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Digg it UP - You Can't Spell Networking Without Serendipity
Introduction: Maslow in the Big AppleAbraham Maslow was born in New York in 1908 to poor, uneducated Russian immigrants. He was the oldest of seven children, and therefore pushed by his parents to succeed in education where they had not. Originally studying to be a lawyer, he found it to be of little interest and eventually shifted over to psychology where he excelled. Maslow went on to receive his PhD in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, under the tutelage of Harry Harlow, famous for experimentation with rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior. After some time he returned to New York and began studying human sexuality. In addition to this study, during the years of teaching, he had the opportunity to meet many well-respected psychologists which further helped to shape his thoughts on the human needs. The final event which led Maslow to move
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen.
Margaret Thatcher once declared: “There’s no such thing as society. There are only individual men and women, and there are families.” You wouldn’t expect anything less from the Iron Lady sitting on the right-hand side of the right political arena, where individualism is king and collectivism is bad for your health. Whether the former UK prime minister really believed what she was saying to the letter or was just using it as a strong point in defense of her Tory ideology of individualism, I don’t know. But the world heard her and responded with varying degrees of horror, or admiration.My temptation to steal the line is strong. So here it is: forget culture, there are only behaviors. These can be accepted or unaccepted, expected or unexpected, sanctioned or not. There are established ways of doing things, ways of talking, ways of thinking and ways of grouping peo
This quotation is from the book of Hebrews, which means it probably has nothing to do with networking.
Or does it?
Networking is the process of sharing knowledge, helping others, and developing mutually beneficial relationships. Serendipity is the lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Mix the two forces, and you’ve got a sure-fire formula to boost your business.
Now, I understand the Catch-22: if it’s serendipity, how can you plan it? Well, you’re right - you can’t. But you can do a few things to be more aware of it and prepare yourself to leverage it.
What is Serendipity Networking?
First and foremost, serendipity networking is unexpected. You never know whom you’re going to meet! So don’t discount the power of each person to affect your business or even your life. For example, the birth of my career was a direct result of the “Start Conversations with Random People on the Bus Who Happen to Know the Editor of a Major Newspaper Theory.” Works every time!
Secondly, being at the right place at the right time is good; but being at the wrong place at the wrong time can be better. I once attended a small group discussion under the impression that the speaker was a certain author, only to realize I had read the flyer incorrectly – the author wasn’t coming at all. When I learned who the actual facilitator was, I was initially disappointed. I then realized how much she and I had in common, and now I’m happy to say we’re great friends and colleagues who share information and ideas on a frequent basis!
Next, serendipity networking is powerful. I mean REALLY powerful. How many times have you met a valuable contact and said, “Wow! The planets must have been aligned tonight!” “The Gods have smiled down upon me!” or “What are the odds of meeting someone as perfect as her?”
World renowned speaker, author, and my friend Carol Weisman experienced the power of serendipity networking years ago. She was giving a speech at a conference that unfortunately conflicted with a concurrent session by Dr. Steven Covey. Obviously, attendance was low, but Carol didn’t care. She did her absolute best and blew the audience away – all six of them. At the end of her speech she announced, “And now, I’m going to do something that Steven Covey would NEVER do – I’m going to take my entire audience out to lunch!”
Little did she know that a member of her audience worked for PBS. Five seasons of a hit program and a Telle Award later, Carol understood the power of serendipity networking.
Warning Signs That Networking is in the Air
7 Serendipity Networking Tips
1. Talk to everybody. We are conditioned not to talk to strangers, but some people enter our lives and change them forever.
2. Be nice and help people. Reciprocity is an inherent human need. Go out of your way to extend kindness, friendliness, and assistance to everyone - they are likely to pay you back. Possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
3. Keep a list of your “People Collection.” (In an non-crawl-space-under-the-deck kind of way) Whether you use a journal, database software, or bar napkins, make sure you write down the names of every person you meet – not just business contacts. You never know when, 6 months down the road, an idea will pop into your head and you’ll need to call someone.
4. Get out there. Make a weekly/monthly networking plan. Serendipity networking has a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time. And although you can’t create serendipity, you can certainly put yourself in a position to grab it when it crosses your path.
5. Always have business cards. Always. Most of your networking won’t occur between Monday and Friday from 9-5. So remove the following phrase from your vocabulary: “I don’t have any of my business cards with me right now.” No excuses. Unexpected conversations are the stuff serendipity networking is made of.
6. Always have something free to give away. People like free stuff. They also like to show it to other people.
7. Wear your nametag. A person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten. So, at a meeting or event when you’re given the chance to remind someone who you are – do it. They’ll thank you by approaching you. And possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen.
Going into business as a private investigator for the long term will require careful planning in the initial stages. You'll want to ensure the business gets off to the right start, and is able to compete successfully in what is becoming a tough arena.Private Investigator Business PlanAre you going it alone, going into busines with one or more partners, working from home or setting up office in your town or city? These are some of the questions you'll be faced with. Other areas of importance include a marketing plan and financial plan, resource plan and production plan.Start Up CostsObviously if you are going into business alone and using your home as your office base then you'll cut down on starting costs. Costs become a factor when you intend renting office space and going into partnership with business partners. Successful private investigator b
Next, serendipity networking is powerful. I mean REALLY powerful. How many times have you met a valuable contact and said, “Wow! The planets must have been aligned tonight!” “The Gods have smiled down upon me!” or “What are the odds of meeting someone as perfect as her?”
World renowned speaker, author, and my friend Carol Weisman experienced the power of serendipity networking years ago. She was giving a speech at a conference that unfortunately conflicted with a concurrent session by Dr. Steven Covey. Obviously, attendance was low, but Carol didn’t care. She did her absolute best and blew the audience away – all six of them. At the end of her speech she announced, “And now, I’m going to do something that Steven Covey would NEVER do – I’m going to take my entire audience out to lunch!”
Little did she know that a member of her audience worked for PBS. Five seasons of a hit program and a Telle Award later, Carol understood the power of serendipity networking.
Warning Signs That Networking is in the Air
7 Serendipity Networking Tips
1. Talk to everybody. We are conditioned not to talk to strangers, but some people enter our lives and change them forever.
2. Be nice and help people. Reciprocity is an inherent human need. Go out of your way to extend kindness, friendliness, and assistance to everyone - they are likely to pay you back. Possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
3. Keep a list of your “People Collection.” (In an non-crawl-space-under-the-deck kind of way) Whether you use a journal, database software, or bar napkins, make sure you write down the names of every person you meet – not just business contacts. You never know when, 6 months down the road, an idea will pop into your head and you’ll need to call someone.
4. Get out there. Make a weekly/monthly networking plan. Serendipity networking has a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time. And although you can’t create serendipity, you can certainly put yourself in a position to grab it when it crosses your path.
5. Always have business cards. Always. Most of your networking won’t occur between Monday and Friday from 9-5. So remove the following phrase from your vocabulary: “I don’t have any of my business cards with me right now.” No excuses. Unexpected conversations are the stuff serendipity networking is made of.
6. Always have something free to give away. People like free stuff. They also like to show it to other people.
7. Wear your nametag. A person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten. So, at a meeting or event when you’re given the chance to remind someone who you are – do it. They’ll thank you by approaching you. And possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen.
Good morning. Have you had your cup of coffee yet, because I hope so.I'm going to lay something earth shat terning on you now, and I hope that your readyHere goes nothing:There is something out there, a disease, if you will, an infection, a curse.Some people, they are head of COKE, PEPSI, Ritz Carlton, Shape magazine, McDonald's, and MICROSOFT.These people, plus lots of other super successful companies, have gotten the disease from one time to another.LOTS of Graphic Designers, Artists and Creatives have it too-----The Disease of Bad Advertising-----------WAIT- There is something you can do to fight it off though. Don't despair.Here's just ONE way to fight it off for good:1. Take your business card, if you have one. Chances are that you do ok?Look: Most people WASTE the white space on their
7 Serendipity Networking Tips
1. Talk to everybody. We are conditioned not to talk to strangers, but some people enter our lives and change them forever.
2. Be nice and help people. Reciprocity is an inherent human need. Go out of your way to extend kindness, friendliness, and assistance to everyone - they are likely to pay you back. Possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
3. Keep a list of your “People Collection.” (In an non-crawl-space-under-the-deck kind of way) Whether you use a journal, database software, or bar napkins, make sure you write down the names of every person you meet – not just business contacts. You never know when, 6 months down the road, an idea will pop into your head and you’ll need to call someone.
4. Get out there. Make a weekly/monthly networking plan. Serendipity networking has a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time. And although you can’t create serendipity, you can certainly put yourself in a position to grab it when it crosses your path.
5. Always have business cards. Always. Most of your networking won’t occur between Monday and Friday from 9-5. So remove the following phrase from your vocabulary: “I don’t have any of my business cards with me right now.” No excuses. Unexpected conversations are the stuff serendipity networking is made of.
6. Always have something free to give away. People like free stuff. They also like to show it to other people.
7. Wear your nametag. A person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten. So, at a meeting or event when you’re given the chance to remind someone who you are – do it. They’ll thank you by approaching you. And possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen.
In the old days of networking (and unfortunately, believe it or not, still in most Australian networking organisations) people were taught networking practices that were appalling rude. It’s no wonder that networking is so hated, particularly in Australia, that organisations like BNI have to force their members to attend meetings by threatening to “open their category” if they are absent too often.And yet networking, done properly, is possibly the number 1 most effective marketing or business building activity one could engage in. So why hasn’t it been done properly? What are the mistakes that people are making that has turned networking into such an unpleasant, unfulfilling and plain awful experience?Do These Look Familiar?*** Stuffing your card in someone’s hand the moment you meet.*** When a complete stranger says “and what do you d
3. Keep a list of your “People Collection.” (In an non-crawl-space-under-the-deck kind of way) Whether you use a journal, database software, or bar napkins, make sure you write down the names of every person you meet – not just business contacts. You never know when, 6 months down the road, an idea will pop into your head and you’ll need to call someone.
4. Get out there. Make a weekly/monthly networking plan. Serendipity networking has a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time. And although you can’t create serendipity, you can certainly put yourself in a position to grab it when it crosses your path.
5. Always have business cards. Always. Most of your networking won’t occur between Monday and Friday from 9-5. So remove the following phrase from your vocabulary: “I don’t have any of my business cards with me right now.” No excuses. Unexpected conversations are the stuff serendipity networking is made of.
6. Always have something free to give away. People like free stuff. They also like to show it to other people.
7. Wear your nametag. A person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten. So, at a meeting or event when you’re given the chance to remind someone who you are – do it. They’ll thank you by approaching you. And possibly by giving you millions of dollars.
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen.
Winn Dixie Supermarket Chain is in bankruptcy (yet recording another huge loss in their 2005 fiscal year) after a 51 million dollar loss in fiscal year 2004. Now they report a 622 million dollar loss and some are fretting the worse may be inevitable as it looks as if emerging from bankruptcy may not be possible.They have closed stores and warehouses to cut costs, yet were hurt also from the Hurricanes, especially Katrina. In fact some stores in fiscal year 2005 showed a 4% same store decline. Yet some of that is due to the advancement of Wal-Mart Super Center competition and the other main regional chain Publix. Winn-Dixie is closing 326 stores and three distribution centers in all and may now be forced to close more. Hurricane Wilma comes in to play in their 2006 fiscal year, which is already raising eyebrows with investors. Hurricane Katrina caused property damage
Luck is Not a Word
For effective serendipity networking, remember the three L’s: Listen, Localize, and Leverage.
Serendipity networking takes time. As the definition says, it means a lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Now, you can’t make it happen. But you CAN make yourself more aware of the warning signs and more accessible to that which fortuitously affects you. And even if you really DO think it’s all about luck, remember: L.U.C.K is an acronym for Laboring Under Correct Knowledge.
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