Read the paper, scan the Internet, watch TV, or listen to the radio with REFERAL INTENT.

To be a master networker is to be a gatekeeper – the go-to person for your clients, friends, and business associates. You want to be indispensible and one way to accomplish that is to be one step ahead of everyone else.

A perfect example is this headline I found out about over a week ago – Chinese drywall. This is a serious issue in construction, real estate, appliance repair, health, personal injury and I knew that and STILL did not think to present this information formally to the other members of this group. I brought it up in casual conversation to find out what others were doing about it in their businesses - I was amazed to find that not one person I spoke with had heard about it or looked into it.

The fault was mine for not seeing the opportunity to set myself as a gatekeeper for the group, but also of the other members for not knowing the importance of this information to their clients and the community.

So – keep your eyes and ears open, and THEN open your mouth to make sure the information you have is conveyed to anyone and everyone that might be impacted by it.