By: Christie Ruffino
Dynamic Professional Women’s Network, Inc.
www.dpwomen.com

How to create and build strategic relationships that will help you get the results you deserve with your referral network.

Networking is about leveraging your business and personal connections to help you make and build relationships that will provide you with a regular supply of new business. The key word being “Relationships”

The thing about networking unlike other business skills is that although it is necessary to thrive, it is not taught in most schools or universities. Yes we can all jump into the networking game, join a chamber of commerce, register for an event and order a stack of business cards, but will we get the desired results?

I made the mistake many years ago doing just that. I had always been naturally prone to connect my family and friends to the amazing resources I discovered and I felt great sanctification in helping them out. In addition I was also happy to help spread the word for those businesses whom I felt offered an amazing product or service. So isn’t that enough? Unfortunately after many years of unsuccessful networking, I learned that my networking needs to be intentional and result driven.

How connected are you?

By: Lisa Schulteis
Today’s Virtual Edge, LLC
www.todaysvirtualedge.com

You’ve started to see them everywhere… those little black and white squares that look similar to a bar code, but aren’t quite the same.  What are they?  They are QR codes (abbreviated from Quick Response code) and they are two-dimensional codes that can be read by smart phones everywhere.

In this very mobile world, QR codes are becoming very popular.  You may have seen them in a magazine, on the door to your favorite restaurant, or somewhere out on the web.

There are a lot of creative ways that people can use QR codes. Some of the more creative uses I have see are on For Sale signs and real estate flyers to the Tree description tags at Home Depot.  The most creative use I have seen is by Tesla, a Korean grocery store, that is using QR codes to allow people to shop for groceries while waiting for the subway train!  Here are some additional ways you can use QR codes:

By: Christie Ruffino
Dynamic Professional Women’s Network, Inc.
www.dpwomen.com

One of the headline stories a week ago was about a professional athlete who, without an apparent reason, was denied the opportunity to experience an opportunity he worked so hard to achieve. Tiquan Underwood loved being a New England Patriot so much that he shaved their emblem into his hair but was tragically cut from the team on Saturday, just hours before the Super Bowl. To say that he was disappointed is an understatement, but during this adversity he remained honorable and positive. Although I was not able to find his exact quote, I heard one of his comments were that; God gives us difficult circumstances to overcome so we can become successful over-comers.

We all face challenges in life from time to time. There is no way to avoid this truth and there is no way to become exempt from the pain and suffering that usually accompanies it. Weather your specific challenge is as small as a minor traffic accident or as large as losing a loved one; or if it seems that you are faced with a regular supply of challenging times or you are fortunate to be fairly challenge free, we all have to do the best we can to overcome our personal challenges in the best way we can.