I was asked recently about the color scheme for Inquisix.  All the other web 2.0 sites have white backgrounds with blue and green borders and text.  But Inquisix is brown and orange.  Are we trying to relive the ’70s?

Inquisix is exclusive, it’s member-invite-only, it’s a place to keep your contacts secure but still give and get referrals.  It’s a place to do business, much like the private club your father was a member of.  Leather chairs, wood paneled walls, fireplace in the corner and pictures of famous dead guys all around.  Members quietly conversing over lunch and a martini.  Our website colors are meant to invoke that environment.

Inquisix provides a secure environment for members to give and get referrals with reputable peers.  Inquisix members give referrals to increase their reputation with their customers.  Not sell referrals.  Not to do the member asking a favor.  Rather, members give referrals because they know their reputation as a trusted advisor increases every time they help their customer.  Members get referrals to increase their business because their reputation in the system says that they’re worthy.  Inquisix reputation is earned from your referral rating.  The more and better referrals you give, the better your reputation.  The better your  reputation, the more likely another member will want to give you a referral to their customer.  It’s why you are invited to belong to the club.

At Inquisix you can

• Ask for a referral from another member
• Give a referral when someone asks you
• Get a referral from a member who wants to introduce their contact to you
• Pro-actively give a referral

At Inquisix, we promise you

• No one can see your contacts or your relationship to those contacts without your explicit permission
• Giving one of your contacts as a referral does not let that member see the rest of your contacts
• Reputation is earned by real feedback from referrals

Do you know what we do now?  Think you should join us?  Ask a member for an invite!

We have a guest author today. Marty Eerhart is an Inquisix member and manages a nationwide mortgage broker and lender business based in Rhode Island. He previously owned a sales and management training company providing networking training sessions coast-to-coast.

Marty’s Top 7 Rules Of Networking

1. Don’t sell at networking meetings. Your goal is to meet people. You don’t have time to do a good sales presentation. Besides, there will be too many distractions.

2. The best way to get something from networking is to give something. Don’t expect to get leads when you never give others leads. Networking is like marriage: You get out of it what you put in it.

3. Remember me? When someone asks you what you do, say something memorable. This way it is easier for the other person to think of you when they meet someone who needs your product or service.

4. Qualify the people you meet into three categories: Potential clients, source of referrals, interesting-but-nothing-more. Realize that not everyone will be a prospect. Networking is more then prospecting. It is also finding people who could lead you to potential new customers.

5. Networking is more like farming then hunting. It takes time to cultivate and harvest. But once the harvest season starts, you will be well compensated.

6. Did you miss me or am I just another number? Remember the first date you went on? You waxed the car. You put on your best clothing, shaved or put make-up on. You opened the door for the other person. You paid him or her a compliment. But after you see them a few times, the extra efforts are gone. Keep all your meetings like the first one!

7. Remember, it is net*work*, not net*eat* or net*play.* It takes energy and effort to make network work for you.