April 2008 Teleseminar: “Million Dollar Networking Strategies for the 21st Century” with guest expert Mike Litman, Thursday, April 10, 2008

Cambridge Who’s Who would like to recognize the overwhelming response from members to the announcement of its first teleseminar, “Million Dollar Networking Strategies for the 21st Century.” It was truly a testament to the drive, determination and level of dedication to personal and professional development that the members of Cambridge Who’s Who share.

The call featured Mike Litman, multi-millionaire and best-selling author of Conversations with Millionaires, as guest expert. Mr. Litman has helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their lives and grow their businesses. Cambridge Who’s Who invited him to speak so that members could benefit from his strategies for success and learn how to develop their personal brand, achieve business growth and expand their professional network.

If you participated in the call, Cambridge Who’s Who hopes you enjoyed it and learned from it. (Thank you to all who responded with their feedback thus far.) If you were not able to dial-in, here is a summary of what Mike Litman had to say to members about networking in the 21st century.

Tip #1: Be Proactive and Make Yourself Visible
When you want to succeed, there are habits and characteristics that you must have in order for you to excel, for you to profit and for you to change lives. You need to learn how to build your business, yourself and your career. Especially in this day and age when the Internet plays a large role in society; if you are not a strong networker, if people cannot find you, if your exposure and visibility are not there, if your credibility is not there, then you do not exist in today’s economy. You must learn to become a successful networker to survive and to further yourself. All successful networkers are proactive. They do not just wait for opportunities and connections to come to them, but they go out and look for them.

Tip #2: Find Your Asset of Value
To successfully network with others you need to find what makes you a valuable resource. The key to big success is becoming valuable to others. Once you know what you can offer to others, your goal is to go the extra mile for your peers and customers by offering them your asset of value. What is your asset of value? Your asset of value is a platform that you have, control or possess that you can share with somebody else and by them leveraging it, you give them exposure and credibility.

Tip #3: Become a Great Problem Solver
Identify yourself as a problem solver. The people who are the most successful and climb the ladder the highest are simply great problem solvers. Everything was created to solve a problem. What problem do you solve?

Mid-way through the call, Mr. Litman opened the phone lines to all members listening in to the teleseminar. Those who entered the queue had great comments and questions for him. Here is some of the discussion that took place between Cambridge Who’s Who members and Mike Litman.

Cambridge Who’s Who member, Nicole from Connecticut, works in the aerospace business as a lean expert. “I have been very successful most of my career, but I am at the point where I am ready to go to the next level,” says Nicole. However, Nicole has been told by the higher executives and the VP of Human Resources that she gives too much away and needs to focus more on herself. Nicole thinks that she has learned a great deal from sharing with her peers. Even though in her industry the focus is on the individual, she knows in the long run that being an integral part of the team is more important. How can she further her career? What should she do?

Mike Litman Replies: Schedule a meeting with the executives and VP of Human Resources and ask them exactly what they mean and what direction you should go in to become more beneficial to yourself and others. Then determine if there is a value to what they are saying. Consider your self-worth, self-value and strength. If you have found that your way of being has been helpful in your career then do what works for you and be true to yourself. Look back at how you got to where you are today and consider your mindset at that time in order to determine how to move forward. People have rarely gone wrong with being valuable or a person of influence, power, vision and direction.

Cambridge Who’s Who member, Mary Lou from Phoenix, has experience in selling kitchen cabinets and countertops. The business specializes in kitchen remodeling but due to the housing market, business has not been so good. She asks Litman, “What suggestions do you have to get exposure?” and states “You have to have a customer to go the extra mile for people.”

Mike Litman Replies: You need to identify and research your competition. Are there other competitors in your town? What are the differences between you and your competitors? Do not focus on negatives such as the down turn in the housing market, but believe that your business is booming, can boom or can move forward. Your beliefs will dictate your actions.

Businesses can become self-absorbed and have a self-centered mind-set. They worry only about business growth and securing new clients. More importantly, business should question how they can become more valuable to their prospects and customers. Any business owner can create a strategic advantage through creativity, imagination and education. Educate your existing and potential customers by holding an informational session in your office. This adds value to the products and services that you offer.

Advertise your business in a creative way. Encourage your son, Mark, to tell the story of how he became involved in the woodworking profession and made the transition from the financial services industry. Make the woodworking process more interactive by holding demonstrations for customers. Offer specials and promotions with a call to action such as a 90-day sale and send a letter to your customers with an incentive for them to refer business to you.

Cambridge Who’s Who member, Dante from Phoenix, had his own advice:

Dante: Nobody cares what you know until they find out how much you care; and you do that when you listen.

Litman: What do you do when you problem solve?

Dante: I don’t see a problem, I see a solution. I like to lead, be accountable and find solutions.

Litman: I can already tell that you are successful in what you do.

Cambridge Who’s Who member, Gloria from Miami, feels overwhelmed at her job and wants to know, “What do you do when you’re doing such a good job but you end up with over a 60-hour work week?”

Mike Litman Replies: Eighty percent of your output is fueled by twenty percent of your input. You need to determine what your priorities are. It is easy to be busy but you want to have comprehensive success. Where is your twenty percent and what are your strengths? It is about being focused and doing things that have the greatest meaning and impact. You also want to make sure that you are celebrated and not tolerated; this is key to succeeding in your job and in business.

Cambridge Who’s Who thanks all of the members who participated in the first teleseminar. We look forward to having future teleseminars on other topics including becoming an expert in your field, increasing your online visibility, winning and retaining new clients, marketing your products and services and building your personal and corporate brands. For more information about the 2008 Teleseminar Series or to find out how you can serve as a guest expert, please email networking@cambridgewhoswho.com.