Networking is a person to person activity, we meet, we talk and we share pleasantries with one another. When we meet and start the process of building a business relationship we are looking for people who energize us, people we want to be around. Now and then we meet people we wish we did not have to spend time with. They have a negative attitude and readily spread it around.
Wally Amos, founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company, wrote a book in 1996 called Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life. He wrote the Watermelon Credo as I was reading it I realized more than ever how it applied to our lives and our networking activities.
W-Whatever you believe creates your reality. Believe that life is a positive experience and it will be.
As a business networker, you have to believe that others are willing to help you succeed.
A-Attitude is the magic word. Your greatest asset is your attitude. When you are networking, you will attract more people who want to be around your when you are positive and supportive.
T-Together everyone achieves more. There are no limits to what we can accomplish together. Networking only happens with more than one person. Each helping the other by building trust and making connections with one another.
E-Enthusiasm is the wellspring of life. Enthusiasm makes you fun to refer to, people want to be with you, to help you.
R-Respect yourself, as well as others. When you begin to respect yourself, your whole world changes. If you want others to make connections for you they must have respect for you. That will not happen if you do not respect yourself.
M-Make commitment, not excuses. You have to build credibility with people if you are going to build a strong network, unfortunately credibility is often destroyed because people make excuses for what they have not done or did not due. Live up to your commitments and build credibility.
E-Everyday can be a fun day. Make your networking activities fun, something you enjoy doing, not something you dread, make a game of it, smile and enjoy yourself.
L-Love is the answer. Whatever the question, love is the answer. When you love what you do, it comes through as passion. People will be drawn to you, they will want to know your secret, they will want to be part of your network.
O-One day at a time. All of life happens in increments of one. Building a strong network means adding one person at a time and building a relationship with them. Creating a win-win relationship for each of you.
N-Never give up or become a victim. Regardless of the economy you can create success as long as you understand that you are the victor and not the victim. No one cares to hang out with the victim.
We have the power to create great success when we help others do the same thing, when you remember the principals of watermelon you will attract people who want to be part of your network, who want to help you create the success you are looking for.
Hazel M Walker, owns three award winning franchise’s. She is a 10 year owner of two BNI Franchises where she teaches members how to leverage their time and network to build each others businesses. She is also a Referral Institute franchise owner and teaches Business Owners how to harness the Science of Referrals to develop Referrals for Life. Hazel is a published author in New York Times best sellers Masters of Networking and Masters of Sales. As a member of the National Speakers Association she travels the world speaking to businesses and women’s organizations on the topics of networking to create a life you love.
