I Think You Are Cool

Kevin Willett says that similar traits in personality make for great business partners

Last week I texted one of my friends to tell her that I wanted to introduce her to someone. When she asked why, I explained that they are focusing on the same types of clients and I think that both of them are cool.

People never seem to know how to respond when I tell them that they are cool or that they ‘get it’. Coolness plays a big role in what I do and people often miss this concept.

Let me give you an example, just because you are a realtor and I am a mortgage person does not mean we will automatically do business together. We have to have some type of connection for us to want to do business together. When possible we do business with people we like. I try to connect you with people I think you would like, might get along with, or could be friends with. If I think you are both cool, then that is a match! 🙂 So now you know my secret sauce for connecting people.

Is there someone I know that you want to meet? Send me a message and I will do my best to connect you with them.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Nobody Came to My Event

Kevin Willett says quality over quantity is always best

My friend has started hosting business networking events in our community. When I messaged him to see how the event went he said it was ok but he wished more people had attended. I have to admit that I smiled when he said that because I have hosted many events that I wish more people had attended. Most people do not understand how hard it is to host networking events. I always joke that people think it is like the movie Field of Dreams if you host it they will come and I wish it was that easy.

I think there are two keys to success with networking or seminar events. The first, is consistency. I find that people are too quick to give up when they do not reach their attendance goals. I hear this all the time if I cannot draw at least x number of people then it is not worth my time. I just want to scream when people say this to me. My response is always the same. If you get one client out of the event would you be happy? If so then why does it matter how many people are there? If you draw a ton of people and none of them become clients how has that helped you? If you host great networking events or seminars people will talk and word will spread and more people will want to attend.

The second key to success is gratitude. I can remember being disappointed when people registered for my events and they did not show up. One day I said to myself this is simple why don’t use focus on the people who attended the event rather than the people who didn’t and be thankful for them. It is amazing the positive impact this decision has had on my business. If you make people feel welcomed and included they will want to come back.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

How To Grow Your Business

Kevin Willett discusses ways to position yourself as an expert in your field

Can you help me grow my business? People ask me this question all the time and in most cases I think I can help you. I always start by asking them if they attend business networking events. In many cases the answer is no. They tell me that attending networking events is outside their comfort zone. I then ask them if they are active on social media, are they utilizing Facebook Live and sharing videos on LinkedIn. The answer is usually ‘no, I am not doing that but I am active on social media, every day I do a post reminding people that I can help them and to call me if they need me’.

Bad news my friends, most people will not call you because you have not done anything to position yourself as an expert in your field. I do realize that sharing great content, whether that be videos or blog posts, is super time consuming, but it has really helped me grow my business.

Last night I was out at an event and I had a person stop me to say that they watch my videos every day and they have learned a lot from me. I have learned you never know who is watching your videos or reading your information. If you take the time to educate people they will call you if they need you.

If you are that person who is posting generic call me if you need me messages, then I encourage you to review your social media accounts. How many likes and comments are those posts getting (and your Mom liking it does not count)? I bet the answer is not many. The fact that nobody is responding to those posts should show you that they are not working. You need to find the time and maybe the courage to share good content to help you grow your business.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Know When To Walk Away

Kevin Willett knows that sometimes it is hard, be we need to let go in order to move forward

I have two events that are just not going the way I need them to and I know I need to walk away from doing them. However; I am struggling with this decision. Because I am stubborn and super competitive, I think I can simply work harder and things will work out. As I continue to grow my business and take on more responsibility, I have learned that I have to be super focused, which is something that I just don’t like to do. When I spend too much time focusing on these events that are not working, I find myself letting other things slip, which causes my stress level to rise. I have learned to accept that I need to let things go in order to grow as a business owner and as a person.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Do Not Give Up

Kevin Willett reminds you that success takes work and does not come easy.

I have a friend who is new to his job in sales and he was getting discouraged because sales were not coming as quickly as he hoped. Last month all of his hard worked paid off and he was able to close on a number of deals. I am really proud of him for not giving up. He kept attending events and building relationships.

I see many people get frustrated and give up too soon because sales and entrepreneurship are really hard. If you are tempted to give up, please send me a message so that we can talk about your business to see if I can help you.

Please understand that I will be honest with you. Many times people tell me that they want to be the sales leader in their company. I always smile and say, well the best way to get there is to simply do what the current sales leaders are doing.

Of course most times they will tell me why they cannot make as many calls or book as many appointments as the current sales leaders do. I always smile and say it is not that you cannot do it, it is because you won’t do it, and there is a big difference between those two statements.

Now not everyone wants to be the top sales leader in their industry or company, and that is ok. If you are not hitting your goals you have to have an honest talk with yourself and ask why. Often times it comes down to simply not putting in the effort you need to. We all know what it takes to be successful, the trick is to do it day in and day out, and sometimes that is hard my friends.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

May I Have Your Business Card?

Kevin Willett says not to dismiss those you think can’t help you.

Lately I have seen many people attend networking events without their business cards. I have had a few people say to me that they don’t bring cards anymore because they want to control who they give their cards to. They don’t want to waste time talking to people they don’t want to network with. I really think this strategy is a mistake because you never know where you next referral is coming from. If you refuse to give your contact information to someone, then how can they contact you? Please understand that networking is about building relationships and getting people to know like and trust us. Communication is the key to building relationships. I believe it is important to remember that you are selling through someone and not to them. Just because I don’t have a need for your services doesn’t mean that I may not meet someone who does. When you dismiss people you are missing out on a chance to build a relationship with them and potentially a chance to grow your business.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Our Accountability Group

Kevin Willett wants you to stay accountable and reach your goals.

Last week I was speaking to one of my friends and he told me that one of the struggles he has, as a small business owner, is staying motivated and doing the daily marketing tasks that he knows he has to do to be successful.

I think most people can relate to this comment. Often I see my friends get discouraged because their marketing efforts are not producing the results that they want, so they give up. In other cases their efforts are working and they become busy, so they stop marketing themselves and then of course their business slows down.

The goal of the group is to simply serve as accountability partners for each other. Each week you will send us a list of what your goals are for the week. The following week you will report on your success in achieving your goals. Sometimes just knowing that you will be held accountable for your goals is enough to achieve them.

Are you interested in joining our free accountability group? If so send me an email to Kevin@newenglandb2bnetworking.com

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Do The Right Thing For The Right Reasons

Kevin Willett says that when you expect nothing in return for helping others, you may be surprised.

When someone takes the time to comment on my videos I try my best to send them a message thanking them and asking if there is anything I can do to help them.  Last week I thanked a woman from New York City and when I asked her how I could help, she said she needed help finding a job. Now it would have been super easy to say ‘I am sorry but I don’t know anyone in New York City’. Instead I said lets schedule a call to see what we can do. During the call she told me that she is starting a business to help people impacted by cancer. She told me her story about being a survivor. We spent the next thirty minutes brain storming about her idea. I was impressed with her passion for helping people and it made me want to help her.

One of the challenges we have as business owners is trying to manage our time. People will often ask me ‘why should I meet with people who do not need my services?’  The simple answer is because you are not trying to sell to them you are trying to connect with their network. I have a number of people who are not my clients who refer people to me all the time simply because I spent the time to meet with them and tried to help them.

Do the right thing for the right reason, while expecting nothing in return, and you might be surprised with the way things turn out.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Why It Is Important To Take Days Off

Kevin Willett says success is no fun if you’re too tired and lonely to enjoy it.

I had today off. I went on a day trip with my Wife and Mother-in-Law and had some fun. In the past, I never would have thought of taking days off, because like most people, I listened to the gurus. They tell us that we have to hustle and grind and work all the time to be successful. I have learned the hard way that there is a time to work hard, but you need to find balance in your life and make time for family and friends. We let relationships slip because we think there will be time later to have fun, once we are successful and reach our goals. But sadly that is not always true. There was a point in my life when I did work seven days a week because I thought I needed to. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I ended up becoming burnt out and had to take a step back. Please don’t let this happen to you. Please do not listen to the gurus. Find balance in your life. It is no fun to be successful if you do not have people to share your success with.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

What Happens When You Are Late?

Kevin Willett says there is a lot on the line when you are late for an appointment.

The simple answer to this question is that people lose faith in you and may be reluctant to refer you to their friends and clients. Now please understand, I am not talking about the person who is late once. I am talking about the person who is late the majority of the time. The messages you are sending when you are late are; your time is more valuable than everyone else in the room and you have poor time management skills. Would you want to do business with someone like that?

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events