...Before you agree to work together!

I had a pretty interesting call from a Realtor a couple weeks ago that I had met briefly at Realtor Tour. I really didn't know this person at all, and to be honest, I classified him a "C" opportunity based on his dress, his demeanor, and a comment that he made about another agent's listing. So anyway, out of the blue, he called me and asked if I wanted to do some co-marketing with him for the small sum of $1,000. I'm not sure what he was expecting as an answer. Yes, we are in challenging times in the real estate market, however; even in good times, I would never do any business with someone I don't kinow, like or trust.

A few days ago I wrote about prospecting, which is a precursor to marketing yourself. I noted that it is wise to know what kind of qualities you are looking for in a prospect or potential referral source (Realtors being the major one for me). When I meet with Realtors for the first time, I make an inner commitment to not work together until I get to know, like and trust the person. I think many of the best Realtors I know, do the same thing... not just with the lenders that they may work with but even when choosing their clients. If you can tell within the first five minutes that this is not a prospect that you want to partner up with, get out of the appointment as fast as you can.

Netweaving - I was googling in search of local networking groups and ran across the word "NetWeaving". I strongly endorse the philosophy and encourage you to pick up the book, "The Heart and Art of NetWeaving" by Bob Littell.

Bob believes that every act of Netweaving is like throwing a stone into a still ponk. The ripple effects create concentric circles of energy which extend foar beyond the first point of contact. Over time, these ever-widening circles even begin running into another -magnifying their impact even more.

In layman's terms, NetWeaving provies win-win power strategies for your sales and life sucesses by helping your prospects and clients. I believe that people will seek us as a strategic matchmaker and resource provider.

Some key NetWeaving traits, focus areas to improve on and some key questions to ask yourself:

• Are you a connector? A connector is basically a person who introduces and brings people together with their needs, problems and opportunities in mind.
  
• Are you an information/resource provider? Do you offer your skill to others or are you willing to introduce your trust advisors and resource network with no strings attached, as a way to build meaningful relationships?
  
• Are you building a trusted resource network? Well, if you are on this site then the answer is probably yes, but this needs to be a major focus in our lives (in my opinion). We all need to establish and maintain a wide and deep network made up of varied personalities and qualification. By surrounding ourselves with trusted advisors who are at the top of their game we further our own resources to help those around us.

When you are meeting with a potential referral source (relo agents, financial planners, cpa's, insurance people, bridal store owners, HR directors), get into the habit of caring. Get into the habit of asking them flat out, "What is the biggest challenge you are facing in your business or industry?" You will get an answer that will give you the ability to NetWeave and help the person with the "pain" that they are experiencing in their business.

I believe in the Law of Reciprocity and you can never out-give to your fellow man.

DY SmarterBetterSimple.com