caerusnet

Author: Steve Zyskowski

  • David Kelley Speaks Up About The Art of Referrals with Livingston & Commerce Hearing Centers

    David Kelley Speaks Up About The Art of Referrals with Livingston & Commerce Hearing Centers

    David Kelley has been an outstanding Member of the Caerusnet Brighton Tuesday 8AM team since first joining in May, 2013.  He attends at least 90% of the team meetings, gives referrals and invites visitors.  With every word clearly enunciated, David always delivers fantastic information during his Member Minutes and would certainly be considered one of the heartbeats on the team.  Since David has been in Caerusnet for over seven years, we felt this would be the perfect time to get his perspective on his approach to the world of referrals.  Livingston & Commerce Hearing Centers is what Caerusnet is all about – serving people in the local communities we live in and love and going the extra mile to make a difference.

    How long have you been in your profession?  18 Years as of October 3rd,2020. Wow, it is hard to believe that it has been this long ago that we started helping people hear better!

    How did you get into this field? With my wife Kimber, being a Dr. Of Audiology, we always knew that eventually we would open a hearing practice to help people with their relationships.

    What is the best thing about your business/career?  We love the interactions that we have daily with our patients.  The stories we share and the relationships that we have are the best.  I always find it exciting when we have a new hearing patient, and they realize that this relationship that is just starting between us is probably going to be a great, long lasting one.

    How are you different and/or what’s your niche?  We pride ourselves on the ability to be successful with even the very hard to fit hearing losses of our patients. Kimber has a moderate hearing loss, herself.   That puts us in a unique situation as practitioners who know the struggles and understands the frustrations that a hearing deficit can bring.  This allows her to personally know which hearing aids are the best for each patient.

    Any tips on learning how to find situations where you can create a referral or invite a visitor? I have had some success with finding new Members interested in referral networking from someone giving me a sales call from their own business.  If I find out that they are local, then I will answer them with the name of my Caerusnet Member who already does that for me. Then I ask if they have ever considered visiting a referral networking group such as Caerusnet.

    What is your strategy with your Member minute and your spotlight presentation? I always want to be informative with my Member minute. It needs to have value for most all other Members to give them another reason to refer to your business.  Be clear and concise with asking for specific referral types.

    Any tips on how to be successful in Caerusnet? To be successful in this referral network, All you really have to do is pay your $50 a month and the referrals just come flying in…LOL!   No!  You need to have the thought process that this is your team and that the other Members of your team want to help grow your business. As with any team you want to be respectful. Respectful of time, efforts of others and work as hard for them as they do for you.  Always be a giver, someone that is helpful, and your success in Caerusnet will follow shortly behind you.

    Share how your Caerusnet Members have positively influenced you or your business besides passing referrals. The ability to help our patients with challenges other than their hearing, really shows them that we care about them as a person and not just as a patient.  That we don’t just see dollar signs with them, but we see the humanity in them. We all need to be helpful whenever possible.

    Check out David Kelley’s awesome 10 Minute Spotlight Presentation to the Brighton Tuesday 8AM team:

    Want to connect with David Kelley for a referral or Trust Builder Meeting?  He’d love to “hear” from you!

    www.livingstonhearing.com

     

     

     

  • How Failure Helped Steven Zyskowski Succeed

    How Failure Helped Steven Zyskowski Succeed

    This podcast features Caerusnet founder and Facilitator, Steven Zyskowski’s personal story.  What would YOU do if you lost everything? Divorce. Bankruptcy. Failed Business Relationships. Listen in for a cautionary tale fueled by the mortgage crisis as it turns into a story of redemption and why it’s important to never forget where you came from.

    Link to Steve’s Podcast Episode here:  https://soundcloud.com/roger-burnett-54703276/failure-10-years-later

    The  “So, You’re in Sales?” podcast was created by Caerusnet Member, Roger Burnett, www.socialgoodpromotions.com.  Love the mechanics of selling? Looking for ways to improve your skills? Wonder how other successful salespeople manage their lives? Time with these guests will sharpen your ax and make you better at what you do.

    See additional Podcasts (many featuring Caerusnet Members) below:

     

    Click here if you want to connect with Roger Burnett about your own story.

  • Chicken Farmer In Caerusnet Needs Our Help To Save The World & The Compelling Story of Heath Farms

    Chicken Farmer In Caerusnet Needs Our Help To Save The World & The Compelling Story of Heath Farms

    In this fun episode of Staying Connected, Caerusnet Founder, Steven Zyskowski connects with Rob Heath of Heath Farms in Milan Michigan. Rob is the first ever chicken farmer in Caerusnet and you must try his amazingly healthy bone broth! https://happy-chickens.com/ Phenomenal story. Rob’s family is anti-factory farming and anti-chemicals. They farm only pasture raised chickens who are free to roam and eat insects … just like it was intended. Please consider supporting Rob by purchasing his products and/or supporting his crowd funding campaign to take his bone broth national. CAERUSNET isn’t like your Dad’s *NI “Chapter”: We’re not like those “other” referral “chapters” out there. We form TEAMS of amazing referral professionals. While there’s no “i” in team, there is the US of CaerUSnet! Every team is run by a trained Facilitator who inspires success!  KEEP READING TO GET MORE INFO BELOW!

    Hey everyone!

    As I mentioned during my most recent Member Minute at my Ann Arbor Caerusnet team meeting, I NEED all of you to join my farm’s email campaign! I need to get the word out about our farm, and the best way for me to mobilize all my friends AND their contacts is by email.
    So everyone please head over here to join our email campaign:

    https://mailchi.mp/ae5124ec5ac6/subscribe

    I appreciate all your support! Please join, and help make our farm a success!
    Thanks everyone! Caerusnet ROCKS!!!
    Rob Heath
    Customer Development/Digital Marketing
    734-347-9956 (call or text)
    Learn more about our mission to Save The World! https://youtu.be/lsbwxADgTf4
  • “So, you’ve published a book?!” – Be The Brand They Remember with Social Good Promotion’s Roger Burnett on Staying Connected

    “So, you’ve published a book?!” – Be The Brand They Remember with Social Good Promotion’s Roger Burnett on Staying Connected

     

     

    Roger Burnett of Social Good Promotions just released a book he co-authored, Red Goldfish! Congratulations to Roger on this great accomplishment! Watch this short but super informative video to learn more. Here’s a link to order the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HY78T79 If you want to connect with Roger, here’s his website: https://socialgoodpromotions.com/ If you’re a Caerusnet Member who’s done something cool, let’s feature YOU on a future episode of Staying Connected!

    Roger Burnett is a visionary.  He’s taken an old and tired business model of “promotional products” and transformed it into his philanthropic business passion with Social Good Promotions.  Every product he sells has a direct benefit to our global community, separating him from others in his line of business.  He’s also a master story teller and host for the “So, you’re in sales?!” podcast and he’s a dedicated Caerusnet Michigan Member who has taken the long term view on referral relationships.  Enjoy this insightful and information packed interview with our socially good guest, Roger Burnett.

    How long have you been in your profession?   I’ve been in sales for 25 years, with the majority of the last 15 years dedicated to the promotional marketing industry.

    How did you get into this field?   Every role I’ve played, regardless of the organization, boss or product line I was selling has been the direct result of someone recommending me. Many people have gambled a portion of their own success on mine in my career and for that I am tremendously grateful .

    What is the best thing about your business/career?  Having the opportunity to participate in the local economy as a small business person and knowing this is my time to take everything I’ve learned and reinvest it in my community. Our work is in direct alignment with that I am passionate about and knowing that my success will find itself reinvested into local non-profits gives me the motivation to be persistent and intentional with our sales efforts.

    How are you different and/or what’s your niche?  We’ve dedicated our mission to supporting Michigan and Ohio-based non-profit Organizations and we curate our supply chain around those factories identified as having documented community involvement programs.  When you buy merchandise branded with your logo from us, you do so knowing your purchase will make the world  a better place.

    What is it about the Caerusnet model that you like most?  As a business person, I’ve always gravitated toward an approach built with the long term in mind. Caerusnet aligns with that approach by way of its scheduled interactions with a finite number of people. Done well, that structure allows the opportunity for deeper connections to be created which in turn should lead to more valuable referrals.   A recommendation from a Caerusnet friend should come with some personal conviction about both you as the referral recipient as well as the person being referred.

    Share a success story about why giving referrals/bringing visitors are beneficial to you.  I was able to successfully work with Eric Jones and Chilah Weller from Workforce Payhub as a result of attending  Caerusnet’s ReferralTopia in 2019!

    Any tips on learning how to find situations where you can create a referral or invite a visitor?  If you know someone that you root for the success of their business for, if you are involved in any community-minded organization where you observe other business owners seeking ways to grow their own business, if you volunteer for something you’re passionate about, there are people in those communities in need of what Caerusnet provides and they’re most likely unaware of us – that said, don’t refer just anyone to participate! If you wouldn’t go to a person’s home to spend time with them, then that person may not be the best referral (laughing).

    What is your strategy with your member minute and your spotlight presentation?   I try to inform and entertain while mixing in a mild call to action, either for members themselves or for the businesses and/or non-profits they may refer to me, based on the content I’m delivering that day. When I hit on a good “ask”, I usually will get a nice quantity of referrals all at once!

    What is your approach to positioning yourself as a resource in the community?  I’ve always focused on being different by providing additional value beyond the transaction. These days, that offer takes a number of forms, but I’m always focused on trying to take advantage of the time business owners spend with me by giving them something they can use to solve the problem they’re struggling with at that moment.  I’ve successfully used the “So, You’re in Sales?” podcast series to provide interested business owners the opportunity to tell the story behind WHY people do what they do from within the Caerusnet community.   I have done interviews with Steve Zyskowski, Doug Moffat and a future episode with Wendy Caverly.  If you’re interested in learning how to use long-form content like a podcast to benefit your own business (either as a guest on my show or as a collaborator on a show of your own) please feel free to reach out to me. Let’s talk!

    Tips on how to be successful in Caerusnet?  You can’t half ass it. Either be all in or don’t do it. Take a “hell yes or not at all” approach to this effort  Make it your mission to have Trust Builders with every  Member you can.  For me, I like to spend the majority of that first Trust Builder talking about everything BUT business.  I want to talk about your family and  how you came to the job you have today, etc. – the business conversations will be infinitely better because of that effort even if you have to schedule a second Trust Builder Meeting!  Get as specific as you can about who would be a great referral for you. Spend time reviewing other Caerusnet Member’s LinkedIn profiles to see if there are connections of theirs you’d like to meet. Do the research and put in the requisite amount of effort and your chances for success will skyrocket!  Develop as strong a relationship as possible with your Facilitator. You’re paying them to help create opportunities for your success and you should be invested in them and the growth of the team, as a result. Remember, know, like and trust are keys for success and that doesn’t stop with your Facilitator!

    Share how your Caerusnet members have positively influenced you or your business besides passing referrals.   Doug Moffat, my Facilitator, has taken me as his guest to Rotary meetings.  Tom Lampert has done the same.  MaryBeth Potrykus has championed my business with the Brighton Chamber of Commerce (see the Ribbon Cutting photo) and Steve, Doug, MaryBeth (and more) attended.   I’ve adopted Ann Arbor Caerusnet Member, Julie Palmer as my resident Event Planner (an economic engine for our company).  Caerusnet members are frequent participants in my lunch and learn series.

    Want to give a listen to the “So, you’re in sales?” podcast?  Roger selected these two just for you!

    Want to connect with Roger?  Type his name into the Caerusnet Member Search Engine here.

    https://socialgoodpromotions.com/

  • Staying Connected With Steven Zyskowski & Nicole Colley – Walk To End ALZ

    Staying Connected With Steven Zyskowski & Nicole Colley – Walk To End ALZ

    JOIN the Caerusnet Brighton Walk team (open to all Caerusnet Members) AND/OR please consider making an appreciated donation, by clicking here: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2020/

    SAVE THE DATE! Walk to End Alzheimer’s CONTINUES Saturday, October 3, 2020. 2020 WALK IS EVERYWHERE! The pandemic is changing HOW we walk, but it doesn’t change the NEED to walk. This year, more than ever, we need to come together to support all those affected by Alzheimer’s. How Caerusnet Members can get involved in The Walk To End ALZ? This year- Most importantly, start or join a team! Without walkers and teams, how does Walk exist? I know there is already a team formed for our Wednesday 10 Caerusnet group. It would be great if another Brighton group wanted to start a team and have a little friendly competition. •We have walks all over Michigan- other Caerusnet groups should start teams in their locals Walks too! (Ann Arbor, Detroit) There are also business options for sponsorship and signs of support. Lastly, awareness in your community- help spread the word that WALK IS NOT CANCELLED. Then, on Walk Day, get out in your purple and Walk in your neighborhood with us! Make everyone see the purple out and about everywhere!

  • Why We Should Get To Our Caerusnet Meeting Early

    Why We Should Get To Our Caerusnet Meeting Early

    While the Caerusnet referral team meetings are 1HR long, Members are always encouraged to get attend 10 minutes before the meeting starts. Why? Often, there is great conversation, laughter are more! Watch the benefits of arriving early including being able to sing Happy Birthday to a fellow Member!

  • It’s All About Giving & Receiving With Carmo

    It’s All About Giving & Receiving With Carmo

    Carmo Ribeiro began his Caerusnet Membership in Ann Arbor with Facilitator, Doug Moffat and other dynamic professionals on the Ann Arbor Wednesday 10AM team.  He had such a great experience meeting quality people through the Ann Arbor team, that after one year of Membership, he also decided to join the Canton Thursday 1PM team.   It’s no surprise Carmo enjoys Caerusnet.  After all, it’s rewarding witnessing firsthand how small businesspeople are helping other small businesspeople through referral.  It’s likely almost as enjoyable as seeing seniors helping other seniors through caring.  For Carmo it’s all about creating community and giving back…

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    How long have you been in your profession?  I have been a franchise owner for the last eight years. For the first six years, I had dual responsibility still involved in the corporate world and the Seniors Helping Seniors franchise. I left the corporate world by the end of 2018 and decided to focus 100% on SHS activities.

    How did you get into this field? I got into this field because of friend’s suggestion while attending grad school. He introduced me to the concept of one senior helping other seniors and I really liked it. To look after another senior sparked a passion that has was hibernating inside of me.  

    What is the best thing about your business/career?  The SHS organization helps to establish connections between seniors in the community. It finds senior caregivers that are willing to help other seniors with activities of daily living in their homes. It is a way to give and to receive it, a truly win-win situation.

    How are you different and/or what’s your niche?  We focus on seniors that are living in South East Michigan.  We find active seniors that are willing to help and give back to the community (the caregivers). We also assist seniors that needs help to stay safe in their homes. We found that a peer-to-peer connection is extremely valuable because they share memories and develop a unique relationship. 

    What is it about the Caerusnet model that you like most?  I believe Caerusnet model has been designed to facilitate and encourage connectivity, which is essential to develop opportunities. I particularly like the Toolbox information that always inspires to sharpen one another.

    What is your strategy with your member minute and your spotlight presentation?       The strategy is to convey the idea that SHS can help seniors to stay in the comfort of their homes by developing a solid relationship with senior caregivers. 

    Tips on how to be successful in Caerusnet?  It is a must to do individual Trust Builder Meetings to know your business peers. We naturally refer who we know, like and trust and this is a great format.

    Share how your Caerusnet members have positively influenced you or your business besides passing referrals.  The team normally leader brings a positive energy that inevitably cascades through the team Members; this creates a good atmosphere that motivates the all team. Personally, I always leave the meetings feeling like I have an even better spirit than I did before the meeting.      

    Want to connect with Carmo Ribeiro?  Click here to go to his website: https://seniorcarewestland.com/

    Here’s a great article and video about SENIORS Helping SENIORS:
    https://www.wfmz.com/health/coronavirus/group-wont-let-virus-diminish-connections-with-seniors/article_da4531e8-7aaf-11ea-b856-a325c7db5315.html

  • Caerusnet Member Spotlight Creativity

    Caerusnet Member Spotlight Creativity

    One of the most enjoyable parts of every Caerusnet team meeting is the 10 Minute Member Spotlight Presentation.  The Caerusnet Member Toolbox Manual has an entire section covering the important things consider sharing during a Member Spotlight.  In addition to those great suggestions, we encourage you to take note of these three excellent 10 Minute Spotlight Presentations.  Two of the three were on ZOOM Meetings and one was from an in-person meeting in Ann Arbor.

    One Member, Tom Jacobs from Expert Heating & Cooling, sang an entire song dedicated to his Canton Thursday 1PM team which brought them to tears.

    Another Member, Hassan Hodges from HH Photo Graphics, gives a TEDX type presentation with lots of visuals, moving parts and transitions to also amazed the Ann Arbor Tuesday 11AM team.

     

    Finally, when it was WorkForce Payhub’s time to present to the Tuesday Ann Arbor 1PM team, one of the owners, Chilah Weller, held a plank for almost 10 minutes – expressing the fact that she isn’t afraid of working hard for referrals.

    These were all memorable, exceptional Spotlight presentations.  But that makes sense, as Caerusnet attracts exceptional professionals.

     

  • Staying Connected with FundALife’s Mark Howell

    Staying Connected with FundALife’s Mark Howell

    In this episode of Staying Connected, Caerusnet Founder, Steven Zyskowski connects with Mark Howell, Founder of the non-profit “Fund a Life”. Phenomenal story. Mark has been on both sides of giving and receiving help in life. Let’s support him in his BIG HAIRY GOAL of reaching $1,000,000. in funding for to help others with unfortunate “life” events and help them get back on their feet! To learn more, support and donate, request funds, click (copy/paste) here: https://www.fundalife.org/

    Caerusnet isn’t like your Dad’s *NI “Chapter”: Does your referral team have a non-profit involved that you can help support? Talk with your Facilitator and see if you can make that happen. This is just part of the beauty of the Caerusnet Facilitated Referral Team System. We’re not like those “other” referral “chapters” out there. We form TEAMS of amazing referral professionals. While there’s no “i” in team, there is the US of CaerUSnet!

  • Hassan Hodges Is Feeling The Referral Love In Caerusnet

    Hassan Hodges Is Feeling The Referral Love In Caerusnet

    Hassan Hodges’ was invited to visit the Caerusnet Ann Arbor 11AM referral team by Jim Campbell (a long standing, successful Member of the team who holds the world record for helping more professionals learn about Caerusnet than just about anyone).  While having first seen Hassan’s photographic images on Facebook, Jim could see that Hassan had a lot of talent.  Jim reached out to Hassan and discovered he was ready to get “out there” and grow his new photography business.  Hassan accepted Jim’s offer to visit and quickly joined in the following weeks.  He’s been a wonderful addition to the team and has been dependable, creative and consistent in his efforts.  We were thrilled to spend time with Hassan and to learn from Hassan’s ½ year journey in business and as a newer Caerusnet Member.

    How long have you been in your profession?  As a profession, I’ve been doing this for 6 months. As a hobby, I’ve been taking pictures for 20+ years. Amazingly, I attended my first Caerusnet meeting on my second week in business.

    How did you get into this field?  I got started with photography at my college newspaper documenting Rutgers football during a 1-10 season which was a great introduction to making interesting images from a smoldering pile of disappointment. I resisted the desire to start a photography business for more than 10 years while I had two other careers in media and technology before taking the leap last fall.

    What is the best thing about your business/career?  I feel everything happening around me more deeply than other people do, and photography is my outlet for expressing what I feel. The thing that makes me the happiest is sharing what I see in the world with other people.

    How are you different and/or what’s your niche?  I have one speed: Full go, and I don’t do well with constraining myself. I don’t aim for perfection; I aim for beautifully authentic. I feel everything around me, and that’s what I try to capture: the feelings. I could also list a dozen technical skills I use, but at the end of the day, it’s the image that matters.

    What is it about the Caerusnet model that you like most?  I like the combination of building relationships and having tactical referrals. I’ve been in other group that have been good for making friends, and groups that have worked well for business contacts. Caerusnet has a great combination of the two. I thought that starting a business would be transactional, but it’s more like farming on Mars.

    What is your strategy with your member minute and your spotlight presentation? I love that we get the same minute every week, which gives me a chance to practice the same pitch with variations and see what resonates. The first part of my strategy is to not draw a blank. After that, its just to be interesting. There are a lot of characters in my group which means I need to be on top of my game to standout.

    Tips on how to be successful in Caerusnet?  The more you can work with people in your group and get them to also sing your praises in their member minutes and positive focuses, the better off you’ll be. I did a shoot with my friend Leah McChesney and her six kids and she got some great photos and I got a lot of promotion in my group. A win-win for everybody. That’s that way that small business work though, we’re all in this together and lift ourselves up by lifting others. 

    Want to connect with Hassan for a Trust Builder or to pass him a referral?  Click here to visit Hassan’s website and you can find his listing here on the Ann Arbor Tuesday 11AM team!