Business Matchmaking - the 4 C's

Trophy Alarms Airport Security

This was the title of the press release that we did announcing a recent award I was fortunate to win in Dallas last week. 

Here's what the rest of it read:

"Edmonton area best selling/award winning author, business owner and resident Charmaine Hammond was delayed when airport security was stumped by the x-ray of her travel bag. Inside was the crystal trophy she received at the eWomenNetwork Convention in Dallas after winning the prestigious 2012 International Business Matchmaker of the Year Award.

eWomenNetwork states “ The Business Matchmaker of the Year award recognizes a unique woman who has consistently gone out of her way to help others succeed. She is the consummate connector, who unselfishly looks out for the business needs of others.” eWomenNetwork is a global community of women entrepreneurs with a reach of 500,000 people.


Hammond, a bestselling/award winning author and international transformational speaker accepted the award noting “A business matchmaker is a champion and connector for others...when you are a champion and connector for others; it comes back to you tenfold. Be and give that which you want to receive.”

Hammond’s 3 C’s tips for business matchmaking:

1. Connect- connect authentically, consider how you could support the person you are speaking with. Ask yourself "who is in my circle of influence that would be a great connection for this person?" Follow up after you meet people. Ask before tell...which means learn about the other person, show interest in what he/she is saying, and look for common connections. Powerfully connect and introduce people. I often do email introductions, having both parties on the "to" line, and always start by a) bigging each person up, clearly explaining why I am connecting the two people and c) encouraging them to set up a time to connect.

2. Communicate- by being present, mindful and open. Engage the person in the dialogue. Ask questions. Listen deeply to the conversation (what is being said that is not being said). Listen for clues about the person's underlying interests (what is important to him/her).  Engage others in dialogue, invite them in.

3. Champion- be a champion for others, share good news/accomplishments/successes and milestones for other people (without expectation of anything in return), refer people whose services you believe in, provide a recommendation on Linked In, and for their marketing materials, mentor others, and simply be a champion.

And I added a fourth.... Create an Experience- when you create powerful connections, engaging conversations and build meaningful relationships, you create an experience!
As you reflect on the people in your circle of influence, consider these questions:
1) Who could I introduce or connect to support one another?
2) Who could I cross promote, support or share good news about?
3) Who in my circle needs a champion in their corner?
4) Whose services have helped me so much, that I can be a champion for them by providing an endorsment, reference or referral?

Hammond is the best selling and award winning author of the wildly popular On Toby’s Terms (Bettie Youngs Books, 2010) which is in development to become a major motion picture with Impact Motion Pictures. She is also the co-author of GPS Your Best Life- Charting Your Destination and Getting There in Style (Bettie Youngs Books, Aug. 2012) which is being released August 1, 2012. She also authored Toby The Pet Therapy Dog & His Hospital Friends (Bettie Youngs Books, 2011) and Bounce Forward. A successful business owner for 1997 and has been changing lives for 25 years.

Mixing Business With Pleasure

Many business owners start their own business because what they do is their life calling, their passion. This was certainly true for me, even though since starting our business 15 years ago, my purpose is different than when we started the company.   I have found in my travels as a speaker, author and consultant that many business owners and leaders are also passionate about giving back. It is in fact a big part of our business model as well.  A couple of months ago I blogged about a great article that Brett Wilson (Dragon’s Den TV show) did in Venture Magazine about philanthropy in business, I really enjoyed his perspective. 

A few weeks ago, I was thrilled to be able to interview with CEO of eWomenNetwork, an international business organization, Sandra Yancey.  We talked about the importance of philanthropy in business. 

Sandra talked about the eWomenNetwork Foundation, her company’s philanthropic foundation that supports emerging leaders, and a number of charitable organizations around North America. Every single eWomenNetwork business mixer and networking meeting has a philanthropic component, this was what drew me to become a member a number of years ago.  eWomenNetwork’s motto is “Give first share always.” 

Something that Sandra said really stood out for me – “Time promotes your exposes you.” Wow, what an interesting perspective. In my presentations, I often talk about making your moments matter, and deciding in advance how you want to show up in the world.  Sandra’s comment is an important reminder to carefully choose how you show up and how you make your moments matter.

Here are some of the great ways my corporate clients are giving back and playing full on in community service and philanthropy:

•        Monthly change for change initiatives (staff put their lose change in the “change for change” jar and every month at staff meeting they choose a different community organization to donate to.  Another client does something similar and they also make a team field trip to the organization (what a great way to give and build relationships).
•        United Way fundraisers
•        Cause of Choice- company chooses one organization they support throughout the year
•       Day of Helping- the team chooses an organization that needs help (e.g. with painting, spring cleaning, an event, etc) and volunteers
•        Toner recycling drives- some companies save their toners and donate to a place like http://www.cartridgefundraising.com/
•        Sobeys (and other similar businesses) gift card purchases where a portion goes to a local sport team, or community organization
•        Pop bottle drives and the money goes to charity
•        Volunteer to make meals at the local soup kitchen

What are the ways you give back?  I would love to be able to feature your company in a future blog.

To listen to the interview with Sandra Yancey, please visit this link (and feel free to share with others).  It is full of incredible tips on philanthropy in business and success!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/03/14/guests-jj-digeronimo-and-sandra-yancey

Listen to the other radio show interviews where I have interviewed guests on the topic of leadership, marketing, trust building in teams, communication, and more:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond

Can Leaders Really Balance it All?

There’s that age old saying “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” and I am finding that in business, we have been able to have our cake and eat it too. The last few years in business have been extremely exciting for us.  It has involved some huge learning curves, some hard work but nonetheless has been fun, interesting and full of times when we could have the cake and eat it too. 

When I asked business owner, Sandra Yancey, the CEO of eWomenNetwork, a global organization, if leaders can really balance it all, we had an interesting discussion.  Sandra talked so eloquently about the importance of choosing what leaders and business owners focus on. This resonated for me because I often say in my presentations and seminars that the thoughts you choose are so important, because they frame everything (how you communicate to others, how you show up and the results you experience).  Sandra gave an example of a recent 30 city tour… This type of tour can be exhausting because of the travel however, Sandra pointed out that when you focus not on the exhaustion but on the passion (the reason she was visiting the 30 cities on the tour), you are rewarded with energy and great experiences. What you focus on really does matter. 

We talked about balance…how she balances running a global company, numerous philanthropic projects, writing books, having a family, and having a life.  Sandra provided what works for her:

-       Behind the scenes is when you can take time to refresh, kick back, and regain our energy. Take time for you!

-       Carefully choose what you focus on, and the people you associate with.
-       Know that you can’t do it all alone- build a support system, ask for help, and learn from those who have been there

-       When you love what you do it is easy to lose time, make sure you take time to be away from the business.

These tips fit in great to my philosophy on Bouncing Forward. 

Balance expert, JJ DiGeronimo states that we have to find ways to recycle our time and manage against the unknowns. JJ gave a great example whereby life happens…we’ve all been there. Challenges crop up throughout the day and then we are left wondering where the day went. She uses several systems to help her recycle time. Planning is a big part but she also stated that learning to say “no”, ensuring you are not over committing yourself, asking for help, delegating and setting reasonable expectations for yourself.  Most importantly, JJ suggests that each of us take time to enjoy the life you have created.  JJ is the author of the Working Woman’s GPS-when the plan to have it all leads you astray. 

You can hear more tips from these two phenomenal leaders at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond

You can find out more about JJ and her book at http://www.purposefulwoman.com/

                           Sandra Yancey's book

Sandra Yancey’s new book Succeeding In Spite of Everything, comes out this summer.  

Book Review: Life is a Contact Sport by Ken Kragen

Life is a Contact Sport was particularly enjoyable to read because I know Ken, in fact, he is my coach. After having seen Ken present at the 2011 eWomenNetwork Convention in Dallas, I knew this man had an incredible degree of knowledge that would serve the world. He has managed some of the world's most memorable entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers along with many others. He was the creator and organizer of "We Are the World", "Hands Across America", and Cisco System's "NetAid". Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success (source: Kenkragen.com). Ken’s ability to create an experience, be memorable and work effectively with media is extremely important for businesses, entrepreneurs, speakers and authors to know more about.

What struck me the most in his presentation, and he talks about it in his book, is the Magic of Threes and creating a memorable experience. Right in the middle of Ken’s live presentation when he made this point, the doors to the ballroom burst open and a high school band marched through the doors, trumpets, drums, trombones, the works! You can guarantee when anyone in that room thinks of Ken, his presentation or message; they will not forget that experience.

In Life Is A Contact Sport, Ken talks about a ten point strategy that is key to success. The first being The Event Strategy. The Event Strategy involves holding several events in a short period of time. To simplify this Ken suggests taking a single event, then building other events and opportunities around it.

He also writes about the importance of optimism and enthusiasm and provides numerous examples of where his attitude and enthusiasm has created stronger business relationships, business deals, and event success. I particularly enjoyed Ken’s strategy of backwards thinking for forward motion- that is beginning with the end in mind, starting with the goal. This approach makes sense. When you start with the goal (and ending timelines in mind), you can create the plan and action steps with corresponding timelines. The benefit of this thinking backwards approach is that: a) you ensure that your plan is doable in the timeframe allotted; b) sometimes it is easier to think of the steps that got you to the goal instead of what you need to do to get to the goal. And, here’s the great part- you can figure out the gatekeepers that you need to get a “yes” from to progress further.

In Life Is A Contact Sport, Ken mentions the importance of giving and building relationships. This is critical. Building relationships is an effective form of marketing, but also in helping others achieve their goals and serving your purpose. I recommend this book for speakers, authors and businesses. This book will change how you think about your events, marketing and media strategies. Applying the Magic of Threes will multiply your success and the experience.

About Ken:

Ken is a graduate of Harvard Business School and his diverse career far transcends the music and entertainment. During the past few years, Kragen has devoted an increasing amount of his time to speaking, writing, coaching others as well as consulting work for leading corporations and many non-profit organizations. Ken Kragen has also produced a variety of film and television projects, ranging from the ground-breaking "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS to Kenny Rogers' "Gambler" movies, and numerous series, mini-series and films. Most recently, Kragen produced the "12 Dogs of Christmas" live action, full length feature film based on his daughter, Emma's, best-selling children's book. (www.12DogsofChristmas.com).

To find out more about Ken and to read Life Is a Contact Sport, visit:

Charmaine and Ken Kragen in Dallas at eWomenNetwork Convention July 2011