BBG Brisbane Breakfast forum with Bill Cates

Bill Cates was inspirational and Brisbane BBG members were priviliged to have Bill talk at our Breakfast

GETTING CONNECTED

by Greg Kay Executive Director Business Builders Group Australia - connect with me here

As a leader, I'm attracted to people who make a difference.  

I've found that these individuals - I call them “make-a-difference people” - are greater on the inside than they are on the outside. 

They think differently and when they talk, their words inspire, probe, challenge and move others to aspire to be better.

Beyond all that, make-a-difference people encourage me.  They expand me.  They engage me.  And they empower me to become better.

As leaders (yes we are all leaders in our own way), we should all strive to make a difference - at work, in our communities, with our families, and so on.  Beyond that, if we want to be truly successful, we all need to have at least a few make-a-difference people on our teams.  That's easier said than done, of course. You can't always tell by looking at someone if they have what it takes to contribute something significant.

Now let me share with you two traits that do not automatically place people in the make-a-difference category.  

First, it's not about being gifted. I have known some extremely talented people who never accomplished much because they were lazy, undisciplined and self-centered.  

And secondly, it's not about position or title.  Just because someone has an impressive resume does not mean he will make a difference on your team.

If I had to think of one word to describe what sets make-a-difference people apart from everyone else, it would be the word "Connected".  I'm not talking about being connected in a name-dropping sense; it goes much deeper than that.  

Here are three key ways that difference-makers are connected.

           1.       Make-a-difference people are connected to the leader.

They don't wait for this connection to happen by itself, either. They take the initiative, because they understand that everything rises and falls on leadership.  If you want to be successful, find a leader who makes good things happen and get close to that person.  It doesn't have to be your boss; in fact, it could be someone in a totally different profession.  Just hook up with a leader who makes a difference, and soon you will be making a difference too. 

          2.        Make-a-difference people are connected to the vision.

As I see it the future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious.  Vision isn't just something you see; it's something you hear.  What should you be listening for ?                     

Let's start with three voices -

* The Inner Voice.

This is the voice inside that pulls you above the mundane and says, "You were born for something better than this.  You were created to do something great."

* The Unhappy Voice.

This is the voice of discontentment that says, "I don't like things just as they are."  Great leaders create change because of the internal voice that proclaims, "Things could be better. Things should be better.  And there's something I could do to make it better."

* The Successful Voice.

This is the inspirational voice of somebody who's already climbed the mountain and is saying, "I'm up here and there's room at the top.  Come on up-you don't have to stay down there !" 

      3.         Make-a-difference people are connected to others who want to make a difference.

People who want to make a difference spend time with other people who want to make a difference.  And people who don't care about making a difference hang around with other people who don't care about making a difference. Like attracts like.

If you want to be a make-a-difference person, "Get Connected" to a good leader, a powerful vision, and other people who want to make a difference.  And then get busy. 

No matter who you are or what you do, you have plenty of opportunities to make a difference in your world.

So what’s stopping you "Getting Connected" – join us at a BBG breakfast forum and we will help you "Get Connected" tand become a “make a difference person”

Visit - www.bbg.business

Greg Kay

10 essential attributes of an effective networker

"It isn’t what you know, but rather who you know." 

Your database, email list, mobile contact list  and relationships you have made,  are the most valuable assets you have. 

Networking may be the most valuable skill set you can develop. It can help you throughout any point in your personal life and career. 

Building relationships is more than handing out business cards at a trade show. 

It is the genuine connections you make every day with a wide variety of people that involve a win-win-win. It is the way you develop relationships in your personal life and in the workplace that will determine  your success.

Author of 2 linked in books and business coach, Lewis Howes has identified 10 requirements needed to become an effective networker. 

1. Get involved. 

You can't network sitting in your office chair. It takes getting up and getting out. 
Circulate. Engage. Look people in the eyes. Involve yourself in the lives of others and allow them to become involved in yours. Be vulnerable and open and share your life as well as learning about others'. 

2. Know who you are.  

For others to have an interest in you, they need to have a reasonable understanding of who you are and what you do. 

Present yourself well. Be ready to share your vision with the world at any moment. This means you have to get clear on exactly what your vision is. Get tour elevator pitch nailed and have your presentation pack ready! 

3. Listen. 

Effective listening is one of the most important things you can learn in life. Be present and take it in.

4. Discover common ground. 

Much of networking success lies in discovering mutual personal and professional attributes.  Find out what's relevant and important to the person you are talking to. What is going on in the person's business? What is he or she passionate about?

5. Add value. 

Once you know what people are looking for, find a way to add value to their life or business if you can. If you can’t immediately, keep on the lookout for ways to add value to whatever they are about. 

It’s extra impressive when you follow up much later with an unexpected value-add. 

Providing a warm referral is awesome!

6. Remember. 

The basis for a solid networking relationship is knowing, liking and trusting. Remember the things you learn and discover about those in your network. It is this memorization that signifies their importance to you. 

Without a good memory (especially remember someone’s name) every meeting becomes a first meeting.

7. Follow up. 

People have contact with many individuals every day for a variety of reasons, including you. You set yourself apart by following up. This shows them they are important to you. It is always a good idea to follow up with an email, and then a one on one coffee meeting.

8. Contribute. 

You are an effective networker when you contribute to others by giving. Give information, time, energy, contacts and encouragement. Always keep your eyes open for people you can connect. 

Everyone in your network brings a unique set of talents, temperaments and convictions to the world. 

 Pick the people who are experts at what they do and refer their business to others.  

  

9. Ask for help. 

You cannot help others unless you have helped yourself. To get help, be sure to ask for it, and be appropriate and specific. 

I have had some great mentors in my life who taught me a lot about reaching out for help 

10. Show appreciation. 

Say “thank you” for everything. Even thank someone for thanking you (“I so appreciate that you took the time to acknowledge my effort”). Whenever you take the time to thank someone, you create an opportunity to further connect with them.

The more confident you are in your ability to network, the faster you grow relationships. And as we all know, relationships are everything.

3 ingredients needed to build a successful professional network

Daniel TunkelangData science. Engineering. Leadership.

I’m a strong believer in professional networking, as you may have guessed from my long-term obsession with LinkedIn. I was one of the first 50K people to join LinkedIn in 2003; I started writing about the company as soon as I started blogging in 2008, and I worked there for over four years.

But I’m surprised that so few people seem to do it right. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I feel I have a basic idea of how it works.

Many of us value our second-degree networks— that is, our connections’ connections. But when we collect connections like Pokemons, we stop taking those connections seriously.

Here’s how I believe professional networking really works: strong connections to credible individuals who themselves have many connections. Let’s unpack that.

First, strong connections. It’s not how many people you know, but how many people know you well enough to vouch for you. Ideally they’ve worked closely with you. But what really matters is that they can and will risk their credibility for you.

Second, credible individuals. People willing to to risk their credibility for you need to have credibility in the first place. And credibility is contextual, usually limited to a domain or industry. You want strong connections to people whose credibility is relevant to your professional identity.

Third, the size of their networks. Finally, size matters: an individual’s credibility scales across even weak connections, so more is better.

To summarize, you want to cultivate strong connections to credible individuals who themselves have many connections. That’s neither easy nor quick: there really is no shortcut to developing a valuable professional network.

But it starts with your own strong connections. Develop a taste for credible people, seek opportunities to work with them, and work hard to earn their trust and respect. You won’t develop a strong professional network overnight, but your investments will yield long-term return.

So keep calm and build strong connections.

The Unstoppables; a winning format for future business collaboration?

Graham RossSustainable sportswear pioneer, creating clothing that causes minimal impact to the planet.

It takes a grand vision to throw 55 A-type entrepreneurs together, a touch of genius to take them to one of the planet's most treasured areas - the Amazon, and a strong sense of purpose to achieve the goal: to meet, collaborate and create ideas and businesses that will deliver social and economic benefits to a global population. All in just 10 days. 

I was one of those 55. South America seemed like a great idea from my Sydney office. The reality is a 30 hour multi-airline flight across four countries. Last year's Unstoppables trip named Fire and Ice was held on a luxury boat in Antartica. The Unstoppables is much like any start up, it’s never plain sailing. In fact last year's event almost didn’t happen due to an incoming weather front. Like most entrepreneurs, founder Julio de Laffitte, made the almost impossible happen. 

This year's event, set on a floating resort on the edge of the Amazon rainforest was aptly called Ideas Gone Wild.  It's a place of intense beauty, extreme danger and for every inhabitant on Earth, a life source - where 20% of our planet's oxygen is generated. It makes you wonder why we continue to threaten its existence. 

Ideas Gone Wild drew a list of impressive attendees and not just by achievements or bank balance. The scope ranged from entrepreneurs just beginning their journey, to those ready to grow their venture to the next level, and successful business owners with exits under their belt now mentoring and investing in the next generation.  

With a marketing pitch of amazing people, amazing places, amazing results, the Unstoppables had a lot to live up to. What they delivered for me, was unexpected. By inviting people to travel long distances to a remote exotic location, they embedded a sense of comradeship from the outset. This foundation paved the way to build trust and collaboration and opened pathways for business deals. 

As Skyhooks lead singer, Shirley Strachan once belted out, 'ego is not a dirty word' and as every entrepreneur knows, you need a heathy ego. Of course there was ego aplenty and strong personalities vying for attention.  But what I found within the conference room, out in the wilderness and in the daily rituals of living in close quarters was simply, respect.  

I came away with both personal and business development. The Unstoppables concept shows the opportunities to do business are everywhere - especially if, as Julio puts it, ‘you see the other person’. If you engage and listen to others, finding ways to collaborate or even better, starting a new venture is easily accessible. When you have trust and respect, sharing your IP or knowledge comes more naturally and openly. Ideas can be given oxygen and with the help of others, can grow into real change. We found a rawness within the group, laughter and tears came spontaneously and in equal measure. 

As expected, we did deals, made investments and created new businesses, but the real value of becoming an Unstoppable didn't end in the Amazon. The opportunity to share deeper conversation, knowledge and do business with the other 54 members has only just begun.

And what better way to facilitate this as a BBG unstoppables forum - www.bbg.business - creating a forum where people can gain that deeper knowledge and get to know like and trust one another! 

Written by

Graham RossSustainable sportswear pioneer, creating clothing that causes minimal impact to the planet.

BBG SIngapore - with Allen Pathmarajah

Join our exclusive BBG Forum

DATE AND TIME

Wed. 18 January 2017

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Singapore Standard Time Singapore Time

Add to Calendar

LOCATION10 Anson Road #06-19/20Lab 13 (Comat Training Services)International PlazaSingapore, 079903SingaporeView Map

Register HERE

BBG Singapore launch with Mr Allen Pathmarajah from Ivan Kaye on Vimeo.

Become a founding member of our business builders group

If you'd like to attract a lot more referrals in your business, here's something that may be just the ticket.

Maybe you have been to networking events or referral groups before and found them to be less than effective for attracting leads and customers..

BBG, co-founded by Geoff Hirsh, is completely different. 

The BBG Process is specifically designed to overcome the key challenges that small business owners face when attracting referrals ... through their community, unique BBG Structure, Professional Mentoring and Best of Breed Tools.

We are hosting a briefing, with drinks and nibbles,  where you will find out how BBG can help you achieve your growth objectives

When:- on Thursday 18 February 4:30am - 6pm 

Where:-  at the BBG Meeting Venue, Level 7, 14 Martin Place, Sydney, 2000

and I would be delighted if you could join us to learn how you can be a founding member of this community. 

This briefing is limited to 40 guests so make sure you click here to register your interest today.

We look forward to seeing you there.

About Geoff Hirsh 

Geoff is one of Australia's top marketing consultants, with 8 years corporate marketing experience with Cadbury Schweppes and Duracell and 25 years running his own Marketing Agency – AdMail

Over that 25 years he has worked with literally hundreds of businesses from Top 100 Companies all the way down to owner-operated SME's, helping his clients win awards for new product launches, loyalty programs, website design, promotions and event management, and others achieve successful share market floats and trade sales.

In the 25 years he has run his own business Geoff estimates that over 80% of his new business has come through referrals.Geoff is currently a member of BNI and The Network Collective and is a past member of The Executive Connection. In putting the Business Builders Group together, Geoff has applied his considerable knowledge and expertise in Referral Marketing to building a model that – I have no doubt – is simply the best available in Australia today.

Facts Tell, but stories Sell

By Ivan Misner

Published May 28, 2013

FOXBusiness

I’ve been asked this question over 100 times:“In business, what is the one secret to success when it comes to networking?”

My answer is always the same. In order to be successful in building relationships that will lead to business referrals and opportunities, there are four principles to focus on. Understanding this formula can improve your business networking success in amazing ways.

No. 1: Quality Connections ONLY! (people you know , like and trust)

Quality is first element on the list for a reason.  The process begins by being very selective about who you bring into your circle of business networking relationships.  You want quality business professionals who have a positive, supportive attitude.  You also want people who are good at what they do.  Effective networking is also dependent on the quality of the relationships that you actually develop in the group.  If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep, you won’t be getting the referrals you expect.  Therefore, it is important to build deep relationships with your referral partners if you want to generate more referrals.
In order to ensure quality participation, there has to be accountability in a group.  One of the strengths of a good network is that many of the members are friends.  One of the weaknesses of a good network is…that many of the members are friends.  Friends don’t like to hold friends accountable.  However, when you are networking for referrals and business opportunities, you simply have to understand that there is a place for the friendship – and a separate place for the business interaction.
You need to be held accountable for the referrals you give to your business networking relationship – and they need to be held accountable for the business opportunities they pass to you. If you expect the best from your referral relationships, you’ll get it.  If you expect less than the best from them, you’ll get it.  Why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option?  Accountability going both ways will help you achieve excellence.

No. 2: The More, The Merrier

Years ago I learned that there is a dramatic correlation between the size of a quality networking group and the number of referrals that are generated by that group.  Groups under 20 do not generate as many referrals (proportionately) as do groups over 20 and the math proves it.  If you have a group of 16 people, that group has 256 connections (16x16). [See Diagram A] However, a group of 32 people has 1024 connections (24x24)! [See Diagram B]. I call this the "Squared Connection Effect.”

a difference in the total number of connections and inevitably the amount of referrals that can be generated from your group.
So as you begin to build your own network of referral relationships, keep in mind that the more, the better! The bottom line is that the more connections you have (based on quality relationships of course), the more referrals you can generate. The math is pretty significant and consistent.

No. 3: Get Engaged

Engagement involves a promise and an action. In order to achieve success in your group of networking relationships, you and your relationships must promise to support one another and then take the actions necessary to fulfill that promise.
There are many ways that you can become engaged. Have you taken the time to regularly meet with the people in your network? Have you taken the time to educate them regularly on the key features of your business so that your products or services will be top of mind as they are out and meet someone with a need for them?  Have you taken the time to become educated on the key features of your networking relationships’ businesses so that you can do the same?
The higher the number of people in your network engaged in these activities, the more likely the entire group will be generating more referrals.  The reason for this is a shared vision of success and a shared implementation of that vision.
Another way to be actively engaged and educated about each other’s businesses is to do regular and consistent meetings. Over and over, I see that business owners who have regular “one to one” meetings with their business networking relationships tend to both give AND get more referrals.
Lastly, are you focusing on your “elevator pitch”?  The best way that your referral sources are going to remember what you do is when you focus on breaking your business down to laser specific elements of your business.  Sharp-shoot your pitch, don’t shotgun it.  In each of your regular “one to one” meetings, talk about one key element, product, or benefit of what you do.
According to Psychology Today, research has found that people who are “actively engaged” in a business environment are “43% more productive” than those who are not.
Furthermore, they state that engagement includes “regular dialogue, quality of working relationships, perceptions of ethos and values of the organization, and recognition.”  There’s research behind my recommending reciprocal engagement between you and your referral partners. In fact, it’s critical to your success – and theirs.

No. 4: Share Stories! “company facts tell, but stories sell”

Here’s the last, although possibly the most important piece of for success in networking. Tell stories.  Listening closely to the information shared by those in your referral network will help you tell positive stories about them when you see opportunities to refer them.  Doing those regular meetings with each of them will help you to tell stories when you give referrals.  Think about your many experiences and write them down.
A number of years ago I met Robert Dickman, author of The Elements of Persuasion.  He taught me the formula for a good story:

• A story is a fact
• Wrapped in an emotion
• That compels us to take action
• That transforms us in some way
• The key here is that a good story compels people to take action and that this action transforms or helps them in some way.  I always try to re-live a story, not just re-tell a story.  Make it sound fresh and alive.  That is an important aspect of story telling.

If you want to build your network in order to generate more referrals, overlay story telling on top of your efforts.
Called the "father of modern networking" by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI (www.BNI.com), the world's largest business networking organization.  His latest book, Room Full of Referrals, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com.  Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute (www.ReferralInstitue.com), an international referral training company.

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