Here are the Five Remaining Tips for You to Become a Pro Networker

As much as there's a lot of leeway and forgiveness with people online these days, it is still best to have a professional background. This doesn't mean you have to go to the expense of buying a green screen and professional set-up.  However, there's nothing more distracting than watching somebody appear and disappear as they talk using a background without a green screen.

You can have a professional environment by making sure whatever is in the field of vision looks tidy and professional.  This does not include an unmade bed (or any bed, really), a bathroom, or roommates walking around in their underwear. A good rule of thumb is that if you had a brick-and-mortar location and wouldn't show it in your front window, you probably shouldn't be showing that in your online window.  Another alternative is to blur your background.  Keep it professional!

Be Courteous Do Your Fellow Members

Just because the people in the room are not your ideal client doesn't mean you can stop listening or leave. I have seen somebody leave a networking breakout room for whatever reason and say nothing. If you have a valid reason to leave, apologize and let the group know why you are dropping off.  If you don't have an opening to let them know verbally, then put it in the chat.  When you leave without notice, all that says is, "you're not important to me," which is downright rude.

Dress Professionally, Dress for Success!

Things have become more casual online. Dress based on the event that you are attending.  If it is a casual drink over Zoom with family or friends, that's very different from a business meeting or a networking group.  Your attire should reflect the image you want to convey for that meeting.  I don't think anyone is attending meetings in Pajamas anymore, but a halter top or bathing suit may not be appropriate unless you promote a beach getaway.  I'm not saying you should wear a suit but be mindful of your audience.  If you want to be seen as an expert, you should dress like one (at least on the top that can be seen).

Be Sincere

I have been in some networking groups where after people give their elevator pitches or presentations, people clap.  As for the elevator pitch or introduction, I don't clap as a rule.  To me, it feels phony, not genuine. I will clap for a presentation even if the information wasn't relevant to me.  At the end of the day, be sincere and true to yourself.  If it feels right, do it. If it feels forced, don't. 

Develop a Relationship

Networking is all about developing a relationship whether you're face to face or on screen.  I wouldn't suggest this demands you attend a meeting every week or every meeting necessarily, but it is necessary to show consistency so that people get to know, like, and trust you. Determine what that frequency is for you.  You'll know you are developing relationships as people start recognizing you in the group.

Bonus Tip!

One key thing that will help you with networking is to ensure you have your contact information and short write-up ready to copy and paste into the chat window so that you're not trying to type in the chat.  It should contain your full name, company name, contact information, and social media links, including "https://" so people can click on it in the chat, and it will open in their browser.

Keep in mind you may need to revise your information based on each group's requirements, but if you have it saved on a Google or Word Doc or Google Keep, you will be able to change it quickly and easily. 

Discover how to effectively utilize Google Keep.

If you're able to implement one or two of these tips, I'm sure you'll see a difference in how your networking is received by your audience, taking you from being a networking virgin to a pro.

IF YOU MISSED PART – 1, FIND IT AT HTTPS://THECIBN.COM/NETWORK-PRO-PART1/

Overall, health and fitness always played a part in Michelle’s life and continue to be part of her consulting approach today, differentiating her from others in the industry. Michelle guides business owners to develop a self-sustaining business, generate more revenue, and take back time to do things that excite them!

Raised by a strong, independent single mother, Michelle’s vision and values were instilled early. Michelle’s entrepreneurial journey started in the 90s in event planning and speaking. In addition to Michelle’s over 30-year Corporate career in Media, Logistics and Financial Services, her passions shaped Michelle’s experience, providing innumerable opportunities to give back as a volunteer.

Passionate about making a difference, Michelle is on a philanthropic foundation, “Board of Advisors,” building sustainable schools in developing countries and supporting Digital Samurai’s efforts, an entrepreneur focused on reducing youth unemployment in Africa through apprenticeships.

Michelle’s 35 years as an Account Executive spanned credit card processing and financial services, transportation, logistics, media, and consulting, with many projects including managing consultative alliances, live event management, and sales team leadership. In 2021 Michelle completed Wardell International Advisor training and had recently undertaken S.O.S. Sales Objection System group training with renowned trainer Joe Marcoux. Her career and entrepreneurial ambitions have taken Michelle outside Canada, providing extensive experience in multiple markets in North America and beyond.

You can find Michelle Ricketts on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/michellericketts 

Networking is not a new way to meet. It’s been around for decades, but it's not for the faint of heart. There is some work involved. Originally face-to-face with a bunch of strangers in a room where one or two people would start to mingle and chat, like a high school dance, there were wallflowers.  Some people would be handing out business cards, everybody was trying to convey what they do, who they are, and where they're from.  Some were only there to meet new people, others to make connections, and then there was a misguided few who thought they would have a client jump out in front of them.

Whatever networking looked like changed in 2020. Groups moved online, others like CIBN were already there, and new ones popped up; the networking game changed. CIBN had face-to-face networking for years and went online almost three years before it became the place to be.  For networking group attendees, it was now about learning how to engage through a computer screen or phone. It was figuring out what to say and how to say it; everyone had to transition. 

Pros moved seamlessly from face-to-face to on-screen.   Others continue to struggle even years later.  My record in one week, at the start of 2020, was 16 networking events as I tried different options to find which worked for me. Along with CIBN, I now do a few weekly networking events with groups that have added value for me, and I am bringing value to them.

Networking isn't throwing “you know what” at the wall and seeing what sticks. It should be a plan in your marketing strategy. We only have so many hours in the day, make sure that they're used effectively.

Networking should be about more give than take. It isn't about expecting to find clients. Not to say you won't, but if your sole purpose of attending networking events is to find clients, you may be sorely disappointed.  What networking can do for you is provide an avenue to make new connections who move in the same circles as your clients or make great connections that can become strategic partners for your business.

Here are Five of the Ten Tips for You to Become a Pro Networker

Prepare Your Introduction and Practice It

You shouldn't be fumbling and humming and hawing when you tell people about what you do.  If you don't have confidence in what you're saying, they will not see you as an expert. Prepare what you were going to say ahead of time.  Write it out and practice it in front of a mirror and record yourself. Repetition is how you will obtain comfort in delivering your pitch.  Remember, practice makes perfect. Your words should slide off your tongue with ease every time.

Focus on One Thing

Don't try to be all things to all people.  People won't remember what you're saying, and there is no value for your listeners.  Pick one thing you want to discuss at each meeting and deliver that. You can create pitches for different areas of your business or expertise but don't try to deliver them all at once.

Layer Your Pitch

Networking events and breakout room time slots could be 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes. You will not be able to deliver the same information at every meeting.  Create stacking or layering of your details. Start with a 30-second delivery of the most important information, then add additional information depending on the group. When I'm in a group that only allows for my name and what I do, I start with this.

"Hello, I'm Michelle Ricketts, I am a business consultant in Vancouver, Canada, but I work with clients globally.  I guide entrepreneurs to scale their business, with a strong foundation, to become self-sustaining".

Then when I have more time in another group, I can add on or layer.

"...I work with individuals or in group training.  We start with a Business Strength Test to see where they are today"..., and so on, you get the idea.

Being able to stack or add additional elements to your pitch will ensure you are ready for whatever time frame you're offered and not sell yourself short when you have more time.

Paint a Picture for Your Listener

Don't ramble off a list of things you do, people like stories. Incorporate what you do into a story around your business or client experience, which will resonate with your audience. Paint a picture, this may put someone they know in view as a potential client for you.

Don't Expect to Land a Client

You may be fortunate enough to meet a client through a networking event, but it is more likely that you will meet someone who knows a potential client. When you realize the person in the meeting or breakout group is not a client, don't dismiss them. Stay engaged. You never know whom they know.  Treat everyone as if they are referral partners.

Join Michelle Ricketts next week as she continues to provide excellent information on how to make the most out of networking. https://thecibn.com/networking-pro-part-2/

Overall, health and fitness always played a part in Michelle’s life and continue to be part of her consulting approach today, differentiating her from others in the industry. Michelle guides business owners to develop a self-sustaining business, generate more revenue, and take back time to do things that excite them!

Raised by a strong, independent single mother, Michelle’s vision and values were instilled early. Michelle’s entrepreneurial journey started in the 90s in event planning and speaking. In addition to Michelle’s over 30-year Corporate career in Media, Logistics and Financial Services, her passions shaped Michelle’s experience, providing innumerable opportunities to give back as a volunteer.

Passionate about making a difference, Michelle is on a philanthropic foundation, “Board of Advisors,” building sustainable schools in developing countries and supporting Digital Samurai’s efforts, an entrepreneur focused on reducing youth unemployment in Africa through apprenticeships.

Michelle’s 35 years as an Account Executive spanned credit card processing and financial services, transportation, logistics, media, and consulting, with many projects including managing consultative alliances, live event management, and sales team leadership. In 2021 Michelle completed Wardell International Advisor training and had recently undertaken S.O.S. Sales Objection System group training with renowned trainer Joe Marcoux. Her career and entrepreneurial ambitions have taken Michelle outside Canada, providing extensive experience in multiple markets in North America and beyond.

You can find Michelle Ricketts on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/michellericketts 

Are you a speaker? A coach? Or an author? CIBN Connect is a networking and training organization for business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals and we have some excellent benefits for speakers, coaches, and authors.

We have:

• Large Facebook groups that our members can do their lives in and we even let you be an admin so you can use Streamyard and go live in our groups while you are live in your own channels.
• An interactive YouTube Channel CIBN TV where we can interview you and we may even be able to do the interview in front of a 76,000 Facebook group at the same time.
• A blog on our website that you can submit an article for.
• An Entrepreneur Book Club where you can be featured as an author.
• Dozens of networking meetings where you can do a 13-minute presentation.
• Special events where you can do a 30-minute presentation.
• Large summits three to five times a year where you can speak for 20 minutes to one full hour.
• Hundreds of other members who have podcasts, YouTube Channels and speaking platforms that we can introduce you to. Many of these only use other members from CIBN Connect.
• Methods of filling your webinars that you have never heard before that can easily put 20 to 40 people in chairs every time you do them online or in at in person events.
• A proprietary tool that we use regularly to fill online events that you can only get as a member of CIBN Connect and it is free for our members.
• Dozens of highly trained professionals available to help you miss mistakes and build your empire one brick at a time. They range in price starting at free and going up to thousands a month depending on what you need, and what kinds of results you are looking for.
• Do it yourself training worth tens of thousands for those who have more time than they do money.

All of this is available for only $77/month, but you need to wait until the portal is open twice a year to join, unless you fill out this application. Then you may be considered sooner. https://forms.gle/7qMgBrRBXsaVfVDy9

Meet Kerry, CIBN Connect CEO

Hello, I am Kerry George and I am the CEO of CIBN Connect. We are a global networking and mastermind organization promoting our members as speakers in our large Facebook groups, on podcasts, on our very active YouTube channel, in our meetups and as speakers in over 500 events per year. We have a variety of services that speakers and authors love. We have a large women’s summit coming up next that we are taking speakers for, and you can make an offer. If you want to reach out to me this is my email address kgeorge@cibnconnect.com and our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CIBNTVCIBNConnectWithBusinessOwners please subscribe.

My signature talk is Slay Your Dragons and Build Your Empire

https://calendly.com/kgeorge-2/one-on-one-discussion

As the CEO at CIBN Connect, Kerry George inspires business owners with vision and passion and allows them to thrive in every circumstance.

Kerry is a professional networker who has attended over 6000 networking meetings and has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of online and live events.

As you can imagine, a few things have gone wrong in running that many events. Kerry always keeps a sense of humor during the chaos, which has allowed her to continuously be in good spirits to help other entrepreneurs work through their stuff. (linkedin.com/in/kerrygeorge)

Is a Million Dollars Out of Your Reach? Many people believe that this is out of reach for them, and I thought I was lucky to be middle class – a million dollars, not even in my dreams unless I won the lottery. I remember being told I needed at least a million dollars to retire. That was not realistic for me to earn, but it was reality.

Getting Help

In CIBN, members from all sorts of businesses can help you surpass your dreams. Top coaches to help with your mindset, business, and other areas of life. The first thing to becoming a millionaire is to change the mindset and have a realistic plan, and that is what coaches can do. The second part is getting assistance from techs, social media experts, etc.

I now have a plan where I wake up in the morning with a smile and confidence because I am setting smart goals, including a lead generation plan to expand my network and build relationships. I currently have enough clients and am working to diversify my business. I got all this from CIBN.

I must credit Kerry George, CEO of CIBN, her mastermind group, and the networking members for all they have done to help me grow, build my confidence and make the online networking groups fun.

It helps to find an experienced financial advisor for a free consultation about your finances, including how to reach a comfortable retirement and be protected.

Yes, We Can Get a Million Dollars

I am well on my way to getting those million dollars, and the best part is I feel like I am a part of a team of professionals.

By Cheryl Erickson

Imagine having your emails/calendar handled efficiently, a professional presentation, and business-wide assistance.

As an Executive Assistant and Professional Organizer, Cheryl helps individuals protect and grow their business efficiently. With her broad range of skills and high standards, she is ready to handle the details freeing up your time.

Cheryl Erickson
Website: https://cherylerickson.ca
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/visionary-business-organizer/

By Michelle Ricketts, February 2022

Greetings Are Important

Have you noticed that when people say "How are you," they seem to use it the same way as saying "hello"? Why is that? When did it start to become a greeting and not a question? A greeting is "Hello," "Hey," "Hi," or from Down Under  "G'day Mate. "How are you" is a question which suggests it needs an answer. Yet, many people in our fast-paced world today have decided it is part of their greeting. They don't wait to hear how you're doing, and they don't seem to care.

Listening Skill

Listening more than you speak is a good rule of thumb. There's no listening involved with" How are you" as a greeting. If you don't want an answer, you shouldn't be asking the question. It's not complicated, but it amazes me how often I hear people greet with "Hello,  how are you," all in the same breath without a pause. Then they start talking about what they have on their mind or agenda. Whether it's business or pleasure, they handle it the same way.

Why Does it Matter?

I care when I say, "How are you?" I want to know. People are amazed that I stop and listen, and if they don't say anything, I ask again. Individuals comment that most people don't care when they ask, so they'll only respond with "fine." Then I ask them to back up a minute. They can't brush me off with "fine" unless they are fine. With somebody who doesn't seem okay, it is why I'm asking. I dig a little deeper. I want to see how I may be able to assist their business and the individual as well. I have contacts I can connect them with if need be. When I work with clients, this is a rule for me. I ask them how they are when we start each session. They can't say fine, okay or not bad. They have to talk to me.

Health, wellness and fitness have always been a big part of my life. Being able to persevere, not miss time at work, or pass work to others when I've had an accident, procedure or surgery has been part of my success. Taking care of ourselves is paramount. It means resting both our mind and body, eating nutritious food, including things that make us smile and laugh in our day, plus time with family and friends. I recently received an invitation to a hockey game, the first large outing in two years. It was so much fun! Then this past week, I went on a Christmas outing with a friend to see "The Tenors," a wonderful evening out, part of my fun time. It's not that I do big tours every week, but we must do things that we enjoy that make us smile. Smiling is good for us. Smiling not only offers a mood boost but helps our bodies release cortisol and endorphins that provide numerous health benefits, including:

• Reduced blood pressure
• Increased endurance
• Reduced pain
• Reduced stress
• Strengthened immune system

 (Source: https://www.henryford.com/blog/2017/10/health-benefits-smiling)

We deal with things that make us stressed, tired or unhappy. It is essential to counteract bad with the good. That's where taking care of yourself and enjoying some time out, or whatever fun and relaxing means for you.

Smiling is the other thing that keeps us happy. I know it sounds silly, but those take it to heart. Did you know smiling takes less of a toll on your body and mental health? There are many physical and psychological benefits to smiling. (Source: https://lowrydental.com/smiling-vs-frowning/)

Spreading the Care

Next time you're walking down the street, smile at someone passing you.

When you say "Hello, how are you" to someone in the future, pause and wait for the answer. If somebody's having a bad day, they may need your help, an ear, or only to know that somebody cares.  

It may be difficult to stop yourself from making "How are you" a greeting. Putting in the effort will be well worth it whether you're online, in-person networking, or out having some fun. You'll find that you have more meaningful conversations when you care about them and listen. 

Michelle Ricketts

Overall, health and fitness always played a part in Michelle’s life and continue to be part of her consulting approach today, differentiating her from others in the industry. Michelle guides business owners to develop a self-sustaining business, generate more revenue, and take back time to do things that excite them!

Raised by a strong, independent single mother, Michelle’s vision and values were instilled early. Michelle’s entrepreneurial journey started in the 90s in event planning and speaking. In addition to Michelle’s over 30-year Corporate career in Media, Logistics and Financial Services, her passions shaped Michelle’s experience, providing innumerable opportunities to give back as a volunteer.

Passionate about making a difference, Michelle is on a philanthropic foundation, “Board of Advisors,” building sustainable schools in developing countries and supporting Digital Samurai’s efforts, an entrepreneur focused on reducing youth unemployment in Africa through apprenticeships.

Michelle’s 35 years as an Account Executive spanned credit card processing and financial services, transportation, logistics, media, and consulting, with many projects including managing consultative alliances, live event management, and sales team leadership. In 2021 Michelle completed Wardell International Advisor training and had recently undertaken S.O.S. Sales Objection System group training with renowned trainer Joe Marcoux. Her career and entrepreneurial ambitions have taken Michelle outside Canada, providing extensive experience in multiple markets in North America and beyond.

You can find Michelle Ricketts on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/michellericketts 

What Is The Size Of Your Heart?

Lesson Learned:   Small groups can really pay off!

In my early days of networking, I volunteered to host a group that was taking place about two hours drive away from my house. I had to get up very early and drive on a remote country highway to get there.  In retrospect it was not the wisest decision that I ever made. The group started at 7:30 a.m. and I'm not a morning person so I'm not sure what I was thinking when I agreed to this. I guess I was so desperate for new business I was willing to do just about anything.

Once a month on a Thursday morning, I would get up before the roosters at 5 o'clock and I would sing to myself on the drive there so I wouldn't sound like a frog that was choking on hair balls when I started to speak. I even considered taking my coffee intravenously while I was sleeping to give me an edge. If you can imagine a stunned and grumpy woman trying to think through the fog, you may be starting to understand the obstacle course I had created for myself.

One morning in February I woke up earlier than usual to discover that a raging snowstorm was delivering the angriest of tantrums. There was a good two feet of snow on the ground already and it was coming down sideways in 3 inch chunks. I thought about not going very seriously, but I was the organizer and I was worried about my reputation, so I didn't want blow off my obligations even if it meant I might blow off the road. There was no way to send out a message to everybody to cancel the meeting because nobody was going to get that message so early in the morning. I reluctantly put on my heaviest sasquatch fur coat and trudged out into the blizzard to scrape the mountain from my car, and pry the frozen doors loose before I could even begin.

The drive there took an hour longer than usual and I arrived 15 minutes late with white knuckles and PTSD. I had been so ridiculously concerned that people might show up and not have my precious leadership, when in reality I was just overly invested. Imagine my horror to discover there were only four people in total who had braved the elements.

Of course my heart sank. One of the other four was another organizer, and I already knew that he was not going to be my client. I desperately needed new business. Finances were so tight that I did not even have the gas to spare. It would have been easy to sink into anxiety and to focus all of my energy on the negative. We could have even just sat around complaining about all the people who were supposed to be there that did not bother to show up. It's a good thing that I'm just not that person. I always try to focus on the positive, and besides the other organizer was a mentor of mine, so I had to keep my chin up.

The positive of this story is that we had four people who were basically locked in together for many hours with no place to go. We got to drink all of the coffee and eat all of the donuts ourselves.  We also had way more meaningful conversations then normally would be had at any networking meeting.

We were able to talk more extensively about the services that we could provide each other. We were able to tell stories, and give examples. In those days I was selling online marketing services, and this was a great environment for me to share the outcomes of previous clients. Within a couple of hours two of the attendees signed up for my services. Then one of them had the idea to call a friend of theirs who only lived a couple of blocks away. They surmised that this person was likely snowed in and possibly would be willing to walk over to where we were.

As it turned out, their friend was indeed willing to trek through the snow. They were stuck at home bored with themselves. In total I was able to write $70000 worth of annual business that morning.

Imagine if I had stayed home and gone back to bed!

More importantly I learned a valuable lesson that day and I have never forgotten it. Many times I have heard people complain that a networking meeting had too few participants. Many times have I heard people talk about how they prefer only large networking meetings. These people do not know the lesson that I learned that day.

The size of the meeting does not matter. It is the bigness of your attitude that will win out in every circumstance. I kept my attitude in a good and happy place, and I was therefore positioned to capitalize from the experience. I did not give up. I kept going. It was the size of my heart that made this a success, not the size of the meeting.

This is a lesson that has served me well in networking and as an entrepreneur.

What is the size of your heart?

Do you truly have a heart for networking?

Kerry George
CEO, CIBN Connect

As the CEO at CIBN Connect, Kerry George inspires business owners with vision and passion and allows them to thrive in every circumstance.

Kerry is a professional networker who has attended over 6000 networking meetings and has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of online and live events.

As you can imagine, a few things have gone wrong in running that many events. Kerry always keeps a sense of humor during the chaos, which has allowed her to continuously be in good spirits to help other entrepreneurs work through their stuff.

5 Modern Tips for Networking

Networking is not new. It has been around as long as man has been around. It is very likely that there was a guy selling things from his cave and he recommended his friend who had a tent on the beach, and they all got together around a campfire somewhere. However, there is a lot of new technology today, so why not marry some of the old with some of the new and give Social Networking real meaning?

Networking will dramatically improve your bottom line when you do it well, and when you do it consistently. Today we have several great tools that will help you to do networking better than you have ever done it before. When you go out to an event and collect cards the next and most powerful thing that you can do is follow up with the people that you met, but have you noticed that they don’t all answer the phone the next day? It is also impractical to rely entirely on the phone because one just does not have the time to call 40 people within 24 hours. Those leads become cold when they are left too long. Using modern tools can keep those leads interacting
with you, and even warm them up before you get them on the phone. It takes 7 - 14 touches to get a sale, so why not start with some social touching? When you finally get together with them, it will make getting a sale so much easier.

Here are 5 tips for modern networking that will rock your world:

1. Put all of those contacts that you collected into a CRM (Customer Retention Management) system immediately. Going out networking for two hours was two hours you will never get back. You don’t want to lose that effort now by misplacing these business cards or not productively using them. You need to put them directly into a system. Find something that works for you whether it is Hubspot, Infusionsoft, Salesforce or even something as simple as an old fashioned Rolodex. Whatever you use, it should alert you to complete a task. I personally like Hubspot. Even the free version allows one to put the contact in and set a task to be reminded to call them again in three days if they did not pick up today.

2. Add your contacts to LinkedIn immediately. The one thing that you need to be accepted by a new connection in LinkedIn is their email address. It is usually on their business card. People who go out networking expect a follow-up. They are there for networking and connecting just like you, so go ahead and connect. You are building your social media following and they will see your future posts about your services, so this is a win/win!

3. Connect with people on Facebook. While Facebook is still primarily for making friends, it is becoming more and more common for business owners to use it to reach out to other business owners. Many will use Facebook as their primary online connection tool, and others appreciate the fast response system of Messenger for quick communication.

4. Twitter users are usually more socially savvy than most. It is an excellent idea to build a nice Twitter account and check to see if your new contact is on there. Usually, on their website, there will be a link to their Twitter account if they are an active Twitter user. You can often tell by reading their posts if they are there on a regular basis. Re-sharing a Tweet, or making a positive comment can win you a lot of social cred and build your new business relationship. 

5. Send a real card. If you want to stand out from the herd, send a card that comes in the mail. Any fool can send an email card, and most fools do. The rest of us send them immediately to junk, but what do you do when a real card comes in the mail? A real card has an open rate of 100%. Some of the most successful people in the world have made a daily habit of sending a few thoughtful, well-written cards to prospects and clients each day. Today there are modern methods available to get the job done faster. Send Out Cards is one of those tools where you can quickly create a unique, customized card and send it to your prospect or client for less than $3 each. I still have the first one that was ever sent to me on the mantle of my fireplace because the sender was wise enough to put my picture on it. I still like him and do business with him to this day.

Once you’ve added your connections into these systems, you can make random posts or automate posts with a purpose using an aggregator like Hootsuite to keep talking about what you do in short statements. You can add quick tips through social media channels, and as they follow you back, you can like, comment on, and share what they say from your smartphone throughout the week. A few weeks of this activity and your cold prospect becomes a warm friend before you even get back together with them in person.

Kerry George

CEO, CIBN Connect

As the CEO at CIBN Connect, Kerry George inspires business owners with vision and passion and allows them to thrive in every circumstance.

Kerry is a professional networker who has attended over 6000 networking meetings and has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of online and live events.

As you can imagine, a few things have gone wrong in running that many events. Kerry always keeps a sense of humor during the chaos, which has allowed her to continuously be in good spirits to help other entrepreneurs work through their stuff. (linkedin.com/in/kerrygeorge)

Simple Ways To Be A Connector

Be A Connector

The Connector is the person that everyone knows and they are the one that everyone wants to know. Why? They are not afraid to make the connections.

Pay attention to what people need and when they express that need tell them, "I know someone who would be perfect to fill that need for you. This person is amazing at what they do. You will be happy to be in the hands of a professional. I will let them know to call you. You should expect a call from them this week."

Be A Listener

In your day-to-day life people from all different backgrounds are around you talking about the things that are important to them. Learn to be a listener for key phrases that are the hints that they may have a need in their life, this will help you be a good Connector. For example, young couples may be looking to purchase their first home, while older couples may be looking to downsize. Anyone talking about buying a home will need a mortgage and a real estate agent. To try to buy a home without a real estate agent would put them at risk of liabilities. Not having a discussion with a Mortgage Broker could cost them thousands of dollars in fees later. You are doing a huge favor to anyone you recommend to one of your CIBN collaborating Members.

Anyone who just had a baby, or who has children in school is in need of financial planning. Anyone starting a business needs an accountant or a bookkeeper. If you know someone complaining that they need to lose weight they need the health products provided by a fellow CIBN member. Learn to be a good listener and you will be a provider of good quality leads. You already know these people in your family and your friendships.

Standing in line at the bank, or in a coffee shop, you hear conversations. Why not jump in? What would you lose? You don’t know the person now, and you will never see them again. Offer the services of someone you know!

If you own a business that deals with other businesses, you are in a primary position to bring leads to your network. You have many clients who would want to take part in the network too! Who have you been doing business with? If this person is a trusted client that you respect and admire they will also be a great referral for someone in your CIBN group.

Hand Out Business Cards

Get a business card holder and carry it with you. Keep a few extra cards from every member in your club. When you are having that discussion as a Connector pull out the cards and find the one you need. Write your name on it so the prospect will know who referred them to the professional in your chapter. Also get the contact information of the person you are talking to so you can pass it on at your next weekly meeting.

Send Connecting Emails

You were in the CIBN meeting and thought of a great lead for your fellow member. You gave out that lead so now, don't drop the ball. Quick, get our your phone and use email or social media to send a message to that referral. Say something like, " I was thinking about you today and it occurred to me that a person in your position (or circumstance) may need the help of a professional. I was just having lunch with my friend _____________ who has done a fantastic job for some of my other friends/clients and I believe that the two of you need to meet. I gave him your number because I think it is really important that you talk to him/her."

If you do this by email CC both parties and introduce them via email. Also address the service person you are referring by saying, “Bob, I realize that you are incredibly busy, but can you please make some time to meet with ____________? I would consider it a personal favour.” This type of communication places value and urgency on the conversation and makes you a great Connector.

By Kerry George

Check out the CIBN Website at https://thecibn.com/ and connect with our CEO, Kerry George on her LinkedIn page linkedin.com/in/kerrygeorge

As the CEO at CIBN Connect, Kerry George inspires business owners with vision and passion and allows them to thrive in every circumstance.

Kerry is a professional networker who has attended over 6000 networking meetings and has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of online and live events.

As you can imagine, a few things have gone wrong in running that many events. Kerry always keeps a sense of humor during the chaos, which has allowed her to continuously be in good spirits to help other entrepreneurs work through their stuff. (linkedin.com/in/kerrygeorge)