When to get personal in business

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In My Pinnacle Network, we refer to the elevator pitch as your verbal brand. For sake of clarity, we will use E.P. in this piece and over the next several weeks. Yet every one of us should not only reconsider what we call our elevator pitch but how we deliver it and what exactly we say.
If you fall into the camp that tries to fit as much as humanly possible into your E.P. before you run out of breath/pass out or the person you’re talking nods off or, worse, walks away, you are far from alone. Of course, you will eventually be alone because elevator pitches done like that do not work. That’s because the goal of the E.P. is to make the listener WANT to know more and start asking questions. If you attempt to tell them everything, you will not only run out breath and deplete their attention span, you take away their reason for wanting to know more.
One of the better ways to get people to list to their elevator pitch is to listen to theirs first. So, E.P. pointer number one is to come up with a conversation starter that creates a more comfortable opening than, “what do you do?”. My Pinnacle Network Founder Steve Dubin offers the following:
Do you know exactly where your next prospect is coming from?
Try it out. Yet be prepared if the answer is “I don’t know”. Then, you might have to jump in with your answer.

My Pinnacle Network announces May 2019 schedule of B2B networking meetings

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My Pinnacle Network recently announced a full slate of business-to-business networking meetings for May. My Pinnacle Network meetings are as follows:

My Pinnacle Network – Mansfield, Wednesday, May 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Mansfield BioIncubator, 241 Francis Avenue, Mansfield, MA 02048.

My Pinnacle Network – Pembroke, Thursday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., ACTSmart Training Center, 70 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 1225, Pembroke, MA 02359.

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, May 7, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m at Digital Federal Credit Union, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough, MA 01581.

My Pinnacle Network – Needham/Newton, Thursday, May 9, 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at Bullfinch Group, 160 Gould Street, Needham, MA 02494.

My Pinnacle Network – Plymouth (Real Estate), Thursday, May 9, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Keller Williams training room, 91 Carver Road, Plymouth, MA  02360 (Ocean State Job Lot Plaza)

My Pinnacle Network – Braintree Third Thursday, Thursday, May 16, from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at 100 Grandview Road, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Braintree, MA 02184.

Only one B2B professional will be selected for each category. Those categories can be found at bottom of http://www.mypinnaclenetwork.com. Prospective members are encouraged to attend a My Pinnacle Network meeting before committing to join.

If you are interested in attending a meeting in your area, please contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061 to RSVP. There is no charge to visit a My Pinnacle Network meeting.

My Pinnacle Network honors achievements of Massachusetts B2B networkers

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BRAINTREE, MARSHFIELD, MANSFIELD, NEEDHAM, PEMBROKE, PLYMOUTH and WESTBOROUGH, MA …

For the past five years, My Pinnacle Network, a business to business networking group with monthly meetings in Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, Plymouth and Westborough, MA, has recognized the networking efforts of B2B professionals with its annual Networking Ninja Awards. This year’s awards ceremony took it a step further with a lifetime achievement award given to David and Pam Snell, owners of ACTSmart IT of Pembroke.

Sheldon Prenovitz (center) of ConnectPay and My Pinnacle Network-Westborough receives his Networking Ninja award for Best Connector. 

“The Snells have been networking well before the concept of networking was popular,” noted Steven V. Dubin, one of the founders of My Pinnacle Network. “David and Pam are gracious, generous and giving and have been so for decades. They are the personification of ‘the good neighbor’.”

David and Pam Snell have been recognized as part of the 2019 My Pinnacle Network “Networking Ninja Awards” for their “Lifetime Achievement” of selflessly sharing the ActSmart IT training room for workshops, seminars and networking groups and for proactively reaching out to business and civic groups to assist with technology, marketing and support for many decades.

In addition to the Snells, five other B2B professionals received Networking Ninja awards.

Sheldon Prenovitz of Foxborough, MA-based ConnectPay won the Best Connector Networking Ninja Award. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Westborough.

Alex Bungener of Digital+, LLC of Cape Cod received The Most Ubiquitous Award. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Pembroke.

Calvin Nelson, a freelance art director and graphic designer from Stoughton, MA, won the Most Altruistic Networking Ninja Award. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Mansfield.

Lisa Levesque, owner of Northeast Business Coaching, took home the Brightest Beacon Award. She is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Mansfield.

The Rookie of the Year award marked the second additional Networking Ninja given this year. That honor went to Joe Moser of Rockland Trust. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Pembroke.

“Congratulations to all the winners. We had a number of networkers nominated for these awards and these individuals stood out as the cream of the crop in our region,” said Steve Dubin, founder of My Pinnacle Network. “Each of these winners has proven themselves to be first-rate connectors who are givers first, which is how they ultimately receive referrals for their respective businesses.”

Winners received their trophy at a joint networking event hosted by the South Shore Networking Professional Group (https://ssnpg.com/) on April 16 at the Cask N Flagon in Marshfield, Massachusetts. This year’s award marks the third time the two networking organizations have co-hosted the event.

“Networking, sharing information and opportunity, is what makes the world go around,” noted Dubin. “Both whimsical and pragmatic, the Networking Ninja Awards provide recognition for many who typically do great deeds and humbly hang is the shadows.”

For information about the Networking Ninja Awards, please visit www.MyPinnacleNetwork.com, or contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

Ninja surprises

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Last year’s Networking Ninja awards had a surprise award–an Unsung Hero honor for yours truly. This year will also have two surprise awards–Rookie of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. We will announce both at the ceremony on Tuesday, April 16 at the joint networking event of My Pinnacle Network and the South Shore Networking Professional Group, held at the Cask & Flagon in Marshfield.

Speaking of the Ninja awards, this is the FINAL week of voting. If you do want to cast your vote for the best B2B networkers you know, you can do so by clicking on the button at the bottom.

The categories for the Networking Ninja Awards are:

  • Best Connector – helping bring people together)
  • Most Ubiquitous (appears to be at every networking event)
  • Most Altruistic (does most for others)
  • Brightest Beacon (adds energy to networking events)

To vote, click here. Use the pull-down arrow on the far right in the Nomination Category to select the category. You may vote for My Pinnacle Network members or other B2B professionals in your network.

My Pinnacle Network announces March 2019 schedule of B2B networking meetings

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My Pinnacle Network recently announced a full slate of business-to-business networking meetings for March. My Pinnacle Network meetings are as follows:

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, March 5, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m at Digital Federal Credit Union, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough, MA 01581.

My Pinnacle Network – Mansfield, Wednesday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Mansfield BioIncubator, 241 Francis Avenue, Mansfield, MA 02048.

My Pinnacle Network – Pembroke, Thursday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., ACTSmart Training Center, 70 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 1225, Pembroke, MA 02359.

My Pinnacle Network – Needham/Newton, Thursday, March 14, 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at Bullfinch Group, 160 Gould Street, Needham, MA 02494.

My Pinnacle Network – Plymouth (Real Estate), Thursday, March 14, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Keller Williams training room, 91 Carver Road, Plymouth, MA  02360 (Ocean State Job Lot Plaza)

My Pinnacle Network – Braintree Third Thursday, Thursday, March 21, from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at 100 Grandview Road, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Braintree, MA 02184.

Only one B2B professional will be selected for each category. Those categories can be found at bottom of http://www.mypinnaclenetwork.com. Prospective members are encouraged to attend a My Pinnacle Network meeting before committing to join.

If you are interested in attending a meeting in your area, please contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061 to RSVP. There is no charge to visit a My Pinnacle Network meeting.

A great source for social media material

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When you join a networking group, the benefits abound. Let’s start with having a quasi sales force out there looking for leads for your business. You also have a sounding board to run ideas and issues by. That can be a huge thing for solopreneurs. But one of the more under-utilized assets of being in a networking group is social media content.

Think about it. What’s one of your biggest issues with running a social media site? Coming up with content. By being in a networking group should give you access to fellow members’ content. It’s pretty simple to like someone’s page, connect or follow, right?

So, if you’re in a pinch and need some content, check out what your fellow networkers are posting. Maybe it’s something you can share on your page. Be sure to credit your fellow networker so you can introduce him/her to your audience as well. Who knows? That might lead to some business for them.

If you haven’t done so already, please connect with My Pinnacle Network on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Our posting habits vary. At the very least, we post this weekly newsletter you’re more than welcome to share with your audience.

Also, if you have a blog post you would like to share with our My Pinnacle Network list of B2B professionals and business owners, please forward to admin@mypinnaclenetwork.com.

Nominations sought for the 4th annual My Pinnacle Network Networking Ninja awards.

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B2B Networking Award winners

Networking Ninja winners. Not pictured, Most Ubiquitous Sheldon Prenovitz

The old “can you hear me now?” ads for Verizon emphasized the power of a cellular network. Yet ask any business owner or B2B professional and they will tell you that a network of contacts can be even more powerful. That’s partly why My Pinnacle Network, a business-to-business networking group with monthly meetings in Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, Plymouth and Westborough, MA, recognizes the region’s best B2B networkers with its annual Networking Ninja awards.

For the fourth annual awards, My Pinnacle Network is seeking nominees in the following categories: Best Connector (helping bring people together); Most Ubiquitous (appears to be at every networking event); Most Altruistic (does most for others); and Brightest Beacon (adds energy to networking events).

You can vote for your favorite B2B networker by clicking on the link on the My Pinnacle Network home page.

Voting began on February 15 and will end on March 31. Nominees must be B2B professionals or small business owners whose customers are other businesses. Non-My Pinnacle Network members are also eligible.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 16 at a joint networking event with My Pinnacle Network and the South Shore Networking Professionals Group (https://ssnpg.com) at the Cask N Flagon, 840 Plain Street, Marshfield, MA. Winners will receive a customized trophy, in addition to recognition at an My Pinnacle Network event and promotional materials.

Last year’s winners were: Carmella Beroth, of Debt Management, Inc. in Mansfield, MA, took home the honors as Best Connector. Sheldon Prenovitz of Concord, MA-based ConnectPay won the Most Ubiquitous Networking Ninja Award. Brian MacFee of System Support in Marshfield, MA won the Brightest Beacon honors. Lois Drukman of Walter May Insurance in Hingham, MA won the Most Altruistic Networking Ninja Award.

“Networking, sharing information and opportunity, is what makes the world go round,” noted Steven V. Dubin, one of the founders of My Pinnacle Network.  He continued, “The Networking Ninja Awards recognize the contributions of our areas best connectors, best networkers and encourages everyone to open their doors and databases to help each other.  Both whimsical and pragmatic, these awards will provide recognition for many who typically do great deeds and humbly hang is the shadows.”

For information about the Networking Ninja Awards, please visit https://www.mypinnaclenetwork.com/Ninja/, or contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

 

Nominations sought for the 4th annual My Pinnacle Network Networking Ninja awards.

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B2B Networking Award winners

2018 Networking Ninja winners. Not pictured, Most Ubiquitous Sheldon Prenovitz

The old “can you hear me now?” ads for Verizon emphasized the power of a cellular network. Yet ask any business owner or B2B professional and they will tell you that a network of contacts can be even more powerful. That’s partly why My Pinnacle Network, a business-to-business networking group with monthly meetings in Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, Plymouth and Westborough, MA, recognizes the region’s best B2B networkers with its annual Networking Ninja awards.

For the fourth annual awards, My Pinnacle Network is seeking nominees in the following categories: Best Connector (helping bring people together); Most Ubiquitous (appears to be at every networking event); Most Altruistic (does most for others); and Brightest Beacon (adds energy to networking events).

You can vote for your favorite B2B networker by clicking on the link on the My Pinnacle Network home page.

Voting began on February 15 and will end on March 31. Nominees must be B2B professionals or small business owners whose customers are other businesses. Non-My Pinnacle Network members are also eligible.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 16 at a joint networking event with My Pinnacle Network and the South Shore Networking Professionals Group (https://ssnpg.com) at the Cask N Flagon, 840 Plain Street, Marshfield, MA. Winners will receive a customized trophy, in addition to recognition at an My Pinnacle Network event and promotional materials.

Last year’s winners were: Carmella Beroth, of Debt Management, Inc. in Mansfield, MA, took home the honors as Best Connector. Sheldon Prenovitz of Concord, MA-based ConnectPay won the Most Ubiquitous Networking Ninja Award. Brian MacFee of System Support in Marshfield, MA won the Brightest Beacon honors. Lois Drukman of Walter May Insurance in Hingham, MA won the Most Altruistic Networking Ninja Award.

“Networking, sharing information and opportunity, is what makes the world go round,” noted Steven V. Dubin, one of the founders of My Pinnacle Network.  He continued, “The Networking Ninja Awards recognize the contributions of our areas best connectors, best networkers and encourages everyone to open their doors and databases to help each other.  Both whimsical and pragmatic, these awards will provide recognition for many who typically do great deeds and humbly hang is the shadows.”

For information about the Networking Ninja Awards, please visit https://www.mypinnaclenetwork.com/Ninja/, or contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

My Pinnacle Network announces February 2019 schedule of B2B networking meetings

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photo of b2b networking group My Pinnacle Network-WestboroughMy Pinnacle Network recently announced a full slate of business-to-business networking meetings for February. My Pinnacle Network meetings are as follows:

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, February 5, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m at Digital Federal Credit Union, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough, MA 01581.

My Pinnacle Network – Mansfield, Wednesday, February 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Mansfield BioIncubator, 241 Francis Avenue, Mansfield, MA 02048.

My Pinnacle Network – Pembroke, Thursday, February 7, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., ACTSmart Training Center, 70 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 1225, Pembroke, MA 02359.

My Pinnacle Network – Needham/Newton, Thursday, February 14, 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at Bullfinch Group, 160 Gould Street, Needham, MA 02494.

My Pinnacle Network – Plymouth (Real Estate), Thursday, February 14, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Keller Williams training room, 91 Carver Road, Plymouth, MA  02360 (Ocean State Job Lot Plaza)

My Pinnacle Network – Braintree Third Thursday, Thursday, February 21, from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at 100 Grandview Road, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Braintree, MA 02184.

Only one B2B professional will be selected for each category. Those categories can be found at bottom of http://www.mypinnaclenetwork.com. Prospective members are encouraged to attend a My Pinnacle Network meeting before committing to join.

If you are interested in attending a meeting in your area, please contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061 to RSVP. There is no charge to visit a My Pinnacle Network meeting.

Did you miss a meeting?

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It does happen. People get sick. Cars break down. Kids miss buses. The people close to us, for any number of reasons, need us. Yet how you act after a missing a meeting can make just as big of an impression on your fellow members.

Huh?

That’s right. Even a missed meeting can be an opportunity. Here’s a couple of ways.

Double or triple up on your one-on-ones for that month.
If you think about it, missing a meeting is like missing 12-20 mini one-on-ones where you have the chance to learn more about people in your networking group. Doing two or three one-on-ones before the next meeting is a great way to catch up. Additionally, your fellow members will appreciate the initiative and may follow suit if they should miss a meeting.

Offer to follow up with guests:
This one needs a little explaining. The gist is offer to the group leader to follow up with guests who attended the meeting you missed and see what they liked about the meeting and if they would either like to return or join. This may seem a little unorthodox on the surface. Yet it does make a statement to the guest about the group and the kind of people in it that somebody who wasn’t at the meeting would go to that effort.

For the person who did miss the meeting, it does allow them to make up a little of what they missed. It’s also a great help to the group leader.

The danger of missing meetings, particularly in a monthly group, is that you run the risk of not seeing people for two months. Much can happen in business during that time:

  • Maybe somebody in your group recently met somebody who could be a possible source of business for you. Seeing you each month is a reminder. If they don’t see you at the meeting, it may not be front of mind for the next time they see you in two months.
  • Perhaps there was a guest at the meeting who might also have been a good referral source or even source of business. If they don’t join, you will never know.

Nobody likes to miss a meeting. What you may not realize is how much you and every person in the group brings to the meeting. So when you are not there, the group does miss something. So do you. These suggestions are a couple of ways to help you fill in some of what you missed.