Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Anatomy-of-a-Referral-Part-One.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Anatomy-of-a-Referral-Part-One.html This article originally appeared in The National Networker Growing a business without developing a flow of good quality referrals can be tough. Yet so many companies try to do so. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/When-if-ever-is-it-time-to-quit-building-a-relationship-with-a-potential-referral-source.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/When-if-ever-is-it-time-to-quit-building-a-relationship-with-a-potential-referral-source.html I was recently asked this question on Twitter. It's a very interesting question. Referrals come from people with whom you have built relationships over a period of time. In some cases the relationships may take years to develop. So how do you know when to focus your efforts elsewhere? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-When-Week-is-Strong.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-When-Week-is-Strong.html This article originally appeared in The National Networker How often do you interact personally with your customers? Whether it’s working directly with them, speaking to them on the phone, visiting their offices. If you’re not in regular direct contact there’s a good chance it’s impacting on your ability to either upsell to them or to inspire them to refer you. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Busting-the-Myth.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Busting-the-Myth.html This article originally appeared in The National Networker It’s time to shatter a few illusions now. I’m sorry but networking groups do not produce referrals. That may disappoint a few people who have spent a lot of time and money joining groups in the hope of generating new business. Hours spent at breakfast meetings, lunches and chatting over canapés when you could have been watching The Apprentice…..all wasted. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/Do-you-feel-lucky.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/Do-you-feel-lucky.html Luck has come up a lot in conversation in the last week or so. How much of our business success do we put down to good fortune and to what extent are we able to create our own luck? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/Do-you-Come-Here-Often-The-ten-best-and-worst-ways-to-start-a-networking-conversation.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/Do-you-Come-Here-Often-The-ten-best-and-worst-ways-to-start-a-networking-conversation.html Following a recent comment on my blog, I promised to suggest some good icebreakers to start conversations at networking events. Rather than just share my own thoughts, I thought I would poll a few of you and find out how you go about it. I asked the question on Twitter, on my Facebook page and through my newsletter. Thank you for all of the responses, with a diverse and interesting range of approaches and stories being sent in. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Top-Ten-Ways-to-Ensure-Your-Networks-are-More-Effective-and-Produce-Results.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Top-Ten-Ways-to-Ensure-Your-Networks-are-More-Effective-and-Produce-Results.html Last month I wrote in my blog about a friend of mine who struggles to get any return from his networking despite always being generous with his time, his contacts and his support. I got a lot of feedback on the piece, with many people either recognizing themselves, or people they know well, in the description of my friend. So why do so many people struggle to attain a real return from their networking? There are a host of possible reasons but I thought this might be a good time to share some ways in which you can get more of a return from your networking. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Itas-a-Question-of-Trust.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Itas-a-Question-of-Trust.html It wasn’t what he expected to hear, that’s for sure! I was half way through a 1-2-1 with a new networking connection when I surprised him. “I don’t trust you”, I said. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Networking-JourneyaaHow-networking-has-changed-and-where-it-is-heading.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-The-Networking-JourneyaaHow-networking-has-changed-and-where-it-is-heading.html May saw me celebrate a ten-year anniversary. On 11th May 1999 I started work for Business Referral Exchange, then a new networking organisation founded six months previously and with just four groups running in London, Hertfordshire and Essex. At the time networking as a formal activity was little known in the UK, with a few independent groups supplementing the networking offered by Chambers of Commerce and community groups such as Rotary. How times have changed! Networking is now a key activity for millions of small business owners across the World and, with the rise of social online networks, is being recognised as a key skill for everyone, from jobseekers to global corporates. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Will-you-be-my-Friend.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/999/CONNECTING-IS-NOT-ENOUGH-Will-you-be-my-Friend.html Have you experienced that strange sensation recently? A feeling of importance, of celebrity, of previously unmatched popularity. It’s the feeling that the lucky kids at school all understood but that the rest of us could only dream of. All of a sudden everyone wants to be your friend. From Facebook to LinkedIn, from Plaxo to Fastpitch and from Xing to Friendster, people are asking to be friends. And they’re not just people we know, have met or who share mutual friends. They are people from all over the World, with varied backgrounds and different interests. Yet they all want to be our friends and share in our lives.