My Pinnacle Network

Grow Your Business Through Networking

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Networking Ninja Award nominations sought. My Pinnacle Network holds 4th annual recognition of the region’s best connectors.

2017 Networking Ninjas

BRAINTREE, MARSHFIELD, MANSFIELD, NEEDHAM, PLYMOUTH AND WESTBOROUGH, MA…

We live in a high-tech age with texting, tweets, snap chats, etc. Yet ask any small business where they get the majority of their new business leads and referrals and it’s through good old-fashioned networking. My Pinnacle Network, a business-to-business networking group with monthly meetings in Braintree, Mansfield, Marshfield, Needham, Plymouth and Westborough, MA will honor the individuals who do networking the best with its fourth annual Networking Ninja awards.

During the month of February, My Pinnacle Network members and the general public can go to www.mypinnaclenetwork.com and cast their vote for their favorite networkers in any of 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).

The deadline to vote is February 28.  Winners will be announced in March, with awards being given out on March 20 at the South Shore Professional Networking Group event at the Cask & Flagon in Marshfield.

“When you pass a lead or referral or connect somebody and that leads to business for that person, you create cosmic goodwill. Hopefully, that comes back in the form of new business to you. Sometimes it does, sometimes it’s not as apparent,” noted Steven V. Dubin, one of the founders of My Pinnacle Network.  He continued, “We created The Networking Ninja Awards to recognize the contributions of our areas best connectors and networkers, who continually add to the well of cosmic goodwill.”

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.

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What are the best networking films?

Al Gore strikes again. When researching a topic for this week’s newsletters yours truly came across an article listing movies that best explain networking newbies. Movies about networking? Really? Then, when you really put some thought to it, there are many movies with a networking element.

The most obvious networking film is The Godfather. Sure, we hear the cliched “it’s just business, nothing personal”. Of course, that’s not really true in the movie. Even in real life, we do tend to want to do business with people we like versus we don’t.

Ground Hog Day was an interesting mention. Bill Murray’s character can try out any number of “verbal brands” or “elevator pitches” and know that if one doesn’t work out, he will have the same opportunity tomorrow. That’s not always true in business. Yet if you are in a networking group and you come with the same verbal brand every time, folks may start to tune you out. That’s why mixing it up with a client success story to back up your verbal brand is so critical.

Other movies mentioned include: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Social Network, Gone in 60 Seconds. For the complete list, click here.

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A great opening line – How did you land your first client?

Are you tired of opening with “What’s your business?” as an opening line at networking events? Or the ever so popular, “who’s your best customer?”. While those are perfectly valid questions, it sets the stage for a canned conversation that probably doesn’t flow naturally. As an alternative, why not ask something like:

How did you land your first client?

This question will catch them off-guard at first. But typically people don’t forget their first client. Usually, there’s a story of some kind with it. If it’s a business that’s been around a while, it may even make that person nostalgic and proud about how far the business has come since it’s humble beginnings.

Or they may not remember at all.

If they don’t remember, ask how they landed their last client. Or last five clients. Usually, there’s a straightforward answer to these questions that don’t require much rehearsing. So people can answer without a lot of thought and it’s a more natural conversation.

If these questions fail to inspire a conversation, you have two options: tell them how you landed your first client or customer; or bail. You can use your judgment on that one. But if you’re having difficulty getting somebody to talk about their business, it’s probably a good sign to choose the latter and move on.

The point of any networking activity is to learn about other people and their business so you can be a connector. Hearing the story of their beginning can jump-start a conversation and provide you enough information so you can think about who in your network might travel the same traffic lanes as your new acquaintance.

Give it a try at your next networking event.

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My Pinnacle Network announces January 2018 schedule of B2B networking meetings

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

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, January 2, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m at Digital Federal Credit Union, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough, MA 01581.

My Pinnacle Network – Mansfield, Wednesday, January 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., 20 Cabot Blvd., Suite 300, Mansfield, MA 02048.

My Pinnacle Network – Marshfield, Thursday, January 4, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 165 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050

My Pinnacle Network – Needham/Newton, Thursday, January 11, 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at Bullfinch Group, 160 Gould Street, Needham, MA 02494.

My Pinnacle Network – Plymouth (Real Estate), Thursday, January 11, 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, January 18, 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.

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The “Book” on networking. Plymouth, MA resident unveils free e-book for B2B networkers.

As B2B networking group with monthly meetings in seven locations, My Pinnacle Network ascribes to the KISS theory of networking: Keep It Simple…ah, you know the rest. With that thought in mind, My Pinnacle Network recently published an e-book of tips tailored towards B2B professionals and small business owners.

“Small business owners and B2B professionals are a busy lot. With that frenetic pace, we tend to forget some of the little things that make the networking process run smoother,” said Joe D’Eramo, a My Pinnacle Network partner and author of 15 Keep-it-Simple Tips for B2B Networkers. “This e-book is a nice reminder of some of the little things as networkers we know should do but sometimes overlook.”

The book consists of 15 tips taken from My Pinnacle Network’s weekly e-newsletter. Some of the sections include: Who’s the best networker you know; It’s not who you know but what you hear; In networking, it’s who you don’t know; Tom Hanks and “Thank You”; and more.

You can download the e-book for free on the home page of My Pinnacle Network’s website at www.mypinnaclenetwork.com.

In addition to providing information, My Pinnacle Network hopes to use this and future e-books as marketing tools to recruit new members.

“Generating leads and referrals is what our groups are primarily about. Yet one of the great value adds of our group is the breadth of knowledge and experience in one room,” said D’Eramo. “Creating this e-book is a good example and something we hope our members will do to market their own businesses”

My Pinnacle Network hosts monthly meetings for B2B professionals at six locations—Bourne, Braintree, Mansfield, Marshfield, Needham, and Westborough. A seventh group for real estate-related business professionals is held in Plymouth. For the complete schedule of meeting go to My Pinnacle Network’s website at www.mypinnaclenetwork.com. To attend a meeting, contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

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Adopt a 5-second rule

In last week’s ezine, we discussed strategies for introverts at networking events. Making a pact with yourself to talk to the first person you see is a great start. What about the next conversation? For that, you may want to adopt a 5-second rule.

This 5-second rule has nothing to do with dropped food. It has to do with eye contact. During the course of a networking event, you will make eye contact with someone across the room. After mutual eye contact is established, vow to walk over within five seconds and introduce yourself.

Why five seconds?

Well, in the other 5-second rule the thought is if you drop the food on the floor and don’t pick it up within that amount of time it becomes too germ-infested to consume. For this variation of the rule, more than five seconds gives you too much time to think about what could happen, what won’t happen. Essentially, if you wait longer than five seconds you are more likely to talk yourself out of walking over.

So, don’t.

If you are standing in a spot and make eye contact, walk over within five seconds and launch into some of the conversation starters mentioned in the last ezine. Or, simply say, “I saw you there and thought I would come over and introduce myself….”

Also, while this tip is for a networking event, you can also employ it for your regular networking meeting. If you see a guest walk into the room, give yourself five seconds to go over and introduce yourself. The guest will certainly appreciate it. You may also have a head start on getting to know someone you could help or vice versa.

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He/she’s a great networker

When you hear somebody referred to as a “great networker”, what do you think? You might think of somebody who walks into a room and everybody knows his/her name, like Norm from Cheers. He/she then proceeds to speak to nearly everybody in the room. Or so it seems. Inside, you think that’s what you should be doing. You also know you’re an introvert by nature and that’s just not you.

So, what can you do?

The first thing might be to change your definition of a good networker.

“Working the room” may be natural for some. Yet the people who walk into the room and seem to be having conversations with everybody probably have met those people before at other gatherings. Maybe they did a one-on-one with them or even shared some business. Or perhaps they are introverts who have worked at the craft of networking to the point where it appears natural.

For most, networking isn’t first nature. It’s a learned skill.

So, how do you learn it?

There are many different strategies. Most begin with starting a conversation. If that’s not a comfortable thing for you, you need to set the bar very low. Here’s how: Make it a point to speak to the first person you see at any networking event. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just:

“Hi, my name is…”

“Have you ever attended a __ function before…”

“What other networking events or groups do you attend…”

“What networking works best for your business…”

Remember, at one point in time, the stereotypical great networker you know walked into a room and did not know a soul. Networking starts by meeting one person at a time. Give it a shot and watch how easy it becomes to say hello to the next person you see, and so on, and so on…

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My Pinnacle Network announces December 2017 schedule of B2B networking meetings.

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

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, December 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, December 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., 20 Cabot Blvd., Suite 300, Mansfield, MA 02048.

My Pinnacle Network – Marshfield, Thursday, December 7, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 165 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050

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

My Pinnacle Network – Plymouth (Real Estate), Thursday, December 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, December 21, from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at 100 Grandview Road, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Braintree, MA 02184.

My Pinnacle Network – Bourne, Thursday, December 21, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., 550 MacArthur Blvd. (Route 28), Bourne, MA 02532.

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.

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Who do you know that I should know?

That’s the question you should ask and be prepared to answer when you do a one-on-one with anyone.

This does not have to be the first question you ask as to best answer requires some knowledge of the person and what it is he/she does. Yet if you leave the meeting without asking it or having it as a follow-up item, you have done yourself and the other person a disservice.

Some view one-on-ones as a direct path to business. Most times, they are not. It’s a process. Many times the person we meet with in the one-on-one can’t help us directly. But as you describe what it is you do, it will more than likely become clearer to them as to who in their network you should talk to—and vice versa.

Bingo!

Many times, the path to who do you know that I should know occurs organically. As you learn more about somebody and their business, you probably do start thinking of people. The pointer here is to go in very consciously looking to ask that question and provide an answer. If you don’t have one by the end of the one-on-one, then make it part of an action item list following the meeting.

This is far from an original thought. Melissa Murphy of Insight to Success put this one front of mind for me as part of her Live2Lead gathering last month, featuring John Maxwell. But if you faithfully do one-on-ones with this mission in mind—finding out who the other person knows that you should know—you will see better traction than simply looking for a direct lead or referral.

For more networking pointers, download My Pinnacle Network’s ebook “15 Keep-it-Simple Tips for B2B Networkers”.

 

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Growing businesses and mustaches. My Pinnacle Network, a B2B networking organization, fields team for Movember fundraiser for prostate and testicular cancer research and men’s health issues

Jonathan LaMaster

BOURNE, BRAINTREE, MANSFIELD, MARSHFIELD, NEEDHAM, PLYMOUTH, AND WESTBOROUGH, MA …

Does anybody grow a mustache on purpose anymore? If you’re like My Pinnacle Network Founders Steve Dubin, Jonathan LaMaster and Joe D’Eramo, you do. The trio is participating in the Movember fundraiser to generate awareness and donations for men’s health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. They are also turning to fellow My Pinnacle network members to join the mustache-growing and fundraising effort.

“We host monthly networking meetings in seven locations and have more than 100 members. We created the My Pinnacle Network Movember team so we can use the power of networking to raise more funds and more awareness,” said Joe D’Eramo, who is participating in his fifth Movember fundraiser.

That’s not to say this is a team exclusive to My Pinnacle Network. The team will welcome any participant willing to raise funds and grow the Movember mustache. Interested parties can join by visiting the My Pinnacle Network Movember team page at https://moteam.co/my-pinnacle-network.

Now in its 10th year of fundraising in the U.S., the Movember Foundation has raised more than $769M USD and funded more than 1,200 world-class men’s health projects in 21 countries for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The Movember awareness campaign and fundraiser is meant to address some rather staggering numbers in these areas:

  • Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the U.S. and one in eight men are likely to be diagnosed with it in their lifetime.
  • Nearly 9,000 new cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed each year, with the most likely age bracket being 18-34-year-olds.
  • More than three times as many men commit suicide as women
  • Men are 24 percent less likely to visit a doctor each year than women

“Men have a tendency to think they have to take care of everybody and that going to the doctor is a sign of weakness. Part of the Movember movement is helping men to realize you can’t take care of anybody if you’re not also taking care of yourself,” said Steve Dubin.

For more information about Movember, visit www.movember.com.

My Pinnacle Network hosts business-to-business networking groups in Bourne, Braintree, Mansfield, Marshfield, Newton, Plymouth, and Westborough. To follow the ‘stache efforts of the My Pinnacle Network team, you can visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MyPinnacleNetwork or their blog at www.mypinnaclenetwork.com.

About My Pinnacle Network
My Pinnacle Network streamlines the networking process by putting members shoulder to shoulder with others who are in the exact same traffic lanes. Another advantage of this networking concept is that if approved, a member has the exclusive rights to their category for their group–more than 40 other categories will be represented at each meeting.

Beyond the B2B angle, My Pinnacle Network adds the element of “high tech” to “high touch” of monthly face to face meetings.  All group data flows through a robust and easy to use website.  This keeps everyone accountable and highly visible.

All introductions/leads are posted to the My Pinnacle Network website and the website’s automation both tracks leads and provides reminders to pursue them.  Each member’s lead production and closing ratio can be measured by the group leader at any time.  Thus, non-productive members can be further coached to improve their value to the group.

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. For more information, visit www.mypinnaclenetwork.com.