ASK CHERI S HILL

While October is my favorite month - Halloween is definately my favorite day.  While I often struggle to remember things from yesterday, so many of my fondest memories are of Halloween.  I can remember every costume and certainly all the laughter!  I dig the costumes, the candy, the colors…everything fun and goulish!  No, I do not do cute Halloween.  My philosphy is you can be anything you want for Halloween as long as your dead! 

I decorate my house inside and out, sometimes even more than Christmas.  In fact, I have an entire village of haunted houses, shipwrecks and graveyards.  The house is lit up in purples and oranges, blacklights and spiderwebs and many candles burn with the scent of fall.  Haunted sounds play outside while a fog machine swirls its mist in the spooky courtyard.  Giant ghosts, crime scene tape and bodies drawn on the driveway greet you as you approach the house and then a tree with hanging heads is what you must walk through to get to the front door.   Scary…YES!

It all goes up the week of Halloween and comes down the very next day.  A lot of work…a lot of fun…oh and the capper is one outrageous Halloween Party that totally rocks the house.  Each year about 75 friends all dressed in fantastic costumes show up with plenty of food and festive libations.  

Lot’s of Tricks…Lot’s of Treats!

Happy Halloween

I have to admit I love the Sparks Chamber of Commerce because they have allowed me to introduce Power Networking to the entire chamber membership.  Good networking will enhance both your personal and professional life by increasing your power, position and influence, and quality of life.  It’s a lifestyle, not a workstyle. Top networkers don’t even know they are networking because for them its a way of life. They network because they love helping people and playing matchmaker. It starts with the understanding that networking is a reciprocal process based on the exchange of ideas, advice, information, referrals, leads, and contacts where resources are shared and acknowledged.  In fact, Zig Ziglar said it best: “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” 

• Networking is much more than meeting someone and getting a business card to add to your collection.
• Much more than “working a room” and handing out a stack of your own cards.
• A vitally important skill that most people don’t take seriously enough. (In fact, most people are bad at it.)

Networking is about building relationships.  It’s about being visible and earning people’s trust so that at some time in the future they, or someone they know, may want to do business with you.  Once you gain that trust the next step is credibility.  Following through on your promises and doing what you say you are going to do. 

If you want to learn more about Power Networking, join me on November 6 for the Sparks Chamber BizFlash.  This is a very hands-on, interactive program that every time I do it, gets tremendous positive feedback!  Fun, fun, fun!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was going to introduce Michael Gerber (author of the E-Myth) at the Sparks Chamber Business Forum.  Well, I did.  I was facilitating a round of Super Networking (which I introduced to the Chamber 2 or 3 years ago) and here comes Mr. Gerber.  White suit, bright pink tie and a white fedora.  When I wear heels I stand about 5′ 11″ and when facing Mr. Gerber he came all the way up to my boobs.  He was very nice as he shook my hand and even asked me what Sage International did.   I explained that we work with business owners from all over the country to get them properly structured and how for many years, I have been a huge proponent of his work.  He appreciated that.  He started his speech, which if you’ve never heard Michael Gerber speak, may at times shock or even offend because he is very direct, swears a lot and pretty much tells it like it is.  I guess that why I like him! No BS. 

He was about 30 minutes into his presentation and had the audience hanging on every word, when the fire alarms went off completely dousing his momentum.  People were leaving the room, but not me.  I waited it out (having been through many fire drills at the casinos which never pan out) as did many others.  When the all clear was given, he picked up right where he left off and continued to dazzle us with his brilliance.  For those of you unfamiliar with Michael Gerber, I highly recommend you check into his information/books.   Imagination was the main concept I took away.  To reinvent your business you have to have unstoppable imagination! So I challenge you to “Dream” each and every day.