Networking Goals

I don't think I've mentioned this before. I realized early in the fourth quarter of this year when class registrations were not at the level I wanted, that I had been working in my office way too much. I was spending time in the cave getting valuable stuff done. However...I forgot my priorities -- do I want a clean desk (which will never happen) or do I want full classes? Having become clearer on the purpose of what I do, I decided to take a page from my sales history.

I would plan to have 10 networking appointments per week.

Since about the middle of fall I've been focusing on that one goal. It is pretty amazing to me as to how it changes my mind set. I had gotten lazy. I wasn't going to some networking meetings. I wasn't pushing myself to schedule appointments while at networking meetings. I was just skimming the surface. But not now! No sirree!

If an appointment cancels, I try to immediately fill it with another person. If I really don't feel like going to a networking event, especially ones at the end of the day, I give myself a pep talk and go anyway. I also send the list of people I've met each week to my training team. They are my accountability partners. That step also forces me to review how well I did towards meeting the goal.

As I move into '07, there is one resolution in place. This one says, "Continue to meet with ten people per week."

What are your secrets to success?