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In August 2009, Mike Reeves was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer. . . so what does this have to do with networking?

EVERYTHING!!!

Mike is a “career” Fire Fighter. Do you think he has a “network” of friends, connections, contacts, and colleagues? ABSOLUTELY!!!

He also spends many hours each week working for a local Dallas/Fort Worth-based Hospital during his “off” hours from the Fire Department. And when he’s not at the station or hospital, he has been in chemo and radiation or another doctor’s visit since the Summer of 2009 when he first couldn’t get rid of the “catch” in his throat.

Most impressive, is his commitment to his family! He enjoys every possible minute he can with Kim and their 3 children. You will hear just how INVALUABLE their time together is and how they cherish every minute as Mike’s wife, Kim shares the challenges, faith, hope and healing they have experienced…

It doesn’t stop there! Kim’s family has been in “Survival Mode” for over 2 years now as OTHER members of their family have battled cancer as well. The Reeves’ story may sound familiar…maybe even something like your own – and if not, that is reason to give thanks and praise for your health and that of your family!

You see, Mike was not a smoker or big tobacco user, nor a heavy drinker or what one would “typically think” might be a contributing factor to his cancer. Mike knows what is good and bad for the body because of his line of work, and the commitment to health his family has embraced.

So WHAT caused it?
HOW did he get cancer?
WHAT are they doing?
HOW are they overcoming?

It was a SHOCKER to his wife, Kim, and all three of their children…but they cling to HOPE. They have their health…and together, they are “Team Survivor”!

Cancer Happens…are you ready to overcome it or BE overcome by it?

This Thursday, you will hear their shocking story as Kim shares where they have been, what they have overcome, and what lies ahead. We will hear about the life-changing paradigm shift that occurred, and sadly, ONE in every TWO Americans is saying, “that is me, too” because they have also heard, “You’ve got cancer.”

Since booking Kim for the show, another friend of mine has been diagnosed with throat cancer and is currently living with a trach…and has been told his vocal cords must come out. Ironically, his name is also Mike, and, not so surprising, he is also a courageous warrior!

You see, this topic REALLY hits home with me…only weeks after Kim shared Mike’s diagnosis with me did we go to the Dentist to find they suspected my husband, Tim, had mouth cancer. The next 24 hours were the scariest of my life thus far…and then the week we waited for the test results to come back weren’t much better.

If TRUTH like this is not shared, others will go undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and untreated. That it is why it is sooo important for YOU to listen in on Thursday and to take note of what is shared. . . it might save the life of someone you love and maybe even yourself.

This episode will be one you replay, and one where you send a link off to your family, and everyone else you love and want to see live longer!

Let me warn you: GRAB TISSUES because The Reeves’ Story will warm your heart and give you HOPE.

YOU TOO will overcome because there is someone bigger than cancer, a greater healer than surgery or chemo or radiation, and a stronger fighter than any human you could add to your army! Mike and Kim have teamed up with this champion, and once you hear their story, if you aren’t already, you soon will! And if you are, you will have a renewed faith in the hope you are promised…I promise!!!

You can connect with Kim by visiting http://EatABetterBreakfast.com – and through the contact info she shares during the show. To learn more, CLICK HERE!

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Tune in every Thursday at 11 AM (cst) on BlogTalkRadio for Only 3 Degrees – Where Business Meets Success and I am introducing YOU to someone else YOU need to know.

Don Teague is not only a News Correspondent for CBS News and CBS Early Show, but also an Emmy-Award Winning Author and Journalist. In his new book, “Saved by Her Enemy” you read of a TRUE tale of war, friendship, faith, and family. In this story, an Iraqi woman’s journey from the heart of war to the heartland of America is shared in a compassionate way that will inspire you to new heights and encourage you in new ways!

Rafraf Barrak was an Iraqi college girl who earned a job as a translator for NBC during the early months of violence in the wake of the American invasion of Iraq. Working for an American company made Rafraf a target of insurgents, who actively sought to kidnap & kill her…in steps Don, an NBC News correspondent, and a BOOK evolves!

During today’s Only3Degrees show on BlogTalkRadio, Denai Vaughn, “The Networking Queen” will interview Don Teague, now a correspondent for CBS News. He appears regularly on The CBS Evening News, The Early Show, & Sunday Morning. PLUS, Don is a God-fearing, faith-filled, family-man from Texas.

Needless to say, when we linked on Facebook, I said “WOO HOO!” (see what Social Networking can do for you?!?)

HERE’S A FEW REVIEWS OF HIS BOOK FROM NAMES YOU WILL RECOGNIZE:

“Saved by Her Enemy,” is a kind of roadmap to the future, when inevitably, I think, we will know that no matter whether we are American or Arab, Christian or Muslim, man or woman, we are actually not enemies at all, but brethren.
ANN CURRY, NBC News Correspondent

“Saved by Her Enemy will simultaneously warm and break your heart: warm it by the story of the Teague family’s selfless desire to help an Iraqi woman who’s life was in danger, and break it by realizing how many others need our help. Don Teague makes an excellent case for why America remains a beacon of love, hope and trust in the world.”
DANA PERINO, Former White House Press Secretary

A post from Tuesday on Don’s Facebook Wall reads: I just received a letter from George W. Bush telling me how much he and Laura enjoyed my book, “Saved by Her Enemy.” He called it “fascinating and inspiring,” and said he admires Rafraf’s example of courage.

COOL, HUH?!?

For more information, visit: http://don-teague.com

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
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SHOW SPONSORS INCLUDE:
InterStark.com

If you haven’t added this as one of your FAVORITES on YouTube, I recommend you do so NOW. The information this company gathers and shares will enable you to MARKET in new ways, TARGET your advertising, and UNDERSTAND the power behind Social Media, Social Networking, Online Networking, whatever “buzz term” you prefer to use.

THIS IS REALITY, my friends…and the numbers will blow you away when you realize what YOU have available, at your fingertips.

The updated video was only published this week – GET IN THE KNOW (and stay there, okay)!

There are OVER 200,000 BLOGS and over 34% of bloggers post opinions on products and brands…and this is just ONE of them.

Watch the video and learn why YOU should be blogging, tweeting, facebooking, video marketing, posting to Wikipedia, and more…

CLICK HERE for Socialnomics Part 2 VIDEO

“Social Media is NOT a fad, it is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate….Listen FIRST and sell SECOND!”

It moved me and my family over 300 miles…so for me, I would have to say “HECK YEA IT DOES!” And there are many reasons as to why…

We realized we needed to move MONTHS ago, but at the time, we weren’t sure when or where. That was prior to August 2009, which is when the answers came flooding in. And with our network of friends, family, colleagues and contacts, we were able to make things happen EVEN FASTER than expected.

So, how exactly did our network MOVE us?

Part One: RENTERS

We needed to find a Rental Management Company to put our house on the market for a RENTER (we have been talking with a realtor about selling but because of all the foreclosures in our neighborhood our asking price would have to be WAY too low for our liking). After numerous referrals, we narrowed it down to TWO companies; one was a “real estate-based” company and the other was a franchise that ONLY dealt with rentals. The realty company was a referral from a realtor we know…the one we will use to sell our home, actually. The other was a referral from a friend of Tim’s and someone who uses them for his properties. Well, after reviewing the numbers, here’s the breakdown:
* Real Estate company ONLY uses MLS to promote their rentals, not the internet.
* Property Management company ONLY uses the internet and posts to multiple websites, not the MLS.
* Real Estate company had a turn around of 45-70 days.
* Property Management company averaged 30 days for renting houses.
* Real Estate company wanted to list our home at UNDER what we had hoped for.
* Property Management company was confident we could rent it ABOVE the price we desired.

So, based on these facts, who would you have selected?

BINGO!!! We chose RealPropertyDFW.com instead of the real estate company and in UNDER 30 days our house was rented, IN FACT, it was rented by the SECOND and FINAL people to view it…and our price never dropped from what we listed it as. WOO HOO!

That was our network working for us – part one.

Part Two: MOVERS
This one was a HUGE challenge! We asked EVERYONE for a referral of a moving company that would drive out of town…over 300 miles to be exact. Finding out of state movers is easier to find than IN-STATE (at least for Texas).

A friend IN one of my networking groups is a DFW Mover, but went out of business recently. He was the FIRST PERSON we had on our list to talk to about this. Since his phone was disconnected, we couldn’t ask for a referral either.

Sent a text after two phone calls to a CLIENT to ask about the company she used to work for…an actual moving company. She got back with me AFTER we moved! So, that didn’t help much.

Talked with THREE realtors I completely trust. SURPRISINGLY, none of them knew of moving companies besides some in town. None of them had been asked that before. I thought that was odd…considering they are helping people to “relocate” and sometimes it isn’t IN town but out of town. Needless to say, it got all 3 of them thinking.

GOOGLE TO THE RESCUE!!! We searched a few companies, made some calls…Tim entered his info into one of those “complete this form and we’ll send you quotes” sites and we got a few DOOZIES. . . and some good laughs from it, too. We narrowed it down to THREE companies again and here’s how they compared:
* Two companies charged by the weight of the truck.
* One company charged by the mile.
* All were bringing a minimum of one truck at 24 feet.
* One COULD do the weekend but the other two required weekday moves so they could get back for weekend appointments already on the books.
* One company would send THREE men to load and unload (no charge for the “extra manpower”)
* One quote was WAY HIGH – the guy came to our home with a “scanner” and inventoried EVERYTHING we owned.
* One quote was “okay,” but we questioned it since no one came to the house but went off of what we told them.
* The other quote was done with pictures we sent over because the guy said, “Look, I live in Allen and have been at this for 14 years. I have gone to many houses where they didn’t hire us and it’d be a waste of my time and yours to drive 120 miles out there. Here’s what I need to know and I’ll give you a quote.” And since Tim was thinking it would be a TIGHT FIT in the one truck, he asked if there was ANYWAY he could come out…or if pictures would work. So, thanks to modern technology, we snapped some photos and emailed them over.
* Fees for boxes were pretty consistent, but we went the “DIY” route (do-it-yourself) and bought boxes (HomeDepot has a pretty good deal if you can’t make it to Wal-Mart around 10:30 PM when they are stocking shelves….found this info out by asking our – you guessed it – NETWORK!).

Well, there’s MORE to this one, but let me just say that the company with the mileage instead of the WEIGHT fee is the company we went with, A+B Moving from Allen, Texas. And here’s the scoop on them:
1) They were supposed to arrive between 4 & 6 per our contract…but got there at 7:30 PM
2) We had to move during the week so they could get to another contract by Friday…so Wednesday it was, but that changed to Tuesday night in case they couldn’t fill the truck and we needed another/a trailer.
3) Everything got here in one piece though we had a few scratches on some items (my grandmother’s piano, the buffet table we had redone last spring, our bedroom set, and a few other wooden items). Nothing broken was a blessing!!! (if you have ever moved a washer before, you probably know the rule about securing the drum…yeah, we learned that one AFTER we moved, but a praise to say it still works great)
4) THEY ARE SPEEDY!!! The truck was loaded TO THE RIM, though they finished loading around 11 PM.
5) They were organized – one guy loaded and unloaded the truck (it was like watching someone play Tetras – do you remember that game? Maybe I am dating myself…), the other two were wrapping stuff and moving out for the one guy to pack it in…and unpack when they arrived to our new home. Like I said, pretty ORGANIZED!
6) They were HONEST. We have heard a few horror stories about people being charged more than quoted, the driver saying it was going to be an extra $300 or something and REFUSING to unload until paid. I mean BAD STUFF!!! We didn’t experience that at all.
7) They were COURTEOUS and RESPECTFUL.

Yes, they were late and we had a few dings in furniture, but when you look at what we paid THEM verses what we could have paid someone else (THREE TIMES the rate, by the way), I would have to say we got a great deal and would recommend them to others! Thanks, Google!!!

Well, considering the length of this post, I’ll add the other “parts of the story” the rest of this week…stay tuned. There’s MORE!!! I’m telling you, we REALLY put our network to work in the past 30 days…you’ll see…

When many see the term “Video Marketing” they think it is about THEM being in front of the camera. Their face on the screen. Their voice being heard and and and….AH!!!

Is that your first reaction, too? Maybe…maybe not.

Some cringe at the idea of being on camera while others LOVE the limelight! (maybe THAT is you instead)

Would you rather be the one BEHIND the camera? Would you rather there be NO camera at all?
YES!!!

Well, no matter where you would rather be standing…or sitting…or hiding, I have some FAB news to share!!!

You can do either, neither, or you can do something completely different!

This post is going to share a few insights with you on video marketing, and it will really get you THINKING (and hopefully DOING).

In addition, I am sharing a FREEBIE with you – a link to my recent interview on Only3Degrees with videographer, Mark Neace. He has been in the industry for OVER 20 years; commercials, corporate events, national networks, personal events and more.

Needless to say, he knows his stuff, right?!

Well, you are going to get a kick out of this interview! Let’s just say…technical difficulties can happen with the most techie person. . . listen for yourself and see how you think I did during the, well, you’ll just have to listen…(and laugh)

CLICK HERE FOR THE REPLAY

Now, back to video marketing and growing your network!

Here’s a SEVEN ideas to get you started on WHAT you might make a video about:

1) Who do YOU want to attract as a client, contact, customer, or new connection?
2) What new tool, trick, or technique have you recently learned about and will share FOR FREE with the viewers?
3) Testimonials from customers work great, even if you just have the email, better yet, the voicemail, or put THEM on video.
4) Share “The WHYs”: Why are you in business? Why are you passionate about what you do? Why do you want to help people with…? Why are you different from others in the same industry?
5) Who has influenced you the most?
6) What have you overcome to get where you are today?
7) Share the SPECIALS or PROMOTIONS you are currently offering.

Think about it and then, VIDEO ABOUT IT!

If you want to stand in front of the camera, go for it.

If you want to be behind the camera, then find someone to be in front of it for you.

If you are okay with VOICE but not with PEOPLE, then create a slideshow like the ones you can setup with MY favorite tool, http://OneTrueMedia.com – LOVE IT and the price!

The other option is to do what more and more Internet Marketers are doing…more on that option TOMORROW – stay tuned!

As you ponder the seven ideas from above, you might look at a few videos on YouTube to get some ideas of what TO and what NOT to do. I have a few videos loaded – some are using the tool mentioned above. I am sure you will enjoy the music, transition, and slides they provide FREE! Now, to get them to start an affiliate program – the topic of yet another blog post. LOL