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HUDDLE TIME
Giving without Expecting (It Pays Well) The typical question most salespeople ask themselves before giving someone a referral is, "If I do this for him, what will he do for me?"
Instead, see how much you can give without expecting anything in return. Why? Because, as speaker and author, Jim Pancero says, "You cannot give yourself away." In other words, long before you've expended your resources, much, much more will already have come back to you. Directly from everyone you've helped? Certainly not. But bounty will come from three sources (of course it's all ultimately from One Source, but you know what I mean).
Bob Burg is author of several books, as well as one of the hottest FREE weekly eZines on the Internet. Subscribe to "Winning Without Intimidation" and learn how to take any "people challenge" and have everyone turn out a winner. Bob is a friend and supporter of BNI. Subscribe to his FREE eZine at http://www.burg.com/newsletter.html. HUDDLE TIME
Is Your Image Networking For You? The first few seconds, the person you are meeting for the first time forms an opinion about your economic status, educational background, credibility and confidence.
T0 be a master at networking, in today's competitive environment, you need to ensure that the messages you send to others through your appearance and actions are congruent with your professionalism, the reputation of your company and your chosen image. The more attention you pay to your image, the less you need to convince people that you can be trusted. Once they are comfortable with your business ethics and abilities, they are ready to recommend you to others. Your wardrobe and appearance should be part of your strategic networking plan. It's important to be familiar with contemporary trends in clothing, hairstyles, accessories and eyeglasses. If your appearance or attitudes reflect other eras, others will question your awareness of current affairs. Update these image factors regularly, but never become a slave to fashion or blindly adopt a style that goes beyond your comfort zone. With today's general tendency to dress more casually, strike a balance between the rigid dress for success regimentation of the eighties and the ultra casual clothing that is best relegated to the weekends. Certain colors and styles will make you powerful, while others, will create an approachable effect. Learn to dress down without bottoming out. The finishing touches will also influence the quality of your appearance. The condition of your shoes will give clues to others about your attention to detail. A leather briefcase, portfolio, purse or billfold will look better and last longer then vinyl. A worn belt will detract from a new suit. A good pen is very important if you will be writing in view of business associates. A broken umbrella never makes a good impression. People like to associate with those who appear successful. If you want the opportunity to exhibit the positive qualities you possess and to develop good business relationships make sure your image is working for you. This excerpt was taken from Masters of Networking used with permission from C. Bell. For more information about business image please contact Catherine Bell at her business Prime Impressions, a professional image consulting company. Catherine is a BNI Director in Kingston Ontario Canada. Email: image@kos.net phone: 613-549-9996 HUDDLE TIME
Meeting Stimulant Idea Have everyone put a card in a bag and then draw one out. The object is to give that member some ideas about marketing or how to solve a business problem.
Our chapter tried this: We drew Kevin Harmon's card. He said the biggest challenge he had at the moment was how to incorporate the financial aspect of his business with the insurance aspect. He got several good ideas, and the group seemed to enjoy the task. Another idea that member Tom Renne suggested is to break up in groups of three. Start with one person presenting a current business issue/problem. The other two group members write down two questions/ideas for that person to reflect on about the problem. No discussion. Limit time to two minutes. Then rotate. Each person will then go away from the encounter with four things to think about real issue that he/she has. At the end, share a few impressions of the exercise in front of the whole chapter. HUDDLE TIME
10 Tips to Work Successfully with Other Cultures As companies continue to grow internationally, more employees are finding themselves working with people from other countries and cultures that they are not familiar with. Don't make the mistake in assuming there is no difference in the work environment. Our values and personalities develop largely from the values and belief systems of the cultures we grow up in. However, not all cultures value the same things or in the same priority. Improve your knowledge of your co-workers' cultures, and you will improve your work experience as well. 1. Remember they are human beings with the same basic wants and needs that you have. You are working for the same goals and outcomes. It isn't you vs. them or one culture vs. another. 2. Make an effort to learn a bit about their culture. If you work with a variety of nationalities, have a sincere curiosity about their language, rituals, holidays, etc. 3. Remind yourself that your cultural approach and views are only one way of looking at it, not necessarily the right way or only way. Be willing to try another culture's approach. You may surprise yourself with what you find. In turn, if you have ideas that might work better, approach your colleagues with baby steps and see which ones they may be willing to try as well. 4. Remember that the language spoken may be someone else's second, third or fourth language. Be clear with your ideas and avoid slang. Check in with the person or group, and see if anyone has questions and understands your message. Don't assume they understand just because they haven't asked a question. Learn to rephrase ideas throughout your communication to help them process what it is you are saying. 5. Become confident in who you are and the culture and/or country you represent. Avoid bad-mouthing your country to others as you become a representative of that country to all you meet. Focus on what is positive in your country and the positives you are aware of in someone else's country. Leave the negative international politics at the door, and you will remain professional and attract respect from your international co-workers. 6. Address confusion in working styles immediately. Remember that culture comes through in a corporate setting as well. Meeting structures, decision-making processes, and the chain of command will most likely look different from culture to culture. Accept the approach that is used within this group and focus on your strengths within that approach. 7. Develop an outside support system. Working in an international setting can have additional stresses: it may take longer to accomplish simple tasks or work through the language barriers. Find ways to manage the stress and use an outside support system so it doesn't reflect back on your job. 8. Enjoy the experience. The world is an exciting and diverse place. International co-workers allow us to explore areas of ourselves and the world we may not have previously explored. Use these contacts to enrich your life and in turn enrich theirs. 9. Accept that humans make mistakes. Focus on the solution so the mistake doesn't occur again. That way you can avoid the trap of assigning a mistake to a culture. In other words, if you have a co-worker who continually does the same thing wrong, help them resolve it instead of internalizing it into "Grrr, (insert nationality) people don't know how to do their jobs." 10. Listen. Learn to listen—at all levels. Allow the other culture the time and approach that they need to share their thoughts and express themselves. You want to be heard ... so do they. HUDDLE TIME
Broaden Your Networks Are your contacts too much like you? The greater the diversity in race, ethnic background, sex, age, etc. among your contacts, the less redundant information you'll receive and the more access you'll have to resources and information. Remember to have valuable information/resources/insights to give to your new contacts. Here are 10 ways to broaden your network to include people who aren't just like you:
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