The Optimized Agent

Guerilla Relationship Marketing

Guerilla Strategy:  Leverage existing networks

Example: Adult Baseball League

I asked my client what he liked to do in his free time.  He explained that he enjoyed playing adult league baseball; been doing it for 15 years.  I asked about the numbers; i.e. how many on a team, how many teams in the league?  Average team:  15 players; 18 teams in the league; that's 270 players in the network.

We started brainstorming ways to get the attention of all those players.  My client suggested a special tournament, with donated  prizes.  To make it happen:

• He'd have to make contact with the owners of the largest businesses in town to solicit prizes.  Since these businesses would be getting exposure among players who are their potential customers, that wouldn't be too hard; especially if he went after car dealers and sporting goods stores.
• He'd have to have to make a live presentation and pass out flyers to each team announcing the tournament.  Of course the flyers would have his picture, logo and contact information on them.  And he'd have to spend time hanging around afterwards joking around with the players; oh, well.
• He'd have to get an email database from the league so he could communicate the standings directly with all the players.  Since he'd be running the tournament and managing the standings; that would be no problem.  Of course all the "standings" communications would have his branding on them.

Sounds like a lot of work, and it is; but here's the motivation:

• It's a great excuse to get in front of 270 like minded people on a regular basis.  There's nothing like frequent and consistent contact to help build relationships.
• It's a great way to demonstrate caring, competence and leadership; the keys to drawing people to you.
• It's a great excuse to put his name in front of 270 people for months on end; and have acquire an email database available for future marketing ideas.
• It's a great way to meet and establish relationships with other leaders in the community.
• Oh, and it would be a whole lot of fun to play in the tournament and give away prizes.

Now, let's look at what this Guerilla Relationship Building Campaign means from a real estate agent's marketing perspective:

• On average, 10% of homeowners move every year.  That means there are 27 potential listings and home purchases in this pool every year
• Everybody in the pool is related to, works with or is friends with at least 3 people who are close enough to talk about their moving plans.  That's a potential 810 referral contacts from this pool; 81 of whom are also moving every year.
• Each listing (from this pool of well over 100 potential listings) provides an opportunity to meet at least six potential buyers; many of whom do not already have agents.
• If "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent" model is correct, i.e. marketing to Mets = 2 transactions, per 12 names, per year (and my clients say the model is conservative) then maintaining close relationships with this network of people should net 45 transactions every year going forward (270/12 * 2 = 45).

To learn more about ways to automate this kind of marketing check out the posts in the ActiveRain Group:  RE Systems Integration.

Now baseball may not be your thing.  How about Chambers of Commerce, Women's groups, Ski Clubs, or Youth sports?  None of those float your boat?   Then head to the library and check out the "Encyclopedia of Associations" behind the reference desk.  You'll be amazed at the tens of thousands of associations that exist.  If you can think of it; odds are there are people already banding together to do it in associations.

Find an association that fits you, then figure out how to leverage it.  That's how to do Guerilla Relationship Marketing.

What Real Estate Agents Need to Know About Online Networking With LinkedIn

As you know, ActiveRain is the premier online community for the real estate industry.  It has over 30,000 members at this writing; wow.  This is great for those of us in the industry, but what about online communities that reach out into the world and can help us generate more business?

There is such an online community; it's called LinkedIn.  At this writing it has over 10,000,000 members.  That's over 333 times the size of ActiveRain.  Even better, most of its members are mid to senior level executives from many of the biggest and best companies in the country. 

There is enormous potential here for real estate agents who learn to tap into this network effectively.

You may have wondered about the increasing buzz surrounding LinkedIn.  You may have a sense that something very important is going on there, but you can't quite get a handle on what it is.

I've been there too, but being the online nerd that I am, I couldn't help myself from hanging in there till I figured it out.

This crash course primer on LinkedIn will help you understand why LinkedIn will be a significant part of every successful real estate agent's future.

How Traditional Networks Benefit Real Estate Agents

To better appreciate the value and advantages of LinkedIn its helpful to start by looking at traditional networks.

What are traditional networks?

• Family
• Work
• Friends
• Church
• Associations
• Business
• Social

How do people use their networks?  To get:

• Advice
• Business
• Feedback
• Friendship
• Information
• Jobs
• Referrals
• Social Interaction
• Support

What sustains traditional networks?

• Natural Affinities
• Openness
• Sharing
• Giving
• Effectiveness

Successful real estate agents have always been using traditional networks to meet new prospects, maintain relationships with clients, and generate referrals.

The time has come to take your networking to the next level.

What Are The Powerful New Advantages of the LinkedIn Network?

It supplements traditional networks

• It doesn't replace any of the traditional networks, it supplement them.
• It provides new, additional opportunities to make targeted connections with people.
• It can facilitate your ability to penetrate traditional networks.

Instant easy access to large, targeted networks

• Joining LinkedIn is very easy; and it's free.  Payments only come into play if you want to use the more advanced features.  (Caution, once you understand their value, you're likely to want the more advanced features.)
• You can join directly on your own, but it is much better to accept an invitation to link with anyone who has already established a substantial personal network on LinkedIn.  This actually jump starts the building of your network.  My first dozen links actually connected me to more than 1,000,000 people.  How this works will become more apparent shortly.

Time Independent Communication

• You can interact with people on LinkedIn whenever it's best for you. 
• Be aware, however, that natural relationship rules still apply.  If you create expectations in people, you'd better meet them, or suffer the consequences.

Geography Independent Communication

• Since the network meeting places are online, there's no special place you have to be in order to participate.  Any computer with an Internet connection will get you there.

Communication speed and ease

• The communication tools provided at LinkedIn (i.e. Inmail, Question & Answer areas, and special interest groups) make it easy to instantly respond to others; just type and submit.

Detailed Member Profiles

• LinkedIn Profiles are much more extensive than those typically found on ActiveRain.  This information is invaluable for developing networking and relationship building strategies.

Interaction Opportunities

• The value of membership in online networks increases with participation and interaction.  While LinkedIn doesn't provide anywhere near the robust interaction found on ActiveRain, it does provide opportunities to increase your visibility and make new connections.

Question & Answer Areas

• These spaces provide opportunities for LinkedIn members to ask for what they need, and for other members to demonstrate their expertise by providing answers.  Over time substantial libraries of questions and answers are built that keep on providing value to future readers.
• Consequently these online discussions can also be a very effective way to see and be seen by many other people.  This visibility can lead to the development of some very productive online network relationships.

Special Interest Groups

• Members, who want to learn more about the intricacies of LinkedIn, and how to use them to advantage, can join the LinkedInnovators group.
• Members who want to seriously build their networks usually find their way to the power networking group LinkedIn Lions.
• These are just two of the most popular groups.  More are being added all the time; and of course, you are free to start your own.

Search Capabilities

Between LinkedIn's Member Profiles, Q&A areas and special interest groups; a great deal of information winds up being posted online.  To increase the value of this information online LinkedIn has implemented a powerful search utility within its own network.

Imagine being able to search within LinkedIn by:

• People's names
• Company names
• School names
• Hobbies
• Affiliations
• Job titles
• Locations
• Dates
• Areas of expertise
• Blog writings
• Blog comments
• Questions asked
• Questions answered
• Special Interest Groups Joined
• Special Interest Group Activities
• Plus virtually any other search word you can think of

Discover Commonalities and Other People's Networks

"Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one "step" away from each person he or she knows and two "steps" away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is no more than six "steps" away from each person on Earth. Several studies, such as Milgram's small world experiment have been conducted to empirically measure this connectedness. While the exact number of links between people differs depending on the population measured, it is generally found to be relatively small. Hence, six degrees of separation is somewhat synonymous with the idea of the "small world" phenomenon."  Wikipedia

LinkedIn brings the "Six degrees of separation" concept to life.

Search Engine Affinity

Search engines like Google favor Web sites with lots of frequently changing and growing content; and lots of traffic.  The richer and more sophisticated the content, and the higher the volume of traffic, the better.  And clearly, LinkedIn has massive amounts of rich, growing and frequently changing content.  10 million members provide the traffic.

Consequently postings made in LinkedIn show up much higher and faster in search engines than if you posted the same information on your own Web site.

Smart online networkers always leverage their postings by including links back to their own Web sites and blogs; that way their personal Web sites and blogs get pulled higher and faster in the search engines too.

So, What Makes LinkedIn So Special?

LinkedIn is big; (Did I say that it has more than 10 million members?).  It has a very high percentage of mid to senior level professionals from many of the best companies in the world.  At this point recruiters and job searchers seem to be getting the most benefit from the database and the format LinkedIn provides for network facilitation.

When people join (for free) they create a Profile that includes detailed education and work histories.  These Profiles help members find each other.  Members are encouraged to invite their personal contacts to also join LinkedIn.

Each Member builds her or his own personal three level network.  Level one is people who have accepted your own invitation to link, or people who have invited you to link. Level two are all the people who are level one connections to your level one connections.  Level three are all the people who are level one connections to your level two connections.

Most LinkedIn members are pretty casual about their membership.  They only invite a handful of people they know; and, in-turn, those people only invite a handful of people as well.  Consequently casual member's personal networks do not grow very quickly.  Casual networkers subscribe to the networking philosophy that true, deep personal connections are the only ones of value; the rest are just so many names on a list.

On the other hand, some LinkedIn members are power networkers.  They are much more open to linking with anyone they can respect.  They seek to build large level one networks.  Many have more than 500 level one links.  The top power networkers have more than 25,000 level one links.

I think the most effective networking philosophy is a combination of these two extremes.  Yes, bottom-line, it's only real, personal connections that are productive.  One way or another you've got to take your networking down to the personal level to make it work. 

However, if you only link with existing personal contacts, and the rest of the people in your three level personal network do the same, your overall network isn't likely to grow very large.  Since LinkedIn's format limits a lot of the searching and contacting features to people within your own three level network, it's very difficult to tap into much of that 10 million member database.

To get the most out of LinkedIn it's best to bring in all your existing contacts and to be open to linking to new people of worth even before a personal relationship is established.  When you need to develop a relationship down the road with one of these new contacts, LinkedIn's profiles, network links and your own creativity will show you a way to make it happen.

A common bit of advice you'll see at LinkedIn is that it is wise to build your network before you actually need it.

To learn more about LinkedIn follow this link.

A Powerful Demonstration of How Using ActiveRain and LinkedIn Together Can Benefit Real Estate Agents

• Find out from your local Chamber of Commerce and City
• Government what large companies are coming to, or leaving, your area.
• Search for Human Resource and other executives from those companies in LinkedIn.
• Develop valuable, easy-to-say-yes-to information offers to entice these executives to respond to you.
• Use your LinkedIn network to gain introductions to those target executives so you can make your offers.
• Search ActiveRain to find compatible real estate agents for referral trades in the relocation cities.
• Use the information you discover in the Profiles, Questions & Answers, Groups and Comments to help you refine your relationship building strategies.
• Use the link information about each of your new contacts to reach even further into each of their networks.

Jump Start Your Own Online Network by Linking to My Personal LinkedIn Network

I have been very fortunate to have linked directly with many of the most powerful networkers on LinkedIn, and I'm linking with more of them all the time.

You can gain immediate access to many thousands of these contacts by linking to me.  Use this request form and I'll send you an invitation.

Announcing the "Real Estate Network Masters" Club

The response to our series of ActiveRain Blog Posts on networking has been wonderful.  Thank you all for your kind comments and support.  If you've missed any of the posts you can easily catch up at http://del.icio.us/raycobel  This post explains just one of the major benefits of our new Club and how you can  join us.

In case you haven't already heard about LinkedIn, here are some things you definitely should know:

• LinkedIn is the largest online business network in the U.S.
• It has over 11 million members
• Mid to senior level managers from all the Fortune 500 companies are included
• The majority of members have mid to high level positions and incomes

The primary use of LinkedIn is for sophisticated networking between:

• Job Seekers
• Employers
• Executive and Technical Recruiters

What is LinkedIn's value to real estate agents?

• HR Execs and Recruiters need high quality real estate agent support to help their recruits commit to moving to new jobs.
• LinkedIn facilitates targeted networking with Human Resource executives and Executive/Technical Recruiters

How can you benefit from linking with Ray Cobel on LinkedIn?

If you want to get into the middle of job driven relocations, then you need to be networking with the people who are driving the job changes.

My personal LinkedIn Network of over 2.4 million people includes the following number of Recruiters by Industry:

• Airlines/Aviation 49 out of 135
• Banking 435 out of 535+
• Biotechnology 254 out of 354+
• Broadcast Media 50 out of 80
• Computer Games 105 out of 129
• Computer Hardware 168 out of 246
• Computer Software 500 out of 600+
• Consumer Electronics 58 out of 78
• Defense and Space 219 out of 319+
• Education Management 54 out of 154+
• Electrical/Electronic Mfg. 86 out of 152
• Government Administration 35 out of 83
• Hospital/Health Care 462 out of 562+
• Insurance 250 out of 350+
• Pharmaceuticals 405 out of 505+
• Real Estate 206 out of 306+
• Wireless 156 out of 238

That's a Total of 3,492 recruiters from just the above industries; and there are many more I haven't included.

Recruiters By Company

• Microsoft 373 out of 454 total
• Amgen 30 out of 37 total
• Google 500 out of 518
• Verizon 34 out of 57
• Hewlett-Packard 30 out of 38
• Yahoo 112 out of 120
• Sony 20 out of 30
• Bank of America 66 out of 133
• Kaiser Permanente 35 out of 81
• Allstate Insurance 26 out of 38
• AT&T 500 out of 600+
• and so on. . .

What big companies are in your area?

Clearly, I can help you reach many people who would be happy to bring you valuable leads in exchange for your helping them and their clients conclude successful moves.

How To Get LinkedIn With Ray Cobel and become a Member of the "Real Estate Network Masters"

Amazingly enough there is no cost for you to join LinkedIn, nor to belong to our Club.

It's a three step process:

1. Click here to become a LinkedIn member (if you aren't one already). 
2. Once you are a LinkedIn member, simply email one of your LinkedIn Invitations to ray@cobel.com.
3. I'll send you your Membership Kit.

We are all looking forward to networking with you!

Tutorial: How to Build a Referral Network in LinkedIn

A number of you have accepted my offer to connect with me on LinkedIn. Now I am able to help them leverage my 4 million member network.

Leigh Bates was the first to send me a list of large employers in her area. The tutorial that follows is a demonstration of how I searched my personal network on Leigh's behalf.

Follow along and you will learn how to get much more from your LinkedIn connections.

TUTORIAL

Leigh sent me a list of large employers in her area.  I started by searching only on one company name, "American Airlines".

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So what have we learned from this tutorial?

• How to use LinkedIn's search feature
• Careful search and analysis of personal networks can lead to very powerful networking connections.
• LinkedIn provides free Introduction support
• LinkedIn provides paid InMail direct contact capabilities
• Google can uncover many other ways to reach target contacts; it can also provide additional background information on your contacts.

OK, so we've demonstrated how we can help get you to many of the best possible people to have in your relocation referral network; BUT DON'T MAKE ANY CONTACTS JUST YET. Why? Because you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Be sure to read my next post which will be an interview with a highly experienced, senior level executive/technical recruiter.

You're going to want to use the insight from this interview to help you be sure that you have all your "ducks-in-a-row" before you start making these crucial referral contacts.

Any questions???

Sincerely,

Ray Cobel

P.S. My offer is still open to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Relocation Referral Interview With a Senior Recruiter

Before you start trying to make high-level relocation referral connections, remember; you only get one chance to make a good first impression.  This post will help you get ready.

The following excerpts from my interview with a highly experienced, senior level executive/technical recruiter will help you better understand exactly what "ready" means.

When you're recruiting, how is the relocation issue approached?

Most good recruiters qualify the living daylights out of the relocation issue. I've even talked to spouses to make sure they're on board. In my experience, once they've decided they'll relocate, they actually do.

When should the real estate agents get involved?

I've seen most Fortune 500 companies get the RE agents involved in the first interview trip, if there's time. Wise decision, the relationship is created, and then later they can meet the spouse and family, etc. It also impresses the candidates and shows the commitment the company has made to them as a candidate.

What's the most effective way for a real estate agent to work with a job candidate?

The RE agent should be asking A LOT of questions before the candidate/new employee arrives in their city, to make sure they've pulled MLS listings and have emailed them to the person/family, and they've decided which homes they want to see. Also, the RE agent should be ready to provide options for interim housing, which the company will pay for; 1 - 3 months sometimes longer - depending upon the level of the position (engineer versus executive, VP, C-level, etc.)

Does the real estate agent work with just the candidate, or the whole family?

Typically companies will allow one trip before the actual move, so the new employee can bring their family with them on a house hunting trip.

Who decides which agent to call?

If it's a corporate environment, the HR Department and particularly the person in charge of benefits and relocation has already made this decision for you. They shop around for other agents, and look at cost, benefits and perks they can offer their candidates and new hires - which include availability and willingness of agents to meet with candidates on their interview trip or follow-up trip after a hiring decision has been made.

What criteria do companies look at when they are selecting real estate agents to refer to their job candidates?

They look at how long the RE agent has been in business, are they a real producer ($1MM + producer), etc. They also want to know that the agent KNOWS the area, schools, etc. and will be helpful to their candidates.

They also look to see what other companies use that agency or agent, so references are typically requested. They also look at what types of materials/packages are provided to the new employee - area maps, information about the city, etc.

How closely do companies monitor the activities of their referral agents?

The company typically has the new employee fill out an assessment of the agent/agency post relocation, that way they are constantly monitoring and evaluating the agency.

How committed are the companies to the agents they select?

They tend to be very committed, as long as the agent continues to be an effective member of their recruiting support team.  If they aren't happy, they'll shop for a new RE agency/agent.

                                                                    *  *  *  *  *

So there you have it.  Recruiting is a very high stakes game.  The competition for high level people is fierce.  Companies know that relocation is a very big part of a job candidates decision to accept. 

They also know that superior service from a real estate agent can be a really big plus, but conversely, poor support from a real estate agent could blow the whole deal.

If you want to work at the upper reaches of the relocation business you've got to be prepared to demonstrate that you are a high level performer, on par with the level of people they are trying to recruit.

Are you ready?  For a complimentary readiness analysis, give me a call; Ray Cobel 805-494-9647.

Tutorial: How to Network More Effectively - Part 1

David Britt asked a question in a comment on my post "Tutorial: How to Build a Referral Network in LinkedIn".  He said:

• "Ray, I have been a member of LinkedIn for some time now, but never   really used it much.  How do you use it?  Are you able to build a relationship thru this source or how do you use LinkedIn?"

My tutorial above explains some things about the technical part of using LinkedIn.  I think the answer to David's question, however, lays not so much in more discussion about LinkedIn, but rather in a deeper discussion of the very essence of networking (i.e. relationship starting, building and maintaining) itself.

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."   Chinese Proverb

In this proverb, giving a man a fish is a tactic for eliminating his hunger today.  Teaching him how to fish is a long-term strategy for eliminating his hunger for a lifetime.

There are lots of networking books filled with tactics for helping people improve their networking skills.  While many of them are useful in this regard, they don't help people to understand the "big networking picture".  Without insight to the big networking picture it is difficult to see how to apply networking tactics to new and different circumstances.  So let me try to teach you something about "fishing"; rather than simply giving you a fish.

Fortunately, there is one book that offers a boatload of ideas on how to fish in networking ocean: Dr. Thomas J. Stanley's, "Networking with the Affluent".  In it he provides a strategy for networking that can be applied to every networking opportunity.  Once this networking strategy is understood, it will easier to see how to use, not only LinkedIn, but the dozens of other networking opportunities that are available to you.

"You must give before you receive."

That is the quote at the top of Dr. Stanley's discussion of the essence of networking.  The essence of his networking strategy boils down to what he calls the "8 Faces of Networking":

1. The Talent Scout; i.e. be someone who helps connect people in your network to people who can help them.  This makes you someone who people will turn to. 

2. The Revenue Enhancer; i.e. be someone who is always looking for ways to help people get ahead. 

3. The Advocate; i.e. be someone who sticks up for other people when they need it.  People will be drawn to your strength and integrity. 

4. The Mentor; i.e. be a guide and supporter of those coming up behind you.  Share your knowledge, experience and application insight.  People are drawn to wisdom. 

5. The Publicist; i.e help spread the good word about other people.  Help them build their networks and you will be seen as an invaluable resource. 

6. The Family Advisor; i.e. give help and support to the most important people in other people's lives.  Their parents will be forever appreciative of your gift.

7. The Purchasing Agent; i.e. point people to better deals.  They'll turn to you again and again.

8. The Loan Broker; i.e. help people find the resources they need when they need them.  They won't forget it. 

So there, in these "8 Faces", you have a networking strategy that will enable you to "fish" in any networking circumstance. 

To test these concepts look at the really successful people in your life and see how many of these "8 Faces" you recognize.  How are these people creatively demonstrating these faces?  Then ask yourself, how could you start demonstrating more of these "8 Faces" yourself.

Resolve to show your "faces" in every opportunity you get, and you will find yourself with an ever increasing network of people who are continually drawn closer and closer to you.

How to Apply This Networking Strategy to LinkedIn

So let's now go back to David's question about how to use LinkedIn to build relationships.

The Talent Scout

• Search for talent on behalf of someone in your LinkedIn network
• Invite your network partner to connect on LinkedIn
• Having a large, information rich, searchable network like LinkedIn or ActiveRain can make you invaluable to a lot of people.

The Revenue Enhancer

• Show your prospects how to identify, research and reach target prospects of their own in LinkedIn.
• Both LinkedIn and ActiveRain can help you position yourself as a resource that people can turn to for productive people and ideas.

The Advocate

• Search LinkedIn for people who are likely to support your cause.
• Facilitate connections between people in your offline and online networks.
• You can connect with people in any network who can help you be a better advocate on behalf of others.

The Mentor

• Listen to your network for opportunities to share your wisdom.

The Publicist

• Promote worthy people to other people in your networks.
• Use your marketing channels and tools to help others.

The Family Advisor

• Look for opportunities to use your network to help kids with school, sports, health and other parental concerns.

The Purchasing Agent

• Maintain a quick reference list of resources for every kind of need.  Share these resources freely.

The Loan Broker

• Use your network to discover and evaluate a variety of financial resources.  Cultivate those relationships and share them as needed.
• This should be a "no-brainer" for real estate agents.

These are the LinkedIn Features that Will Help Facilitate Your Networking Activity

• The Quality of people there is generally very high
• The Quantity of people (11+ million) is very large
• The Depth of information about people there is more extensive than you'll find most anywhere
• Relationships between people and their people networks are made clear
• Relationships between people and their organizational networks are made clear
• Relationships between people and their industries are made clear
• It has implemented a Culture of Cooperation
• It has implemented a Culture of Relative Openness
• It has implemented specialized internal Tools for
• Communication with both personal and at-large networks

Apply this "8 Networking Faces" strategy with any other online or offline network and you will get better results.  Sure, it takes a lot of effort and it's not easy; but I guarantee you that it definitely works!

Continued in Part 2

Let's Discuss.

Tutorial: How to Network More Effectively - Part 2

Dr. Stanley's book (discussed in our previous post) also goes on to spell out "12 Networking Rules" that should also be applied to your networking activities.

Rule 1: Identify those professionals who already have an influence network composed of the types of people that you want as clients.

• In other words, be targeted in your networking.

Rule 2: Align yourself with those who will actually make you part of their influence network.

• Don't waste time on people who, for whatever reason, are not going to be willing network partners.  There are always plenty of other opportunities for you.

Rule 3: Be willing and able to contribute to the network.

• Participation is the quickest route to favorable interactions new network partners.  Participation is the key to starting, building and maintaining relationships.

Rule 4:  Be patient and have a long-term view of the benefits of creating an influence network.

• You'll need to achieve a critical mass of the key relationship elements (i.e. credibility, confidence and trust) before you can do business with people.  You can shorten the time it takes through increased interaction, but you can't skip the elements.

Rule 5:  Spend more time with key centers of influence than you do with your peers, colleagues, and competitors.

• Your key centers of influence are major network nodes who have many other connections.  Close relationships with key influencers can lead to many favorable introductions.  Close relationships with other agents and peers won't lead to much business.  So spend your time wisely.

Rule 6:  Solicit business on behalf of the members of your influence network.

• As your network grows you will be able to see ways to help members of your network by introducing them to each other.

Rule 7:  Act as an intelligence officer and publicist for the members of your influence network.

• Building a reputation as a primary information resource will help keep your phone ringing; and those conversations will, many times, lead to business.

Rule 8:  Entertain network members.

• Everybody likes to have fun, and they like those who frequently bring it to them.

Rule 9:  Interface with several centers of influence.

• Never put all of your eggs in only one basket.

Rule 10:  Endorse only those who are qualified to provide the core product or service.

• This is where you need to be careful.  Your endorsements will reflect on you, both positively and negatively.  Take extra care to ensure you keep the balance on the positive side.

Rule 11:  Network for higher causes.

• Higher causes frequently have extensive networks of their own.  They draw many high quality, high caliber people.  Participation in these causes will help you start, build and maintain many valuable new relationships.

Rule 12:  Recruit, recruit, recruit new members to your influence network.

• Make network building a life-long, natural habit; because the best time to build your network is before you actually need it.

How to Network In Other Situations

So let's see how we can apply these concepts of the "8 Faces of Networking" and the "12 Networking Rules" in a more targeted, yet free form, way.

For example, let's say you target an established network in your community like your local Chamber of Commerce.  Within your Chamber there are likely to be sub-networks or committees that focus on a variety of issues like:

• Recruiting new members
• Meeting and greeting new members
• Hosting monthly mixers
• Local education matters
• Special events
• Economic development
• Land use
• Human resources

While keeping the "8 Faces" and "12 Rules" in mind ask yourself:

• Which committees can put me in touch with the greatest number of the kind of people I want in my network?
• Which committee members are connected to other networks of interest to me?
• Which committees will afford me the greatest opportunities to demonstrate my "8 faces"?
• Which committees will be the easiest for me to create the most value?
• Which committees will accept me the easiest?
• Which committees can I make the most significant commitment to?

Answer these questions and you'll see that some committees will be much more productive for you than others.  Compare the Chamber to other established networks in your community and you may find there are better networks for you than the Chamber.  Or, you may even conclude that there is a significant need for a specialized network doesn't exist yet; so you'll start building it yourself.

The good news is that the concept of the "12 Networking Rules", like the "8 Networking Faces", can be used to great advantage in all online and offline networks.

Let's discuss.

The "Real Estate Network Masters" Club Is Growing Fast!

16 New Members in just 2.5 days (from our official launch).  Why?

Because:

• They want to instantly connect with large online networks of people beyond ActiveRain.  (After all, this is where the clients actually are.)
• They want to improve their knowledge and skill in all facets of networking; both online and offline.
• They want to learn how to make networking a more effective part of their marketing mix.

How Joining our "Real Estate Network Masters" Club Can Help You

1. Instant connections to the largest (11+ million members) and most successful business and professional network in the world:  LinkedIn.  Sure anyone can join for free and be alone out there, but I can immediately connect you with many of the heaviest hitters in the entire network.  Check out this post to learn more about how these connections can help you.
2. Regular updates to our "Networking Library".  For starters we've built a link library on del.icio.us (47 networking articles and growing; many written by people right here on ActiveRain.  Members are kept informed about updates.
3. We've established a "Real Estate Network Masters" Associates Page here on ActiveRain to make it easy for our Members to identify and network with each other.
4. ActiveRain has a very cool feature on our Member Associates page that enables you to automatically subscribe to all of their Blogs.  This way you can be kept up to speed on the Club's entire conversation.

Real Estate is mostly a relationship business; and networks are all about relationships. 

Continually improving your ability to start, build and maintain relationships is crucial to your success. 

Clearly, the Web and online social networks are becoming an increasingly important part of networking.

Get and stay ahead of the curve.  Come join us at the "Real Estate Network Masters" Club.  (Oh, and did I forget to mention that all of this is FREE!)