Networking Mistakes: Being Fussy
Hi again. I’m Nicole Dean and I’m a guest expert here this week at Odinn’s request.
This week, I’ll be talking about Common Networking Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Reputation and Give you Zero Chance of JV Success – whether it’s communicating JV requests or in everyday business interactions.
Yesterday, I talked about Greedy Gus. We all know him. He’s the kind of person who’s very good at asking for stuff, but not so great at finding ways to reciprocate or even offering to reciprocate. Now, part of our problem with Gus may be that we aren’t firm enough in asking for stuff ourselves, so we tend to get bulldozed by him if we aren’t careful.
Fussy Fiona is much like Greedy Gus. I’ve run into a few Fussy Fiona’s in my days and, needless to say, they are no longer at the top of the people that I choose to promote now that I know what they are like. Yikes.
A Fussy Fiona is usually very nit-picky, in my experience. She is the one who will balk about every single possible thing that she can find until she drives you bonkers.
Here’s an example, and no it isn’t a real one as I don’t care to burn bridges or be personally hurtful to anyone, not even to the Fussy Fiona’s of the world.
I write a lot of reports that I give freely to my readers, as does Jimmy D. Brown, my mentor and friend.
One of Jimmy’s newest free reports is this:
FREE REPORT
10 Proven Ways to Earn 10K Every Month
It’s great. Be sure to grab it now and read it if you haven’t yet.
Well, every single one of the “10 Ways to Earn 10K” has a recommendation for a course where you can get more info about that method of earning income. And, almost every link in the report is brandable.
Here’s where it gets cool – and really viral.
One of the ways to earn 10K/month is eBay. Therefore, it’s my job to approach all of the good “Make Money on eBay” programs and offer them the report to give away. Of course their ebook or program would be recommended as the place to learn more about how to make money on eBay.
In the “Site Flipping” section, it’s the same thing. And, the affiliate marketing section… and every other one of the 10 ways in the report. (Can you say “Networking on Steroids”?)
Therefore I am on a networking frenzy — finding people to work with to give this report legs and get it spread high and low throughout the web. Basically, it’s the job that never ends.
So, I’m working through those. As you can imagine it’s a lot of busy work and a tremendous amount of juggling and coordination.
I try to make it so that I do all of the work rather than asking our partners to do so. I don’t mind doing it as I know it’ll bring in increased exposure and revenue to our program. Plus I get to connect with really neat people like Odinn.
But, of course, I’ll occasionally run across a stinker who wants all kinds of things changed and customized just for him. To do that, I have to alter the original Word Doc – which creates a lot more work for me. And, depending on the person – well, I may do it, but as I’m jumping through hoops, I won’t be feeling the love much, if you know what I’m saying.
On the other hand, some of my friends are super-easy to please and are WONDERFUL to JV with.
- Odinn – easy peasy.
- Lynn Terry – awesome.
- Bob “the Teacher” Jenkins – a total joy to work with.
Actually, you can pretty much look down my list of people on my “Blog Summer Tour” and see some of my buds.
Who else? Ronnie Nijmeh – he’s a friend who I’d partner with on just about anything. He’s so easy-going …. unlike Fussy Fiona who only thinks about the immediate profits and burns bridges for long-term gain.
What do do when you find yourself dealing with a Fussy Fiona?
Stand your ground and say “no” if you feel you’re being taken advantage of or being asked to do something that will cause you a ridiculous amount of work.
However, if you can handle it, just finish up the deal so that she’s happy and note that you’d rather not work with her in the future.
If you find yourself being a Fussy Fiona…
Stop it already. The internet is a great big place with oodles of potential. Don’t be burning bridges and making people jump through hoops because you’re fussing about some link in a doc that’s mentioned off-handedly, for instance, and may never even be clicked.
Or as I tell my kids and my husband — Choose your Battles Wisely.
Lesson of the Day
Be easy and fun to work with and the JV offers will continue to become more and more profitable – and so will your bottom line. And that, my friends, is a promise that you can take to the bank.
I’ll be back tomorrow with the next big networking mistake. Stay tuned.
Warmly,
Nicole Dean
Follow Nicole on Twitter| Follow Odinn on Twitter | Nicole’s Blog & Podcast
PS. What are your biggest questions and concerns about networking? Please leave your thoughts below. I’ll be giving away prizes randomly to those who comment.
PS again. Don’t forget to grab the free report: 10 Proven Ways to Earn 10K Every Month And, yes, you may share it with your friends or add it to a giveaway event.
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How true it is, Nicole!
Fussy Fiona is also known as Irritating Irene and Aggravating Al. haha
And thanks so much for the honorable mention, it’s always a joy to work with you!
I’ve learned the hard way to incorporate an “irritation factor” in for the Fussy Fionas of this world. Some people require a lot more work, so charging accordingly is a must.
Great post Nicole. I’m starting to network to promote a report for one of my niches so this is very timely for me. It seems to be a fine line to walk – recruiting JV partners without giving up the store, so to speak. I guess it all boils down to customer service and how much you value it.
Cheers!
Too funny, Teresa. Yes, as always, you are so wise.
I concur –> Charge Fussy Fiona’s a higher rate if you choose to work with them.
Great topic, Nicole. And thank you for the mention
It’s great to have your trusted inner circle when networking, and I think a good point you made is that you should invest some time to set this up for yourself. Each person in your inner circle may not be a good match for everything you do… but they probably know someone who is. That inner circle is incredibly valuable.
Contacts and negotiations outside that circle are basically a feeler for bringing new people into it (or not). Considering the value of such networks, it pays to go out of your way to make new deals go super smooth. There’s always room for favors once you’ve established that relationship.
When it comes to one-off deals, if someone negotiates hard (ie Fussy Fiona) that gives you room to negotiate in return. You might say “We’d be happy to go the extra mile for you on this project. We’ve discussed your proposal and think it will work out very nicely. In exchange, we’ll require 3 separate promotional mentions. I’m drafting the agreement now and will send that over. You’ll simply need to fill in the details for your side of the agreement” – or something along those lines.
It’s ping pong. When someone puts the ball in your court, they give you the power. A friend of mine once advised me: The person that starts the negotiation, never wins it.
So the next time someone expects you to jump through hoops, look at it as an opportunity – the ball is in your court!
I have unfortunately JVed with a Fussy Fiona before and I learned my lesson quick. After our “project” was over and she asked to JV on another one – I automatically said “no, thank you”. On our first project – she was too picky that I did a lot of editing and in the end, I realized that she benefited more than I did in our project.