A: This book is written for anyone who thinks that they cannot succeed because they don’t know the right people. It is for new businesses, old businesses and anyone in between that would like to increase the size and power of their network. You don’t need to have one to begin a continuity program. And the best time to start one is when you don’t need a network.

A: Relationships are key to everything. If you had to choose between doing business with someone you like, respect and trust or doing business with a total stranger, who would you choose to work with? I’ll bet it would be the person you like, respect and trust. When you build a strong relationship with your customers and clients, they are more likely to choose to work with you again and again.

A: My book teaches you how to develop a continuity program, which is the core of building your network. It takes you through the process step-by-step and provides strategies for making things faster and easier. I also teach a coaching and mentoring program that was developed to take the fear out of building your own network. You can visit www.onthebeacheducation.com to browse my current teaching and event schedule or to find additional resources.

A: I think the single biggest mistake people make when they attend networking events is they don’t follow-up. That’s a big no no. Why would you take someone’s business card if you aren’t going to follow-up? Networking is really all about mingling with people in order to find those one or two “gems” that you really connect with. When you meet exceptional people who you want to keep in touch with, use your continuity program and they will become a part of your business family.

A: A continuity program is a program designed to help you build strong connections with people that you meet and want to bring into your inner circle of influence. It is the key to creating evangelists.

A: Now! As a matter of fact—right now! The sooner you start, the sooner your network will begin to grow. The longer you delay, the more business you are losing.

A: Evangelists can have your company virtually exploding with growth. They are people who believe in you, want to spread the word about how fantastic you are and end up being your strongest marketing tool. They want you to succeed and will sing your praises in order to help you.

A: Did you know that you can virtually reach any person in the world right now by using the 3 degrees of separation? Let’s say that you have 200 friends, and your friends know 200 people. That is the first degree of separation, and reaches 40,000 people. So the friend of your friend reaches out and now you can reach eight million people. That is the second degree of separation. Now if the friend of your friend’s friend then reaches out to their network, you have access to 1.6 billion people. And if you reach out one more level, that is 320 billion—more people than there are currently on the planet. So all you need is three people deep and you basically have access to everyone in the whole wide world.

A: No. This is a principle that can work anywhere, any place, any time, regardless of language. It is designed to connect people into your network that like and support you in your ventures.

A: Relationships are key to everything. As people see your newsletter coming in monthly, they get to know you and what you are up to. They begin to appreciate the deeper aspects of your character. As they discover who you are, they begin to build trust—even if they are not seeing your face, your newsletter acts as a stand-in to remind them of you. They may also share the newsletter with others, which helps to spread the word about your business. By providing value in your educational segment, you are also keeping people interested and informed. This creates a strong bond and loyalty to you.

A: The best way to start is with people who already know and like you. Invite them to subscribe to your newsletter by sending them a link. Ask them to share the link with others. When you are networking and meet people that you like and want to stay in touch with, ask if you can send them a copy of your newsletter and if they like it, they can sign up. Never, never add people to your database who have not given their permission either verbally or written. That is spamming and will ruin your reputation very quickly.

A: There are a few ways, but one is spamming. People are so busy these days and overwhelmed with information overload. Some people take your business card and add you to their email list without your permission. It’s very rude to just sign people up without their consent and they may react by never doing business with you because you didn’t have the courtesy to ask if they wanted to be on your mailing list. A continuity program is based on courtesy.

The second thing that can quickly ruin your reputation is if you only partially follow through with your plan. The whole idea of the program is to build trust. If you break that trust by being inconsistent, then you are telling people that they can’t count on you. Set up your continuity program in a way that works for you in the long run. Don’t just put a half-hearted effort into it. Make it a priority to be consistent, it builds trust.