Article contributed by Alexander Rodwell.
Have you ever stopped to ponder how regular social and business networking has the potential to improve memory, concentration, focus, motivation, productivity and even evolve our brain function? Research in the neurosciences for many years has been showing that exercising our mind on a regular basis is essential to optimal brain function. So how does business networking contribute to this?
Not only does the art of effective networking require you to remember and recall things of interest and importance of your fellow members business and lives, but it also demands you to move beyond the superficial, (eg., knowing the persons name and the name of their business) to really knowing the person at a deep level (eg., knowing who they are as a person, what motivates them, why they do what they do, who they love working with, and their ideal client).
Modern research into the complex field of quantum physics is uncovering the how there is as much memory computing capacity outside of the human brain in the electromagnetic field around the persons head, than there is solely in the brain itself. Did you know that there is now even sophisticated brain imaging technology that doesn’t touch the head to record the information that it needs! Amazing eh?!
Scientific American, as well as many respected peer reviewed journals worldwide have highlighted that the Mind is indeed Non linear, holographic and fractal in nature. To illustrate this, think of a picture in your minds eye of someone you know. Now, think of someone that that person knows. Can you see a picture of that person in your minds eye?
Now stretch your mind muscle. Can you think of someone that that person knows? A skilled networker does this easily and freely, and HELPS OTHER PEOPLE by connecting a person with a NEED with another person who has the perfect SOLUTION to that need.
Have you ever stopped to ponder how many active people the average person has in their network? According to a recent facebook survey in NZ, the number is 124. When you sit down for breakfast at BNI each week, you are not sitting in front of 15-20 people. You are indeed sharing a message to over 1000 people, if you are communicating your message effectively.
So what is stopping us from tapping in to the power of this fractal networking?
- If your message is unclear or not consistent
- If people don’t have full faith, confidence and belief in your produces, services or ideas
- If people feel that they have the potential to loose something by referring something to you
- If people have the attitude of ‘I don’t have any referrals this week’, rather than listening intentfully, and thinking/visualising who they might meet or spend time with in the coming week who would be a perfect match for your fellow members Product, Service or Idea.
Train your sales team well, and allow the VCP (visibility, credibility and profitability) principle to work its magic!
Vital Questions by Dr Alex
- How PRESENT are you when you are interacting with others?
- How well do you LISTEN?
- How well do you ask questions to REALLY understand your fellow BNI members?
- How well are you effectively communicating your message?
