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The best networkers never sit on their contacts like misers hoarding gold. Instead, they are constantly evaluating who they know who would benefit by being connected to others in their network.

Your network can now net many more opportunities because of online networks like LinkedIn and others. Therefore, take time to build more effective processes into your networking for introducing and getting introduced.

Here, we’ll focus on getting introduced. Don’t be afraid that you don’t have anything to offer today. You don’t need to:

  • have an in-depth knowledge of another’s industry.
  • have any current leads or referrals to give.
  • feel as though you’re pushy.

Today, the introduction is the new referral. You do not have to be referred to carry additional influence or klout with a solid introduction. A simple process I suggest is to create an “introduction script” to have someone introduce you to one or two good connections they know and then you do the same for them.

For example, if I ask someone to introduce me, I send them the following script. I would like you to meet Melissa. Melissa is the author of thirteen books, four that have been on best-seller lists. Her greatest strength is helping thought leaders grow themselves and their organizations through publishing and follow-up social media marketing, pr and speaking. She and her firm, Networlding, have helped more than 100 top thought leaders grow their platforms through book publishing.

Now I would do the same for you. I would offer you to share a script I can send others about you to get them interested in connecting with you. Send that script to your networking partners and ask them to send one of their own to do the same for them.

Again, create a pre-written introduction of you, by you, as if someone else wrote it about you. This way your networking partners and you can “cut and paste” your respective introductions into your emails and send them to  a couple of excellent connections without a lot of effort. Think simple and powerful when it comes to creating better ways to get more and better leads faster.

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businessbooksWhat can you do that is very low cost to extend your brand and, at the same time, obtain more revenue? Consider creating a guidebook for your book if it offers a process. Then go even further and create tools like e-learning programs or even games. To learn more click on the following video.

Growing Your Brand Through Your Book and Other Book Products

Here are just a few line extensions that could come from your book:

  • A Tips Booklet: An example would be our Networlding 101 Ways to Better Networlding tips booklet which is offered free on this blog. This helps your prospects “try before they buy.”
  • An E-Book: We are big fans of e-books because they can be the precursor to your book or follow-on books. An example here would be a product created by the organization Z-Mags. Take a look and see what you think. This organization enables your prospects and clients to really dive deep into the value your organization can bring to the table.
  • A Guidebook: If you have a book that is a how-to book then a guidebook will really help with training from you and also, licensing your training to others. Here also consider a facilitator’s guide for train-the-trainer programs. We are just getting our guidebook published with a facilitator’s guide.
  • Games: Everyone loves games. They engage. They create connection. They accelerate learning. Consider starting with something simple like card decks that help educate like The Creative Whack Pack by Roger Van Oech or Think Pak: A Brainstorming Card Deck by Michael Michalko.

Finally, I also mentioned Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents, which is all about building trust effectively online. The emphasis here is not that you can build the kind of trust you might build with a best friend or even a group of good friends but a way to be more “trustworthy.” With the growth of networks online this becomes a challenge and Chris and his co-author, Julien Smith, help provide a path to make that challenge easier. The result is that those who understand this difference can become more trustworthy which then adds value and credibility to their brand which can also lead to better sales.

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Redefining Retail – Notes from the Future – What’s Coming

October 20, 2009

Just this week Business Week came out with an article called “The Hard Sell” showing that, basically, retailers turning the corner on 2009 into 2010 are all over the place on their strategies regarding what they will sell and what they will sell it for. According to Jena McGregor, Businessweek reporter, it may be up [...]

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The Promise of Social Networks – It’s Like Baklava

August 25, 2009

I was just recently reading about a Twitter conference that served up the following set of promises that included: building communities providing customer service changing brand perceptions and increasing revenue Now of course there could be more promises but let’s just take these and really think about all the stories you are hearing that deliver [...]

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30 Social Networking: Questions to Ask Any Organization

August 18, 2009

This last year has been a powerful growth year for Networlding as we have formed and built what we call the NPA or Networlding Partner Alliance. The alliance is made up of a wide variety of thought leaders in social networkng, new media and all things Web 2 and 3.0. Following is a list of [...]

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10 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn Success With Groups – Part I

August 13, 2009

Open the Door of Opportunity I have been training people on LinkedIn now for more than six years and I keep hearing the same question,”Now that I am LinkedIn what do I do?” Following is a list of 10 things (this is Part I) you can be doing that are can really make a difference [...]

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Book Surge Gets Personal – Great Branding Strategy: Listen Up Companies!

February 18, 2009

Today I got an email from an account service professional named John Mark Schuster at BookSurge, an Amazon.com company. Now I have been exchanging emails with John who was the person who responded to my email inquiry regarding publishing a variety of new books and also older books I am updating. But what made this [...]

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Social Media at SAS – Turning a Great Reputation Into an Online Asset

December 18, 2008

What comes to mind when you hear the acronym SAS? No, not “software as a service.” Not the Scandinavian airline. Not even Surfers Against Sewage. If your job depends on making business decisions based on analysis of unstructured data, you probably thought immediately of SAS, the leader in business analytics. And once you connect with [...]

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