My Pinnacle Network

Grow Your Business Through Networking

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My Pinnacle Network-North of Boston finds a home at 300 Trade Center, Woburn, MA

photo of 300 Trade Center
My Pinnacle Network-North of Boston will meet at 300 Trade Center, Suite 7610, Woburn.

The newest My Pinnacle Network group, My Pinnacle Network-North of Boston will meet at 300 Trade Center, Suite 5900, Woburn, MA 01801. The next meeting of the group is Tuesday, May 10 at 7:30am. Members and guest are encouraged to arrive at 7:15am.

The meeting will include a hybrid element for people who would like to attend the meeting but cannot make it in person. Those guests will be able to attend via Zoom and listen in to the meeting and give their elevator pitch/verbal brand.

Three hundred Trade Center is owned by the Cummings Properties. A Cummings representative will be a member of My Pinnacle Network-North of Boston.

Currently, there are five members of My Pinnacle Network-North of Boston holding the web design, digital marketing, mortgage broker and HR Benefits. All other seats are open and available at a special charter rate. For a list of categories in a My Pinnacle Network group, visit this page on our website.

For directions to 300 Trade Center, click here.

Please fill out an application if you would like to attend the meeting on May 10. There is no cost or obligation to do so.

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Be my guest: The best and most underutilized newsletter hack

Many companies start newsletters with the best of intentions. Then work gets in the way. The weekly newsletter turns bi-monthly, monthly and then quarterly and then on no particular schedule at all. Before long, your customers and people in your network wonder if you have a newsletter at all.

How do you get back on schedule and stay on schedule?

First, recommit to getting a newsletter out on a certain day/week of the month. Create a budget of story ideas so you know what you will be writing about several editions in advance. And then, take advantage of the most underutilized newsletter hack out there:

Guest columnists.

Invite people from your orbit to contribute content every so often.

Wait a second. Isn’t this a newsletter for my product or service? Why bring in somebody else who will talk about something other than what my company does?

Well, first things first, you invite a guest columnist who does offer something of value to your readers. In the past, our sister company PR Works has welcomed contributions from business coaches, IT specialists, HR providers etc. Many of our readers own a small business and these topics are of interest.

So, how did that help?

First, it provided content. Don’t underrate that, especially when our readers found it helpful.

Second, it provides insight into the types of professionals we work with. It certainly doesn’t hurt your company image to be associated with smart people.

Third, it provides you additional audience members as your guest columnist will want to share your newsletter with their customers and network.

Our own Joe D’Eramo recently showcased this strategy. In case you didn’t know, Joe started a newsletter called My Home Office Hacks, sort of a virtual water cooler for people who work from home.

One of the work from home topics he addressed is what foods to keep in the house. He invited a Wellness & Nutrition Coach, Marissa Szabo, to share some pointers. That issue can be found here.

“This was by far one of our more read issues,” said Joe. “What was interesting was the amount of people who saw the article on LinkedIn. Those are largely people from Marissa’s network. It really was a win-win and we’ll have Marissa back at some point with another wellness tip.”

You can sign up for Joe’s newsletter here.

If you would like to be a guest columnist for an upcoming My Pinnacle Network newsletter or PR Pointer, drop a line.

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Take credit for networking

photo of b2b networking group My Pinnacle Network-Westborough.

At the My Pinnacle Network-Westborough meeting last Tuesday, David Allen of Balance Wealth Advisors encouraged members to take credit for “getting up and coming to a networking” by posting a screen shot of our zoom meeting and posting to social media.

While not everybody may be thrilled with how they look in Zoom world, it’s a good idea and practice for several reasons:

  • Content for your social media sites, particularly LinkedIn
  • Tagging opportunities on a LinkedIn post so you can be seen by the connections of your fellow networking group members
  • Tagging the companies of those networking group members, also bringing you to another audience
  • An increase in page views and reactions to your posts.

If you doubt the last one, give it a try with your next virtual networking meeting. To see what that might look like, check out My Pinnacle Network’s Joe D’Eramo’s post.

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Embracing the new workplace. Hiring and retention solutions in challenging times. Scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, 9 a.m.

Employers can’t fill critical positions.  More than 40 percent of current employees are resigning. Customers and clients are annoyed by lack of service, product and attention.  What can an employer do?

In response to this crisis, a complimentary webinar entitled “Embracing the new workplace.   Hiring and retention solutions in challenging times” is scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, 9 a.m.  To RSVP, please visit shorturl.at/buCIJ.

Employment expert panelists include Denise Noble of HR Engineers based in Franklin, MA; David Sawyer of Safer Places based in Middleboro, MA and Brad Pinta, Esq. of Pinta Law Group located in Quincy, MA.  Steve Dubin of PR Works, Plymouth, MA will moderate the discussion.  The panel will offer specific advice, tips and examples of how to attract and retain the best and brightest.

Noble will expand upon new methods of attracting quality candidates to the workplace and how to create a work environment that encourages employees to be heard, seen, valued and connected to a common goal.  Sawyer will outline how to use custom background checks to make a better and more informed hiring decision. Pinta will underscore his personal challenge with hiring and firing legal staff and the ironic litigation that could arise from these processes.

The business community is encouraged to attend. The event is sponsored by three leading organizations including My Pinnacle Network which hosts monthly meetings for business-to-business professionals at five locations throughout Massachusetts including Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, and Westborough; South Shore Networking Professionals which connects business people monthly at locations throughout the South Shore; and Rockland Trust, offering a wide range of banking, investment, and insurance services to businesses and individuals through retail branches, commercial lending offices, investment management offices, and residential lending centers located in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as through online, mobile and phone banking.

Please RSVP for the event at shorturl.at/buCIJ. Or call My Pinnacle Network at 781-582-1061.

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Free webinar – Avoiding the Oops and Oy of Zoom. Set for Thursday, May 27, 9 – 10 a.m.


Lisa Fischer and Paul LaFlamme

We all have stories of Zoom meetings that have gone wrong during the pandemic.  All of a sudden, your video locks up.  Crazy background noise overpowers the conversation.  Your foreground is so dark it looks that the rest of us need night vision goggles.  Ah, the wonders of Zoom!

“Avoiding the Oops and Oy of Zoom” is a free webinar addressing the many challenges of Zoom. The virtual event is sponsored by My Pinnacle Network, Rockland Trust and South Shore Networking Professionals. The workshop is set for Thursday, May 27, 9 – 10 a.m. 

Among the topics to be discussed are –

  • What causes audio and video problems in zoom and how to quickly resolve them on the Fly.
  • Digital enhancements to lighting conditions and your appearance.
  • How to update your name temporarily for that Zoom call and permanently via the Zoom  website.
  • For hosts – managing security on Zoom calls.
  • Keep your Zoom client up-to-date.
  • How to work with Zoom backgrounds. Live demo to be included.
  • Some people look distorted on Zoom.   What causes this?
  • What accessories do I need to invest in for Zoom – including lights, camera, tripod, etc.?

Presenters include Paul LaFlamme of Centrend, based in Worcester and Sturbridge, Massachusetts and providing on-site Information Technology (IT) managed services and consulting to business customers throughout New England and Lisa Fischer is the owner of Lisa Fischer of Fischer Photography in Milton, MA and specializing in corporate and family photography.  Steve Dubin of PR Works based in Plymouth, MA will moderate the presentation.

My Pinnacle Network hosts monthly meetings for business-to-business professionals at five locations throughout Massachusetts including Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, and Westborough; South Shore Networking Professionals which connects business people monthly at locations throughout the South Shore; and Rockland Trust, offering a wide range of banking, investment, and insurance services to businesses and individuals through retail branches, commercial lending offices, investment management offices, and residential lending centers located in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as through online, mobile and phone banking.

Click here to RSVP for the event or call My Pinnacle Network at 781-582-1061.

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Free webinar – Easy Steps to Creating Conversations that Build Connections

Scheduled for March 16, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

 Do you spend a lot of time networking and wonder why?  The results just aren’t there!

Great networking skills can be taught, learned, and celebrated. Businesspeople are encouraged to attend the free webinar entitled “Easy Steps to Creating Conversations that Build Connections & Businesses” set for March16, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.  Janet Parnes, social conversation and etiquette consultant and nationally sought after keynote speaker, will lead the virtual presentation.

Parnes will share practical techniques that make you and others feel valued, understood, &  heard.

Topics will include –

  • Strategy that makes small talk more strategic and comfortable
  • Body language that makes others feel valued and heard
  • Tips for virtual networking—bridging the distance
  • Words that create an instant connection
  • Solution to a common  conversation conundrum

The free webinar is sponsored by Rockland Trust, My Pinnacle Network and South Shore Networking Professionals.

My Pinnacle Network hosts monthly meetings for business-to-business professionals at five locations throughout Massachusetts —Braintree, Mansfield, Needham, Pembroke, and Westborough; South Shore Networking Professionals which connects business people monthly at locations throughout the South Shore; and Rockland Trust, offering a wide range of banking, investment, and insurance services to businesses and individuals through retail branches, commercial lending offices, investment management offices, and residential lending centers located in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as through online, mobile and phone banking.

Please RSVP for the event at  https://conta.cc/3sBQdSH, or contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

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Stop fighting it

Those words of advice came from My Pinnacle Network-Westborough Member Paul Cronin. This was in response to several members at our last meeting bemoaning the fact we could not meet in person. His contention was that by fighting it we were actually making it worse. Then he offered this other sage piece of advice:  

“I now think of myself as a farmer.”  

He went on to explain the analogy. He works at home (the field), his kids are educated at home (much like they did centuries ago), and every so often he ventures into town for necessary supplies.  

Now, our ancestors didn’t have the creature comforts of home and Al Gore had yet to invent the Internet, but you can see the point.   In terms of work, a farmer does not plant a crop and then harvest it in a month or two. It takes several months. Wanting that crop to be ready for sale today does not make it so. It takes time, just as it will take time and compliance for this pandemic to pass.  

So, what can today’s farmer do in addition to tending to this year’s crops? How about cultivating other skills and interests. My Pinnacle Network and other organizations are offering a number of complimentary webinars to provide information and help you learn other ways to grow your current crop or perhaps supplement your harvest.   For example:  

Our Sales Coach is offering one entitled “How to Get More Virtual Meetings with Decision Makers”. You can download the flyer here and register by clicking here.   My Pinnacle Network, along with Rockland Trust and South Shore Networking Professionals Group, is offering another put on PR Works entitled Leverage Podcast Guest Appearances to Boost your Business. To register, click here.

Yes, we would all like to be back in our offices and meeting face-to-face with clients, prospects and those in our networking circle. Taking advantage of current opportunities is one way to make productive use of the current time and get to a bountiful harvest.  

Happy farming!

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My Pinnacle Network announces May 2020 schedule of virtual B2B networking meetings.

image of a My Pinnacle Network-Westborough zoom call

My Pinnacle Network recently announced a full slate of business-to-business networking meetings for May. Currently, all those meetings will be held online via Zoom. My Pinnacle Network May meetings are as follows:

My Pinnacle Network – Westborough, Tuesday, May 5, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m, https://zoom.us/j/2385118922, Meeting ID: 238 511 8922, 312-626-6799.

My Pinnacle Network – Mansfield, Wednesday, May 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., https://zoom.us/j/2385118922, Meeting ID: 238 511 8922, 312-626-6799.

My Pinnacle Network – Pembroke, Thursday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., https://zoom.us/j/2385118922, Meeting ID: 238 511 8922, 312-626-6799.

My Pinnacle Network – Needham, Thursday, May 14, 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m., https://zoom.us/j/2385118922, Meeting ID: 238 511 8922, 312-626-6799.

My Pinnacle Network – Braintree Third Thursday, Thursday, May 21, from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. https://zoom.us/j/2385118922, Meeting ID: 238 511 8922, 312-626-6799.

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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A campaign of gratitude

photo of Google My Business page

The current situation has negatively impacted many small businesses. As a sign of support, an unofficial campaign has taken place where small business owners encourage others to leave a positive Google review for their fellow small business owners. My Pinnacle Network supports this effort and includes links to each member’s Google My Business page in the summary e-mail sent after every meeting.

But did you know you can leave a Google review for just about any of the heroes we hear about on a nightly, really hourly, basis?

True.

You can leave a review for a hospital, medical practice, police or fire department (see image above).

In addition to giving up to five stars, you can leave a comment and express your gratitude.

It may not seem like much. But if you’re not in a position to help beyond staying in your home, it is something you can do. And judging by some of the Google My Business pages this writer has seen, they could use some positive feedback as many of these first responders only get negative reviews during ordinary times. Think about that one, folks.

So, how do you find a Google My Business page for first responders and medical professionals? Same as with a small business. Google it. You will see the Google My Business page on the right hand side of the screen (again, see the graphic above).