Networker of the Year 2015

I was humbled and honored to be the 2015 recipient of the Jo Wagner Networker of the Year Award by my business-to-business networking organization, Team Networking (www.teamnetworking.com)

It has been my pleasure to service this organization in a leadership capacity for 15 of the 17 years that I’ve been a member.  I can’t begin to enumerate all of the people that I have come in contact with during this time that has not helped me in one way or another.

Truly I believe Zig Ziglar’s statment:

“If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want.” 

Some of the things that I have accomplished through my membership in TN has been:

• Edge Packaging Systems – I joined TN at the same time that I was starting my packaging company.
• I have grown my business strictly from “warm referrals” never cold calling.

I never say to a prospect or client who has a need, “I can’t help you.”  It doesn’t matter that it’s ice for Eskimos.  I will find it or make a connection to someone who can help.  

Why?  Because the competition is always willing to do what someone else in unwilling to do.  Plus, my theory is that if Joe Bob needs, Lucy Jane may need it too!  That’s called:  Your Edge over your Competition!

• Leadership skills  – Being a leader or teacher was the furthermost from mind.   I offered to fill-in as  the Member Liaison back in 2000 when we only had 1 chapter.  That led me to 15 years of being involved in some aspect of Team’s corporate leadership.
• Edge Consultants  – After many years of coaching, mentoring and training others in the fine skill-set of networking, several of my advocates said, “Peggy, you need to be paid for your expertise.”  Well, duh! What a concept!
• I simply put a note on Facebook that said:  “I’m looking for opportunities to speak on Effective Business Networking.  Immediately I received 4 inquiries and 2 of those came to fruition within 2 weeks.
  • Creating and developing the leadership training program at Team has parlayed me into training individuals and corporate sales team on the fine skill-set of networking.
• Professional Coach – Last year, after having researching ways to expand my consulting business it seemed the next natural step would be for me to certified  as a coach.  This April I received my sheep-skin as a Certified Professional coach. 
• The most recent venture that I will be undertaking is to help other groups of individuals develop and grow their own networking organizations around the country.

As all of you know, I’m always looking to see how I can Make Connections and Seize Opportunities.  

Thank you Team for all of the opportunities that you have afforded me.  And…I ain’t done yet!

Peg

Networking – Dale Carnegie style

Dale Carnegie was the consummate networker.  He wrote “How to Win Friends and Influence People” in 1936!  His teachings are still as relevant today as they were when originally written.

Here are 3 excerpts from his book that we can apply when attending your next networking event:

• “Become genuinely interested in other people.”  The moral here is to drop the “what’s in it for me” attitude.  When you engage others and ask them about what they do, why there are there or simply welcome them as a guest, you show that you care about them.
•  “Smile.”  You certainly cannot win many friends if you always go around with a frown on your face.
• “Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.”  Many times at networking functions, I see folks spending all of their time talking about themselves and trying to establish their place whereas if they would be a sponge and soak up what other people have to say, they would be much more effective in making an impression.

Dale Carnegie was a genius at teaching folks how to be winners in all aspects of life.  His writings are still very applicable today as they were almost 80 years ago.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People

Peggy P. Edge (c) 2014

National Speakers Association – Certificate of Completion 2014 Speakers Academy

For the last year I have been attending the Speakers Academy of the National Speakers Association.  This has been a wonderful experience to sit among so many mentors in the public speaking arena and to learn everything that I can to grow my speaking business.  The wealth of knowledge that the North Texas Chapter has is phenomenal.

It’s really exciting when folks willingly give of their time and expertise to coach and train the pups in the industry.

Thank you to our Co-Deans,  Stu Schlackman and Dave Hill for your dedication to making this a wonderful experience for all of us.  Finally a special thank you to my mentor, Julie Alexander, for your coaching throughout the year.

Kudos to all of my fellow grads and best of wishes to all.

Peggy P. Edge (c) 2014