When someone takes your business card and slides it into a pocket without looking at it.
Like, cut me some slack and look at the card already!
Bonus points if they don’t look at your card and you are a graphic designer…
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here.
The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion (http://www.accion.org/b5media). Donations are tax deductible.

The unfriendly person who glares at you as he hands over his business card.
Because, yeah, you’re dying to do business with that guy. Then you can have conversations every few days and you can be reminded of how he glared at you every time he speaks gruffly on the phone.
You’ll reminisce about the joy his gruff, angry demeanor gave you forevermore.
Because acting like a jerk-off means you’re important. And you want to work with important people, right?
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off!  Find out more about the Blog Off here.
The Business …read more

When someone starts repeating everything you say. Then they look at your eyes with mucho intensity. Then they touch you on the arm, elbow, shoulder, or hand while talking. Or they make odd hand gestures while saying things that make less than perfect sense.
Because you’re talking to the guy who read a book on NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and now thinks he can control your thoughts and feelings with words, touches, and by watching your eye movements.
Laugh, because if you don’t laugh you’ll cry.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off!  Find out more about …read more

You got along great, you met the next day and you signed the contract.
Then they stop contacting you and don’t return calls.
WTF? Everything was great and you signed the contract….where is the check?
It’s bad networking because you’re going to end up running into them again and they’re either going to act like nothing happened or they’re going to avoid you like the plague.
Either way it will be a weird experience for you!
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off!  Find out more about the Blog Off here.
The Business Channel is supporting Accion …read more

Network To Build Your Business!     I used to be scared to death when I heard the words “you have to network to build your business”. That is, until I joined some great forums and started “networking” with some of the greats. I didn’t even realize I was networking…I was just chatting and getting to know people.
It took a while for it to sink in…that’s what networking is. It’s just making connections and getting to know people. One of the nicest experiences (well… other than signing a new client) was when I’ve been able to refer business to an …read more

The Warm Call There are so many forms of networking, both in-person and electronically. Between attending conferences and networking events and participating in the professional/social networks of LinkedIn, FaceBook or industry-specific/niche social networks we often forget about that little device called the telephone. Many of us are tethered to our computers and use our phones for other things (like making Twitter updates or “tweets”) that our instinct when it comes to communicating with another human being is to do it electronically. But sometimes, an e-mail just won’t do. This is especially so if the person you’re e-mailing has no idea …read more

The person you’re talking to seems really nice, and then they talk about a company they had a bad experience with. You’re listening intently because you want to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you. The person you’re talking to sees your interest and begins to get really detailed.
An hour later you’re on the sixth company they fired and you’re wondering if anyone can make this person happy.
They’ll probably ask you to sign the contract and work with them within 48 hours.
Now you have to decide if you are going to end up on that list …read more

You get along really well, you talk on the phone after the event multiple times. You think you’re becoming friends…
…and then they’re just gone.
They no longer work for the company you talked to them at, they are no longer answering the phone, they are no longer receiving email at the address you have for them. They just disappeared.
Hopefully they didn’t give you any referrals…because they’ll probably disappear too.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off!  Find out more about the Blog Off here.
The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great …read more

Where Everybody Knows Your Name?
If you ever watched the tv show “Cheers” then instantly you’ll remember Norm – the fellow that was greeted as he walked through the pub’s door with a hearty cheer of his name. “Norm!” With a smile and a wave Norm took his favorite stool at the end of the counter and then did what he did best. Sip, talk, nod and become memorable in the minds of so many viewers.
Are you memorable? Does everybody remember your name, occupation, or the reason why you’re the person for the job at hand? …read more

Virtual Networker
 

I love to network. Well, I love to talk and meet new people, so I guess you could say I’m a networker! I have joined several great networking groups locally as well as on the Internet while I have been building my Virtual Assistant business. I have met an incredible amount of people within the last year through networking and the best part is that I have more than doubled my business through referrals that I have received from networking.
 

Because of the sky-rocketing gas prices, I …read more