Tuesday, September 2, 2008

How Can I Help You?
Identifying The 5 Most Powerful Words in Networking

Welcome to my long-overdue BLOG! In my first post, I’d like to share the 5 most powerful words in business networking. I know what you’re thinking: Of all the powerful, eloquent, strategic, and effective words available to us in the English language, how can there only be five most powerful? Good question!

The Facts of Life

For most of us in South Florida, and in most major metropolitan areas in the U.S.,daily life has become increasingly fast-paced. Time is at a premium as we strive to do more. Add to that bad news headlines, rising costs of living, increased traffic congestion, less customer loyalty, leaders lacking integrity, violence and crime on our streets, higher employee turnover, underfunded education, and rapidly changing economic conditions. As a result, each year professionals of all types experience the new facts of life reality: most people must work harder each year to keep pace.

The Rx for Failure

To remedy the reality of the facts of life, we hurry up to buy the latest cellphones that are more advanced, thinking we’ll be more efficient. We purchase fancy software programs, believing they will keep us more connected. We print exotic brochures, hoping they’ll catch our prospective clients attention. We build websites that are so exciting Google can’t even find them. We advertise like crazy hoping customers will come rolling in. And we join multiple membership organizations because we hear that involvement is beneficial to our business. If you're like most people, you're still not satisfied. Why?

Getting Back to Basics - and to the point!

So I've laid out the facts of life, shared the prescription (Rx) for failure, and if you're like most, satisfaction still eludes you. It is here that I'll encourage you to revisit the title of this post. Notice that the title is only 5 words? You were in such a hurry living your fast paced life, and using your newest techno-gadget and likely so anxious to get to the next most-important thing, that you missed the obvious!

So take a minute each day, slow things down, open your ears, close your mouth, and ask the question: How Can I Help You? By helping others as a way of doing business (and living life), others will naturally in turn want to help you.

It's so simple, it's complicated!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice Blog…I like your initial layout and your easy to follow format. I also like the idea that less is more. I’d like to see you add your “Thought of the Week” or “Thought of the Day”. Keep up the good work.
Bill H.

BRITTA CHAMBERS said...

Jeff, Beautiful Job! Easy to read.
Truly reflects YOU and your commitment to educating us. Thanks for all you do.
Britta

Anonymous said...

Brother J, very good. My fast-paced life :) appreciates your brevity, and you're very clever and convincing at the same time. Thank you for sharing your blog with me. I'll be back. Brother D

mgiacomino said...

True recipe for success in life "Open your ears and close your mouth." No one EVER gets in trouble for listening.