The Savvy Entrepreneur

Jerrilynn Thomas, President/CEO of the IVWCC defined for us the different forms of partnerships you can create to help grow your business:

Partnering is defined as the synergistic affect from pooling of resources to work together toward a common goal. This reduces duplication of effort, helps ensure that the appropriate level of resources are available. The [...]

This comment was recently posted on an online networking group:
In my naivety I had the idea that I was so well known in the local real estate industry that I could just go out there, hand out my new business cards and BOOM… I’d be in business! I am learning that this is much [...]

This week, I was following an online networking conversation about the art and true meaning of what networking is. Someone made this comment, and thought it was quite profound:
I do believe that not everyone really has a grasp on how to best network. If we are all honest, I think our first instinct when [...]

In Jeffrey Gitomer’s The Little Black Book of Connections, he says that when using questions to make meaningful connections, you want to get to know just enough about an individual so they’ll want to know more about you.
How can you accomplish this? Make a game plan.

Create your A-List. What types of individuals do you want [...]

So far we’ve examined:

why using questions is an effective method to connect, network and build lasting relationships, and
points to remember when asking questions.

Today I’ll share with you questions I use when meeting a key person for the first time (usually, but not exclusively, at an organized networking event).
The situation is: All present have given their [...]

Continuing our discussion on using questions to effectively network and build lasting relationships, today I’ll share with you points to remember when preparing your list of questions and actually weaving them in a conversation.

It’s not an inquisition. If the person you’re speaking with feels like they’re being grilled, then the exact opposite effect of what [...]

In my last blog post, Jason commented:
I find that the networking /marketing events that I attend are 100% more beneficial when I ask more questions than I answer.
Why is that? He continues:
People generally like talking about themselves and their ideas.
Don’t you feel good after having a conversation with someone who took a genuine interest in [...]

In a coaching session with a new entrepreneur yesterday, I asked what was holding her back from getting more clients. Her answer was a combination of “I have a problem with approaching strangers” and “I fear rejection.”
As I probed deeper, she said that networking at the Chamber of Commerce in her area didn’t work. “My [...]

I love sharing questions that come up on the various online networking groups I belong to, because I feel they reflect what’s really going on in business.
For example, last week, this question came up:
I am looking at a starting a VA business part time while maintaining my full time status at work for at least [...]

I often hear clients and colleagues say that they wish they lived in or closer to a big city that offers many networking opportunities.
I could myself fortunate to live in such a city — and one that has a strong entrepreneurial presence — that offers countless networking opportunities. But to tell you the honest [...]