The Abundant Networker

Yesterday, I blogged about how Abundant Networking is a process of unlearning your fears about networking, and more importantly, about yourself.

These fears take on countless shapes and sizes.  At their worst, they may even have you fearing that you'll look like our friend the spitting lama over there to our left when you go to a networking event.

What they all have in common is that they keep us from being who we naturally are and from doing what we CAN do. 

They keep us playing smaller instead of living into our greatness.  They keep us from being the Abundant Networker that we are.

So how do you begin to deal with these fears running around in your head?

In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I give my readers a two part test that is easy to use.  Called the Truth or Dare Test, this exercise can be utilized by anyone in any situation to identify and move past the fear in their mind.

Ask yourself:

What evidence do I have that this is true? 
What is the fear grounded in?  Do you have any proof?
99.99% of the time, you will never be able to find out proof that it's real.  That's why we call it a fear - false expectations appearing real.

The 2nd question is:

How does thinking this way serve me?
Our fears always serve us in some way.  The question is whether it is positive or not. Fears tend to keep us safe and comfortable, doing what we've always done. The problem with that is that it keeps us safe and comfortable, doing what we've always done. 

There's no question your fears are serving you.  But is it the way you really want to be served?

Posted by Kim George at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abundant Networking is a process.  It's not a quick fix or a magic pill.

Abundant Networking is the process of unlearning your fears about networking.  Even more so, Abundant Networking is about unlearning your fears about yourself.

That you're not interesting enough.
That you're not smart enough.
That you're not clever enough.
That you don't have anything of significance to give.
That this networking thing can actually ever work for you.

How do you unlearn these fears?  One way is to start doing.  Get into action.  Go to an event.

Still stuck?  Take a friend.  Call ahead and introduce yourself to the President or Officer of the group.  Let them know you're new and ask them to help by taking you around and introducing you to people.

Just go.  Take that first step.

Then you can work on the Illusions that cause those scarcity fears in the first place.  I'll blog about how to do this tomorrow.

Posted by Kim George at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've posted here previously about Squidoo, Seth Godin's free service that allows you to create a Lens on any topic you desire.

Tons of you have visited The Abundant Networker Lens.  But have you rated it?

I'll make a deal with you.  This is easy.  Rate my Lens and I'll give you a special gift.

1. Go to The Abundant Networker Lens.
2. Create a free account at Squidoo.  (This doesn't obligate you in any way.)
3. On the top left hand corner of my Lens you will see 5 stars.  Click on the stars to rate my Lens.  It's that simple!
4. Consider creating your own Lens and letting the world know about it.

Why do I want you to rate my Lens?  The better the ratings, the better my Lens Rank, which puts The Abundant Networker Lens higher up in the Squidoo search engine, and increases the likelihood more people will visit and learn about Abundant Networker. 

Now here's the bonus part:  after you rate my Lens, send me an email and I will send you a copy of my article, "Designing the Perfect Networking Environment" that appeared exclusively in the BNI SuccessNet newsletter early last year.

This is one of the easiest things you'll do all week.

What are you waiting for?

Posted by Kim George at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Your network is your net worth." 

Tim Sanders, author of The Likeability Factor and Love Is the Killer App

How are you valuing your net worth?

Posted by Kim George at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abundant Networkers are connected to their inner knowing.

By being comfortable with who they are, they show up authentically.  They demonstrate a quiet confidence in the value they add through their product or service, and what they do. 

Abundant Networkers are the antithesis of the used car salesman - they're not pushy, arrogant, or invasive.  They utilize their inner knowing about the quality of their work, the conviction of their purpose, and the certainty of their follow through to convey to everyone they meet that they are worth getting to know.

What is your inner knowing about your product or service?

Posted by Kim George at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abundant Networkers practice the Law of Reciprocity.

The Law of Reciprocity is the belief that what you put out there will come back to you.  In BNI, they call this "Givers Gain".  There's a caveat here:

Abundant Networkers don't give to receive.  They give because the giving is aligned with who they are, how they add value to customers and prospects, and is an expression of how they want to be in the world.  There is no expectation of direct and immediate gain.  Abundant Networkers give because it is who they are, not because it is quid pro quo.  They know what they put out into the world will come back to them in multiple, abundant ways.

How can you practice the Law of Reciprocity in your networking today?

Posted by Kim George at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abundance is much more than the belief that there is enough to go around. 

True abundance is exercising the freedom to be who you are in the world.

The ultimate scarcity is resisting who you are.  Therefore, an Abundant Networker is a person who has the ability to consistently, naturally be who they are when they are networking.

Posted by Kim George at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abundant Networkers are farmers, not hunters.  Dr. Ivan Misner, founder and chairman of Business Network Int'l (BNI) says that networking is about cultivating relationships.  Abundant Networkers focus on investing time, energy, and attention on developing key relationships.

How are you investing your time?

Posted by Kim George at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take this opportunity to introduce yourself to members of The Abundant Networker class and to readers of the blog.  Post your introduction to the comments section of this blog entry.

Tell us about yourself - what you do, where you live, why you're here.

Posted by Kim George at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Click on the player to listen to the first call in The Abundant Networker Series:  The #1 Way to Put the Natural You Into Networking

Posted by Kim George at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

People in scarcity see the cup as half empty.

Positive thinkers see the cup as half full.

People in abundance see the cup as overflowing.

But people who are living into their greatness are the cup.

What kind of networker are you?

Posted by Kim George at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seth Godin's done it again, creating a cool, fun way to display your expertise by building something called a "lens".

Check out The Abundant Networker lens and let me know what you think!

Posted by Kim George at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Announcing The Abundant Networker Introductory Series

The #1 Way to Put the Natural You Into Networking 

Do you suffer from the UCS Syndrome--feeling like you need to be someone else to network effectively, fearing that you’ll ending up acting like a used car salesman? In this class, discover how to put the natural back into networking by discovering the characteristics of Abundant Networking – the ability to build relationships that increase the quality of your business and your life, by being exactly who you are. You’ll learn what it means to be the natural, abundant you and get a preview of upcoming classes in this new expert series.

Tuesday, February 14th 1pm eastern

The 7 Key Ways Scarcity Sabotages Networking

Is networking like Chinese water torture? You know you need to network to grow your business, but you dread the thought of going to those mixers! In this class, learn the essential ways that people get stuck in building their social capital. Discover how the ultimate scarcity, resisting who you are, may be holding your best networking hostage.

Tuesday, February 28th 1pm eastern

“I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Say”: The Illusion of Not Enough in Networking

“I’m not good at small talk.” “Who will want to talk to me?”  If you’ve said this at one time or another, you may be dealing with the Illusion of Not Enough. Find out how the need for more (information, resources, validation), scriptwriting (the stories we tell about ourselves), and the pattern of creating contingencies (when this happens, then I will start networking) unnaturally keep us from doing what we can do to build our business.

Tuesday, March 14th 1pm eastern

“Networking Is Too Hard”: The Illusion of Struggle in Networking

Do you struggle with how to talk about what you do and how to make conversation at networking events? Being naturally who you are is essential in networking, yet so many people struggle with what that means and how to accomplish it. Take this class to discover how resistance, making things difficult, and overachieving take the natural out of networking. Discover ways to talk about what you do, receive more referrals, and increase how much you enjoy networking.

Tuesday, March 28th 1pm eastern

To register for this complimentary series of classes, click here.

Posted by Kim George at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does the thought of going to a mixer make you cringe? 

Do you struggle with networking?

Feel like you've got to be someone else to get the networking results you want?

This blog was created with you in mind. 

The purpose of this site is to help you:

• put the natural back into networking
• build better business relationships
• increase your sales as a natural byproduct of your networking success
• discover how scarcity has been sabotaging your networking
• utilize the art of abundance to create the business you desire

Thanks for joining me!  Stay tuned for free classes, articles, and lots more resources!

Posted by Kim George at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)