Hazel Walker is back with this week's guest blog, one that hits very close to home! Rob and I love to network on the golf course... so I wanted to share with you her 10 tips for networking on the golf course!

There are a few rules that you might want to be aware of when you hit the course with your referral sources.

1. Leave your cell phone in the car.

2. Use your time building relationships; don’t try to strong arm a deal.

3. Know the rules and etiquette of the game.

4. Don’t over indulge in the booze, this will not build credibility with your referral sources.

5. Don’t lose your temper on the course.

6. No cheating on the scorecard, remember you are trying to build trust.

7. Off colored language, whining or making excuses on the course are not in your best interest.

8. Avoid religious or political conversations.

9. Arrive early to get organized and practice.

10. Dress appropriately in attire that will take you from the links to the clubhouse. Denims, sleeveless shirts and short shorts are not acceptable

Plan strategically who you are playing with; have your best referral source bring someone you really want to meet, and you bring that person your referral source really wants to build a strong relationship

Most of all, enjoy the day.

Welcome Guest Blogger – Hazel M. Walker, she is a fellow Referral Institute Instructor, fellow Blogger, and known as the Queen of Networking.

Have you ever ask a referral partner to introduce you to a contact they have only to be put off or not introduced at all? Did you wonder why? You might be surprised to know, that your referral partner did not have the same level credibility as the level referral you were asking for.

I once had a referral partner who boasted a very large database, we decided to sit down and do a little identifying out of each other’s databases. He had great contacts in his database but when I began to rate the level of referral I was looking for against the level of relationship he had with the contact, there was great disparity.

I LOVE IT when I have email in my inbox... or when I get the pop up in the lower right hand corner with message information... BUT, it does seem to eat up alot of my time (and on days that I don't feel very motivated to work, I WAIT for an email to come in to give me something to do)

A tip I got from Renia Carsillo:
Keep your email box closed when not in use and disable any "you've got mail" signals.  The average professional spends three full hours daily on email.  That's a huge time monster!
Schedule 30 minutes three times a day (maybe first thing, after lunch, and before leaving) to answer emails.  This simple strategy will cut your daily email time in half and still guarantee quick response time.

SO, while I have not cut my email time down to 3 times a day, I have cut back!