Chamberfish.com
Newsletter

May 2008

Site News

The Chamberfish Blog is now official. You can read just the news and articles here and subscribe to the RSS feeds as well.

I decided to put the the newsletter in it's own file on the website that way, if you link to it or save it as a bookmark, it will always be there for you to reference. Writing the newsletter is also easier for me to publish and just send you the link whenever a news letter is posted.

I hope you enjoy this format as well as the blog which you can tune in whenever you'd like. Enjoy...

Member News

Welcome Peter Korer, our 35th member! Peter is from ThinkInkPrinting.com and has several specials running right now for business cards and brochures. I know Peter personally and can testify that his work is the highest quality and he really offers good pricing. - Kevin


Visit ThinkInk Printing

Quotable Quotes

You can't change the hand you are dealt, you can only change how you play the hand.
Randy Pausch
Canegie Mellon University

Watch Randy's Last Lecture on YouTube. A truly inspirational lecture about the most important things in life...

New Chamberfish features are live!

by Kevin M. Butler

Thanks to 3CG Developing, the new features and fixes have been implemented!

  1. When a user requests to be part of your network, they will be asked to write you a message explaining why they would like to know you which will appear in the notification email you receive.
  2. Adding [introduce] to your network page so you can quickly introduce two members of your network.
  3. Project page is changing so that you can only accept one referral for each project. You will also be able to mark a project private as select a member of your group to be referred to it and processed.
  4. You will also be able to flag projects as inappropriate. Users spamming or posting inappropriate material may be banned from ChamberFish.
  5. A new section will be added to your profile so you can add a brief description of your work for others to view while looking at your profile.

If you have additional features and benefits you'd like to see on ChamberFish, use the Contact Us tab on the main page to tell us about it!

Speed Networking - Trading trust for efficiency

by Kevin M. Butler

Speed Networking Events

Last week, I received an email from a Real Estate agent that said:

In order to serve you better, please send me a list of 10 people who you think I should know.

In order to serve who better? Are you kidding me?


The same day, I received an email from the local chamber of commerce advertising a new "Speed-Networking" group that is looking for new members. As I dismissed the wave of nausea that came over me at the tought of another networking group destroying the art of business networking. Rather than tell you what networking is, I'd like to use this example to show you what it is not.

First, let me say that I have attended a few "Speed Networking" events and I had a really nice time. That being said, I noticed a recurring theme at these events. Typically, they have been started by one or two very enthusiastic and motivated individuals. They normally charge a very nominal fee for membership which beats the heck out of BNI. The reality is the main purpose of the meeting is to meet everyone at the meeting for a couple of minutes. I agree that this is a great way to break the ice and get mingling with people you might not otherwise get a chance to meet. This is where the praise ends for me.

Speed Networking, by it's very essence is to pass as many leads in a very short period of time. This is fine but out of the twenty people there, you really don't get to know them in that short time. You've known your cup of coffee longer than you've known these people. How could you possibly develop any real relationship or trust them to give them your personal contacts phone numbers? The only thing you can truly accomplish is to make introductions to people. Find a couple you would like to get to know more and ask them for their contact information for a face to face meeting later on. If someone starts hounding you for leads, tell them that's not what you're about. Develop the relationship first. If they are genuine, they will take the time to get to know you. Trust me... the business will come. It takes time, more than 5 minutes...

Cheap, Fast or Good...Pick 2

by Kevin M. Butler

Whether you are working with a company, working on your relationship, or buying that new computer, it pays to know the formula to get what you want. No matter what combination you choose, you can only really have two. If you pick cheap and fast, chances are, it's not going to be very good. Likewise, if you pick good and fast, it's not going to be very cheap.

So how do you get what you want?

Pick the one you want the most and the one you are willing to comprimise on. So, if you want it fast, you have to give up either good or cheap. Which one matters more to you?

The same could be said for relationships

If you are trying to enhance a relationship with a business partner or even your significant other, you can still only pick two. Choose wisely and you'll have more control over the end-result. In this scenario, you could replace "cheap" with "easy". If you want a solid or good relationship, go slow and spend the time to build the relationship.

And sales?

If you want that quick sale and are tempted to go for cheap and fast, don't be surprised if your relationship isn't very good. Building a good relationship takes time, effort, and sometimes, even money. That's why it costs more to generate new business than it does to maintain old business. Many companies have account representatives that do nothing but maintain current and old relationships.

ChamberTips

by Kevin M. Butler

The principles behind networking are building relationships, not selling. By establishing true personal bonds with other people with like mind-sets, you can focus easily on their goals while they are doing the same for you. The more you focus on someone else, they more they will focus on you.

Relationships

Think about a close co-worker or client that you developed a strong friendship or bond with. Chances are, you developed a strong knowledge of who they are, how they think, what their goals are, and the direction of their business. Once you know someone at this level, networking becomes a natural occurence when they mention they have a need of some sort, chances are, you know someone who you can reccomend to them.

Needs

When you express a need whether it is a direct business need or a general personal need, others naturally want to help and probably know someone who can help you. When you meet someone new, stay focused on how you can help them. More importantly, get to know them and the business will come indirectly as they network with others.

Remember

Remember, networking is not sales, networking is building relationships that generate sales later.

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