Welcome to my blog!

I’m excited to be coming to you in this forum and I hope you’ll find my writings and contributions helpful, applicable and informative. My missives will focus on making introductions, connections and on presenting or creating solutions for the challenges you may encounter in business and in life. Today it is appropriate that our focus be on connections with a heart. We all know the saying that “if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.” Hopefully you are doing what you love to do, are living out your passion and thus experiencing a fulfilled existence.

When networking, it’s a proven fact that, “all things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust.” So when meeting people, getting to know them and making connections, how do we get to the like and trust phase of that equation? The text book answer is by setting yourself apart, by being unique and doing things others don’t take the time to do.

What does that mean in reality? As I always say when I teach my classes on “The Fortune is in the Follow Up,” you need to do the little things that really make a difference. But the doing isn’t as important as the motivation behind those behaviors. If you have an attitude of gratitude, if you sincerely listen to the person with whom you’re making the connection and truly care about that other individual, that’s what will make your approach unique and will set you apart from your competition.

So on this Valentine’s Day, when we’re reminded (dare I say, bombarded?!) by florists, card stores, chocolatiers and so many other commercial entities to express our love, I remind you to have an attitude of gratitude each and every day and make your connections from the heart … genuinely … and that will truly set you apart!