I read something on FriendFeed last week, in which someone wondered what Google Voice was for.  He had been sitting on it for awhile, trying to figure out why he should use it.    Here’s one reason:

Last month, my main office phone line went dead.  I couldn’t figure it out, but I didn’t panic.  I have Google Voice as my official biz number.  My calls still came in, and I when I made calls, my biz number flashed on the recipient’s caller ID.  No one knew I was experiencing a major phone catastrophe.  Plus I didn’t know the line hadn’t been working until 12-16 hours later since the problem started in the evening, and I had been primarily on the cell phone during that time.  I could have missed many important calls.  But thanks to Google Voice, disaster was averted.

With Google Voice, you are able to assign one number to a bunch of different phone devices.  My number rings my cell phone , my VoIP, and my office line (when it’s working).  And Blackberry (as well as most smartphones) has a Google Voice app that enables you to “call” from your GV number, instead of  your cell number.

Google Voice makes it easier to stay in touch when other forms of technology temporarily fail you.  I don’t know about your job, but in mine, staying connected is vital.

And don’t forget, voicemail messages are transcribed and sent to you via email and/or SMS.  Which is great when you are in meetings (or movies).

And it’s free.

Just don’t ask me how to use Wave.

Last May, I had the honor of speaking on a Jane Cranston conference call.  Jane Cranston was a former VP in my BNI chapter.  She is a well-respected Executive Coach.  Every month, she calls on one of her many colleagues to give some words of wisdom and inspiration to her clients and listeners.

My call was entitled, “Are You Networking Or Not Working?”  We discussed how to “work” a networking event, what to do after the meeting, how networking can help your job search/interviewing, as well as the pros and cons of social networking.

This segment deals with off/online networking.  It’s good to be on LinkedIn and to make connections that way, but it’s better if you are meeting folks face to face and then staying connected via the use of social media.  And the subject of business cards come up.

(from the NYC Business Networking Group)

Join members of The NYC Business Networking Group for the monthly pitch so you can promote your products and services.

The Pitch Party is not a spectator sport and everyone participates to promote their own business. Each attendee promotes themselves in a 30 second pitch to each of the 80 or so attendees. This gives you a chance to make your pitch in a short, precise and effective manner. The members come from a diverse and broad range of backgrounds so connections made at their events encourage rich and rewarding conversations among participants.

WHEN: Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:30 PM
WHERE: New York Life Offices, Graybar Building, 420 Lex at E 42, 15th Flr
COST: $15 prepaid till noon on 1/21 or $20 cash/door (refreshments provided)
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/The-NYC-Business-Networking-Group

The Evening’s Schedule:

6.30 – 7.00 PM: Registration & Informal Networking
7.00 – 7:45 PM: Everyone Participates in a 30 Second Business Pitch
7.45 – 8.30 PM: Formal Targeted Networking With Participants After The Pitch

Sponsored By: The NYC Business Networking is Proudly Sponsored by Microsoft Business

If you’re in my age group, then you should remember this Mickey D’s MLK spot. Brings back some memories of being young and proud of having a holiday named after someone who had the same hair texture as mine.
Happy Birthday to the good doctor, Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day especially, if you haven’t thought about service or helping those in need, please start. Haiti (among other places) needs your help. There are various ways to help.

My family grabbed some unused medical supplies we had in the house and went to Target to buy blankets, water and tents and dropped them off at Charity: Water on 200 Varick Street in Manhattan.

Also, take a minute to google MLK or read a passage about him on this day.

I talk about the benefits of networking and the good that can come from meeting new people on a regular basis.  What I haven’t talked about is the one drawback from expanding your circle – a temporary loss of confidence.

This week, a good friend of mine told me he was depressed.  The week started out great for him, he landed a new client by being proactive.  He left his comfort zone and shook things up…and it worked.

In the middle of the week, he went to meet someone who was recommended by a group of friends.  If this was last year, he would have never made contact and set up the appointment.  He was not a networker, at all. He had a good meeting with this person, a very respected elder in the industry.  This “mentor” gave my friend some advice.  The advice shook him up a little bit.

The advice was good and in two months, he will probably be happy that the mentor went out of his way to talk to him.  The mentor was very genial and the advice was given with the best of intentions.  And what’s crazy is that the mentor invited my friend to work on a project with him.  I would be bouncing around like a five year old at a childrens’ museum if it happened to me. But when you  spend so much time by yourself in your own small biz, your view of the world is not as big as it could be.  You think you are doing things the right way and you also think that everyone is going to be super impressed because you have lasted longer than a decade. It hurts your pride to hear someone senior (and more successful) give advice that you know you should consider and/or apply immediately.  They address the bad habits you have swept under the rug or the stuff you want to do but keep putting off.  We all have these.  So don’t take it personally… take it professionally.

When you leave your comfort zone and start meeting people who have businesses more successful than yours, or people who have more degrees than you, or people who know more successful people than you…you are doing the right thing.  Trust me, you are forming a better network.  And you will feel the sting of jealousy and uncertainty.  But you will also develop thicker skin, as the ones who take an interest in you give you constructive criticism that you will begin to appreciate immediately.  And at the end of the day, you will only grow and get better as a networker and in your current profession. So don’t let that temporary self-doubt and depression stop you from shaking more hands and kissing more babies.

That is why we network, because we want to improve.  Like when you renovate your home, sometimes you rip the walls out. But in the end, a new improved shell awaits.

I call my notes from the BNI meetings the Kool-Aid Kronicles. BNI is an acquired taste. There’s some regimentation involved and it’s very orderly. It’s also 7am every week. If you are going to do this 45+ times a year, you have to be very devoted to networking or touched in the head.  So those of us who are in BNI, accept the fact that we look like we are  sippin’ that Kool-Aid.

For the last eleven+ years, I have been a member of BNI. This networking tool and word of mouth marketing has been an extremely valuable business partner. Many of the professionals in my chapter have dispensed weekly nuggets of wisdom for years on how to be a better entrepreneur. The economy is still trying to get back on solid ground, so it’s good to hear from everyday small biz owners who are keeping their heads and making things happen. Here are a few things I heard and learned on Wednesday from my colleagues:

The wedding favors salesperson contributed on a blog post on resources for women entrepreneurs (see #23).

The organizer/space composer of the group is offering discounts in January, since it is National Organization Month.

The massage therapist is looking to offer his services to pregnant women.

The web developer is looking to meet people who are  concerned with the cost of a website.

The yoga instructor is offering a 20% discount for the month.

In May, I had the honor of speaking on a Jane Cranston conference call.  Jane Cranston was a former VP in my BNI chapter.  She is a well-respected Executive Coach.  Every month, she calls on one of her many colleagues to give some words of wisdom and inspiration to her clients and listeners.

My call was entitled, “Are You Networking Or Not Working?”  We discussed how to “work” a networking event, what to do after the meeting, how networking can help your job search/interviewing, as well as the pros and cons of social networking.

In part one of this audio, we discuss the definition of “Networking.”

In part two, we discuss some of the different ways to network.

Full disclosure:  I am a Blackberry fan.  I’m also a fan of Google.

Thursday, Blackberry email was down for a good portion of the day in many areas of the country.  I was affected.  I turned my phone on around 6:15am EST and received about 5 messages.  I didn’t get another message pushed to my phone until 2:21pm.  And I was out of the office for most of that time.  Did I panic?  Of course not.

I run all of my emails through Gmail.  I love the spam protection.  And the search, and the filtering, and the muting, and the “cloudiness” of it all.  Google has a mobile app at m.google.com.  While I do not use the Gmail function in place of Blackberry’s “pushy” email… for days like Thursday, it sure does come in handy.  When I realized that that I wasn’t getting messages, I opened up the mobile Gmail and let the messages come to my Curve while Blackberry sorted out its email problem.

I didn’t miss a beat.  But I did complain on Twitter.  The complaint had no teeth, I really just did it for “shiggles.”

So, over the holidays set up your Gmail account. Then go to Settings, and walk through the steps of importing your various emails (up to 5) to your Gmail account.  It’s take a few minutes and is very simple.  Even if you don’t put it on your Blackberry, it serves as a great backup.  Google gives you so much storage (7400 MB), you never have to delete. It is so easy to find messages from last year.

Once again, a free service from Google saves the day. And that is priceless, when you are a networker on the go, miles away from the safety of your office and computer.

And have you looked into the new Google/Feedburner Socialize feature?

I have to give one of my BNI Chapter 7 colleagues a shout out.  What she did at today’s meeting, while subtle, showed some real networking tenacity.

Let’s hear it for Adrienne Woods Blankley of Arent Fox LLC.

At today’s BNI meeting, she brought a guest.  The comedian Dread Archie.  Some weeks before, she referred this gentleman to me to discuss publicity.  He misdialed my number and left a message on someone else’s voicemail.  So we did not connect. And since she didn’t have his number to give out to me, she did the next best thing.  Actually, she did the best thing.  She invited him to a meeting.  She invited a creature of the night, a comedian… to a 7am breakfast meeting. In order to meet me. On a degree morning.

And he came.

And Adrienne is relatively new to the chapter (less than six months).  I’ve been in BNI for almost 12 years, and it probably took me 7 years before I took that kind of initiative…and I’m the King of this thing called networKING. Seriously, that kind of networking deserves to be talked about.

Good job Adrienne, and thanks for the referral.