Came across this terrific 3min video called Smile and Move. It's a great little motivator to start your day!

I also like the messages around contribution, value, consideration, relationships and giving. All of these character-based traits are fundamental in leaving legacies, creating a compelling reputation and getting people to choose you first. Take a look.

If you want people to think, feel, do and say particular things when they come into contact with you or your name, you have to inspire them to do so. You've got to be just a little better and different to what they're already seeing. If you want people to...

• Pay a premium for your product or service.
• Buy from you instead of you selling to them.
• Take a look at your network marketing opportunity.
• Promote you instead of your colleague.
• Hire you instead of your rival.
• Award your pitch the business rather than your competition....

... then you've got to give them good reasons for doing so. When you smile more, give more, share more, know more, engage more and think more, the role of overwhelming 'go to' status and ultimate number one is yours to lose!

Was proud to speak alongside FW de Clerk yesterday at the 'Network for Networth' Academy for Chief Executives Southern Regional Conference (thanks to brilliant photographer Giles Christopher for the photo).

Organised by the great Joe Adams, brilliantly hosted by Richard Brooman, Mike Burnage and Brian Chernett, and taking place at the fabulous Warren House, this was a day for great speakers, great audiences and great networking!

Mr de Clerk is an incredible man with enormous gravitas, great authenticity and deep insight. I loved his quote that many people in business and government spend their time thinking of brilliant ways to do the wrong things better!

Other terrific speakers and experts you should know about that 'led the line':

Andy Lopata: One of the few people that know as much about networking as me! And the best connector I know...

Neil Poynter: Great thoughts on leadership and engagement. Passionate about building people to be extraordinary!

Simon Ricketts: Really entertaining sales speaker with a track record to blow your socks off!

I met some really interesting people with really interesting jobs and really boring ways of telling people about it! See, most people are lousy at networking, at mingling and particularly at introducing themselves and others.

That's why I devote my work to helping people like you build better reputations. It makes you irresistible and memorable.

I ran a 70 minute live networking session with a mixture of motivation (inspiring people to do it), education (upskilling people to do it) and participation (making people do it)!

Here are a few of my soundbites and exercises from that session:

1. Remember your richest resources will always be in your richest relationships. When I first came up with this phrase, I was brooding on the brilliant BNI motto, Givers Gain.


2. See networking as simply personal marketing. When you look at it that way, it's less intimidating. You're selling you and nothing else. Put another way, 'your net worth is in your network'
   


3. Consider that networking is a jigsaw. Lots of little things come together to make great networkers. It’s not one underlying trait or skill. It's a blend of little things like your handshake, your introductions, your badge, your business card and your follow up.
   


4. Decide the tip of your arrow. This is what you lead with. It's the first thing that comes out of your mouth. What can you say that will make any kind of impact into people's busy lives? what can get under their skin in a good way in those precious first few seconds?


5. Use a variety of elevator speeches. This is such a crucial topic, I wrote a full Pocket Guide on it! These are my 'Business Books in 40 Minutes'. In it you'll find lots of powerful hints, tips and scripts to introduce yourself better and answer the 'what do you do?' question with impact and interest. Take a look>>


6. Practise your introductions. We did five types - your best client (and why), the best part of your job (and why), your biggest challenge, an example, war story or case study of something great you've done recently for a customer and the big one...


7. ...USE KILLER QUESTIONS! These are one or two questions that you can bring into a conversation that people can use to position you and create an opening for you. For instance, if you were positioning me, you'd ask someone the following question: "Do you have conferences or seminars for your people where you bring in motivational speakers or business experts from outside?" When they say yes, you simply ask; "Well, could I recommend someone to you that would do a fantastic job?" And away you go talking about Rob Brown.


8. Have unbalanced conversations. The average balanced conversation is 40% you talking, 40% them talking and 20% comfortable silence. Great networkers skew that to 30-10-60. Talk less, listen more, ask insightful questions. People will think you're fascinating!

Where to now? Check out Clive Gott's Blog for some more great insight and feedback on this event. He's a blast and one of life's true entertainers!

And if you love personal development, go here to see what I consider to be the future of learning and development>>

Change doesn't stop in a recession!

You may already be overwhelmed and oppressed by the amount of change, restructuring and cost-cutting you're going through. But the global recession is only going to exacerbate that!

Is there a silver lining in the cloud? Yes! Where there is danger, change and gloom, there is also opportunity, innovation and transformation.

Where people lose money, people can also make money.

A recent article in Management Today came up with an interesting piece: Entrepreneurs Shy Away From Christmas Networking. Great magazine that took research by T-Mobile and concluded that SME owners are so busy fretting about their business, they're neglecting the key area of networking. It's easy to stay in the comfort of your office around these times, and heaven knows, I've done it myself. Following on from Part 1 and Part 2, here are a few more tips and incentives to get out there in the next few weeks...

Recently my speaking coach Nigel Risner reminded me to bring who you are to what you do. Too often you spend our time and energy being what people wants you to be. You make the job description fit the person, not the other way round. But there is another way. It's playing to your strengths and harnessing what makes you special into what adds value to the world. Here's how...

Some people call it the festive season; others, the silly season. Whatever you name it, you're coming into the busiest networking time of the year. On top of the regular business-related events comes an avalanche of Christmas party invitations, festive 'mixers' and social gatherings. Your reputation is at stake, as well as your business prospects for the start of the New Year. Here are some of my best tips for making the most of the busy season with better networking, enhanced profiling and powerful reputation building...