Michael Cheney - behind the I.M. curtain

I used to be part of a networking organization that had at its core the philosophy of ‘givers gain’.

The organization (if you’re interested, and if you’re not close your eyes now) was called Business Network International.

Anyway, the whole theory behind it is that if you help another fellow business owner out with a lead or assistance in some way they will scratch your back in return.

"But I can’t be arsed.."

It all works well in theory until you are actually faced with the prospect of having to go out of your way to help someone. Too many people take the line that it’s too difficult to run ONE successful business never mind having to go out of your way to help someone else’s.

But that’s where the lazy layabouts lose out.  It’s only when you start thinking outside your own office that your business really starts to grow.

I learned this with my time at Business Network International and now I’m applying the same principles to my online networking efforts - help others first and think of what you can do to move their businesses forward..

So what happened to me and BNI?

Simple really - it helped my business massively back then as it was local, physical world contacts I needed for my one-to-one consultancy.  But for years all my business has come from the Internet so the need to meet local business owners became a lower priority than networking with like-minded people on the Internet..

</sermon ends>  ;o)

Neil Shearing is a fellow Brit and I really respect his work.  He’s been knocking out no-nonsense, quality products and down-to-earth information since the year dot.  Okay - he’s not THAT old, but you get the picture.

Today he emailed me a link to a free report (YOU DON’T NEED TO HAND OVER ANY OF YOUR CASH OR INFORMATION TO GET IT!) and he said it was okay for me to share it with you.

Neil’s last Ebook sold $117,583 so what he has to say is worth reading - especially when it’s free and you don’t even need to hand over your email address!

http://www.scamfreezone.com/t.cgi?a=203169&e=/lion/

CLICK PLAY TO HEAR THIS STORY:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/3/prweb355344.htm

I’m reading a great book at the moment called "The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture".  Snappy title eh?

It’s a great read though and charts the evolution of internet search.  Whilst reading it I’ve learned lots of interesting facts about Google.

Did You Know?

Did you know that Google wasn’t the first company to run Pay Per Click text ads?  It was actually an idea from a company called Goto which later renamed itself Overture.  ‘Overture’ means introduction - the company chose this name because they see their Pay Per Click ads as offering ‘introductions’ between searchers and businesses.

Did you  know that most of Google’s members of staff at the time of its launch on the NASDAQ stock exchange became millionaires overnight?

Did you know that Google’s patented ‘PageRank’ is actually named after co-founder Larry Page?

Anyway, the book - by John Battelle - is a great read and I highly recommend it.

Ever find yourself going round in circles during the day spending the most of your time in your Inbox?  It’s annoying isn’t it?

Well, this simple technique I use has helped me cut down the amount of time I spent doing email and has enabled me to concentrate on growing my business.

Breaking The "Read-Reply-Compose" Cycle

It’s far too easy to fall into the ‘Inbox Vortex’ and get caught up in constantly reading, replying or composing new emails.  Here’s how to get break out of it:

1) Go in your Inbox first thing in the morning and filter, delete, read any emails.  Do not reply to any emails.

2) After you have filtered, deleted (as appropriate) and read your emails CLOSE DOWN YOUR EMAIL PROGRAM!!

3) Do not go back into your email program until late afternoon.  Reply to any emails that you read in the morning.  Do not read any email that have come in since the morning - leave those for tomorrow.

4) Once done - close your email program

Is It Really That Simple?

Yes!  Restrict yourself to going in your Inbox twice a day - once to read and filter and the second to respond and compose.

This works so well because your mind is subconsciously working on your responses throuhout the day without you having to consciously think about it.  This means that when you do come to write your replies last thing in the day you can do it much quicker and focus on just that rather than reading, filtering and deleting.

Good luck!