"Endless Referrals"- Guest Post - Bob Burg

I have the distinct pleasure of having Bob Burg, author of 'Endless Referrals,' as a guest blogger this week.  I can honestly say, hands down, he is one of the nicest, most genuine individuals I have ever e-communicated with..... as we have yet to talk on the phone.

Bob is the author of numerous critically acclaimed top selling books and programs on relationship-building to enhance not just your business opportunities but your life.  His knowledge about networking is unsurpassed. He has shared the podium with former President Gerald Ford, Zig Ziglar, Larry King, Tom Hopkins, radio legend Paul Harvey and the list goes on.  But what strikes me most about Bob, he lives what he teaches and that is the ultimate testimonial. For the price of a lunch, purchase 'Endless Referrals.' The information you will gain will quite literally change your life. (If you happen to be in Orlando, Florida February 23-24 hear him teach and inspire in a celebrity-packed Extreme Business Makeover Seminar.)

I seldom, if ever, will endorse a service or product.  However, I  wholeheartedly endorse Bob Burg's books and programs. Sometimes getting insight from someone not specifically in the legal field allows you to learn universal business and marketing principles. Part of my responsibility is to bring you the best information I can to help you succeed in starting your solo practice.  Next semester and going forward all my students will be required to buy "Endless Referrals."  (In the interest of full disclosure, I don't make a penny on this book. so don't be afraid to use the link....you can also sign up for Bob's free e-zine 'Winning without Intimidation' through this link.)

So, without further ado....Bob Burg

Key Traits of Superstar Networkers

By Bob Burg

Author, “Endless Referrals”

The Golden Rule of Networking (which, I define as, “The Cultivating of mutually beneficial, give and take, win-win relationships), is very simple: “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.”

Superstar networkers, those rainmakers whose legal practices are extremely profitable and whose personal lives are filled with friends and loving relationships, share two powerful traits:

Number one, they are givers. Number two, they are “connectors.”

Givers:

The superstar, mega-successful, high-dollar-earning rainmaker is the greatest and most active giver you know. He is constantly referring business to others. She is always on the lookout for a piece of information that will interest someone in her network of friends and prospects—regardless of whether or not it’s business-related. He is always suggesting ways that someone from whom he purchases goods or services can improve his own business.

Genuine networkers give. They give actively and without attachment to reciprocation. They are always thinking of what they can give, how they can give, and to whom can they give.

They are who I term superstar networkers.

Tim Sanders, author of the bestseller, Love Is the Killer App, describes this as “the act of intelligently and sensibly sharing your intangibles.” According to Sanders, our “intangibles” are our knowledge, our network, and our compassion.

Some superstar networkers seem to excel in one type of giving above all others and become known for this. For example, some individuals are always recommending great books, or constantly making introductions to people who can benefit one another. And it doesn’t cost a cent! (Or perhaps the price of a book or a stamp.) The result? The other person’s appreciation, which as you already know, can prove to be virtually priceless.

What’s interesting is that successful, giving, profitable, superstar networkers seem to have a knack for hooking up with other success givers. It’s not luck: they are specifically looking to identify these types of people. Why? Because they know that while average networking relationships are 50/50, the most exciting and profitable ones are 100/100. In other words, both people are trying so hard to help each other succeed, that success comes back to each of them in spades.

Connectors:

Connectors are always asking themselves who they can introduce to each other. They know that everyone they know or meet might be a valuable contact to someone else in their network. The fun part is introducing them and setting up the relationship.

You can probably see how the goodwill and positive feelings you elicit in others can come back to you in incredible abundance.

Again, the essence of being a Connector is the proactive drive to make the connections—not out of a calculating intent to get something in return, but out of the joy and satisfaction of seeing the positive, exciting developments that can spring out of the new associations you help form. It’s something very much like the pure joy of the creative artist: the thrill of the creation itself is its own reward.

Connectors don’t worry about whether they’ll “get anything” in return. They know they’ll be taken care of—and well taken care of. It’s simply not an issue.

The essential point here is that being a Connector isn’t a genetic fluke. You don’t have to be born a Connector—you can become one!

Simply develop (through practice) a habit of giving without expectation, without concern for what you’re going to “get” from the other person. Know that when you tap into the sheer joy of giving and connecting, you’re going to get, and get big-time. Try not to think about it too much. Just get out there and try to give yourself away! Way before you even get close, you’ll get back so much in return, you’ll know you’ve become a superstar networker.

This leads to, what I call, “The grand paradox of giving and receiving”: When you give purely out of the love of giving and adding increase to the lives of others, you cannot help but receive. Yet, when you give only in order to receive, it doesn’t work out nearly as well!

Why? Because people are attuned to your intent; it’s human nature. When you give only in order to get, it comes across as such. More often than not, they can tell. Of course, some people have a knack for getting away with this more than others, but eventually it will come back to haunt them.

When you give because it’s something you desire to do, and do so without the expectation (or “emotional demand”) of direct reciprocation, you’ll find that the Law of Cause and Effect works for you in ways the typical attorney might never even imagine.

Learn more about building a profitable and lasting network in Endless Referrals. Whether you are shy or assertive, the skills you will cultivate are easy, eminently usable, honest, and the results, quite frankly, are amazing.