However, we did end up in a really poor 3 star in Kandy which we left 2 days early because it was dirty, poorly managed and just too far out of town.

When planning my holidays I much prefer to be referred by people I know and trust to locations and venues. But it can be difficult to know who has been to a location so that you can ask them.

I wanted to share a great tool I have found. I have been using Trip advisor www.tripadvisor.com for a few years to get other peoples reviews of hotels. Which of course does help but then who are these people and what do they consider reasonable, clean, expensive?

Trip advisor it appears has taken it one step further and connected to facebook. Now when you punch in a location it will tell you which of your Facebook network have been there.

Given that we know our facebook contacts so much better than strangers I see this as an incredible tool for ensuring we get higher satisfaction from our future holiday referrals.

I hope this helps you to get the holidays you deserve this year

I suggested that she in future, may prefer to attend such an event early. Get there at the beginning while the first few people are turning up.  Not only did this appeal to her because there would be less people and she would feel more comfortable. She could leave when the number got to many. I would bet  she may even find that after 350 people had  turned up and she wouldn’t even have noticed!  If she did and was uncomfortable then she could leave. Simple as that.

There are many benefits to getting to networking events early. Perhaps one for this article would be that she also gets meet other more “knowledgeable “networkers who also see this as a way of getting more value.

However, this impression can also be made even before you meet.

Things that so many people do not even consider or think are just not important can have the greatest impact.

When we are referring one person to another. We are in effect putting our reputation on the line in doing so.  If things go wrong, then they may blame you for the introduction.

If you are giving off “unreliable and unprofessional” signals, is anyone going to refer you with confidence, if at all?

One of the first business practices I noticed in the Middle East is that people seem to think it is “ok” to turn up to meetings and events late. This is not a “one off” occurrence this appears the business norm , however I bet this also occurs the world over.

What is the message they sending to:

A potential client if you turn up late:

“ I can’t handle my time or I won’t be able to meet your deadlines”

“ I am not really that bothered about your business”

To a supplier (yes ! even if you are the client).

“I don’t value you as a professional”

“I will probably be a nightmare client”

Many clients seem to miss the fact that their suppliers can also refer them business. How much business is the client loosing by not treating the supplier with respect?

We have all been late for meetings. After all this is the real world but I have a few suggestions that seem like common sense.

1                    Leave early if it takes half an hour to get there leave 45 minutes early. You will have more chance of arriving on time, less stressed, less chance of an accident. If you arrive early you will also get to network.

2                    If you are running late call ahead and apologize.

or lets just be on time:)

The beginning of the speech on why to explore other networks
Rebel Networker Presenting

Imagine for one moment you are about to spend your hard earned money or valuable company assets on purchasing the services or products of a company that cannot even be bothered ( or afford or never thought about it ) to have its own domain name in the email. What does this imply about their possible service / credibility.

While I concede there maybe companies out there who offer a great service and do a wonderful job with a gmail or hotmail email ( I know some ). Would you as a client shopping around or as a referral partner want to take the risk and refer someone like this.

Referring people is an incredibly efficient way of doing business that has tried and proven result and yet it relies on our reputation and contacts. Can anyone really afford to be putting their reputation on the line for such a small and easily “fixable “ basic business necessity.

In this case the “new” way of networking for all its hype and buzz goes offline and back to basics.

Online networking is great for generating ‘first touch” or “visibility marketing” and keeping you in peoples minds. Yet when you really need to get things done or need more credibility leading to profitability / results then its back to basics.

A perfect example is the Dubai Tweetfest as the visibility is done using Twitter online but they still need to meet up offline to get results.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100323101157/DubaijoinslargestglobalTwitterevent

Networks attending include Heels and Deals, The Arab Business Council and Toastmasters

http://www.business24-7.ae/the-business-of-life/events/five-questions-to-bijay-rajnikantt-shah-2010-03-25-1.72715#commentsForm-commentForm5957983

Guest speaker for the night is none other than The Rebel Networker

1 My business
2 My personal development

Business
For anyone in sales, the knowledge of NLP as a tool is of paramount importance, these skills could take your business to a completely different level. In dealing with staff relations, client service and sales generation. This is just in our normal practice let alone those wishing to use these skills for business/life coaching.

I would summarize my ROI ( Return on investment ) in the following areas.

1 Immediate impact on my business of 54,000aed as a result attending the course.
2 Meeting Incredible individuals who are now valued parts of my network
3 Skills I can now apply to my coaching, Professional speaking and sales ability that have already provided me with many intangibles
4 I managed to give 8 quality referrals to my network as a result
5 Deepen relationships with a number of people whom I have had the greatest respect for but never been able to spend enough time with.
6 I have also located and am building a new Referral Partner and strategic alliance as a result.

Personal Development
1 I have learnt to deal with some personal demons
2 I have deeper and more understanding relationship with the people closest to me
3 I can deal with unwanted thoughts and emotions and instead pull on positive powerful intentions and feelings

Oh and by the way I had an awesome time and got to Karate chop a board in half:)

see below for more details and links.

I highly recommend this course.

The next 7-day accelerated NLP Practitioner Certification program takes place from 22nd – 25thApril & 29th April – 1st May 2010 at Le Royal Meridien Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE (over 2 consecutive weekends). The program is recognized and certified by the American Board of NLP (ABNLP), the largest and most recognized NLP association around the globe and ANLP (British Association). We incorporate distance learning methods (a set of 14 specially designed cd’s, dvd and a recommended reading list), so before you even attend our training, you will already be highly educated and very familiar with the material presented. All this material is included in the price of the training!

Our programs include Time Line Therapy® and Hypnotherapy Practitioner certification and also offer credits towards an MA in NLP & Coaching with a leading UK university.

Carol Talbot
Matrix Training Solutions
Dubai, UAE

Tel: +971 50 6538540
Email: carol@matrixdubai.com
www.matrix-training.com
regards

Phil