Dynamic Professional Women's Network

Bob Burg’s 10 Networking Questions That Work Every Time

2010-10-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

My good friend, networking expert Bob Burg, has 10 questions he personally uses when networking that he believes every networker should memorize.

Bob explains that these questions are not designed to be probing or sales-oriented in any way; they are all friendly, fun to answer, and will tell you something about the way the person answering them thinks. You’ll never need or have the time to ask all 10 questions during any one conversation but, still, you should internalize them. Know them well enough that you are able to ask the ones you deem appropriate for the particular conversation and time frame.

Here are the 10 questions:

1. How did you get started in the (______) business?

2. What do you enjoy most about your profession?

3. What separates you and your company from the competition?

4. What advice would you give someone just starting out in the (______) business?

5. What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you could not fail?

6. What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years?

7. What do you see as the coming trends in the (______) business?

8. Describe the strangest or funniest incident you’ve experienced in your business?

9. What ways have you found to be the most effective for promoting your business?

10. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?

Like Bob says, you’re not going to get to ask more than a few of these questions during an initial conversation, so don’t worry about sounding like you’re conducting an interrogation. These are feel-good questions people enjoy answering, and they are meant to establish an initial rapport. So next time you’re at a networking event, try using a few of these questions and then come back and leave a comment about how using them worked out for you; I’m more than willing to bet you’ll be pleased with the results.

http://networking.entrepreneur.com/2010/10/07/bob-burgs-ten-networking-questions-that-work-every-time/

How, What and When to Blog

2010-09-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

As you can see below, blogging has been as foreign to me as learning a second language. I know I "should" take time to master it, but how do I communicate something of value to my readers in between appointments, e-mails, projects, phone calls, etc???
If you have a suggestion as to what you would like to read in our blog, please let me know so I can at least proceed in the right direction.
Thanks a bunch!
Christie

How to Speak Twitter

2010-05-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just a few definitions you may find helpful

@reply: A direct tweet sent to another Twitter user.
Dweet: Tweet sent while drunk
Hash Tag: The "#" sign. Allows Twitter users to group tweets by topic, making it easier to search particular conversations using Twitter Search.
MisTweet: A tweet one later regrets.
ReTweet: To repost something that's already in the Twitter stream. Usually preceded by "RT" and "@[username]," to give credit to the original poster.
SnapTweet: A tweet that includes a photo taken with a cell phone, uploaded to Flickr and posted to Twitter via snaptweet.com.
Twittcrastination: Procrastination brought on by Twitter use.
Twadd: To add someone as a friend or follower.
Twaigslist/Twebay: To sell something on Twitter.
Tweeter/Twitterer: Someone who uses Twitter.
TwinkedIn: Inviting friends made on Twitter to connect on LinkedIn.
Twittectomy: To remove someone from the list of people you follow.
Twitterati: The A-list twitterers everyone follows.
Twitterfly: Twitter's version of a social butterfly, marked by the extreme use of @ signs.
Twitterlooing: Twittering from the bathroom.
Twitterpated: Overwhelmed with Twitter messages.
Twittfeinated, Twigged Out, Twired: To be so hyped up on twittering that you cannot sleep.

Enjoy!

Word-of-Mouth Marketing Can Bite Back - Word of mouth marketing - Entrepreneneur.com

2010-04-14T11:24:00.003-07:00

Word-of-Mouth Marketing Can Bite Back - Word of mouth marketing - Entrepreneneur.com

Posted using ShareThis

2010-04-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

How to Get Optimal Results with your Referral Network.

2010-04-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

If you are not getting the quality and quantity of referrals from your network, stop lying blaming and take charge to get the results you want.
By Christie Ruffino
President and Founder of the Dynamic Professional Women’s Network

It is a well known fact that we all would rather do business with people we know, like and trust. The problem arises when we don’t already have a specific connection established when we need help so then we ask someone we know, like and trust who they know, like and trust.

Then when we focus on trying to grow our business, we assume that all we have to do is to meet as many people as we can, join a chamber of commerce or another professional networking organization, pass out a numerous business cards and the business will start pouring in. Some of us even join a referral group designed to build stronger relationships and generate business and are disappointed with those results also. They blame the people in that network for not doing their jobs.

The truth is that if you are not getting the results you want with your referral network, only you are to blame. This is the time to quit thinking about what you are not getting and think about what you are not giving them and how you are failing to provide them to tools they actually need to help you.

"My network is not motivated to help me."
Maybe so, but what are you doing to enable them to refer you? Do you communicate with them on a regular basis? Have you scheduled time to take interest in what they do, or are you more concerned about how interested they are in what you do? In other words, are you helping them in the same way you want them to help you?

"They don't really know my business."
What have you done to educate them about what you do? Do you keep them abreast of new products or services you've added? Have you given them digestible information so they're able to retain the vital points needed to promote your business? Finally, ask yourself if you've provided them with the right amount of collateral material--brochures, pamphlets, and web-based information--so they can not only educate themselves, but also educate those in their network.

"They don't have the contacts I need."
If you've gone through their entire database of contacts and disqualified every one you may have underestimated your network's contacts, not to mention who their contacts' contacts and so on. By doing this you're missing out on an exponentially growing number of possible buyers of what you have to sell. With the explosion of internet marketing, the world is a lot smaller. Take advantage of contacts your sources may have not only in another city, but also in another state or even another country.

"The referrals are weak and don’t lead to repeat business."
You may think their referrals are weak, but turning that sale into a regular, loyal client relationship is your responsibility? Did you contact the prospect in a timely manner and really listen to what their needs were. Did you do everything you could to ensure that the client saw the best you had to offer? Did you follow up with your referral partner to keep them in the loop about this new valued client?

“This is just not producing the results I expected.”
One of the strengths of a referral network is that everyone becomes friends. And one of the weaknesses of a referral network is that everyone becomes friends. Only those groups and individuals who recognize the need for responsibility and accountability will make this process work. Those who think that it is only necessary to “show up” may build great friendships but will not gain substantial business with this referral network.

The bottom line is that the results of your referral-marketing program will be directly guided by effort you make to ensure its success. Not only is it your obligation to invest in your referral partner’s success it is also up to you to effectively teach your fellow networkers how to send you the business you want. It's up to you to choose the right people, set the tone for your business, educate your referral partners, demonstrate competence and integrity for those representing you, and maintain the effectiveness and strength of your referral relationships. If there's a breakdown in your referral system, you're probably not looking in the right direction.

Find the closest mirror and reflect!

Welcome to DPWN's Blog

2010-02-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Dynamic Professional Women’s Network is a membership organization that assists women in getting good business referrals that will expand business success. DPWN is dedicated to maximizing the use of your time and resources to get good business referrals. Unlike other leads groups who just focus on networking, DPWN goes a few steps deeper and focuses on building strong relationships with the other women in the chapter. President, and founder, Christie Ruffino, has created a foundation of professional and "dynamic" women who recognize the value of connecting with other business women to actively help each other grow. This approach results in stronger bonds, unparalleled loyalty and increased referral generation.