Fortunes are made by serving the masses

Have you ever wondered why it is that some entrepreneurs have the Midas Touch, no matter how ridiculous or hair-brained their ideas seem at the time?

Think about the great industrialists of the 20th century, such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison; later Bill Gates and Richard Branson. Just about every pioneer who had the courage of their convictions were laughed at. Yet, look at how many of their businesses have created signifcant shifts in the way we live our lives today. (By the way, negative people will be saying, "well what about all their businesses that have failed?")

One of the most critical components of their ability to amass wealth is serving the masses. Do you have a product or a service that can be developed to serve the masses? If you don't, then here's a solution that is a killer.

Create a following of your personal brand, i.e. you. This is one of the most powerful strategies to create referrals that I have come across. This is how you do it.

1. Create a voluntary club (it can be fee-paying or it can be free). This club will need to have a theme that is attractive enough to attract reasonable numbers of people.

2. To get the greatest numbers, use an online resource such as Ecademy. Your club can be a physical offline club, too.

3. Have a regular discussion forum at your club. Debate issues, best practice, new ideas, new products, services. The list can go on and on.

4. Create opportunities to meet the members of your club annually, quarterly, monthly or even once a week (if you have the time). But have at least one or two meetings a year. The theme could be just a social gathering of like-minded people.

The theme of your club could be:

* book reviews
* cooking
* clay-pigeon shooting
* Curry
* making money

The sky's the limit when it comes to picking a choice. You may now be asking how this relates to referrals. And, rightly so. Well, let me give you an example of a work-in-progess.

I have just created a club on Ecademy called 'Asianpreneur'. This is a club for Asian entrepreneurs to connect with each other to network and create wealth in small teams. It is a very exclusive club that will attract positive attention and may even prove to be controversial. That's OK. My mission is to generate 1,000 members by the end of this year for the club. We will also meet on a monthly basis in different parts of the country.

As the leader of the club, I will serve my members by providing them a platform to create wealth and I will facilitate discussion groups. Now my business is about referrals and networking. What are the chances that a some of my members would want to increase their referral business? In reality, I only need a very small number to do business with me to ensure I achieve my business goals.

So think about it. What is your big passion - business or personal hobby - that you can share with others to leverage referrals? If you want to discuss more, then please feel free to connect with me on Ecademy.

Until next time, have an amazing week!

PS If you wish to accelerate your networking prowess, then you may wish to join me in the Referral Explosion Summit on Tuesday 29th August 2006 in Birmingham. Just click here to take advantage of the Early Worm and Early Bird tickets.

How Are You Increasing Your Connectivity?

Quite often I am asked by entrepreneurs and professionals, both new and experienced networkers, about how they can increase their connectivity. Unfortunately, quite often networkers fail to recognise one key element to building a powerful network - at their own peril.

I have no doubt in my mind that this key element is an absolute must in your armoury. That element is the magnitude of your network. Yes, that's right. In building a referral business, size does matter. Now I can imagine some dissenting voices saying "it's not what you've got that's important - it's what you do with it."

I agree that you must be able to manage your network effectively and serve them to the best of your ability. On the other hand, how would you rather be perceived – as someone who knows all the right people or as someone who sheepishly works in isolation to the rest of the business community? I know who I’d rather be.

Wouldn't you rather be in a position to offer contacts a connection to their ideal referral or would you rather walk away and be unable to help?

Granted, you cannot help every person you meet. But, if you're better at connecting people than the average (networking) bear, then you will become more referable. You will be more attractive to your contacts and prospective customers. You will improve your connectivity.

So here are my favourite places that I recommend you to go to build your network. Some of these are online networks, whilst some are offline. Some are both.

Ecademy: Social Networking with lots of business exchange

BRE (Business Referral Exchange): Breakfast Networking

BNI (Business Network International): Breakfast Networking

Open BC: Business Network

Network 2 Connect (includes BOB Clubs): Breakfast Networking

PSA (Professional Speakers Association): Networking for experts who speak professionally Linkedin: Business Network There are many more networks that you can be a part of.

Remember the famous game show quote

' You’ve got to be in it to win it'!

Networking is just like game shows. When you are out of touch, you’re out!

If you would like to experience the art of networking at its highest form, then why not join the Referral Explosion on Tuesday 29th august 2006 in Birmingham, UK? This is a three-hour workshop designed to shift your customer prospecting into turbo drive. This is the ultimate experience in generating highly qualified referrals – regardless of whether you are an experienced networker or someone with no network. To book your place, please click here.