Q and A

My new blogging friend Jacki Hollywood Brown tagged me to interview myself about my blog.

HMMMM.

What is the story behind the name of your blog? Well, I guess I'm pretty boring. Debby Peters, networking guru, is the name. No flash or sass! But I am known as the networking guru in these here parts! My license plate on my little yellow Mini says CNP Guru. The CNP is for the word-of-mouth marketing course, Certified Networker Program, that I teach.

Why did you start out blogging in the first place? This is where many of us have the same person in common, Scott Ginsberg. I heard him speak at the WOMMA conference in Orlando and the rest is history.

What is your best blogging experience? Your worst? My best is when a post I have written strikes a chord with someone and they comment. Also, since I am the chronicler of Leadership Toledo this year, I was excited when a post was included in its entirety in the Leadership Toledo newsletter. Beyond my own navel, I love connecting with others via their blogs. It is such a learning experience to hear about others take on certain topics.

My worst is the same as everyone else; people who use the comment section to spam my readers.

What do you think will happen to your blog in 2008? Hmmmmm, well, I think I will continue to link everyday happenings with networking to keep that conversation going. Just as Scott Ginsberg does, I look at my blog as a placeholder for all my writing, the good and the bad! I am open to suggestions from the peanut gallery!

Who I'm tagging?

Angie Weid, I Organize You
Sandy Pirwitz, Sandy's Stuff for Women

The Tapestry

Today I attended a "coaching sample" presented by my friend, Tracee Swank, True Compass Coaching. I did so for a number of reasons, one being that I was bringing a guest to the session. Tracee targets people who have just started their business or are in the first two years of being in business. I took Marcia Fleitz with me, who has just started an organizing business called, You Times 2.

What is interesting about all this is the networking thread that runs through the whole scene. Tracee is a Certified Networker grad because another CN grad, Linda Kuns, State Farm Insurance, recommended that she take the course. Marcia Fleitz connected with me because 14 years ago I made a presentation to the company her husband works for. As a result, he kept my information all these years and connected Marcia with me when she started her business.

I invited Marcia to attend our most recent CN graduation which is a huge networking event. Sandy Blaser, a bookkeeper was there as a guest of Tracee. At the beginning our the "formal" part of our graduation we allow everyone in attendance to quickly introduce themselves.

Fast forward to this morning. Not only was Marcia at this sample session, but so was Sandy Blaser. And Marcia had remembered her as someone she wanted to meet. Both can help each other.

This was a great demonstration of "getting out of the cave." If you're not out there you can't meet people who can help you in the future. And you never know which way the networking thread is going to be woven.

What is your most convoluted networking contact?

Visual Connections

You know what would be fun?

I'd like to turn my four office walls into a giant white board.

Then, I'd like to draw the connections that I've made between people to see the network grow.

Think about it. Think about the people you've introduced. And then think about the second generation connections they've made.

It'd just be fun to see.

And gratifying, too.

I've never tracked that -- the number of people I've connected.

Have you?

The Other 10 Rules

David Lorms, an association consultant, commented in my post about loneliness and joining groups. He said that he felt that associations also had to be held accountable for the way in which they support each member's successful membership. So here are:

10 Rules for Associations (or Groups) to Connect With Members

1. Above all, have a process to welcome visitors or guests to meetings and events. Make them feel like they've done you a huge favor by attending. (They have!)

2. Give membership information to guests, but just don't hand them a packet and expect them to read it. Set aside time and assign a person to go through the material. That person can also encourage the guest to apply.

3. When a new person actually joins, have a system for welcoming them. The best way is a phone call, and next best is an email.

4. Assign a buddy or mentor to help the new member get to know the ins and outs of the group.

5. The director or another "official" person should meet with the new member to find out the what the new member wants to accomplish as a result of her membership.

6. The new member should be asked what she would like to contribute to the group. Harvest their newbie energy early.

7. If there is an official orientation or educational offering, help the new member to schedule for those events. Send a seasoned member with the newbie to these events.

8. Determine which of the seasoned members should be introduced to the newer member. Linking them will help them to be more successful, which in turn will help the group to be more successful.

9. If the group has a newsletter, list new members with their contact information. We all like to see our name up in lights!

10. Ask the new members what, if anything, you could have done better or more of to make their transition from newbie to seasoned as seamless as possible.

Two organizations I belong to, BNI and WEN both do all or most of the above rules. They are both thriving. One group I am a member of, does not adhere to many of the above. They are not so successful. Hmmm, I wonder if there is any connection?

David, if you are reading this, what rules would you add?

For the rest of you, please chime in too.

Networking with Virginia

Long before the word networking was ever bandied about, my mother, Virginia Dickinson, set the tone for how I would run my life.

When she and my dad married, she had not traveled far from her birth home of Newark, Ohio. My dad, Connecticut born, was at Ohio State University getting his PhD. I don't know why my mom was in Columbus, but I think she was working there. Little did she know that her small world would soon change.

She and my dad moved 11 times in 17 years.

Or was it 17 times in 11 eleven years. (And they were not in the military.)

After all, more than ten, who's counting! At their heyday, she and my dad sent out close to 700 Christmas cards all with a personal note from one or both of them.

How could this SHY woman; the ninth child in a family of ten; who as a child never got a word in edgewise; have so many friends?

She made a decision after a couple moves. I heard her explain herself many times. If the day she moved to the new place, she didn't start making friends that very day, six months later she would leave town without friends. And so she made friends immediately!

Talk about pushing out of a comfort zone.

But she looked at the end result and realized that a little discomfort along the way, would be far outweighed by those wonderful new friends.

Talk about a positive networking attitude.

She set the tone.

Did your parents help you to understand the value of networking?

Mutally Beneficial

You know what's really refreshing?

It's to meet with someone in a one-to-one appointment where that person works to help me just as much as I'm trying to figure out the same for them.

Doesn't happen often.

When it does, the appointment goes to a whole new level. Ruth White, who sells Reverse Mortgages for Wells Fargo, did that today.

I met Ruth first in a BNI training session. Then several weeks later she was at the same WEN meeting I was attending. At that WEN brainstorming session, she asked us to help her with the challenge of how the less than savory lending practices (which are now causing people to lose their homes,) are creating industry misconceptions about the Reverse Mortgage product.

We decided that it would be good for us to meet.

Ruth showed that she truly is a people helper. She ACTIVELY tried to figure out how to help me and made commitments as to what she is going to do.

WOW!

When was the last time you were WOW'd in a one-to-one appointment?

Wheelchair Repair

Yesterday was a great day!

The WEN morning meeting was fun -- no one has won the money yet from the 50/50 raffle and it is up to almost $1500. It is now down to one in five chances for drawing the queen of hearts, but she certainly does remain elusive.

What was really great about the morning was that I clicked with so many people in being able to help them in some way. That makes my day, when I can further someone along their chosen track. I know it all comes back to me in the future, but that's not what it's about for me.

For instance, guest, Aaron Stykemain, is thinking of starting a business to repair wheelchairs. He repairs his wife's chair now. I have been invited to an open house for Ohio Department of Rehabilitation tomorrow. Aaron is going to meet me there so I can introduce him to the rehab people. I'm sure their clients need repairs on their chairs from time to time. I am so glad that I met Aaron yesterday, so I can make those intros today!
Ya' know life is just good!

Listening, Truly Listening

Listening is all it takes.

If the rest of the world is just like me (and why wouldn't they be???) we'd all be able to help each other if we'd just slow down and listen to what people are saying. Referrals and networking opportunities would abound.

Today I had lunch with Lisa Litalien with Central Travel. She was getting me together with one of the other managers at Central Travel, Polly Caumartin. During lunch Lisa mentioned again, that she would like to have an introduction to Talent Track, a company located in Toledo. This is the second time I have heard her say this, but the first time I didn't write it down. (Bad girl!) This time I did. When I got home I emailed another one of our Certified Networker grads that happens to have a connection with that company. Since Lisa is also a CN grad, I felt very comfortable asking him to help her.

But the most important part of this story is that I had to listen, really hear what Lisa was wanting and then do something with that information.

Have you ever heard someone ask, but not really listened? Or are you a conscious listener all the time?