So. . .  in supporting my chapter and fellow members I thought the quotes below from Jim Rohn and the article that follows reinforces our networking efforts. What are you doing to grow your business? Is it time to make a commitment to building your network?

• Growth: Don’t join an easy crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform and achieve are high.
• Skills: Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.
• Change: We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.
• Activity: The few who do are the envy of the many who watch.
• Success: Success is what you attract by the person you become.

The following is by Leo Widrich at LeoStartsUp.com. This article and more found here: The People You Spend Time With.

“Recently I sat down with a new friend I met for dinner. We talked about what it takes to achieve the goals you want to achieve in life. My friend is already a very accomplished marketing professional. And yet, there was lots more she wanted to do.

One conclusion I kept coming back to in this talk is that a large amount of how successful you will be in life comes down to the people you spend time with. This is why:

‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’ Jim Rohn

This quote is one of the most powerful ones that I keep reminding myself over and over again. I am the average of the five people I spend the most time with. That’s it, others around myself determine how I think, how I act and ultimately how successful I will be.

Fighting your way through the law of average: The sower and the reaper

This video from Jim Rohn is amazing. In short: You’ll face many struggles along the way if you are seeking success and happiness. If you are the sower, your seeds will get picked up by the birds first and won’t give a return. Then they will fall on shallow ground, leaving you with nothing again. Then they will fall on thorny ground and the sun will shine so hot, that your small plant will die after the first day. No return either.

Then, one day, the seeds will fall on good ground and finally give you the expected return and success.

The only way you can make sure, that you will fight your way through this hardship is with the right people by your side. Try the following exercise I have used in the past, if you think this is relevant for you:

Who are the people you spend time with?

It doesn’t matter how smart you are. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, which skills you have, where you are born or which family you came from. All that counts if you want to be successful in life is the people you surround yourself with.

It’s a notion so simple, yet so difficult to get started with. Something I tried to do very specifically is this exercise:

-       Think about, who are the 5 people in your life that you spend time with? As in, if your day has 24 hours, how many of those hours are spent with which people. (I’m guessing amongst people will be some members of your family, your spouse, co-workers and some close friends.) Write those 5 people on a piece of paper. (It’s ok if they are less than 5)

-       Once you have a list of those 3-5 people, ask yourself this: Who are they? What do they do with their lives? How ambitious are they, how successful have they been, How happy, optimistic and enthusiastic are they?

-        Evaluate carefully if those people will really be those that will help you get to the next level you want to get to. Do they push you forward when you come to them with new ideas, no matter what? Or do they tell you that what you have in mind won’t work? Will they keep you going once the birds pick up your seeds, once your seeds fall on shallow or thorny ground?

-       Make a choice of who in your list you want to continue spending time with. Don’t be afraid if none or only 1 or 2 amongst your 5 people today meet the standard of excellence you want to set for yourself. Keep going, decrease the time you spend and increase the amount of time you keep your eyes looking for people that you want to have as one of your 5 closest people.

It’s ok to end up with this:

“Since last you heard from me, I lost some friends, well, heh, me and Snoop we’re dippin’ again.” ~ Dr. Dre (Still D.R.E.)

Don’t be afraid to lose some friends, support from your family or anything else if that means you start surrounding yourself with the right people. Instead of becoming the average of some average people, dip with the best.

The people I spend time with

I believe I’m someone who took longer than most people to understand this concept. I clung onto relationships with people far too long. All of them were great people, people I respect like I want to respect every other human being. Yet, I always knew, these are not the people that are dying to be incredibly successful, incredibly happy and doing no matter what it takes to chase their dreams.

Gradually I learnt this, working my way to spend less and less time with them. Today, the people I spend time with are just 2 people. Joel and Tom. They are most likely the smartest people I have ever worked with before. Both have a focus and determination I’m constantly blown away by. I cling onto their enthusiasm, try to learn from their skillset as much as I can and get myself lifted onto the next level: purely by being in the same room with them whilst working away on Buffer.

There is no one else I spend as much time with, as Joel and Tom. That’s it, 90% of my daily interaction happens with these two guys. The power they have is therefore incredible. I’m highly influenced and seek to be from them and their input. I know, because of their actions, experience and daily work, the only impact this can have on me is a positive one. It is pushing me higher and onto the next level every day.

I’m the average of Tom and Joel.

Whether you want it or not, this is how it works I believe. The people you spend the most time with make you. You are their average. Do you think that’s true?”

Leo Widrich is the co-founder of Buffer, a smarter way to share on Twitter and Facebook. Leo writes more posts on efficiency and customer happiness over on the Buffer blog. Hit him up on Twitter @LeoWid anytime; he is a super nice guy.

12:00 Open Networking: Network with members and visitors, order lunch, find a seat
12:15 Welcome: Tracey Ohashi, Mary Kay Cosmetics: Welcome visitors, silence cell phones, leadership introduction
12:18 BNI Purpose
12:20 Educational Moment: Maureen Kures, Send Out Cards
12:23 Business Card Cache: Member cards pass to your right, visitor cards to your left
12:24 60-Second Member Sales Manager Moment: Please follow our member list and take notes on reverse side
12:45 60-Second Visitor Sales Manager Moment
>>VISITORS, introduce yourself, your business, and ideal client
12:47 Tiger Award for best 60-Second Sales Manager Moment
12:48 Vice President Report: Barry Glenn, State Farm Insurance
12:50 Membership Committee Report:Barry Glenn, State Farm Insurance
12:52 Secretary Report: Dionne Gordon, Ember Accounting
12:53 FEATURED SPEAKERS (8 minutes each)
Members alternate and each week we have 2 speakers
>> VISITORS, please let us know what impressed you most
1:20 Referral Reality Check: The outcome of a past referral to a chapter member
1:22 Treasurer Report: Dionne Gordon, Ember Accounting Services: Dues, renewals, visitor statement
1:25 Thank You, Visitors!
>> VISITORS are excused to meet with our Visitor Hosts
1:27 Announcements and Reminders
1:29 Door Prize Drawing
1:30 Closing Quote: Tracey Ohashi, Mary Kay Cosmetics

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Learn More about the book Business Networking and Sex (not what you think)

I came across this article by Elilzabeth Kraus and thought there were some useful ideas for making sure you’re effective.  A couple of my favorites support your online visibility…! She makes it a point to mention people she meets on her social networks which is a fantastic idea.

The article also reminds us about creating reciprocal links to a business that you feel good about promoting as a resource. These are two great ways to create good SEO for people you meet and create some karma that can help your SEO in return.

And who doesn’t want to boost their SEO?

Read: 6 Ways To Supersize Your Networking ROI by Elizabeth Kraus

She has a great blog too at 365 Days of Marketing.

What’s your best event connection story?

When you look at their site you can watch some of their sample videos. You can create 30-second videos for free, and I’m using the paid Plus level, a great deal at $30 a year. If you’re interested in a paid account use my referral code yhbpzkqj Animoto.com. I get bonus points for more videos

One of the issues after you create a video is to compress the size in order to use on your website. There are different ways to compress, some are more complicated than others, some work for me and some don’t. I think the path of least resistance is to upload your video to YouTube, then you can grab the embed code and include in your website. You can also select the size when you embed the code. As you see here, I have the video on the blog page and have also added a mini version to the sidebar. By the way, I’m not sure why Sharon’s vacation picture is the cover for the video but I love it!

It’s fine when your video lives on YouTube but you may want to have it on your laptop for presentations when internet isn’t reliable.  Our tech guy Nick Zuclich of NWtek sent me this link for info on How To Download YouTube Videos.  It worked great – all I did was download and install YouTube Downloader HD. Then I copied the URL link for the video I needed, added that to the Video URL field on the Downloader, select a place to download onto my computer, and then watched it happen.

A great way to really get some mileage out of your videos is to create a QR Code, add that to your printed materials, business card, or create a mailing campaign with Send Out Cards- just ask Maureen Kures how to get started. Here is a link from my friends Phil Peretz and Paul Bader and they give you the tool to create your own QR code. You’ll need a URL link to the video.

And…finally, if you aren’t sure about the file size of your video (because your website probably has limits on the video file size) then here’s a little cheat sheet for you:
1 megabyte = 1024 Kilobyte
1 Gigabyte = 1024 Megabyte
1 Terabyte = 1024 Gigabyte

KB = Kilobyte
MB= Megabyte
GB= Gigabyte
TB= Terabyte

I can create a video for you using Animoto or I can connect you with a  video tech to create something truly outstanding for your business. Whether you have more time or money, you can have a professional web site for your online presence. Get in touch now to find out how to get started.

Andrea Hamilton: YourOnlineVisibility.com 425-647-6707

For your BNI chapter success! Click on the image to open the form.

If you’re interested in reading more about your “Sphere” read this article posted at the BNI site Success.net

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Who Is In Your Sphere of Influence?

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One of the myths of business by referral is that you have to know a lot of people, and they all must refer business to you.

However, it’s not how many people you know – it’s who you know and how well you know them. Successful referral generation is based on quality—not quantity! Those people who generate quality referrals are tied to the same target market that you serve. Your contact sphere represents the people who do business with your target market.

For many business people, clearly defining a target market is counterintuitive. As business people we think everyone would benefit from our product or service. That’s not a realistic attitude, for a couple of reasons. We can’t do business with everyone. It simply isn’t possible. And everyone doesn’t want to do business with us. Besides, the time, effort, and cost of trying to market to everyone would be prohibitive.

Using a stepping stone approach–defining your ideal client through demographics—you define your target market. Once defined, you know who to network with. From networking, you determine who will be part of your contact sphere.

But what exactly is the difference between a center of influence, contact sphere and hub—and how do you make them work for you?

A center of influence is a person, well-connected and well-respected within the community, who could recommend you to your target market. Usually this person has high credibility with the people you want to meet. A recommendation from a center of influence to your target market is incredibly valuable. A center of influence may also develop into a consistent referral source for you. An example would be a doggie day care center focusing on a well-known veterinarian as a center of influence.

A contact sphere is a group of business professionals, in non-competing industries, that serve the same target market. Cooperative relationships between these businesses can be the source of dramatic competitive strength, and a consistent source of high-quality referrals to each other. A center of influence can, and should, be part of your contact sphere. Businesses in the same mall, for instance, could be a terrific contact sphere.

A hub is the key business within a contact sphere that acts as the lynchpin for the sphere. The hub firm becomes the central force within the sphere. The hub firm leverages the other businesses, organizes the contact sphere’s activities and is generally viewed as the common link between the cooperative firms.

By becoming a hub firm, you make yourself and your organization the key link in a network of businesses. An example would be a renovation contractor who is connected to interior designers and decorators, painters, etc. Over time, becoming a hub firm will substantially increase the number of referrals you will receive. As a successful businessperson, if time allows, you may want to develop your company into a hub firm.

Developing and nurturing effective, mutually beneficial connections with other business professionals is one of the cornerstones of building a strong referral-based business. And that makes dollars and sense!

Christel Wintels is the Executive Director and Franchise Owner of the BNI Golden Horseshoe Region, a Master Franchisee Partner with the Referral Institute Canada, Vice President, Operations, Referral Institute Ontario, a Certified Networker and a Master Trainer with the Referral Institute. Christel has written numerous articles about the art and science of referral marketing and how to build lifetime referrals through the philosophy of “Givers Gain”. She writes a weekly Networking Nugget for BNI members, shares Referral Tips for business owners, and is a contributing author to the New York Times Bestseller,” Masters of Sales”.

Click here to read more at Success.net

Go to the BNI website and login www.bninw.com

Step 1: go to BNInw.com and log into the website

Step 2: Click on My Account in the top right area in order to edit your profile page.

Step 3: Look over your different profile tabs and complete as much as you can. Most important...picture, contact info, website, and some info about your business.

Step 4: Make sure you check your Email and website

Step 5: Update your Settings page to make sure you'll receive emails sent from the BNInw website.

If anything here isn’t clear please get in touch.

Andrea@YourOnlineVisibility.com

Go to the BNI website and login  www.bninw.com

Step 1: log into the bninw.com website

Step 2: Select Operations from the pages near the left

Step 3: Choose Create Email from the list of choices on the left. This will bring up the entire list of email for your chapter.

Step 4: Now that you see the entire list, you can Copy and Paste into your email program.

If anything here isn’t clear please get in touch.

Andrea@YourOnlineVisibility.com

4 very important things to remember:

Tip No. 1–Giving means helping others achieve success. What is your plan to contribute to others? How much time and energy can you spare for this? Do you actively seek out opportunities to help people? You could volunteer to help out with something that’s important to someone in your network, offer advice or support in time of need, or even work hard to connect someone to a valuable contact of yours.

Tip No. 2–The person who helps you will not necessarily be the person you helped. Zig Ziglar says, “If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.” In other words, what goes around comes around. If you focus intently on helping others, you will achieve success in the end.

Tip No. 3–The law of reciprocity can be measured. It is a myth that networking cannot be measured and, in my latest book, Networking Like a Pro, my co-authors and I use the Networking Scorecard Worksheet, part of the Certified Networker Program offered through the Referral Institute, to measure networking. If you apply the law of reciprocity, you will see your weekly total networking score gradually rise.

Tip No. 4–Success takes getting involved. Contrary to Woody Allen’s assertion that “90 percent of success is just showing up,” you have to do more than simply be present to be a successful networker. If you join a chamber of commerce, become an ambassador. If you join a BNI chapter, get involved in the leadership team. If you join a civic organization, get on a committee. The law of reciprocity requires giving to the group; it will pay you back many times over.

A master networker understands that, although networking is not the end but simply the means to growing a business, service to your network of contacts must always be uppermost in your networking activities. Once you have established a solid reputation as someone who cares about the success of others, the law of reciprocity will reward you with an abundance of high quality referrals.

If you want to read more from Dr. Ivan Misner here is the link to the original post and more…

Andrea Hamilton works with people who want to promote their business, their products, and their skills online. For more information about how to build your business get in touch at YourOnlineVisibility.com