Referrals For Life Day is Custom Made for Master Networkers

I was talking with Paula Hope, Referral Institute Peel-Halton, and she updated me on Referral for Life Day next week.

This is the third year Paula has developed, hosted and managed this event. The past 2 years have offered experts in referral marketing and this year offers even more.

There will be 2 powerful social media experts speaking at the conference. Lisa Kember from Constant Contact will present Strategic Follow-up Tactics and Catherine Saykaly-Stevens from The Networking Web will talk about Moving Relationships from Visibility to Credibility Through LinkedIn.

Paula shared the story of how she and Catherine connected.

“After my speech at the BNI national conference on May 6^th, I was delighted to be approached by Catherine Saykaly-Stevens of The Networking Web in Calgary”, said Paula.

“Catharine has a passion for referral marketing - and for social media. Catharine, a programmer by training, taught macromedia to the leading lights of technology in Los Angeles before, during and after the dotcom years. She owns her own consulting business in Calgary where she helps companies say “no” to cookie cutter solutions to their social media opportunities.”

Catharine and Paula clicked immediately and as a result Catherine will be speaking at the Creating Relationships for the Pocketbook and Soul: 3^rd Annual Referrals for Life Day. The topic is entirely new with completely fresh and original material- arming referral marketers with brand new tools.

“I want to say thank you to BNI” said Paula, “for the opportunity to speak to my BNI colleagues about referral marketing and for this valuable introduction to Catharine.”

You never know who you might meet at any event. And you never know what new, extraordinary opportunity might be just one introduction away. Just as it was for Paula and Catherine.

Referrals for Life Day presents an excellent venue to practice your referral skills, learn new referral skills and keep your referral marketing plan thriving and growing.

For full details about the day see www.e-spot.ca/referral_day.htm.

The event only comes around once a year. And if you miss it…..well…..you miss it.

This Week I’m Networking to the Extreme!

Since my last blog, I’ve started the Certified Networker Program at the Sun Life office in Hamilton. In the first session the participants talked about two foundations of a successful referral marketing plan; target market definition and developing an Emotional Based Marketing Theme. With those tools in place, we’ll be able to share our messages with those people in our networks who are connected to our target market.

I’ll keep you posted as to how we progress.

This week, too, is the BNI Canadian National Director/Member Conference. I’ll be in Toronto on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Friday is the Member’s Conference. This conference is open to all BNI members. Registration is online at www.bnicanada.ca. Click on events and login in with your username and password.

There will be BNI Director’s from around the world sharing the most current and successful networking techniques. Don’t miss this opportunity - this conference is only in Toronto every 3 years.
Making the time to attend conferences is difficult for me. It’s not that I don’t like them, I like them (usually) very much. I almost always learn something that advances my business. I always learn something that helps me grow as a business person. And I often learn the most from the people I meet at conferences. I find that the folks who attend the conferences that I do, are like-minded. They are either in my industry or we share in interest. If I have a challenge, concern or question - this group of people are a priceless resource for me. The provide support, they challenge me, and they cheer for me.

That’s why I make time to attend conferences. I choose them every carefully and I make sure I have a plan to make the conference worthwhile for me. For those of us interested in networking more effectively and creating more profitable referral relationships, the conference in Toronto this week will provide the inspiration and education to accomplish those two objectives. I promise it will be worth the time.

Don’t miss it. I'll see you there.