For instance, when

When we relocated recently, we decided to sell our old car instead of transporting it cross country, and buy another one once we arrived at our destination.

Since we were new in town, we asked people at my husband's workplace for their recommendations for car dealers. We got 3 names. We visited them all, and settled on a car we liked.

As we were getting ready to buy the car, we ran into a little snag: we needed to have car insurance in the state of Ohio, before we could drive the car home.

We knew we could transfer our insurance from California to Ohio, so we hadn't worried about this detail too much.

However, as it turned out, we bought this car on a Saturday. And while the California insurance office was open, the Ohio branch was not! So we could not do the transfer that day. We had to wait until Monday.

With everything else we had to do, I didn't want to wait. I wanted this "task" to be completed and off my "to do" list!

So I asked our car salesman if he could recommend an insurance company.

He said he liked his own insurance agent and could call them to find out if they were open.

They were. And they got our business.

Well, 3 things occurred to me, as I thought about this experience:

1. The insurance agent made a sale on a Saturday morning, without any effort on his part.

   Well, actually, the effort was invested earlier -- when he was serving and taking care of his client (our car salesman).

   So when we asked for a recommendation, it was a "no-brainer" for our car salesman to give us his name.

2. Our car dealership seems to make a lot of sales. As I drive around these days, it seems that every other car on the road is from that dealership.

   How many people go to that dealership in the first place, because a trusted friend or colleague recommended it to them?

   Related to this, it occured to me that we had asked several people for recommendations for car dealerships, but only 3 responded with names.

   Why didn't the others? Is it because they don't have cars, or is it because they didn't have an out-of-the-ordinary experience with the dealership they went to?

3. There are "natural" partnership opportunities among certain businesses.

   For instance, when y

   How To Impress At An Interview, And Land That Job
   Candidates’ experience and credentials, as detailed in the resume, are most often the frequently used criteria for determining which job applicants are deserving of a personal interview. Ultimately, though, the hiring decision is going to be heavily based upon the candidates’ performance in the interview and their value to the organization. To impress an interviewer, you have to be able to distinguish yourself from other candidates and be prepared
   ready to buy the car, we ran into a little snag: we needed to have car insurance in the state of Ohio, before we could drive the car home.

   We knew we could transfer our insurance from California to Ohio, so we hadn't worried about this detail too much.

   However, as it turned out, we bought this car on a Saturday. And while the California insurance office was open, the Ohio branch was not! So we could not do the transfer that day. We had to wait until Monday.

   With everything else we had to do, I didn't want to wait. I wanted this "task" to be completed and off my "to do" list!

   So I asked our car salesman if he could recommend an insurance company.

   He said he liked his own insurance agent and could call them to find out if they were open.

   They were. And they got our business.

   Well, 3 things occurred to me, as I thought about this experience:

   1. The insurance agent made a sale on a Saturday morning, without any effort on his part.

      Well, actually, the effort was invested earlier -- when he was serving and taking care of his client (our car salesman).

      So when we asked for a recommendation, it was a "no-brainer" for our car salesman to give us his name.

   2. Our car dealership seems to make a lot of sales. As I drive around these days, it seems that every other car on the road is from that dealership.

      How many people go to that dealership in the first place, because a trusted friend or colleague recommended it to them?

      Related to this, it occured to me that we had asked several people for recommendations for car dealerships, but only 3 responded with names.

      Why didn't the others? Is it because they don't have cars, or is it because they didn't have an out-of-the-ordinary experience with the dealership they went to?

   3. There are "natural" partnership opportunities among certain businesses.

      For instance, when

      Make Your Meetings More Productive - Move the Chairs
      When you organise a meeting do you consider the room layout or do you just put chairs out the way you always do? Often, meetings are held in rooms where no consideration is given to layout – the tables and chairs were set out that way and so that’s the way the meetings are held!However, room layout has a powerful psychological influence on the progress of the meeting. It also helps contribute to the success of meetings.New psychological
      ing else we had to do, I didn't want to wait. I wanted this "task" to be completed and off my "to do" list!

      So I asked our car salesman if he could recommend an insurance company.

      He said he liked his own insurance agent and could call them to find out if they were open.

      They were. And they got our business.

      Well, 3 things occurred to me, as I thought about this experience:

      1. The insurance agent made a sale on a Saturday morning, without any effort on his part.

         Well, actually, the effort was invested earlier -- when he was serving and taking care of his client (our car salesman).

         So when we asked for a recommendation, it was a "no-brainer" for our car salesman to give us his name.

      2. Our car dealership seems to make a lot of sales. As I drive around these days, it seems that every other car on the road is from that dealership.

         How many people go to that dealership in the first place, because a trusted friend or colleague recommended it to them?

         Related to this, it occured to me that we had asked several people for recommendations for car dealerships, but only 3 responded with names.

         Why didn't the others? Is it because they don't have cars, or is it because they didn't have an out-of-the-ordinary experience with the dealership they went to?

      3. There are "natural" partnership opportunities among certain businesses.

         For instance, when

         Getting A New Employee Up To Speed Quickly
         When a company takes on a new employee, it can take a while for them to familiarise themselves with the working processes of the company.There is always a period of time during which they may be uncertain what they are required to do, unsure who to ask for help, and experience difficulties finding necessary documentation; whether stored within the office or as files on the company intranet.It can be worth spending some time putting a ne
         without any effort on his part.

         Well, actually, the effort was invested earlier -- when he was serving and taking care of his client (our car salesman).

         So when we asked for a recommendation, it was a "no-brainer" for our car salesman to give us his name.

      4. Our car dealership seems to make a lot of sales. As I drive around these days, it seems that every other car on the road is from that dealership.

         How many people go to that dealership in the first place, because a trusted friend or colleague recommended it to them?

         Related to this, it occured to me that we had asked several people for recommendations for car dealerships, but only 3 responded with names.

         Why didn't the others? Is it because they don't have cars, or is it because they didn't have an out-of-the-ordinary experience with the dealership they went to?

      5. There are "natural" partnership opportunities among certain businesses.

         For instance, when

         What is Company Fraud and How Do You Stop It? (Part 1 of 2)
         Did you know that it is very likely your company is a victim of fraud? In fact, it's probably happening right now! Fraud takes many forms - some obvious and well known, others subtle and unmarked. This two-part article sheds some light on the topic. Part 1 helps you determine whether your company is vulnerable to (or, indeed, already a victim of) fraud. It discusses fraud in further detail and provides definitions and real-life fraud examples. Part 2
         e, because a trusted friend or colleague recommended it to them?

         Related to this, it occured to me that we had asked several people for recommendations for car dealerships, but only 3 responded with names.

         Why didn't the others? Is it because they don't have cars, or is it because they didn't have an out-of-the-ordinary experience with the dealership they went to?

      6. There are "natural" partnership opportunities among certain businesses.

         For instance, when you buy a car in the U.S., most states require you to have car insurance.

         When you buy a house, you usually need to work with a real estate lawyer, a home inspector, and a financial institution. Later on, you may also need to find other service providers for your new house, such as plumber, electrician, etc.

         As I did in the car anecdote, I remembered that when I bought my house, I kept asking my realtor for recommendations for all of these service providers.

         How many small business owners take advantage of this phenomenon?

      People ask for recommendations for a wide range of products and services everyday, as a normal part of daily life.

      And their friends and colleagues recommend their favorite ones to them when asked. (This, of course, is called a "referral" by the business that sells that particular product or service!)

      Is your business benefitting from this kind of networking that happens everyday and all the time?

      If not, why do you suppose this is?

      If yes, are you doing anything in particular to encourage people to recommend you or your business? Be sure to do more of it.