About Dan Splaine- Photographer and Educator

Dan Splaine is a commercial photographer, workshop leader and photography teacher.  He creates original photography for corporate communications in his Nashua, NH Studio and in locations throughout the Northeast.  Along with his photography services he presents a program of photography workshops and photographer tours.

His client assignments range from creating custom business portraits for individual entrepreneurs to building comprehensive image archives for large companies.  In his over thirty years behind the camera he has photographed tens of thousands of people in locations throughout the nation and all over the world (over 40 countries). He is a specialist in live action and on location photo assignments and his images illustrates countless editorial, public relations and marketing productions.

Since 2010 more then 2,000 photo enthusiasts have come to one of his photo workshops or traveled on his photo tours. The photography education program is a growing part of his enterprise with many exciting expansion plans in the works.

For more information about his services or to discuss how you can use photography in your company communications please contact Dan at info@dansplainephoto.com or visit his website www.dansplainephot.com  and add your name to his email list.

Networking advice from Dan Splaine- Photographer and Educator

The biggest lesson I learned about the value of networking is to put the time in to really get to know folks.  Forget about closing sales at networking events - build relationships instead because you never know where a lead might come from and how it will develop.  Be friendly, be patient and be open to the possibility of less than direct connections.

The best example of this is a networking experience I had.  Over two years ago I met a person at an event that operates a business that really had no common ground with mine.  Despite that we took a few minutes to describe each other’s businesses and to begin a relationship.  We kept in touch and built rapport over multiple event conversations.    About six months passed and he was seeking a gift for his photo hobbyist wife.  He recalled that I taught photo classes to adults and he gifted her with one of my photo workshops.   She came to a couple of my photo classes and I was happy to gain another customer which was a fair return or a few minutes of networking and some waiting. 

That was a good experience on its own but the story does not end there.  Last fall, out of the blue I was contacted by the director of development of one of the biggest not-for-profits organizations in the state. She had heard about my photography and capabilities from her friend who had taken my photo workshops (the wife of my causal networking contact).  Because of her friends endorsement she sent me an RFP for their advertising and marketing photography that they were putting out to bid.  I won the bid and last month was awarded a contract for a high value, very large photography project.  Put the time in. Get to know folks over time and networking will pay off. 

You can reach Dan at Dan@testoftimephoto.com

I have operated my business for over 20 years and the one major regret I have is that I didn’t grasp the importance of networking a lot sooner than I did.  Networking can not only help you get more business.  It can help you find a job, find the best doctor in town, get tickets to a sold out show or maybe head off a major problem before it becomes a problem.  Networking can open doors that otherwise would be completely closed to you.  Ever hear of the saying it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?  Obviously if you plan on being successful you have to know your profession, but I don’t think you can succeed in business without having a strong network of friends, clients, prospects, family, vendors, acquaintances, etc.  Look at any field.  Your most successful people have the strongest personal networks.

Of course, in my case, the light didn’t go on immediately. I initially built a fairly strong business just by sheer hustle and ‘making the calls’.  But it wasn’t easy and it took longer than I wanted it to.  And then the economic collapse of 2008 happened and I was faced with having to do a major rebuild of my customer base if I planned on continuing in the promotional products business going forward.  Believe it or not, it was a book by Harvey McKay – Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need that made me realize I was missing the boat on this little secret that top producers in any field know is one of the fundamentals of success.  I would strongly recommend this book to anyone in business.  It’ll be the best $12 you’ll ever spend.

Ever since the day I first opened that book, I’ve dedicated myself to growing my own personal network.  When you buy into this, not only do you meet lots of cool and interesting people – you find out that it’s fun.  And yes it opens doors.  However a key point to keep in mind is that to really grow a network you have to give before you can receive.  None of us can do business with everyone we meet.  But maybe we can offer a lead or give a referral.  Or maybe mention a tool that helped improve our own business, give a tip on a great restaurant or just be friendly at a networking event with lots of strangers present.  I love when Kevin Willett does one of his How Can I Help You Today? posts on Facebook.  To me, that’s what networking is about in a nutshell.   Of course when I meet you I also want you to know that I’m in the business of ‘Branding via Promotional Products’.  I want you to remember me when  that guy you met at the golf tournament says he wants to get some embroidered shirts like the cool one they handed out to everyone.

Networking certainly isn’t easy.  You have to commit to it, keep at it and resist the temptation to stay home instead of heading out for a 6:00 PM networking event on a cold night in January.  But what I can tell you is it works…and has been a key ingredient in the business success I’ve had the past few years. 

Networking Success Story – Amy Pozerski

I recently joined my husband, Scott to run our Junk King junk removal franchise together. When I left my full time job in Construction Management, I didn’t know a whole lot about networking.  Scott was part of a BNI networking group and while he occasionally mentioned to me what he was doing and what was involved with the networking, I never really paid close attention.

Since we no longer had an extra income coming in each month, I realized one of the first things I would have to focus on working for the company was bringing in more jobs. My first experience with networking was attending a Friends of Kevin event back in November 2012. I found myself enjoying the experience of meeting so many new people and spreading the word about our company. I had also decided I was going to join a BNI group but wasn’t sure which chapter so I started to visit different chapters in the area. Over the course of about 3 weeks, I had attended 6 or 7 BNI chapter meetings – yes, this was a lot of days getting up early but if I was going to be serious about building our business I was willing to get up early however many days it took.

I finally settled on joining the BNI group in Winchester, MA. I complimented that membership by belonging to the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Merrimack Valley Chamber, and Friends of Kevin. My current goal for networking is to attend 1 or 2 events a week in addition to my BNI meeting that is held every Tuesday.

Overall, networking has done wonders for our business, not only doing jobs directly for the people we meet, but those people referring/recommending us to others. In terms of advertising costs, every customer we get through a referral or a repeat customer is substantially cheaper to obtain than using direct mail or other advertising avenues.

Besides getting more business, my favorite part about networking is all the amazing people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve been able to build. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to so many successful business owners and learn from their experiences. It’s for these reasons that I feel networking is an indispensable part of our business and personal growth plan as well as reaching the goals we set.

You can reach Amy at Amyp@junk-king.com

How Networking has worked for me.

By John Butruccio

Executive Business and Life Coach

Professional Business networking has been a critical factor in the growth of my Company for many years.

I have had the pleasure to be a part of several Networking groups dating back to 2006 as a visitor or as a dedicated participant. My first experiences were, basically in my back yard, in the Seacoast area. As a visitor, at BNI in Greenland NH, I recognized a great way to get my name and business out there. Wanting to experience other options, I then attended several One More Referral chapters, Newfound Networkers and Showcase Business Networkers for about18 months.

Wanting to expand even more, in 2010, I ventured west, out to Manchester, Concord and Nashua visiting several referral groups including 3 different BNI’s, SSING, many different Chamber of Commerce mixers and LeTip. Expanding my circumference of travel was the best thing I could have done for myself. My circle of influence has grown immensely and business had more than doubled. I am committed to travel for 60 or more minutes to attend events. 

Expanding my networking horizon again in 2012, I have joined two Friends of Kevin’s groups and visited other new network organizations. Kevin’s events have helped me extend my presence to Northern Massachusetts as well. The level of interest in my services has increased dramatically.

I have learned that the title of a group is not as important as the people who attend. I have been committed to a Group in Manchester called Gold Star Mill City Networkers, for over two years. This assembly of 12-15 committed professionals totaled over $500K in exchanged business in 2012. I am convinced that the same results would be had regardless of club title. However, I give generous credit to Gold Star for providing a great guiding platform for us.

The most important part from my networking experience is how many wonderful relationships I have created. 

We have so much to learn from each other, from dressing for success, confidence, public speaking, receiving feedback and being a great listener. For what I have learned and who I have become, I am grateful to the people I have met. I am committed to professional business networking because it works and it creates results. Thank you all for the support.

To your Success

John Butruccio

Executive Business and Life Coach

True Choice Coaching

603-244-2318

Networking Success Story: Tami M. Dristiliaris

Making time for networking pays off.  I became a successful business owner because of networking. The key to my ten years of success is to be visible in every community possible. By attending each and every Friends of Kevin networking event I am in contact with some of the same and always new business contacts with whom to share my personality. You are your business and when people realize you are easy to speak with and have a high level of expertise in your field, they remember.  

So get out there, know your trade, speak about what you do and let people know you're a person with a service they or their friends need.  And trust me, you will get referrals.  Time is the key so make time in the New Year and get networking.  Remember, there are many people who do the same thing you do, but you do it better!!!  Oh, and don't forget your business cards!  

About the business:

Law Offices of Tami M. Dristiliaris, LLC, provides legal representation in Massachusetts to both individuals and businesses in all aspects of family law, personal injury, estate planning, landlord-tenant, collections, bankruptcy, real estate law and other legal matters.

We provide individualized personal attention and expert legal representation in helping you meet and attain closure to your legal issue while keeping you updated and informed about the progress of your case.  We go above and beyond to ensure you are satisfied and "serve all of our clients with care and compassion."