Why would I share this humiliating story? Because the lessons I learned apply to successful networking for business:
1. Shut up and Listen.
2. Kill the Agenda.
3. Check your Six.
Tag: the sky’s the limit
Bowling for Business: Set Yourself Aside
It was then that our client had an “aha moment,” realizing that the methods that persuade him may not be the same as strategies designed specifically to reach potential customers in his target market. A typical entrepreneur, intimately involved in every step of the business, from conceptualization to manufacturing to marketing, Rick found it difficult to set aside his own frame of reference. But once he agreed to do so, we were able to launch an effective social media campaign that catered to his customers instead of to him. And you can do it, too.
Bowling for Business: How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying
By networking, I mean more than attending mixers or posting status updates on Facebook. Real networking involves investing yourself in the lives of those around you. Only this kind of venture will produce dividends in business as well as life. But don’t take it from me. Some of the best business minds in the world agree.
Bowling for Business: Info on the Go
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on August 16, 2010 and in the Biz Press on August 18, 2010. After borrowing my sister-in-law’s mobile phone in 1988, I was convinced that cell phone technology would never gain much of a following. As attractive and portable as a cinder block, it came with a 42-page instruction…
Bowling for Business: The Sky’s the Limit
To the dismay of the newspaper industry, times have changed. The Internet has effectively stripped publishers and editors of their roles as gatekeepers and given it directly to anyone with a word processing program and access to the Internet. That’s good news if you are a business owner or nonprofit director who has a product or service to promote. Instead of laboriously searching for a newsworthy angle to pitch, you can write and publish just about anything you want.
Bowling for Business: Can’t Get No Satisfaction
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on March 29, 2010 and in the Biz Press on April 17, 2010. Several years ago, we stayed at an international hotel chain in Northern California. When we arrived, we were surprised that there were no pillows in our room. When we called the front desk to ask for…
Bowling for Business: Stop the Hype
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on March 15, 2010 Under-promise and Over-deliver Before the advent of the Internet, cable television or PlayStation, as a five-year-old, I was over the moon with excitement about my kindergarten class’s upcoming field trip to Albertson’s. In the weeks leading up to the outing, Mrs. Dale would remind us…
Bowling for Business: Take my word for it.
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on Monday, March 8, 2010. A stray Labrador Retriever we found sitting quietly in front of the dog pound, Maggie was beautiful, loyal, intelligent and, unfortunately, quite destructive. She met me at the door when I came home from school; sat on top of her doghouse instead of inside…
Bowling for Business: Invasion of The Pod People
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on February 21, 2010 I’ve always been rather horrified at the sound of my own voice on tape. It’s not even close to what I hear when I’m talking. I wish it was raspy and sultry, or even just hoarse like actresses Lauren Bacall, Kathleen Turner or Sophia Bush….
Bowling for Business: SEO—The Bot Stops Here
This column first appeared on RIMOFTHEWORLD.net on February 15, 2010 When our daughters were young, we made sure our home was childproof. We plugged the outlets with plastic covers, latched cabinets and bundled electrical cords. We placed a menacing plastic gate at the top of the stairs which pinched our fingers when we opened it…