By now, you’ve probably gotten the idea that having the right contacts in place can really help your small business take off. Getting those contacts is easier said than done, however. It takes time, finesse and more than a little skill to successfully turn a casual meeting into an in-depth conversation and ultimately into a business opportunity. There’s a difference between effective networking and trying awkwardly to make small talk with important people while hoping they don’t notice that mustard stain you picked up during lunch.

Flip on your TV. You’ve got over 300 channels at your disposal. Whether there’s anything worth watching is a matter of debate. If the TV doesn’t do it for you, you have your desktop, laptop and cell phone charged and ready for action. The fun is just beginning, because you can bet that whatever your mood or your need, there’s an app just waiting for you. That’s life in the twenty-first century.

Email is great. So are texting, instant messages and the myriad of other options we have to communicate in this day and age. Regardless of how you want to talk to someone there’s probably an app for it. However, something often gets lost in translation. You’ve probably received a text and had to guess at the tone. Was it friendly? Sarcastic? The little emoticon can only tell you so much.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

  ~ Anonymous

It may sound like a very cynical take on things, but there’s more than a little truth to it. The right relationship with the right person at the right time can make a huge difference in your business fortunes. So how do you meet this wonderful person? One way is by sheer luck. Another more practical way is by networking. To start our new series on networking, we’ll take a look at what networking really means and why it’s so important.

At some point you’ve probably sat beside someone who’s complaining about the news. The complaint usually goes something like: “It’s always war and death and tragedy!” Maybe you agreed with them or maybe you just rolled your eyes. It does sometimes seem like the complainer has a point though. Why can’t they just print something happy? Well, there’s a way to change that negative narrative, at least in a small way. That’s just one small example of the value of community service.

“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.”

              ~ Sherry Anderson

As a business owner, how do you give back? As the leader of a company, you know the value community service can have for your organization. As a person, you know that nothing beats the feeling of having made your community a better place to live. The problem many business owners face is how to give back. Tight budgets often mean we can’t be as generous as we’d like.

Details matter. Each small thing may not make or break a product or service, but taken together they can add up to a measurable improvement in quality. While focusing on the details is great, sometimes obsessing about the details means we lose sight of the overall picture. We’re so busy focusing on working IN our business that we forget to work ON our business.

You’ve probably heard the old expression about all work and no play making you a dull boy or girl. It sounds all well and good, but all the play in the world won’t reduce that stack of work that’s piling up on your desk. It won’t make that deadline go away or miraculously add more hours to an already full day. No, you’ll need to keep your nose to the proverbial grindstone if you want to get ahead. Then suddenly you realize you’ve become an obsessive, grouchy shell of your formerly cheerful self.

Featured Resource this week - Once Hub

Make more connections with an integrated scheduling platform

ScheduleOnce/OnceHub is a field-proven solution for powering online scheduling with your customers and prospects.

Solutions for every phase of the customer lifecycle

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Featured Resource this week - StockUnlimited

600,000+ Visuals for Businesses & Professionals

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Featured Resource this week - Centerpointe

Did you know that if your head isn't in the right place, you can sabotage your business and personal success? Centerpointe's premier introductory product, Holosync, gives you ALL the benefits of meditation – in a fraction of the time – and without spending years learning how...

What if you could meditate like a Zen monk, literally at the touch of a button?

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Featured Resource this week - iMember360

WordPress Membership Plugin for Infusionsoft™

Unleash the power of WordPress and iMember360 to create your Infusionsoft™ driven membership site instantly! iMember360 - a WordPress plugin that turns a normal WordPress site into a full-featured membership site with all the protection controls you can imagine, almost limitless customization, and driven by Infusionsoft’s second-to-none CRM and e-commerce engine.

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Featured Resource this week - TurboDial

This Personal Communicator brings the Power of Infusionsoft to your Inside Sales Campaigns!

With turboDial you never leave Infusionsoft – place a phone call to any contact at any time right from MyDay, from a saved search or from contact and opportunity records!

Plan your calls in advance or make them spontaneously – turboDial is the only solution effective for both

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Featured Resource this week - Time Fusion

Automate Your Appointments

Are you using TimeTrade or Full Slate to give your clients online access for setting appointments with you? If not, you should be!

TimeFusion integrates Infusionsoft with TimeTrade and Full Slate to automate your appointment scheduling!

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Featured Resource this week -

With founder Dan Kennedy, known as the "Millionaire Maker", Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle (GKIC) helps people in every imaginable kind of business grow your income as fast as possible and move away from being a slave to your business to being a master of it. Gain FULL control of your business, more freedom, & more and faster achievement and…

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