in this - amazon s3 · i’m unbelievably excited to greet all of you in this teleseminar. it is an...

2 © 2011 The Mackay Roundtable

In this session, you will learn the art of networking

Ok gang … Let’s get started … Fasten your seatbelts.

Man bites dog.

My father was a newspaperman — the Associated Press Bureau Chief in

St. Paul.

I was trained to sniff out a story almost before I learned to walk, i.e., man

bites dog.

So why is the Mackay Roundtable breaking news?

There are 25 members in these elite ranks.

To have assembled such a prestigious group is news enough.

After months of vetting and meticulous selection, the Mackay Round-

table has taken shape as a distinguished new network of amazing talent…

first-round draft picks, each and every one of you.

I’m unbelievably excited to greet all of you in this teleseminar. It is an

appropriate prelude to the high-power networking opportunity of our first

face-to-face meeting.

I want to emphasize: This is the most carefully screened and selected

group I have ever been a part of.

You were chosen to become part of The Mackay Roundtable for a

multitude of reasons. (You will appreciate that I can’t share with you the


In networking, it is important to find a professional network that shares common vision, purposes, beliefs and core values

identities of candidates who were not selected for the Roundtable.) I

salute and congratulate all of you here. I look forward to getting to know

each of you far better.

On paper, I feel like I’ve known all of you all of my life. But there’s a vast

difference between paper and in-depth, person-to-person contact.

The Mackay Roundtable is all about turning this virtual network into

the most important professional network in your life.

Why am I so confident this network will flourish? Because our common

vision, purposes, beliefs and core values are so remarkably aligned.

It’s more than fair …

In fact, I think it’s very important for you to know my own objectives in

creating The Mackay Roundtable.

I have been travelling 125 to 150 days a year for the last 24 years.

I’ve been speaking on average once a week to a Fortune 1000 company

or a significantly-sized private firm.

Well, I’m coming off the road and not giving any speeches for a year.

Why would I do this?

l One powerful reason is a compelling need to mentor and guide senior

executives, presidents, and CEOs.


You need to hone the “razor-thin advantages” essential in our competitive world

l The phone calls and the letters keep coming, asking for advice …

from Shanghai and Amsterdam and Capetown and Buenos Aires:

Over the past two decades, these messages number in the tens of

thousands. In a sense, I’m mentoring people all over the world.

l But, these passing contacts aren’t the same as observing and coaching

extraordinary people as they develop.

l This sort of experience is not just nurturing; it also keeps me sharp.

l In delivering these 12 teleseminars and conducting all the face-

to-face sessions, I’ve had to go back and review what I’ve written

over the past forty years … and reassess it to ensure it has remained

relevant and authentic.

I’m totally energized by what I see on the horizon: the interaction of

your realities and considerable talents with whatever wisdom I can offer.

You’ll recall The Mackay Roundtable brochure and application you

all received.

In it, I characterized this group as a “platinum, pragmatic, closed-circle

forum” dedicated to honing the “razor-thin advantages” essential in our

competitive world.

Let’s review the vision, values and attitudes that are so essential to our

mutual success.


Trust can flourish in a climate that is high-energy, positive and supportive

The Mackay Roundtable is dedicated to a three-pronged vision of

executive effectiveness:

1. execution intelligence

2. power networking and networking extension

3. and, focal-point mentoring.

In my opinion, these skills can only be mastered in an environment of

absolute trust.

Trust can flourish in a climate that is high-energy, positive and supportive.

Every day you read some story about the shrewd, opportunistic executive

who skyrockets to success … only to implode because of some core values

problem. Values fall into different clusters.

First come the social values: family, dignity, respect for others, giving

back, loyalty, and reciprocity.

Then comes a mature attitude toward achievement measures, such as

wealth and success.

Third are the traits that comprise personal style. They include: effort,

judgment, urgency, passion, risk-taking, determination and — not least of

all — fun. And I spell that with a capital F.

On all three of these value clusters, each of you displayed flying colors.

I salute and applaud you once again!


You have to network in a smooth and easy manner

That’s why you have the makings of a group that will lift the definition

of extraordinary.

Getting the most out of the first session

Today’s teleseminar is going to be devoted to networking.

But first …I’d like to cover how you can maximize the value of your

membership, starting with our first face-to-face meeting. At that session,

you will have an opportunity to put some networking principles to work

in an intensive forum.

I want to share a couple of suggestions about getting the most out of our

first face-to-face session. These comments are also thoughts about improving

your networking effectiveness.

The first rule of networking: You have to network in a smooth and easy

manner. Forced, contrived networking shows… It won’t be any fun and

people will notice.

Tip #1: You have the biographies of the group members. Read them

now, if you haven’t already. There’s a goldmine of information in them.

Let the bio material start to sink in now, and look for associations.

Find at least one trait in each person that piques your interest and can

trigger a conversation.


Yourlong-term memory is,in effect, your hard-drive

It could be an industry acquaintance you might share in common, the

same alma mater, or an appreciation for tennis or golf … whatever.

Learning and recalling one thing about twenty-five different people at

one event is no easy task. Several years ago, I was at a corporate dinner

for senior executives and their guests. There must have been at least 150

people there.

I got a kick out of watching a bald-headed, bearded, bespectacled guy

make the rounds.

He shook hands and introduced himself to each guest.

Two-and-a-half hours later, the same scene was repeated. The same guy

walked around and said “so long” to all 150.

And?

He said goodbye to each of them — 99% of whom he met for the first

time that evening — by name! What a shocker! He was 100% accurate.

This memory expert’s name is Benjamin Levy. I’ve never seen the likes

of him before, and I’ll probably never see it again.

I won’t go into his techniques, but three of his principles are worth

keeping on your front burner:

1. “Our long-term memory [in our head] is, in effect, our hard-drive.”


Social memory skills come fron discipline, preparation and skillful association thinking

2. The brain has a “constant yearning to make associations between

what it already knows and what it’s learning.”

3. Levy cites a Columbia University researcher who said: “The more

associations you have with something the more likely you are to

remember it.”

Give these three principles a workout. It isn’t the volume of information

that’s the problem. Social memory skills come from discipline, prepara-

tion and skillful association thinking. Since you’ll be seated with different

members at the dinners, you’ll have a chance to practice.

Tip #2: Expand and leverage your exposure to expert authorities in

your contacts. You will have the chance to meet some distinguished guest

speaker authorities — many of whom are of world-class status.

Why are these experts important?

In order to be a world-class executive leader, you have to know what

is going on in the real world … not just in your business or your imme-

diate community.

Knowledge does not become power until you use it. Ideas without

action are worthless.

We will have acclaimed resources in combatting terrorism, politics,

medicine and the arts. We’ll present authorities in social media, economics

entertainment, marketing, and executive communications.


You will learn proven techniques for leveraging the insights you will be getting in these sessions

What they share will be important in its own right.

This exposure will also have important practical impact. That includes

your business’s marketing and sales capability.

People are fascinated by first-hand stories and experiences with promi-

nent figures and celebrities on the national and world stages. We will suggest

proven techniques for leveraging the inside insights you will be getting.

Right in our tight little circle, we already have identified:

l attention-bending authors,

l public-relations and advertising expertise,

l a corporate strategist,

l a top-level ethics appraiser,

l an Internet sales authority,

l an estate-planning maven,

l a mortgage banking specialist,

l an insurance guru,

l a New Age media mover-and-shaker,

l a restaurant mogul,

l a retailing tour de force,


Be ready to “merchandise” what you learn to people in your company or professional network

l a serial entrepreneur,

l an engineering mastermind,

l a recruitment expert,

l a not-for-profit design strategist,

l an indie filmmaker,

l a health-industry innovator,

l a strategic turnaround artist,

l an executive communications counselor,

l a sports-marketing dynamo,

l a major-league money manager,

l a service-industry titan,

l a pro-sports hall-of-famer with distinction,

l an Internet intellectual property whiz,

l And so on and so on … Well, you get the picture.

Be prepared to ask these experts some meaningful questions. I’m

talking tough, memorable questions. Not rude or abusive ones, but truly

challenging ones.

Then be ready to “merchandise” what you learn … to people in your

company or your professional network.


If your questions are penetrating and worthwhile, they can even help you build a relationship with the experts you’re meeting

This makes you a source of valuable insights to others.

If your questions are penetrating and worthwhile, they can even help

you build a relationship with the experts you’re meeting. It was just this

kind of initiative that I took with Tom Peters, Rudy Giuliani, Steven

Covey and Robert Redford … only to mention a few. Contacts at speaking

engagements with these four became the cornerstones for professional

friendships that have now extended over three decades.

As an example, I judged the Miss America Pageant in 2001 — Hey,

somebody’s got to do it.

From the day Miss Alabama is born. From the day Miss Idaho is born.

Their mothers are after them for 18 years to train them to field tough

questions with intelligence … warmth … and poise.

One of the ten questions I asked all fifty of these young women was

this: Let’s assume you are Hillary Clinton. In the aftermath of the Monica

Lewinsky revelations, would you have stayed married to Bill Clinton and

why or why not?

I guarantee you that none of those fifty contestants will ever forget their

answers to that question. And, I suspect more than a few may not have

liked having to answer it … but admired the ingenuity and substance of this

revealing question, because it shot right to the core of the values issue.

Tip #3: Practice taking power notes.


Focus on fresh ideas and instant imagination that your new experiences provoke

A top-notch professional note-taker has been engaged to document the

dialogue and presentations during our sessions. This kind of note-taking is

one very important step up from raw transcriptions allowing us to capture

the flow of ideas. You’ll also receive CDs of the meetings.

And I can’t emphasize this enough … Learn to be selective in what you

spend your time recording. Concentrate on the interaction. Focus on the

fresh ideas and instant imagination the new experiences provoke.

I’ve always treated events like this the same way I treat sales calls. Each

evening I use a recorder or a pad to debrief myself on what I learned that day

and what I’m going to do about it.

Networking Round #1

Now to our first teleseminar topic — Networking.

If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful

people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture

a network of contacts.

In today’s shark-eat-shark economy, talent alone will not save you.

Genius will not. Experience will not. Guts and hard work will not. If you

need a job, money, advice, help, hope, or a means to make a sale, there’s

only one surefire, fail-safe place to find them — your network.

But only if you have one.


Even if you were to lose everything else, if you have your network, you can quickly achieve success again

You can take all my money … all my factories … all my people … But

leave me my network, and I’ll be back to where I was in two years.

How did it all start?

In Hopkins, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis, there’s a country club

that was formed in 1920. According to its own website, The Oak Ridge

Country Club was founded for people in the Twin Cities “who knew the

difference between a golf ball and a matzo ball.”

So, Oak Ridge has had a bit of an ethnic slant.

After I graduated from the University of Minnesota, I couldn’t afford

my own apartment. My mother had just died, and I was living at home

with my dad.

I was scratching out a living selling envelopes for a firm named

Quality Park.

Seeing my frustration, my father reminded me that “golf was the only

form of human activity” I’d “taken seriously” up to that moment.

He suggested I go over to Oak Ridge and pitch the admissions committee.

“Tell them you were an accomplished varsity golfer at the University of

Minnesota. Propose that they let you into the club without paying the huge

initiation fee. Neither of us could possibly afford it.”

So I went … And, when the laughter died down, the admissions

committee asked me: “For nothing? You want us to admit you, a 21-year-


You need to find your networking hole-in-one

old kid, who knows virtually no one in the entire club, for nothing? Just so

you can hustle our bunch of old duffers?”

Then I promised I would help them win the City League Championship

… that I would not gamble on golf … and that someday I would actually

pay the initiation fee.

They answered that maybe they should defer my admission to “someday”

as well. But, I could tell they were warming up. Fantasies of a City League

trophy won their hearts. Ultimately they relented.

Instantly, by virtue of being admitted, I was given the opportunity to

leverage a network of 300 successful business people. And those were just

the Club members. That didn’t begin to factor in all the contacts in the

City League with whom we competed.

That membership at Oak Ridge proved my networking hole-in-one.

It created the foundations for business relationships with giant orga-

nizations, such as: Fingerhut (at the time, the largest single envelope user

in the United States), the Minnesota Vikings, Honeywell, Pillsbury and

General Mills.

In turn, these accounts gave me the contact leverage to buy my own

business — Mackay Envelope Company.

Oak Ridge also introduced me to a golf partner who never bought a

single envelope from me: my wife Carol Ann.


What one bad apple can do to a barrel is grim; what one bad apple can do to a network is unfathomable

The Oak Ridge breakthrough was a life-defining networking experi-

ence for me.

By the way, this story has a postscript.

Among the notables in the broader Oak Ridge network, one fellow will

go down in history as being the most impactful associate of recent decades.

In fact, he was former chairman of NASDAQ and a member in good

standing of the opulent Palm Beach Country Club in Florida — the most

exclusive Jewish country club on the map.

But he is currently enjoying a lifetime engagement at MCI Butner

Medium Security in North Carolina. His privileges there have been

extended for another 148 years.

Starting in the 1980s, Bernie Madoff hustled at least 25 Oak Ridge

members, who invested with him. He took a carload more to the cleaners at

his home course at Palm Beach.

The moral: What one bad apple can do to a barrel is grim. What one bad

apple can do to a network is unfathomable.

The rules I have learned for networking are vast and complex. Usually,

one keeps the best for last. I’m going to share it with you first.

There is a Golden Rule for Networking. It should permeate all your

networking efforts. BUT it goes against every naturally acquisitive, ambi-

tious and self-serving impulse in each of us.


Surround yourself with talented people because they are your most powerful asset

I call it the Golden Rule of Networking: RECIPROCITY WITHOUT

KEEPING SCORE … which means … What can I do for you without

expecting anything in return?

Let me tell you how it works:

If we’re smart, we surround ourselves with talented people … the most

talented we can find. They are our most powerful asset.

That’s why I think of this select group as our own personal Brain Bank.

They include our friends, our mentors, our fellow workers, and our industry

contacts. Hopefully, the members of The Mackay Roundtable will soon

number among the senior and most trusted members of your Brain Bank.

You never know when you’ll need to draw on the “accounts” you create

with those oh-so-valuable resources.

With every contact within your Brain Bank — every call and every

visit — preferably near the conclusion, sincerely ask the other person

what you can do to be helpful to them.

Ninety-five percent of the time, people will thank you for asking and tell

you that there’s really nothing they need.

If, however, they do ask you for a favor, then your eyes should light up

like the New Year’s Ball in Times Square.

As you learn what is being asked for, note every detail with warmth and

urgency. Fulfill the request to the best of your ability.


The Golden Rule of Networking is reciprocity without keeping score

As you do it, and after it’s done, expect nothing, absolutely nothing, in

return. Don’t shop for gratitude in your phone calls or e-mails. Do the favor

because you like and respect the other person and honestly want to help.

If you manage your career and live your life in this way, two magical

things will happen:

1. Over time, people will find ways to do remarkable and unexpected

things for you that make your life easier.

2. And, when you’re hit by a storm in full fury, you are likely to find the

most astonishing human network of support you could ever imagine.

Every networking tip and suggestion I am about to offer assumes

your understanding of the Golden Rule of Networking: RECIPROCITY

WITHOUT KEEPING SCORE.

Let’s keep the ball rolling on networking favors. There are countless

ways business people can be helpful to each other that don’t even cross

our minds:

l Help a colleague prepare for a major presentation. Act as their

sounding board. Help your friend by pointing out what needs to be

clearer … what needs more emphasis … and what seems to drag.

l Be a source for heads-up information. Do it for other business

leaders in your community or your industry — perhaps not direct

competitors, but almost everyone else.


A critical key in peer-to-peer networking is managing first impressions

There’s a converse side to this positive attitude. Don’t spread trouble.

l Never abuse confidences and or share inside information. You only

have to do this once, and you’ll be marked as a security risk for life.

Worst of all: You’ll never learn what others know about you and why

they won’t trust you.

l Don’t export problems. Sometimes companies try to downsize high-

maintenance losers and stick them on another company’s payroll.

Believe me, if you do that, you will be remembered … and for the

wrong reasons. When you terminate people who aren’t performing,

do them the favor of leveling with them and constructively help

them readjust their career focus.

A critical key in peer-to-peer networking is managing first impressions.

Years ago, I remember being asked to participate in a televised roundtable

in Chicago sponsored by Chief Executive magazine. The other participants

were all CEOs of companies far larger than mine. I remember them being

“big cigars” of industry.

I insisted on getting the bios of the other invitees ahead of time. As it

turned out, one was a fellow marathon runner. Another was a big envelope

user. I’m still talking with and selling some of these guests today.

Everybody on the CEO roundtable was sharp, but I seriously doubt that

any of the others recognized the networking potential.

I have two simple words for that: Networking waste.


When networking, find common ground, and do your homework by researching your peers

Same theme: Do you cruise the name tags at the doorway of any event

you attend and plan out your contact agenda for that get-together? If you

don’t, then network waste looms on the horizon.

Plan which tables you’ll hit and when. Networking always has geography.

Your time is far too valuable to do it differently.

Big picture: Find the common ground. Do your homework. Research

your peers — therein lies the gateway to opportunity.

Reflect on your own achievements. They open many doors for you.

That leads me to my priority list of ways to stay in touch with your

network.

For the first 25 years of my career, I would pinpoint certain hours during

the week — including Sunday night — doing what I call Spin-to-Win: flip-

ping through my Rolodex (now my BlackBerry and contact management

system) with all the little notes that reminded me to ask Client X how the

kids were and how the surgery fared for the wife of Client Y. This process

led me to creative techniques for easily and reliably staying in touch with

clients. I could reach 40 people a week. That’s multiplied to 2,000 a year.

My #1 way to stay in touch is what I call clip and ship. It’s a near certain

way to fix you in the memory of any one with whom you happen upon.

When you scan your daily dose of media, keep others in mind. Send

Website links or interesting articles.


Handwritten notes can make a huge impression on people after networking with them

For me, President Bush 41 — whom I call Father Bush — will forever

be the Immortal Undisputed Czar of Clip and Ship. Without his mastery

of Clip and Ship, becoming first Vice President and then President would

never have been possible.

He would be the first to admit how vital letter-writing was to his political

networking career. (Besides, how can I not admire a guy so deeply dedicated

to using envelopes!)

Let me share a personal experience with you.

Before he became Vice President, I saw him at an airport. I knew he had

been the college roommate of my very good friend, so I approached him and

introduced myself. It was a spontaneous encounter, lasting no more than 3

minutes. The very next day I got a handwritten note from him.

Can you imagine how that experience registered on me? Within

180-seconds, he turned me into a supporter, contributor and fan for life.

Bill Clinton had a similar penchant for acknowledging meetings with

letters. He also was a phenomenal note writer and could continue the last

conversation he had with someone, even though years intervened.

Another twist on Clip and Ship is Photo Op.

This too is the master stroke of a politician. In the case of Photo Op, the

wizard behind the camera was Dick Berkley, a fellow owner of an envelope

outfit — Tension Envelope.


You can use Photo Ops to follow up a meeting, which are the social equivalent of a sales call

Although Dick is a competitor, he is also a close friend. He served as

mayor of Kansas City between 1979 and 1991. Now think about this …

Kansas City is a blue collar bastion. Yet Dick was both the first Repub-

lican mayor in that town since the 1920s and the longest-serving mayor

in the city’s history.

How did he do this?

Dick would carry a camera in his shirt pocket so he could take quick

shots, have the photos rapidly developed and mail them off to people —

symphony balls, conventions, fundraisers … you name it.

In February 2010, Dick was walking in downtown San Francisco and

spotted my latest book in a Barnes & Noble window. He snapped a photo and

sent it to me. That kind of follow-up is the social equivalent of a sales call.

Of course, camera phones and smart phones have moved this mode of

communication to a whole new dimension.

My second tip for staying in touch is to watch the calendar. Use it

creatively. Use it competitively. Don’t time mailings to coincide with

mass clutter.

The list of calendar opportunities is endless.

Also don’t wait for Christmas or Hanukkah to write out your holiday

cards. This is something I learned from the old-time stand-up comedian

Red Buttons.


Most people think that all big hitters know how good they are and don’t need any strokes, but nothing could be further from the truth

You would get a Christmas card from Buttons inscribed: “I’ll never forget

meeting you in April at the Stadium in the Bronx and getting the dish on

this year’s pitching staff.”

How the heck could he remember? Very simple. Of course, he didn’t

remember. He just wrote cards throughout the year and stashed them away

to send out at the holidays.

Investigate the firm SendOut cards for yourself and your sales force. I was

on the course in Scottsdale two weekends ago with my golf pro and my good

friend Lou Holtz. My golf pro took a photo of Lou and me, and by Tuesday, I

had a 4-panel copy of the photo he took along with a handwritten letter in

beautiful script to send to Lou.

His investment: 3 minutes on the computer and $1.50. You can use the

same service to send out brownies and motivational books. (Be sure and ask

me about this phenomenal company when we meet in person.)

Let me put a different twist on whom to be in touch with. Trust me

… I know that even the biggest names … the most famous people … and

the most powerful executives, are flattered to receive these complimentary

notes especially from someone they know. Don’t think that just because

they are well-known or huge successes, that they are used to it. They aren’t!

And let me tell you why. Most people think that all big hitters know

how good they are … and don’t need any strokes. Nothing could be further

from the truth.


Stay in touch with people when they’re down

If you are really desperate to stay in touch, don’t overlook the calls of

nature: President Lyndon Johnson was a congressional aide in Washington

back in the 1930s, before he was ever elected to office. The aides had their

own symbolic organization called the Little Congress. Johnson got elected

president of this group because he got to know his fellow aides so well.

How? Well … He would shower 3 to 4 times a day in the cheap

rooming house the aides all stayed in just to lobby his counterparts and

really get close to them.

In my book, that’s what I would call “extreme networking.”

Another pointer: Stay in touch with people when they’re down.

Case in point: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Today’s he’s not

only the mayor of New York, for which he gets an income of $1 a year. He’s

also the richest resident of the Big Apple, with $18 billion in his wallet.

You might remember what started the chain of events that enabled

Mayor Bloomberg to become a billionaire: Getting fired at the Wall Street

investment banking firm of Salomon Brothers.

Bloomberg worked 12 hours a day, six days a weeks for fifteen years.

Salomon Brothers then merged into Phibro Corporation. Bloomberg was

not part of the plan. But his severance was a cool $10 million.

With his proceeds he founded Bloomberg LP and then was elected

mayor in 2001.


People remember two things in life — who helped you on the way up and who kicked you on the way down

The Mayor confided in me something very personal. I asked him who

reached out to him after he got axed in the Salomon deal.

He thought for a moment and said, “I do remember who called me after-

wards. I remember the exact list. One’s dead, but the others are still alive.

If any one of them ends up in trouble, I’ll call them. If you see them on the

way up, you should see them on the way down.

“Whenever someone gets fired or has some real problems, I always call

to tell them my thoughts are with them. You say it because that’s what

people need. When times are good or when times are tough, you absolutely

remember your friends and stay in touch."

He continued: “People remember two things in life — who helped you

on the way up … and who kicked you on the way down when the sun wasn’t

shining.” As I put it: “Who kicked you on the way down and who helped

you on the way up.”

It is a different story when people sense trouble. The automatic instinct

is to dive for the exit or to evade sticky situations at all cost.

This leads me to the next opportunity to stay in touch.

Networks have troubles, too:

l Breakdowns in communication

l Personal slights blown out of all proportion

l Relationships sabotaged by third parties with an axe to grind.


Community service is another way to keep your network fresh and alive

If you can be an honest broker … if you have the personal chemistry to

be a peace-maker … you can become a hero for the ages.

Community service is another way to keep your network fresh and alive.

You help your surroundings. You mature your character. In the end, you

can’t help but help your business.

My friend Muhammad Ali has always had a wonderfully simple, direct

and memorable way of putting things. The Champ was never more eloquent

than when he said:

“Service to others is the rent each of us should pay for our

room here on Earth.”

Wow! Without a doubt, more and more networking happens in cyber-

space … in global settings … and across borders.

Network global. Act local.

I learned this by means of the first power network I ever experienced.

At the age of eight, my father introduced me to the wonders of Perl-

man’s Barber Shop in St. Paul. I loved to tag along because of the shop’s

sports page selection and collection of Lone Ranger comic books.

Since my father was the Associated Press Bureau Chief in town,

Perlman’s held a different attraction for him. It was the clientele of cigar-

smoking, side-of-the-mouth talking guys. They always seemed to have the


The very idea that each of us has a single, comprehensive network is a dangerous illusion — we all belong to multiple networks

inside dope and guaranteed outcome of every local prize fight, ball game,

election, and murder trial.

At Perlman’s there were eight chairs. Seniority ruled. My father got

chair one and was barbered by Perlman himself. Why? He had been going

there since he was a cub reporter.

Every patron in the place had to go by my father to get in or out of the

door. He seemed to know them all, and each one had a tip or a scoop or

some gossip to lay on him.

Caution: the very idea that each of us has a single, comprehensive

network is a dangerous illusion.

We all belong to multiple networks. Each of them is of a different type

and has its own unique power rating.

All networks are not created equal.

Yesterday’s network is not today’s network.

Your social network is not your business network.

Your “money” network is not your “experience” network.

Don’t assume that one network automatically flows into another.

As we go through these techniques, remember not every networking

idea applies to everyone; but you only need just a few proven techniques

to materially advance your networking skills. Apply the ones you can

identify with.


If you build trust, the gatekeeper will share valuable information about the climate and timing of your message

You may have mastered these practices. But has your staff mastered the

basic networking skills repertory?

Oftentimes very senior people, I find, don’t even recognize their own

natural networking instincts. Nor do they point them out to their people in

ways that can be learned.

We were just talking about salespeople, and another networking “must”

comes to mind. It’s especially important for selling.

To oil the gate, you’ve got to lubricate the gatekeeper. It’s usually an

executive assistant or administrative aide. Sometimes it’s a chief of staff.

Somebody controls the calendar. Often this person is the crucial sounding

board. They can even control the budget. They almost always plot out the

seating chart for the next dinner.

As every salesperson knows, the key to the sale is knowing who’s got the

hammer. Let’s talk first about administrative gatekeepers.

Take time to learn a bit about the gatekeepers’ hobbies, their

families and their career aspirations. The small talk you exchange

while you are waiting to be connected to your contact can be invaluable.

If you build trust, and let me repeat that — If you build trust, the gate-

keeper will share valuable information about the climate and timing of your

message. Is it likely to be well received or even considered on that helter-

skelter, crisis-driven morning?


Gatekeepers come and go just like everyoneelse, so know who their backup is

At MackayMitchell Envelope, we have 3,000 accounts. For each of

them, there’s no difference between the buyer and the gatekeeper when it

comes to amenities. They get the same treatment, the same gifts, whatever.

Be resourceful in the way you talk to gatekeepers.

Many times I’ve cultivated the Minnesota Governor’s assistant or Larry

King’s assistant or even the assistant to a key purchasing agent with some

magical words: “I prefer to work with you directly rather than with the

Governor or “The King.”

Now … Here is a real gem.

Don’t be satisfied with just knowing the A-team. Learn who the

gatekeeper’s backup is. This person absorbs the workflow and often the

phone calls.

And remember to factor in the Law of Large Numbers. What is the

Law of Large Numbers? It’s an insurance term.

There are 309 million people in the U.S. The insurance industry can

tell you within one quarter of 1 percent every year how many people are

going to die — what age, what color, what sex, what creed. There is only

one problem … They can’t tell you who.

Gatekeepers come and go just like everyone else. Gatekeepers are

promoted, fired, transferred, job hop, and even die.


You must understand the principle of the Law of Large Numbers and how it applies to your business

And that goes for every buyer in spades that you or your sales staff is

calling on. You must understand the principle of the Law of Large Numbers

and how it applies to your business.

As with anything else, when you call, bring something positive to the

party. When you call, being energized and uplifting will get you further than

being pushy and demoralizing.

Most of you serve as outside directors of other corporations and important

civic organizations. The competition is usually keen to become a member of

the prestigious executive committee or compensation committee.

Don’t overlook the often neglected nominating committee — head and

shoulders above all the other committees. What a networking gateway for

you! Here are two reasons why:

1. You will learn a great deal about the power structure of your commu-

nity and the Board candidates’ industry down to the W-2s and net

worth numbers.

2. You’ll also have a chance to influence the long-term direction and

culture of the organization you want to guide for decades to come,

because all nominating committees pick the organization’s officers.

As to social influence in general, here are some tips on social media and

networking which I believe have escaped the radar screen of 80-90 percent

of top managers these days.


This is a very fast-moving world, and the rules are changing nearly as quickly as they are being written

Surely, social media — LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook — are changing

the face of networking.

This is a very fast-moving world. The rules are changing nearly as quickly

as they are being written. In recent months, I’ve watched this sphere very

closely from the standpoint of executive recruiting.

This has been the tightest job market since the Great Depression. I’ve

been in close contact with the senior team at Korn/Ferry, which, of course,

is the largest and most powerful executive search firm in the world.

Networking for most of us is a pleasurable pursuit.

Networking is different for someone who has landed on the street and is

trying to cover the mortgage, tuition, or assist some member of the family

who needs help. That’s as true for folks in the C-suite as it is anywhere else.

For people in these straits, networking is bread-and-butter, life-and-death.

What are my sources at Korn/Ferry telling me about social media and

networking? Here are some direct quotes:

l “Even though computer networking seems more efficient, don’t lose

sight of what really influences potential employers to have a memo-

rable impression of you. Will it be a glitzy presentation on Facebook

or a face-to-face encounter?”

l “In Facebook entries on the Web,” they are “surprised at how few

people feature a bold, clear statement of what their core professional


At this point, social media is becoming something you must do to simply stay in the race

competency is. Giving that matter prominence in itself shows you

are a serious-minded person.”

I urge each of you to give your Facebook and LinkedIn entries a tough

once over. Whenever someone in your network suggests to a third party

that this individual link up with you, the very first thing that happens is you

will be Googled, Facebooked and LinkedIn.

This is the impression that was once made by a business card. Does your

Internet presence invite contact and inspire confidence?

l Third, and this may be the most important observation of all:

“These networks may offer connectivity. However, while you’re

using these networks, so are a million other people… So network

fatigue is setting in.”

That means social MEDIA is more something you must do simply

to stay in the race … It’s not a series of techniques that will auto-

matically give you an important new edge.

The entire game of digital communications is measured in nano-seconds.

You may think you are state-of-the-art. But never forget:

l There will be new ways to use social media.

l There will be new social media.

l There will be new protocols for using the Internet to make or rein-

force social contacts.


Get people into your kitchen cabinet who are techno-savvy communicators

l There will also be new defenses to screen even the most imaginative

pitches and presentations, just as there are — Korn/Ferry reminds

me — very sophisticated programs to screen personal résumés.

My advice: Keep your ear to the ground, and get people into your kitchen

cabinet who are techno-savvy communicators. Note my emphasis: Not

just techno-savvy, but sensitive to the human communications nuances of

what happens on the Internet.

These hybrid types, conversant in both worlds, will be increasingly

essential to your networking potential overall.

The standards and expectations for personal presence change continu-

ally. I can guarantee you that the situation will only get more competitive.

We’ve come full circle to the Golden Rule of Networking: RECIPROCITY

WITHOUT KEEPING SCORE ... which I described earlier means … What

can I do for you without expecting anything in return?

But now let’s go to our introductions.

Wrap Up

So … Let’s wrap it up in the next few pages for this session. These

are some of the basics that will help you build, expand and energize your

network of contacts.


Effective networking is a seamless combination of doing meaningful little things while staying focused on the big picture

As part of The Mackay Roundtable, you will be receiving documents and

addenda that summarize some of the key networking principles discussed in

this first teleseminar.

As with each of these teleseminars, you are invited to share this infor-

mation with your personal management teams.

As you have heard, effective networking is a seamless combination of

doing meaningful little things while staying focused on the big picture.

You will hear me make this point time and again throughout the year:

Little things mean a lot.

Not true.

Little things mean everything.

Your capacity to cultivate and retain powerful, influential contacts

will be absolutely essential to your realizing your professional and leader-

ship potential.

In advance of our face-to-face meeting, I would like you to walk yourself

through a personal audit of your own networks.

l When was the last time you scrolled through your PDA or your

Rolodex and saw how up to date it was?

l Not just the information in it, but the very people you had listed.


Your capacity to cultivate and retain powerful, influential contacts will be absolutely essential to your realizing your professional and leadership potential

l Do you have the right kinds of people to match your professional and

personal goals?

l Do your various networks have balance? Some people, for example,

have networks that are highly concentrated in their specialty but

very little diversity. (You need depth in those areas that you don’t

know about.)

l What are you doing to cultivate the future relationships you will need?

l Is this just a vague goal? Or have you created a timing-and-action

calendar that outlines what you will do to strengthen your network

… and when you will do it?

l What kinds of networking come naturally to you and how can you

leverage it better?

l What kinds of networking are you less successful at and how will you

improve your performance?

l Are you setting tangible networking goals? Make networking as

measurable a challenge as you can! And of course, the key word

is measurable.

l Are there entire groups of people that are totally absent or thinly

represented?

l Do you have reminder systems in place so that networking initiatives

coordinate with social and community events?


The breadth and depth of your networking possibilities are completely reliant on your ability to skillfully apply the Golden Rule of Networking

l Indeed, are you evaluating your participation in these events based

on their networking potential?

l What kinds of favors are you able to provide contacts you want to

cultivate? (That’s a biggie!)

l Are you planning your business travel with an eye to growing and

developing those contacts?

l Are you regularly monitoring the networking behavior of your key

subordinates and of your children?

l Are you making time to meet with people you consider mentors to

you … as well as younger executives whom you could mentor?

So, I really would like you to think about these questions in advance of

our coming together. If you spot tough challenges or nagging problems …

hey …be prepared to discuss them with your associates on the Roundtable.

That kind of dialogue is a central purpose of this group.

Never forget. The breadth and depth of your networking possibilities

are completely reliant on your ability to skillfully apply the Golden Rule of

Networking: RECIPROCITY WITHOUT KEEPING SCORE.

Well … That’s it. For our first session, that’s a wrap. And I really can’t

wait to see you in the Valley of the Sun. And please remember: If I can ever

be of help to ANY of you, just give me a call.

Goodbye for now.

in this - amazon s3 · i’m unbelievably excited to greet all of you in this teleseminar. it is an...

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