Recently, I had a couple experiences that made see the good and bad uses of networking online.

The Good:  I received an invitation from a woman via email to connect on a networking site that is strictly for people in business. We emailed back and forth a couple times, mentioning some of our newly discovered similarities. This person seemed warm, open and genuinely interested. I visited her website, she visited mine. When mention of her company’s opportunity gently came up, I gave my regrets and we moved on. Several emails later, we are still networking, sharing information, supporting and promoting one another. She has a valuable service and her intention behind her business is a great one: to be a resource for people and to help them grow their businesses. I find myself willing to stay open to what she has to offer, though the opportunity is not right for me at this time.

The Bad: A second email invitation arrived from another strictly business online networking site. The woman who sent it was part of a network marketing company to which I used to belong (past businesses are listed on this networking site – I had it listed there with my start and end dates). She was very enthusiastic about the company and product line in her email and asked questions related to my being in the business.

I replied saying that I had happily been a part of the company for three years but was no longer able to use one of the major product lines and therefore was unable to keep up my distributorship. I told her that I still had immense respect for the company – both product-wise and in terms of their compensation plan. I truly had no regrets about being part of that company and really had learned a lot from the experience. And of course, I wished her much success.

When I received a lengthy reply from her, I had to shake my head…I was a bit confused! Obviously, when I said that I no longer was with the company, her zeal for her business overtook her ability to hear what I had to say. At that moment, I became a prospect and not a networking connection.

The first clue that she hadn’t been “listening” came when she said that I probably had just tried the products for a couple months then gave up because I didn’t get immediate results (I had said three years). Then there were hyperlinks, testimonials, facts, more urgings to look at the product and company…all in a big, loud color font. She then asked me to reply as to what my experience had been because she was truly interested, not understanding why someone would actually stop using the products.

Now I was intrigued!! Though no explanation was owed, I replied only because I was truly curious as to what her reaction would be if I told her the valid reasons and shared a little about what a difficult decision it was leaving the company. Her response was quite short and there was no comment at all on what I shared, just basically: Gee, you’re the only person I know that this has happened to. But, in all fairness, she did wish me much success in my new business.

So what was the lesson I learned from these two networking experiences?

• Always listen to the other person (whether a networking contact or your client/customer) and pay attention to details.
• If we come from “How can I help you?” or “How can I be of service?” then we can never lose.
• Whether in networking or in sales, it’s always about the other person.
• Everyone wants to walk away from an experience feeling like they gained, not like they lost (Wallace Wattles called this “The Impression of Increase” in The Science of Getting Rich).
• No matter how enthusiastic we are about our product or service and no matter how much we want to “help”, if we come on too strong, it’s going to be a bit like the analogy of trying to take a drink from a fire hose. Your contact (or customer) will get overwhelmed by the experience and get very little out of it.

Kate Sanner

Vivacity

http://vivacitynow.com

By Kate Sanner, CEO and Founder of Vivacity 

Napoleon Hill wrote “Somewhere in your make-up there lies sleeping, the seed of achievement which, if aroused and put into action, would carry you to heights, such as you may never hoped to attain.”  This seed lies in each one of us – yet not everyone heeds the call to arouse it and put it into action, to step into her or his greatness.  

In order to take that step out, you will have to release something.  It could be: old beliefs, the need for control, your past, guilt, fear, relationships that hold you back, or wanting to remain comfortable.  If  you are honest with yourself, you will be able to see what has been holding you back and once you release it, it becomes easier to make the leap into the life you have envisioned and to step into your greatness.  

If you are reading this, you are heeding the call to your greatness.  You have a vision, a desire, a goal but maybe there appears to be a chasm between where you are now and where you want to be.  You can see the realized vision, desire or goal (or you get glimpses of it), you can feel it, it is pulling you forward…and yet you find yourself stuck…unable to make the leap, unable to get to the other side.  Often times you think that if you only did something more (learned new techniques, read another book, bought another program) or had something more (time, money, know-how, connections, a break, luck), you’d be able to make the jump into realizing the vision.  The truth is that first step into your greatness is more about your mindset than about your skill set.  And the first step is often not about adding but about releasing. 

by Kate Sanner, CEO and Founder of Vivacity

I have just finished attending David Neagle’s 4 day “Experience the Reality of Success” (ERS) Seminar in Las Vegas. This is an incredible event that takes place twice a year and I highly recommend that anyone reading this learn more about David’s work (go to http://www.davidneagle.com/cmd.php?af=691903). David is the million dollar income acceleration coach and is a master at helping people create a mindset of prosperity and success.

This was my second ERS, the first was in January of this year. It is amazing how much growth has taken place in my life and in my business in these last 6 months since (and as a result of) that event. My breakthrough from the January event was getting past my fear. (You can read my article I wrote about it at http://www.vivacitynow.com/articles/FEAR%20The%20Final%20Frontier%20February%202008.pdf).

The breakthrough from this event was realizing that I needed, once and for all, to step into my greatness. I have been playing small for too long. And this is true for many women my age - Baby Boomer women. Most of us were not raised to recognize our greatness. In fact, so many of us have been so busy taking care of others that we never have time to devote to our well-being much less contemplate our “greatness”.

There are many women who have been on the verge of doing great things in their lives for so long . They have walked around with an idea, a vision, a desire inside them for years. But many of them have never felt entitled to realize it. Fortunately, there are more and more resources that are supporting this finally happening.

More and more women are finding the courage to finally step out in trust and in faith and begin to realize their vision, their desire. It starts with the decision, then with giving oneself total permission to be as big as one wants to be. As women make this decision for themselves, many of them are helping others to do the same…to step into their greatness. It not only empowers the women going through this process but also serves as a positive role model for their children and grandchildren.

by Kate Sanner, CEO and Founder of Vivacity(R)

In my column “A Jumping-Off Point” in the July issue of VivaNews(TM), Vivacity’s Ezine, I wrote that building reciprocity into your enterprise is a jumping-off point for your growth and success. (See “The Never-Ending Two-Way Street” - July 2008 at http://www.vivacitynow.com/ezine.php)

From infancy all the way to the end of life, human beings need - and thrive on - reciprocal relationships. This is true in friendship and love relationships and it is also true in business and professional relationships.

Here are just a few suggestions to foster reciprocity in your colleague or client/customer relationships:

• If you have an online business or have at least a part of it online, offer a free report, a list of tips, an e-book or audio that is substantive. In order to get someone to trust us with her email address, we have to give something worthwhile in return.
• When networking - whether in person or online – do so with the intention of building relationships, not just collecting names and business cards.
• Remember details about a person and when you follow up with them or see them again, ask about those details…”how was your trip?”, “how as your daughter’s wedding?”, “I remember you were trying to find ‘X’, I saw something like that in…”
• Recommend colleagues as resources
• Edify others
• Acknowledge birthdays, special occasions and achievements
• Acknowledge others and extend gratitude
• If asked to be interviewed for an audio or written piece by a colleague, return the favor
• Determine ways to joint venture and create win-win partnerships
• Volunteer to help them out

I invite you to share your favorite ways of building reciprocity into your relationships.

Thanks for reading!

Kate

When I first conceived of my company Vivacity®, it didn’t have a name and it certainly didn’t have the scope that it now has…it has evolved over time to being what it is today by employing the strategy of “Ready, Fire, Aim”.  I decided to take the leap, get my idea out there, and then use all the tools and resources I could find to hone it into what it is today.

It all started with a vision of wanting to help women who were asking the question “What’s next for my life?”  Personality style-wise, it’s always all about the possibilities for me and I had a strong desire to help women see what’s possible for their lives.  And my natural striving instincts urge me to take the possibilities and put them into tangible form as tools and resources.  So Vivacity’s vision statement is:  “I help 2,000,000 women worldwide who are on the verge of great accomplishments – both professionally and personally - to bring their vision into the world and into the marketplace and to do it in a big way.”

It’s a big vision…but because of the multi-media approach Vivacity uses, it is definitely do-able through the use of technology.  It’s exciting to think about making an impact on so many women.  And having this big vision will keep me busy for the next 20 years or so getting it accomplished.

In keeping with my vision and with the marketing statement I included above, my goal for this blog is to provide tools and resources so that you can take the leap and bring your dream, vision, or idea out into the world and into the marketplace and to do it in a big way.  The world needs what you have to offer.