Netweaving

Making the point, originally uploaded by Bill Liao.

It is always interestign when two peopel coem together and find a mutual purpose.

Thanks to Nancey Miller for the insighful document below

What is a one-line description of NetWeaving?

NetWeaving is a Golden Rule and ‘Pay it Forward’ form of networking which is all about helping connect people and providing ‘no-strings-attached’ resources…simply with the belief that, ‘what goes around, does come back around’.

What are the 2 key differences between networking and NetWeaving?

With traditional networking, most persons are only listening with one pair of ears and one set of antennae to determine if someone is a current or future prospect for what they have to offer, or to see if this person can help them. It’s only when they determine this is the case that they decide to try and build a relationship.

With NetWeaving, persons are carefully listening and tuned in with a 2nd pair of ears and a 2nd set of antennae to determine if this person is someone whom they’d like to get to know better… regardless of their business or industry. Do they seem to be a ‘giver’ and not just a ‘taker’? So the first difference is that NetWeaving discussions get below the superficial level and focus on the other person rather than on yourself.

The 2nd difference is that NetWeaving provides specific ways to follow up and follow through whereas most networking never turns into a relationship, mainly because no one follows up.

What’s the difference between ‘Follow Up’ and ‘Follow Through’?

Follow up refers to the time frame in which you do follow-up – an email or note saying how much you enjoyed meeting in person, and/or suggesting that the two of you get together soon. And, you do make a follow-up call to see about scheduling such a one-on-one meeting.

Follow through refers to the ‘quality’ and the ‘creativity’ which you show between the time you meet and when you do get together, Sending an article with some points highlighted which you thought would be of value to the other person is an example of this.

What are the 3 skill sets to NetWeaving?

Learning to be a connector of others with THEIR Needs, Problems, and Opportunities in mind rather than just our own.
Learning how to ‘position’ yourself as a ‘no-strings-attached’ resource provider for others.
Learning how to constantly be on the lookout for persons who are ‘exceptional’ at what they do and when you do, you find a way to stay in touch and over time, add him or her to your Trusted Resource Network.

In addition to the ‘networking’ questions you typically have on your mind as you are talking with someone (i.e. ‘Can you help me?’ ‘Are you a current or future prospect for what I have to offer?’), what are 3 additional questions NetWeavers learn to ask themselves?

‘Is there someone I know who would benefit meeting or knowing this person?’
‘Could this person provide information or resources to someone else I know?’
‘Has this person impressed me so much, I need to get to know him or her better, and assuming over time, they continue to do so, add him or her to my Trusted Resource Network.’

What is the Pyramid of Relationship-Building and what is meant by the term, ‘Meaningful Dialogue’ and why is it one of the real keys to establishing and maintaining relationships?

The Pyramid of Relationship-Building helps explain how relationships are established from the point at which you first meet someone… to the pinnacle of relationship-building – establishing and maintaining Trust.

Perhaps the most important step for a NetWeaver to learn is how to show initiative and courage by elevating a conversation from the ‘small talk’ stage to ‘meaningful dialogue’ by posing a thought-provoking question.

What is the NetWeaving 5-step Process and how is the 5th step associated with a movie by the same name?

Step 1 – You meet someone and you have a good first conversation and determine this is someone you’d like to get to know better. You make notes on the back of his or her business card, noting a couple of the things she or he said which were meaningful to you.

Step 2 – You follow up with an email – same day or next day – mentioning a couple of the points you noted, and suggesting that you’d like to get together within the next week or so for breakfast, lunch, or a cup of coffee, to get to know him or her better.

Step 3 – You have the one-on-one meeting and assuming you continue to feel good about the person and want the relationship to continue growing, YOU suggest someone or someone(s) of whom you have thought who you believe would benefit meeting your new friend, and you volunteer to ‘host’ a meeting. In most cases, the other person will reciprocate and suggest one or more persons whom they believe would also benefit by meeting you.

Step 4 – You ‘host’ a meeting to introduce the other person. You give a little overview of the NetWeaving concept watch as they find friends or connections they discover they know in common, as well as ways they can help each other.

Step 5 – In 9 out of 10 ‘hosting’ meetings we’ve tracked, at the end of the hosting meeting, as you have mostly just sat back and observed, one or both of the people you have connected, will say, ‘This has been great, but you haven’t said much. How can we help you?’ That’s when you challenge each of them to ‘Pay it Forward’ and to ‘host’ a meeting for 2 others. Note – your new friend has already committed to doing this for you so you’re just addressing the other person you invited.

How do you set up a Virtual Hosting meeting?

It would be great if we could ‘host’ 10 ‘in-person’ meetings a week, but unless you’re in PR or your job is totally ‘rain-making’, hosting 1 or 2 ‘in-person’ meetings a week is more than enough.

Doing a ‘virtual hosting’ meeting is simple. In every form of communication – phone, internet, or in-person, you train yourself to ask the 3 above-mentioned questions, and when you think of someone who would benefit meeting or knowing this person, this is what you would say,

‘‘Mary, as you and I were talking and I learned more about what you do (what your company does), I just thought of someone whom you need to meet. Why don’t you send me information on your company and your bio or current CV… and let me send that on to my friend with a note from me as to why I believe the two of you would benefit meeting. And I’ll check back to make sure you’ve made contact and hopefully, the two of you will get together soon after that. Please let me know when and where you agree to meet, and if I can be there for at least a portion of the meeting, I’d love to do so.’’

What is the difference between a ‘strategic’ and a non-strategic’ hosting meeting?

I used to think that all NetWeaving ‘hosting’ meetings need to be ‘strategic’ – meaning this person is in this business and the other person is in this business and there’s a logical way they should be able to help each other or to collaborate. Then I started hosting some ‘non-strategic’ meetings and they have turned out to be some of the most creative and productive. Here’s how you set up one of those meetings.

‘‘John, I have a friend (new friend, acquaintance, associate at work, etc.) whom I believe you would really benefit meeting. But to be perfectly honest, I haven’t the slightest idea what the two of you have in common, or how you might be able to help each other. All I know is that I think a lot of you, and you’re a ‘giver’, and so is (other person), and I feel the two of you would just enjoy getting to know each other.’’

These ‘non-strategic’ hosting meetings will turn out to be some of the most fun meetings you ‘host’… either in-person or virtual.

What is the NetWeaver’s Quilt and how does it allow you to meet anyone you ever want to meet, anywhere in the world?

Imagine a quilt in the shape of a rectangle and its several doyen individual squares. Pretend that the bottom right square is YOU and the top left-most square represents anyone in the world you want to meet. The 3 top-left squares around that square represent GK’s or GO’s (Gate-Keepers or Gate-Openers). The right-hand vertical axis represents ‘‘Influence and Accessibility’’ and the bottom horizontal axis represents ‘‘Commonalities’’ (things someone has in common with the individual you’d like to meet). A higher-up square is to the left (closer to the individual top-left square), the more things the person has in common with the individual you seek to meet.

By keeping these individuals in your conscious mind and constantly seeking to find someone who knows someone who knows someone, etc., you can eventually meet anyone in the world. The secret though, in true NetWeaving fashion, is that you never ask for a connection. When you find someone who can move you closer to a ‘GO’, or to help you get past a ‘GK’, you must find a way to help that person so they at some point ask, ‘How can I help you?’

Why do most relationships die, before ‘trust’ is established and how does NetWeaving keep the process moving?

Most relationships die before trust is established due to lack of follow up by one or both parties. Since NetWeaving is all about helping other people, those who find they enjoy helping others will follow up when they might not do so just to benefit themselves. Also, NetWeaving has structure and strategies which help persons follow up and follow through.

How can NetWeaving help YOU in your business and in your community?

NetWeaving began as a way to help persons engaged in Sales & Marketing to build and maintain better relationships both with their existing customers/clients, as well as how to establish relationships with ‘prospective’ customers/clients as a way of developing business.

Then service organizations and business clubs discovered that NetWeaving could help ‘enrich’ relationships within their membership to a degree never experienced before.

Then HR professionals discovered that by creating a ‘culture’ of NetWeaving ‘internally’ within their company, it could help tear down or at least reduce some of the walls and silo’s that exist within almost every company.

Then Non-Profits saw how it can provide a way for their Board Members and Key Donors to feel good about approaching their best friends and connections without feeling they were ‘hitting’ on them for money or support.

Finally, entire communities and cities are seeing that NetWeaving can become a ‘theme’ that can bring together disparate sectors to put aside their own agendas to work toward common goals and through collaboration and connectivity, amazing things could be accomplished.

What are a Few Thought-Provoking NetWeaving Questions To Help Elevate the Conversation to Meaningful Dialogue?

A teacher, a mentor, a parent or grandparent… who is someone in your life, who at some particular point, said or did something which had a profound impact on you and what was it they said or did which caused that to happen?

What’s the best book you ever read or talk you ever heard on:
leadership
time-management
sales and/or marketing
inspiration or motivation

If money were no object and you could be doing anything you wanted, what would you be doing and why?

If you could go back in history and have a one-on-one conversation with anyone, who would it be and why?

What is the single most important thing you learned in college?