind pictures a sea of desks, fabric covered cubicles and a steady parade of business casual worker bees scurrying back and forth performing their appointed tasks. 

And then I ask about their other business. You know, that side gig they’ve got going to generate another stream of income. Now I’m thinking fuzzy slippers and old pajamas in front of a computer screen. Sound familiar? Funny thing is that most people I talk to actually do have some other business on the side to beat the rat race. And yeah, they did a little Twitter and LinkedIn with their coffee and donut this morning… 

 

I am no exception. My current project is building the platform to launch my new book that will be released in the 3^rd quarter of this year. Power Teams – Create Money Making Referrals from Common Everyday Situations, is a step-by-step system to help 36 specific popular business categories network together to recognize and make money from opportunities that are all around them every day, but are currently being overlooked. 

 

In the process, I have been trying to get a handle on social networking, looking at all the different websites and online services out there, to help me build the platform efficiently and effectively. Blinding flash of the obvious: there’s a lot of stuff out there. And further, a lot of it is crap! 

 

Bottom line: I quickly figured out that I need an internet guru. Someone who has already navigated the online minefield to emulate and learn from. Someone beyond good at all this social networking stuff, successfully walking the walk and articulately talking the talk. 

 

So I Googled “Networking Blog.” After reviewing about 100 blogs and eliminating 70 for various reasons, I did a 2^nd review of the 30 best with an eye on the following criteria: 

 

1) Frequent posts – I want a guru who shares a steady flow of current information…

 

2) Multi Media – Is the guru a ‘product of the product?’ Are all the tools (video, graphics, links, feeds, site layout) utilized to communicate with maximum clarity?

 

3) Provides value with useful information – Am I learning things in a short period of time that will help me achieve my goals?

 

4) Strong, identifiable personality – Is this a real person I might ultimately develop a business relationship with for future projects? 

  

And the Winner is: 

Dan Schawbel – Personal Branding Blog!! 

 

Dan focuses on Personal Branding and Social Media – 1,671 subscribers – 4,340 followers on Twitter 

 

This blog is easily my favorite. Well written, sophisticated layout (this was done on wordpress? WOW!) with fresh content daily, Dan Schawbel is a 25 year old phenom with a valuable message and awesome command of the internet. 

 

Truth of the matter is that I came across Dan’s website before my Google search. After reviewing the rest, this guy is clearly the best! Based on the above criteria, Dan Schawbel earns high marks in all 4 categories: frequent posts, uses all the tools, shares a valuable message, and is a real person. 

 

I have yet to talk with Dan, although we did exchange emails giving him a head’s up that we featured his blog on our final FAST180 webcast of last year. 

 

Are you ready for a FAST180? Take my advice, follow Dan Schawbel’s exploits as he networks his way to making his upcoming book, Me 2.0, a bestseller when it is released on April 7^th of this year!

 

Best of the Rest 

 

I also found three other internet gurus with blogs I have also chosen to follow:

 

David Armano – Logic + Emotion 

 

David’s focus is on social media and personal branding with excellent graphics and illustrations – 11,512 subscribers – 7,621 followers on Twitter 

 

This blog has awesome visuals to help demonstrate the concepts discussed.

 

Jim Connolly – Jim’s Marketing Blog

 

Jim is a Marketing expert with a focus on Blogging and Twitter – 15,306 followers on Twitter

 

This blog has a real business coach vibe – straight ahead, in-your-face expert advice on increasing sales. 

 

Gary Gross – Marketer’s Daily 

 

Gary’s focus is generating income online with e-books – 39 subscribers – 55 followers on Twitter 

 

This blog has more of home made feel but the information and energy behind the message is good. With a smaller following than the other gurus, this blog has potential to grow and I am interested in how it develops.

 

OK, that’s it for now. I am off to study the message of my new top four internet gurus. Check back soon to find out what I learned, when our adventure in networking continues…  (Follow me on Twitter)

Books, Music and Other Good Things in 2009!

December 22, 6:45 am

 

The final FAST180 webcast for 2008 is in the books! Now we get a two week break to enjoy the Holidaze and make plans for the New Year.

 

Like a lot of people right now, I’m under the gun to make some good things happen in 2009. While 2008 had many highlights, it has also been…, shall we say, a “character builder!” Bottom line: lots of folks are getting their asses kicked financially in the current economy. As they say, “this too shall pass.” Comforting? Maybe. After all, the same logic applies to kidney stones as well… OUCH!  

 

Sick humor aside, you don’t have to listen too closely to hear the stress in peoples’ voices. Blinding flash of the obvious: times are tough. If not for you, then for someone you know.

 

OK, let’s keep the chin up. Things are going to turn around. And the more time and energy invested into the solution, the faster change will happen. Are you ready for a FAST180? As collective wisdom says “It isn’t what happens that counts, it’s how you react.” OK, sounds good, but what is the best reaction to the current economy?

 

For me it starts with finishing up a few misc. projects that have been lingering on the back burner for a while. Case in point, a book I just completed with my co-author Toni Brown. Toni was the longtime Editor and publisher of Relix, a music magazine based out of New York City that evolved from a hand typed newsletter for tape traders of Grateful Dead bootleg recordings to connect and trade tapes back in the early 1970’s into a top shelf music magazine with international distribution, a record label, merchandise division and rabid readership that loves live music. It really is a great story and the book is a very visual retrospective of Relix early years. 

 

Toni has really done all the heavy lifting in this project and my hat is off to her! Same with Ed, Toni’s husband. Ed’s doing all the layout work and is truly crafting a masterpiece! We are in the final stages of sending the finished manuscript and layout to the publisher (BackBeat Books/Hal Leonard Publishing), which will be sent off in a matter of days. Toni’s done a great job and I am very excited to see the finished product!

 

The Relix book is four color ink from cover to cover with tons of great rock and roll photos, articles, interviews and artwork from Relix first 25 years. Can you say: “Eye Candy?” Distribution will not only include the bookstores but also stores that sell musical equipment, reaching our hard core music freak target market with laser like precision!

 

So for me, I will finally have a new product to sell (other than real estate) to diversify my income streams. Don’t get me wrong, I write because I love writing and will always find a creative outlet to wreak my personal brand of literary havoc, but the business of intellectual property is my focus for 2009. I just get excited about books and all the side projects that spin off in unforeseen directions.  

 

So marketing the Relix book is on my to-do list. Fortunately, my co-author Toni is a high profile musician on the live music/festival scene and she is, pardon the pun, jamming on this thing full time!

 

The book is scheduled to launch in the 3^rd quarter of next year. I need to get busy now on building some strategic relationships to support the book selling campaign.

 

I’m going to start with two old friends who have been in the music biz full time for many years. Lee Crumpton is the founder of Leeways’ Homegrown Music Network, an awesome marketing and merchandise fulfillment service that has helped hundreds of independent touring bands (usually 200 shows a year) sell CDs and other merch to keep their act on the road.

 

I will also speak with Mark Huff, a phenomenal singer/songwriter who has opened for musical icons Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and many, many more.

 

Both contacted me within days of signing up for MySpace a month or two ago. While we’ve exchanged emails, I haven’t had a good opportunity to call and say hello. That’s gonna change in the next few days.

 

These days, ‘social networking’ and online marketing are the big buzzwords in the world of business. Lots of people (like me) are taking a serious look at this stuff for the first time, diving in head first with LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

 

Guess what? Musicians and record companies have doing the cyber dance for over a decade! In a lot of ways, the music industry was the first private sector group to start networking online, after the scientists, academics, and computer nerds got the thing rolling in the early ‘80s.

 

So I guess I hear myself saying that the FAST180 is going to feature some of these music biz insiders to share what they’ve learned, and the mistakes they’ve made, building their businesses online.

 

Now I’m excited! Where’s the phone? I’m ready to make some calls…check back soon and find out how the conversations went, next time when our adventure in networking continues… (Follow me on Twitter)