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3 CPA Prac. Mgmt. F. 12 (2007)
NetWeaving - A Powerful Tool for Developing Relationships

handle is hein.journals/cpamanf3 and id is 130 raw text is: MAY 2007

NetWeaving-A Powerful Tool for Developing
Relationships

By Eileen P Monesson
Cc etWeaving is a philos-
INophy, as well as a set of
learnable skills and strategies.
Created by Bob Littell, a consul-
tant from Atlanta, Georgia, and
based on Catherine Ryan Hyde's
popular book PAY IT FORWARD,
NetWeaving is a form of network-
ing that transfers the focus from
What's in it for me? to Wlhat4
in it for them?. The essence of
NetWeaving is the ability to help
others achieve their goals and, in
doing so, being confident that
over time, you will also benefit.
NetWeavers act without regard
for what or when they will receive
something in return for their acts.
The result is stronger and more
valuable associations.
There are three key elements
of NetWeaving:
1. becoming a Strategic Con-
nector of others-putting
people together in win-win
relationships.
2. learning how to position
yourself as a Strategic Re-
source or the go to person-
with no strings attached.
3. being a Strategic Relation-
ship Magnet by searching
for and identifying individ-
uals to build strong relation-
ships with, who are excep-
tional at what they do, either
personally or professionally,
and inviting them to become
part of your Trusted Re-
source Network or personal
pool of experts that are avail-
able for you to refer to others.
The strength of the resourc-
es that you can provide your

clients, associates, prospects
and friends are limited only
by the strength of the people
in your network.
Perhaps the most important
point that sets NetWeaving apart
from traditional networking is
that it is a process for building
powerful relationships. Unlike
networking groups, there are no
monthly referral requirements or
dues. Instead, meetings are fo-
cused on developing meaning-
ful relationships-not generat-
ing business leads or referrals.
The NetWeaver hosts meetings
to connect and enrich people. In
this role, the NetWeaver acts as a
moderator who is there to move
relationships forward, as well as
to encourage participants to rec-
ommend others to join the group.
This article focuses on the under-
lying principals of NetWeaving.
Learning to listen
for opportunities
Learning to listen for opportu-
nities to help others can become
the most valuable habit you will
ever develop. In traditional net-
working you are looking for
people to refer business to you.
When you are in a NetWeaving
frame of mind you are talking
about referrals. It is not about get-
ting someone to send you refer-
rals; it's about putting people to-
gether, and you are the referrer.
Asking questions
designed to elicit
the information you want
Because a skilled NetWeaver is
constantly looking for ways to
bring people together, they must

ask questions designed to elicit
information about the person
with whom they are speaking.
Depending on the particular
situation, some such high gain
questions might include:
 If you meet the owner of a
construction company, you
might ask How is the econ-
omy affecting your sales?
* You could ask an insurance
agent What niche areas do
you focus on?
* Or a salesman could be asked
Tell me the story of how you
landed your best client or cus-
tomer?
After you return from the
meeting, be sure to jot any rel-
evant notes on the back of the
person's business card or in your
Client Relationship Manage-
ment (CRM) system.
Bringing people together
In effect, NetWeaving is a dif-
ferent way of managing your
contacts-and using your net-
work to benefit all of the people
in it-not just yourself. When
communicating with other
people, a NetWeaver is looking
to determine:
1. Is there someone I know who
would benefit from knowing
or meeting this person?
Example: Suppose I am at
an awards dinner for a not-
for-profit I am involved
with. There is an attorney
at my table who impress-
es me. His specialty is di-
vorce law.
2. Could this person provide in-
formation and/or resources
to someone else I know?

CPA PRACTICE MANAGEMENT FORUM

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