A sorority’s rush period is chaotic and short; thousands of students visit dozens of sorority houses, and everybody has to learn how to get acquainted quickly. Houses are evaluating candidates, and candidates are considering their options. In many ways, it’s a model business networking situation.

What does a successful sorority do to attract quality candidates? Many of the same things a business can do to attract and retain quality customers and a powerful business network:

• Rely on your personal network, but go beyond it — tap the networks of people in your network, to get an exponential boost in contacts and information.
• Be the kind of group people want to join — positive enthusiasm and energy demonstrate the benefits of membership, and inspire others to contribute.
• Listen to prospects — learning about someone’s priorities will ensure that you are attracting and recruiting the right talent for the group.
• Make prospects feel included — introduce them to other members and get them involved in the conversation.
• Select people who can help grow the organization — in addition to finding a business resource for your own business, you want to find people who will take on the role of growing the organization.

Both traditional and Roth IRAs are good opportunities for professionals who need to save for their own retirement. In fact, changes to the rules make the Roth IRA an attractive option for more people than in previous years.

Saving for retirement with an IRA provides flexibility to the account holder, and definite tax advantages. Rolling over a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA can provide more leeway when it comes to managinf the eventual distribution of those savings — including the ability to pass those savings on as part of your estate.

One of the advantages of working with a dedicated Financial Advisor like Doug is that he can create a retirement savings plan tailored to your goals, your tax obligations, and other facts unique to your situation.

While many of us may think we need a home run hitter who can deliver that golden tax deduction, Keith’s approach is to look at several incremental measures, that, when added up, deliver results.

For families who need to juggle living expenses with tuition, parent care, and other eventualities, Keith can provide expert advice about how to transfer stock or other under-performing (or over-performing) assets within the family, to take a timely depreciation or defer gains to a future tax year.

New opportunities for retirement saving come out of nearly every legislative session; they have inevitable effects on your tax burden, both now and in future years. The conversion of traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs is one common example. Keith can not only help you with the decision, he can also help you review your decisions, and make rollbacks when necessary to help you with your immediate and long-term tax responsibilities.

Similarly, Keith can help a small business with the tax implications of its retirement plan, no matter how many or few employees are involved. The relative ages and compensation levels of employees can make a crucial difference when it comes to an employer’s responsibilities. Discussing this with a tax professional like Keith now can help ensure a future of positive savings growth.

While the long process won’t be completed for another 9-10 months, Warren has had an opportunity to meet with senior menegement at Capital One, including the C.E.O., Richard Fairbank. This itself represents a departure from business as usual at Chevy Chase, and one that Warren and his fellow branch managers are excited to discover and share.

Capital One will be planning seminars for Chevy Chase’s personal banking customers, and also for their small business and corporate account holders, to introduce them to Capital One and its senior management in the months ahead. This is a plan that Warren is proposing to the bank, and one that will give Chevy Chase customers first-hand understanding of the transition from Chevy Chase to Capital One and the benefits this merger will bring to current Chevy Chase customers.

***

Our next Visitor’s Day will be Oct. 28th. If you want to learn more about BNI can grown your business, please write us at president@dcbni.com to receive an invitation to Visitor’s Day.

The healing model that underlies Zinnia’s work is one that sees the body as part of a positive continuum that is our reality. When fear, tension, and other negative influences distort this continuum, the distortions of reality that we label as “illness” come into being. Zinnia’s role is to discover where these distortions (blockages) have occured, and release that blockage, with therapeutic touch, acupuncture treatment, and/or herbal remedies.

Discovery entails a great deal of listening for Zinnia. Her goal is to develop a whole understanding of her patient’s work life, social network, support system, and habits of diet and exercise. Each of these areas can be a source of strength; they can also become depleted through inattention or the cultivation of negative habits. And a depleted body is more prone to illness, injury, and accident.

Zinnia’s approach allows her clients to find and express their best selves. When this image of the self is brought into the foreground of our attention, the health of the body will improve itself.

The overwhelming reality today though is that it’s a buyer’s market. Sellers need to make some basic preparations before putting their home on the market, if they want to maximize the value of their property. Tyler talked about these basics at theis morning’s meeting.

When you put a property on the market, it’s important to remember that you aren’t selling “Your Home”, but simply selling a property. That is to say, your subjective impressions of what makes your home uniquely yours don’t automatically convey to a stranger who’s looking at your house. As a seller, you need to be able to look at your home through a stranger’s eyes. A professional like Tyler can provide that objectivity.

Every seller wants to sell fast and get top dollar. Achieving this goal starts with setting the right price. Some sellers deliberately overprice in an attempt to “test the market”, but this can waste valuable time, especially in a supply-rich market such as we see today. Your property’s complete history will be available to every real estate agent, and as a property spends days and then weeks on the market, agents will use this as leverage to demand (and get) a reduced price.

A Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) is an indispensible tool to get your property right-priced. A CMA looks at the properties in your neighborhood, so that you can see the local context and what your opportunities are.

The other key to a successful property sale is making sure your property shows well. Clear, clean and free of clutter are the three things every property on the market should have. Whether you need to rent a storage unit, fill the attic, or hold a yard sale, the fact is that most homes have too much assorted stuff in them to show well. A prospective buyer wants to imagine themselves in the space; seeing how you live there now can be a distraction that leads them to come & go, and make an offer elsewhere.

Fixing or replacing major items is an area where sellers should proceed with discretion. A few buckets of paint can make a big difference in a buyer’s eyes. But a complete bathroom or kitchen renovation almost never recoups its cost.

The above  goes for the exterior as well as the interior. “Curb appeal” is the first impression a buyer has about your property, so having a clean, clutter-free yard and exterior is an effective selling point.

The first of these is a Will. If you die without leaving a Will, your children and your estate will be caught up in lengthy and potentially destructive litigation, as the courts make decisions for you. The physical custody of your children, the financial management of any money you have for them, and the disposition of your possessions and assets will all be handled by people who have no understanding of what you would actually want.

The second essential document is a Durable Power of Attorney. Travel, health events, and unanticiapted emergencies may put you in a position where you are not able to write checks and do the other mundane tasks of managing your life. When you are incapacited in this way, the Durable Power of Attorney gives someone you trust the authority to conduct business on your behalf. Imagine having the money to pay your mortgage, but without the ability to write the check because you’re in a coma or otherwise unavailable to send the payment. A Durable Power of Attorney can ensure continuity for yourself and your home & family.

A third document to prepare for the future is an Advanced Directives. Sometimes called a “living will”, Advanced Directoves spell out your wishes in the event that you should be permanently incapacitated or suffer from a terminal illness. Without such a document in place, your family as a group will have to take responsibility for decisions such as a Do Not Resuciatate order. This can be a devastating decision to leave in the hands of close or distant relatives, who may or may not agree with the decisions you would want to make for yourself.

Finally, a Revocable Power of Attorney is a crucial document to prepare, and to review regularly. This document gives a trusted individual the power to make decisions about your estate afterr your demise. This will save your heirs and estate the cost, delay, and aggravation of going through the probate process unguided.

Of course, all these documents are emergency measures, and come into use when you’re not around to make decisions on your own behalf. Planning for the future with a talented legal advisor like Hughes & Betzen can allow you the freedom that comes from knowing that you’ve done the legwork you need to protect your family from the worst that can happen.

***

We’re happy to welcome Keith Fulk, CPA, to the Wednesday Morning Chapter of BNI.

Probably the most dangerous misconception to have is the myth of “Full Coverage”. We like to think that our premiums equate to complete recovery in the event of an accident or disaster. But this is rarely the case. Depreciation and appreciation are just two of the factors that will affect whether the payout from your insurance will actually cover the cost of your loss or not. Again, careful of the fine print, with the help of an agent, is the best way to determine if your coverage is in sync with your needs.

***

In other chapter news, we’re happy to welcome Keith Fulk to DC BNI. Keith is a CPA with his own practice, helping individuals and businesses in Washington with their accounting needs. We’re also happy to have Yolanda Segal visit us this morning. Yolanda is a therapist in private practice, with an office in Woodley Park.

Credit scores have become more important in recent years. The tightening of the credit market has continued, and not only affects your ability to get a loan, but affects the interest rate you’ll pay as well. This has trickled down to all levels of financing, including things like car loans that have previously been issued in large part based on demand.

Keeping and maintaining a credit score in the 600s is a sine qua non for almost any mortgage financing these days; 620 is the targeted minimum for FHA financing — the most lenient home financing available.

Credit scores are impacted by every move you make with credit and debt. The three credit buereaus each look at your payment history to see if there is a track record of timely and adequate payments on each of categories of debt (home, car, student loans, revolving credit), as well as larger financial events, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure.

But it doesn’t take a catastrophe to damage your ability to secure a loan at a good rate. Hits to your credit score can come from little things as well. If even a small item like a parking ticket were to get handed over to a collection agency and reported as a delinquent account, your credit score would go down, and stay down until that debt is paid. Tim related a true story about an unpaid $15 ticket that eventually reduced the scofflaw’s credit score by nearly 100 points! Fair or not, the failure to address little bills can cost you thousands over the life of a home mortgage.

Tim also shared ways to learn about your credit score and ways to manage and repair it. There are many companies that promise to work magic on your credit score, but a lot of what they do are simple things any consumer can do for themselves. Call Tim at (240) 223-1701 today to find out he & the team at First Heritage can help you affordably finance the home you want.

***

We were happy to have three visitors at this week’s meeting. Kathleen Rice of Turning the Page (www.turningthepage.org)  paid us a second visit; Cassandra Pope, a Wealth Coach with FDI (www.FDIdvd.com/115945) visited our chapter for the first time, and Eric Eisenberg, BNI’s General Manager for Maryalnd and D.C. visited and shared some of his networking expertise.

Arbonne is not only a global leader in skin care health, but has also been an innovator in the network-marketing business model. For 30 years, the company has relied on its network of independent consultants to carry the Arbonne message directly to th customer. Their success with this model has helped Arbonne create a better product in serveral ways. Since Arbonne products do not appear in stores, they do not get warehoused for the extended periods that are customary in retailing. This allows Arbonne to avoid the use of chemical preservatives that extend shelf life but result in an adulterated product.

With no broadcast advertising or retailer network to support, Arbonne can focus on continued research, discovering new botanical solutions to bring to their customers. Arbonne’s slogan is “pure, safe, and beneficial”. Keeping petroleum products, potential carcinogens, and other non-plant substances is one factor that sets Arbonne apart from its competitors.

Educated as an attorney, Jennifer made the switch to Arbonne for several reasons. Like many people, she has grown concerned about the influx of mystery chemicals into our daily lives, and wanted to find products for her own family that would be safe and natural. As an Arbonne consultant, Jennifer gets to promote products that she uses and trusts, as part of a company that is a leader, both for its science and its business model.

If you know someone who wants a reliable source for the best in skin care products, or someone who wants to learn more about becoming an Arbonne representative, drop Jennifer a note at jennifera@myarbonne.com.

***

We were happy to welcome three visitors to this week’s meeting: Tony  Frye of Tony Frye Design, Kathleen Rice of Turning the Page, and Charlie Wheeler of Hughes & Bentzen.

Thanks again to McPherson Square Business Council and the good folks at Intelligent Office for making the conference room available.

If you’re putting on an event, or find out about one, send a note over to events@dcbni.com, and we’ll get it posted online.

The Meridians are lines of energy that course through the body and connect all the organs and parts of the body into a functioning whole. Managing this energy is at the heart of Zinnia’s practice, and Tapping is a take-away practice her patients can learn to keep themselves in good condition between office visits.

In Tapping the Meridians, the patient can help to regulate her body’s functions by lightly striking the body along the lines, known as Channels, that correspond to the major organs and systems of the body. There are discrete Channels that govern the health of the Lungs, Large & Small Intestines, Stomach, Spleen, Heart, and more. Each organ relies on the flow of positive energy, or Qi, to perform its proper function. Manipulating the Qi through the touch of the Tapping technique is an easy thing anyone can learn to do to improve their health, energy, and mood throughout the day.

Teaching her clients how to manage their Qi, Zinnia actively enlists each patient in the cause of her own health and happiness. Beyond recuperating from sickness, Zinnia works with her clients to actively build wellness into their daily lives.

Concerto Networks provides outsourced IT support for small and medium businesses. Companies that aren’t large enough to have a trained IT person on staff try to get by in this area, by doing it themselves, or turning to emergency measures (and expenses!) when things go really bad.

A do-it-yourself approach is not the best for most small businesses. Testing and updating computer hardware is not a core proficiency for most of us. Even if we know what we’re doing, Bill points out, “troubleshooting a printer isn’t making you money.”

When Concerto Networks takes on this responsibility for their small & medium business customers, they provide continuity and consistency. The cost of staying up to date is much less than the cost of recovering from a disaster. When every business relies on technology to meet their goals, every business needs a technology partner to make sure than IT is contributing to the bottom line.

IT infrastructure is not as satble as the home and office appliances we’re accustomed to. Regular review and maintenance are improtant for computers, printers, and other complex machines. A lot of things happen inside a computer, and a lot of things can happen to a computer. A machine that’s up to date is much easier to troubleshoot and/or repair.

***

We were also happy to welcome two visitors to this week’s meeting: Warren Edwards of Chevy Chase Bank, and Keith Fulk, a CPA with his own practice in DC.

As a lender, First Heritage has advantages over the typical mortgage broker. Since they provide the initial capitalization that makes a loan happen, First Heritage can take advantage of the best rates provided by big lenders like Bank of America.

First Heritage enjoys this advantage as part of a larger company, George Mason Mortgage, a regional lender. George Mason lends to homeowners from Georgia to Maryland, and First Heritage is their Corresponding Lender for this area. This means that First Heritage enjoys the financial leverage of a large bank, while still having the responsiveness and flexibity of a small brokerage.

Lending practices have changed a lot recently; another good reason to work with a mortgage professional like Tim. Rates have stayed low, and cash is available, but documentation and credentials are more important than ever. Lenders are looking at a borrower’s income history in closer detail, even as the supply of available cash continues to grow.

The market has seen some sudden rate changes as the bond market and other markets that affect interest rates have gone through their own readjustments. While mortgage rates have been below 5% for much of 2009, Tim warns that this is bound to change. “Normal” interest rates, in the 6-8% range, are bound to return, and when they do so, it will be sudden and likely to last for a while.

So now is an opportune time to get in the market, as a first-time buyer, an investor, or a homeowner who wants to refinance and take advantage of great interest rates.

***

We were happy to welcome Keith Fulk, CPA, to today’s meeting. Keith visited today’s meeting at the invitation of Lisa Hughes. If you’d like to find out how word-of-mouth marketing can grow your business, please pay us a visit any Wednesday morning.

Buck calls what Heatherstone does “website development” rather than “website design”, to highlight the amount of discussion and business planning that happens at the beginning of a website project. Heatherstone works with clients to develop a clear understanding of who a site will serve, what goals the business has, and how an online presence will complement a company’s offline marketing activities.

Buck also discussed online advertising, and specifically how Google’s AdWords program works. An advertising campaign online has some advantages over broadcast or other traditional advertising media. These include real-time reporting of results, detailed feedback, and a more-informed baseline for a business’s promotional efforts.

Heatherstone’s approach combines technology with a bit of business coaching and some marketing expertise; the goal is not to build a website, but to generate value, and specifically revenue, for its customers. A website is the basic platform Heatherstone uses to help its customers generate value online, but asking about and understanding a client’s entire business happens before any technology ever comes in the picture.

***

Next week is Visitor’s Day! If you want to find out more about BNI can add to your business’s profitability, join us at New York Deli, 2000 L St., next Wednesday.

Despite what we may want to believe about our homeowner’s policies, most of us are not specifically covered in catastrophic events like these. Flood insurance may be the most common kind of additional protection that homeowners neglect to consider, but damage from rising waters is not covered by a typical policy. Homeowners who live in areas where flooding occurs need to take the extra step to make sure they’re fully protected.

In Washington, some of those man-made events are of more concern than water levels, and for that reason, Crystal Insurance can provide an extra provision for terrorism coverage. If your business should be effected by an attack on the area, a terrorism provision can extend your policy’s coverage to include acts of terror that can shut down or destroy your business.

Such a provision is an amendment to your insurance policy. This means that typically the cost of the additional coverage is incremental; for less than 5% of a business’s annual premium, these additional coverages can be added to account for the unthinkable.

Beyond presenting the insurance side of things, Andy disucssed the preparedness mindset. Insurance won’t get you out of town in the event of a disaster, so you should have a plan, one that you discuss with business associates and family as appropriate. Having an evacuation plan, an out-of-town contact, and a fallback plan are all simple measures that can make a difference in the event of an emergency. This is the kind of attention to real-world details that Andy and Crystal Insurance bring to their customers.

Some of the businesses Andy is looking to serve are Florists, Dry Cleaners, any kind of Fitness or Martial Arts studio. Crystal has great rates through several carriers, and can create the best mix of coverage for your business.

With the longer days of Spring upon us and Summer just ahead, protecting your skin from the sun and keeping it moisturized are daily necessities. Arbonne products are different from virtually every skin care or anti-aging product you can buy, in that there are no petroleum products in the Arbonne formula. Petroleum products such as mineral oil actually inhibit the free flow of moisture in your skin, resulting in skin that is drier and more suceptible to the signs of aging.

Jennifer also told us about Arbonne as a company, and what attracted her to Arbonne, as an alternative to her law practice. Arbonne has an emphasis on mentoring, coaching, and personal development that support the new Arbonne Consultant as they build their personal network and customer base.

In addition to looking for potential customers (people who are regular users of skin care products), Jennifer is also looking for people to add to her team. The flexibility of the Arbonne system, and the support the company provides, makes selling Arbonne an attractive proposition for anyone who needs to build an income while managing multiple priorities.

Exercise and movement were the issues that brought Zinnia to the study of Chinese medicine and therapy. Her studies in Alexander Technique and in Yoga complement her training in acupuncture and related therapies. Zinnia combines these varied disciplines in a series of on-to-one sessions with her clients. In these sessions, her clients learn a mindful way to breathe, move, and pay attention to their bodies.

As an example, Zinnia led the group in a brief exercise, syncing the action of raising and lowering the arm to our inhalation and exhalation. Matching movement to breath is a critical detail in Zinnia’s practice. Most people, it seems, do the opposite; they disrupt their breathing in reaction to bodily movements, discomforts, or bad alignment. Reversing this pattern is the first step in developing an awareness of the state of the body.

That awareness includes a sense of limits. A patient who learns to listen to her body becomes aware of the points of resistance that restrict her bodily motion. That awareness is the first step in opening up the body to a greater range of motion. Zinnia’s approach teaches an attitude of ease and stability. Rather than “work through” resistance, Zinnia teaches her clients to observe and recognize the body’s resistance in a relaxed manner. Relaxation itself can extend the body’s ability to move.

Over the seven-session course of work, Zinnia’s clients build awareness, then ease & stability, then greater flexibility, then strength. Each stage is built on its predecessors, and the end result is a mind and body that listen to and cooperate with each other, leading to a mindful, healthy lifestyle.

***

Lisa Hughes of Hughes & Bentzen announced the next meeting of the Capitol Cabal, a tech and business networking group H&B sponsors. The next meeting is tonight, May 6, at 5:30. It’ll be at the Topaz Lounge, 1733 N St., N.W.

Doug Bowers of Smith Barney announced that SB will be holding a free seminar for small businesses, focusing on tax issues. It’ll be at the Kenwood Country Club in Bethesda on June 3. Watch this space for more details.

Life-changing events — birth, death, marriage, divorce, and more — often precipitate a sudden change in needs. Of course there’s never a bad time to find a financial adviser you can rely on. But major changes have financial implications, and a trusted professional can make sure that your money is protected.

As a Certified Financial Planner, Doug has the education and experience to create a complete financial package and plan for your current and future needs. Smith Barney provides guidance and a road map to their clients. The information and context Smith Barney provides are a foundation for disciplined investing, and disciplined investing is successful.

Of course life derails the best plans, so Smith Barney has the resources and flexibility to help you adjust your plans to changes in the real world. Flexibility is what separates a disciplined approach from the  sometimes misplaced energy of the solitary investor. At times when investments have underperformed, an unadvised investor can be tempted to take on excessive risk to make up for lost ground. This compounds the problem, and investors are left stranded.

Irrational buying and selling, following the crowd mentality, and unplanned investing are three major pitfalls that wait for an uninformed investor. Doug’s expertise can turn uncertainty into clarity, and an underperforming investment into a stable foundation for the future.

Prospective buyers are finding a lot of short sale properties on the market: listings with “pre-foreclosure” or ” sale subject to 3rd-party approval” are becoming numerous.

A short sale, on the face of it, represents a great opportunity for a buyer who can bring some cash & good credit to the table. But there are important facts to understand about taking on a short sale.

In a short sale or pre-foreclosure, the note holder has agreed to sell a property for less than the value of the mortgage.

They’ll take a loss on the transaction, but less of a loss than they would if the lender opted to go through the foreclosure process.

The current owner will be able to avoid the fallout from having a foreclosure on their credit record.

The distressed situation that a short sale comes from makes the transaction more involved than a conventional purchase.

Sellers need to be ready with a detailed description of the situation (a “Hardship Letter”), and have a CPA and an agent with short sale experience.

Having a third party negotiate the terms of a short sale is essential; Hounshell uses an attorney who specializes in this sort of transaction.

Lending practices have changed, and new regulations are put in place every month. Having a real estate agent with pre-foreclosure experience can be the difference between getting to settlement or not.

***

We were also pleased to welcome this week’s visitor, Bill McElrath of LTC Financial Partners. Bill’s a member of BNI (Greenbelt Thursday Morning) , making the rounds of area chapters.

Asking the group to define health, Anthony got a number of reasonable replies: good energy, pain-free motion, the ability to be active, and so on. As a counter-example, Anthony mentioned a definition of health that comes from the World Health Organization: “An optimal state of mental, physical, and social well-being” that goes beyond the simple absence of specific disease.

Specific disease may be the province of an M.D., but for most of us, going to the doctor is not a health-related activity. Doctors respond to symptoms, and treat them. But such a world-view can hinder a patient who wants to proactively seek health beyond the cessation of symptoms.

As a chiropractor, Anthony’s practice focuses on the optimal state model of health. The focal area of his attention is the Central Nervous System, which manages all the body’s processes, growth, and response to stimuli.

From the brain, nerves go out to every organ, muscle, tissue, and cell of the body. Signals going back and forth are the regulatory mechanism that runs the whole body. If the CNS is not sending or receiving signals properly, the body will not change, grow, and adapt as it should, and the resulting decrease in health will result in the advent of symptoms like pain. The goal of chiropractic treatment is to address factors that affect this sending and receiving, so that the brain can get good data and act on it effectively, creating conditions where the body will self-correct into the optimal state.

A lot of Anthony’s practice is with children, mothers, and mothers-to-be. This is an area where a practitioner, and his patient, can see dramatic improvements over a course of treatment, because the potential for change is so great. Adults are often inured to a lifetime of bad habit, an may not even recognize a lack of health until acute symptoms develop. But a child who has yet to pick up such postures can be set on a course of optimal health with dramatic results.

In addition to traditional chiropractic, Anthony offers a number of other services at his office. A more subtle or advanced form of chiropractic called Bio-Geometric Integration is available for patients who want to advance their wellness through body alignment. Anthony also offers nutritional consulting and support, and sponsors or leads regular workshops on a variety of wellness and personal development topics.

Anthony concluded with a description of his Perfect Client, and his Favorite Client, which are, from one angle, very different sorts of people. Anthony’s Perfect Client is someone who is committed to seeking self-development, self-awareness, and self-improvement. Of course like all perfect things, such clients are rare. Anthony’s Favorite Clients, by contrast, are people who have a problem and who are willing to try something new. This may be because tradional approaches have failed, or the prescriptions of traditional diagnosis are too extreme to be acceptable. When someone is willing to forgo reactive, symptom-based treatment, the potential for change is great. “Seeing someone transform into the person they want to be” is one of the great accomplishments of Anthony’s professional life. As Favorite Clients make that transformation, many of them become Anthony’s Perfect clients, committed to a lifetime of good health and well-being.

***

An we welcome our newest member, Jennifer Colesano Adams. Jennifer is an Independent Consultant with Arbonne, providing quality cosmetics and skin care products. Jennifer primarily markets Arbonne through product demos anf presentations to small groups. If you and some friends would like to find out more about having an Arbonne get-together, contact Jennifer at jennifera@myarbonne.com

We were also happy to be visited by James Page, President of Page After Page. Page After Page is an authorized IBM and Konica/Minolta Dealer, and has been providing photocopying solutions and service in D.C. for 16 years.

Ehughes@hughesbentzen.com