Many of you have been asking for this and it is finally finished and available on Amazon. Just go to Amazon Books, type in the title, then order your copy. As the tagline reads, this book is the “paradigm-shifting indespenable guide to creating the right, most rewarding and sustainable connections possible for Business, Career and Life.”

The Way of The Conscientious Connection came about because I had to come to grips with the fact that what I thought was intelligent networking was actually little more than simply chasing after the very small number of people in a room I deemed to be my so-called ‘target market’ while dismissing the other 98% as not being worthy of my time.

It took the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression to get my attention and force me to finally come to grips with the fact that all I was doing, all that everyone seemed to be doing was nothing much more than just ‘showing up’, collecting a few business cards and promising myself I would follow up in a few days.

If that rings any bells for you, welcome to the club.

2008 taught me how much more valuable and important it is to develop resources, connections, contacts, referral partners and others who, first and foremost, just want to help you be as successful as you want to be.  They are sometimes people who will buy from you, but most of the time they are not, yet they can cause tremendous benefit if you step up and help them, as well.

Moreover, however, the right people to continually add to your database should be people who can instrumentally help you find the people you need to meet to further your career, enhance your presence, help you develop better skills and be more than happy to recommend you to others.

Note:  I didn’t say they have to be your customers, either.

What amazing things can happen if we all get on board with this? Imagine a company with just a few salespeople, but because the whole company received my training, the owner can effectively scale their sales force without adding even one more person to the payroll.

Or, imagine you are a student and you have been taught these skills before you graduate. When I have interviewed professors, I have asked them two questions:  “How important would you say it is, how valuable, that your students have good connecting skills before they leave here and go out into the world to seek their fame and fortune?”  And, professors have admitted to me that in many instances, this skill set is more valuable to the potential success for a student than the diploma they worked four + years to earn!

My second question, then, is this:  “Would you please show me in your course curriculum where you have devoted just one semester of higher learning to this most important skill set?” And, of course, I have yet to find one college or university anywhere that provides this needed information.

The book and stories will undoubtedly bring you a fresh look at how well, or not, we tend to connect with each other and the subsequent value or pain that comes from those activities. If you are trying to move your business or career or life in a new direction and a better outcome, consider making a study of The Way of The Conscientious Connector.

One simple paradigm shift like this can cause untold numbers of people to have a happier, healthier and more successful life. Are there others in your world who could use this information, too?

© 2019 Dave Ribble, Author, The Way of The Conscientious Connector

Standout Marketing Strategies

Surprisingly, few of us show up at networking events with much of a plan.

“Hey, Rib, pass me over the salt and pepper”, my friend whispered, trying not to disrupt things as a colleague stood 10 feet away at the podium, giving a five-minute talk as the major sponsor of the Chamber breakfast. We were all seated, 8 per table, in this all too familiar scenario that was a well-intentioned forum for learning more about each other.

The problem with it is that this kind of information gathering isn’t always as effective as it could be. There is only so much you can get from just showing up to see what drops in your lap.  But, if you have a plan in place, if you really know what you’re doing…that’s a different story altogether. Read the rest of this entry »

When building a client-contact-referral base, the shortest distance might not be the most advantageous.

I have always loved stories that involved travel and especially those situations where taking the road less traveled was rich with potential dangers as well as opportunities to see things not expected.  The old “On The Road” stories by Charles Kuralt were like that; a chance to go and explore and see what treasures awaited. The stories always entertained and even enlightened and I was grateful for the opportunity to travel vicariously with the story.

In business, we sometimes get caught up in going after potential clients with a fervent objective to land an order. It is a proverbial ‘straight line’  to satisfy the needs for sales in order to keep our jobs.  Just put numbers on the board and move on. Oftentimes, however, the longer road is rich with opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping Our Eyes Open To Opportunities

For the past several months, we’ve been visited by a Prairie Falcon, much like this one. He comes, he sits, he preens himself and dodges the blackbirds that object to his presence.

We decided to look it up and, apparently, a visit from a majestic bird such as this is a sign that we should be observant and ever diligently aware of everything going on around us.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you need to stay in front of your client in order to stay in business, the answer should be obvious.

In the picture you will see at least four signs for one particular beverage company and then one sign for the competing beverage company.  This picture was taken many years ago in a very small town where my brothers and I attended grade school. (Credit to Phil Sicks and his Fairmount FB Page)  The buildings may be a bit worn, but the signs all seem to be holding up quite well.  And, the ratio of how many signs are up between the two competing companies is probably relative to the size of those two companies today. Read the rest of this entry »