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Essential People you need in your life

April 8, 2006 in Business Practices, Connectors, Effectiveness, Efficiency with 0 Comments

Nevereatalone_natlbestseller_cover_1I like lists.  And, I love Keith Ferrazzi and his book Never Eat Alone.  Yesterday’s post on the Never East Alone Blog by Ian Yberra has the following with a link to good descriptions of the first five or so on Kai Chang’s Blog:

"How many essential people in your life?

My friend Kai Chang lists his 16 and a few descriptions on his blog. Here’s the list for quick viewing.

1. Headhunter
2. Computer Security Guru
3. Realtor
4. Criminal Defense Attorney
5. Personal Finance Advisor/CPA
6. Medical Doctor
7. Police/Law Enforcement Officer
8. "The Wolf"/"The Cleaner"039_27431harveykeitelposters
9. The Event/Ticket Connection
10. The Local Celebrity
11. Big Money Guy
12. Local Politician
13. Auto Mechanic
14. Consigliere
15. Mr. Connections
16. Best Friend

It’s valuable to have a list of categories such as these but also make sure you fill them with friends.  Some should be a few people deep just in case your first stringer ends up unavailable.  As Ian said, "How long is your list and Who’s on it?"

Think you can do better?

July 11, 2005 in Business Practices, Connectors with 0 Comments

Have you ever sat in a restaurant, visited a store or stayed at a hotel and thought, "boy could I do this better!"  Hmmm…well, perhaps it’s just me but my experiences with customer service have made me say this very thing under my breath quite a bit lately.

My family stayed at a cabin on the west shore of Lake Tahoe this weekend.  A nice, private celebration of our wedding Anniversary and Hannah’s first Birthday.  The operation is run like a bed and breakfast without the availability of the owners.  Our local experts to ask questions and provide us with a connection – a sense of belonging – were never available.  What a mistake!  We had other challenges but that’s enough to keep us from coming back.  We didn’t feel like welcome guests.  If we had, we could have overcome the other stuff.

This happens at all manner of business locations.  The businesses that gets my business are the ones where the owner makes me feel like a welcome guest AND I get introduced to his/her other guests.  This should happen where I get my haircut, eat my lunch, or buy my suits.  Will I recommend a place to eat if I know you’ll be treated well and introduced around the room?  You bet!  And, what if the owner comes to your table and says, "Welcome, how did you find out about us?  What do you do?  What kind of folks do you like to meet?"  When I call you (on purpose) and say, "How was your lunch," How will you feel?

We all need to pay careful attention to each and every one of our clients and customers and always consider them as our guests.  At the same time, find out who they like or want to do business with and make the introduction!  Your guests will love that you’re keeping their best interest in your heart and mind.