Holloway: Networking is changing the way we do business and live. I'm Jay Holloway. Join me as we talk about opportunities for networking, next on Black Issues Forum.

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Male: The job that must get done in the African American community must first be done by African-Americans. We cannot expect anyone to do for us that which we are not doing for ourselves. To that end, each one must reach and teach one. We must have a lot of us doing a little, instead of a few of us doing a lot.

Holloway: That gives networking real purpose and meaning. Good evening, I'm Jay Holloway and this is Black Issues Forum and we are here every Friday night at 11:00 on UNC-TV. This is Part Five of a 13-part series and we hope it will help you discuss serious issues with your family and civic and community groups. And most importantly, in the classroom. This program is not only for blacks but to encourage everyone to communicate across racial lines. This evening's program will explore how you can maximize opportunities for networking. And when we set networking you may first think of job opportunities, sales, social context, but real networking is much more, as you'll hear from George Fraser when we spoke with him in a recent interview.

Fraser: Networking is the identification and the building of relationships for the purpose of sharing information and resources. And the emphasis on that definition is really on the building of relationships and sharing, because all of life is about working with and through other people. So, building relationships becomes the key to effective networking and it really is. The next logical question is what, then, is the key to building relationships and, really, the key to building relationships is defined in one word and it is the same word that is the key to success and the key to life, and that word is giving. That we must give until it hurts and then give until it feels good. In fact, if you are not getting the things you want in life I promise you, it is because you are not giving. It really all relates to giving. I mean, you think about it, you can't take anything out of the bank if you haven't put anything into the bank. So we really must focus on giving. So the first principle, the most important principle of effective networking is that you must give first, share always, the getting comes later. Now, you may not get it the day you want it, when you want it, how you want it, or where you want it. But if you are patient, if you are persistent, if you are confident that your giving will reap what you sow, you will get all the things that you want. And even if you don't get it, your children may get it, your family members may get it, your extended family members may get it.

So the first principle is give first, share always, the getting comes later. The second principle is the need for African-Americans in particular to get back to this idea of the extended family, because too many of us have succeeded and we have not looked back and we have not gone back. And, in fact, many of us have climbed the ladder of success and we have been kicked down the ladder and pulled up the rope, so we must get back to this idea of each one reaching one and teaching one that really does take the whole village to raise a child. So, that, in my opinion is the second most important principal of effective networking, getting back to this idea of vertically networking, reaching down and lifting up and horizontally networking.

Male: If I was a network marketer I would say build with and if.

Fraser: Exactly, in fact, that is exactly what they say in network marketing. In fact, as a subject, there's a part of the book that I speak to that subject on network marketing. In fact, I'm a big supporter of network marketing, I think it is a great way for people to start a business. It is a low cost way to start a business. It is a wonderful way to utilize your network. That is, if you like networking, if you love people, if you enjoy building relationships, you can have the kind of inte rpersonal skills that are required and the building of relationships, you are going to love network marketing and you are going to do well in that business and it is a good business and an inexpensive way to start a business.

Male: This networking is so important, both from a spiritual standpoint and as a strategy, how do you get, you do you develop, is there a way to develop the people skills, the interpersonal skills if you don't have them?

Fraser: Yeah, I think that we all have to work and continually work on our interpersonal skills. And when we talk about interpersonal skills, we really are talking about our ability to effectively communicate. Communicate through the written word, communicate through the spoken word, communicate by listening. I mean most people don't listen today, they just talk. That is unfortunate. I tell people all the time, you learn a lot more by listening than you do by talking. We also have to make s re and be careful and be gentle about the words that we use. And when we talk, when we criticize, I should say, we have to be careful in our criticism and make sure that we are constructively criticizing and not destructively criticizing. People are very careless with words today and they are very harmful and they are very painful. My father, who is West Indian, is a very strong man. He taught me 25 years ago, he said to me that the words that you speak today are waiting for you tomorrow. I never forg ot that so I try to be as gentle as I can as I communicate constructively with other human beings. I guess really what I'm saying, if you want to look at it in a real simple way is, be nice. Be congenial, smile, laugh. Be kind to people, you will get a lot more done.

Male: What is the role of technology in networking as you talk about it around the country.

Fraser: It is critical. I think every person in America, and specifically African-Americans, must get involved in all of the technological innovations that we are privy to today from being on line to making sure that you have computer skills and computer literacy in your household. Making sure that our children have access to computers, minimally in their school. That means that you have to make sure that your schools are teaching our children the skills and apprising our children of the techn logy that is available to them. So, I think it is absolutely critical. It certainly is a wonderful way to organize and manage a massive network of people. I mean, the old fashioned rolodex, that stuff is sort of outmoded. It is all electronic today. So there are so many electronic tools out there to manage our contacts, whether they are sales contacts, whether they are people contacts. So technology is a very, very important part, not only of our life now, but certainly of our life as we go into the 21st century. And it is just a much more efficient way at being efficient.

Male: Talk with me, George, if you will, about the role of the various institutions in making all of this come together and work.

Fraser: Let's start with the spiritual institutions. There is no question that our spiritual institutions have, in a sense, been our home base, if you will. But as we move from a sort of a civil rights agenda to an economic rights agenda, to an agenda of economic development and economic empowerment, that our spiritual institutions must begin to preach the gospel of prosperity and the gospel of profit as opposed to the gospel of poverty. And I think we are seeing a lot more of that today in ou spiritual institutions. And I think many of our people are coming back to the church as the church moves towards a more contemporary and more relevant message to the issues that face black people in this country. So, historically, the church has been the most powerful, the most organizing institution in our community and I believe that it will continue to have the most influence over black people as we move into the 21st century, especially as it sees its role changing and as it sort of fine tunes or re tools the sermons that we hear in the black church over the next 10 or 20 years, minimally.

Holloway: That was George Fraser and if you would like to know more about him, he is the author of this book, Success Runs in our Race, and it is the complete guide to networking in the African-American community. Very good book, Black Issues Forum recommends you check this out. Now let's move to our discussion with our studio guest. Edward Taylor is an independent associate with Pre-Paid Legal Services and Milton Jordan, our research and writer joins us again. Thank you, gentlemen, both for coming and to talk about such an important issue. George Fraser just talked about networking and he is really, what some would say, the king of networking in the African-American community. But he started off talking about sharing and giving, the principles of networking and giving back to the community. What do you have to say about that first, in terms of networking.

Taylor: Milton, I'll let you start on that.

Jordan: Well, I think that it is a very important principal, particularly for African-Americans because it requires us first to forgive. I think that before we can get to a position of giving universally, which is the whole essence of networking, is giving universally, we are going to have to forgive. We're going to have to say to this nation and to people that we perceive to be in opposition to us, the debt is canceled, I forgive you. There is nothing you have to do, you don't have to pay pen ance, you don't have to do anything, I forgive you. That is in my power to do and that is what I do. Now, now that I forgive you we've built a bridge to reconciliation. Now, let's be reconciled economically. Let us help each other build a big dream, which is something that networking does allow us to do. Let's us share our resources, our information, our ideas. And let's see what we can do for our society.

Taylor: So, a few programs back when we talked about the race relations, what you're really saying in terms of doing for yourself, does not mean doing anything against...

Jordan: Absolutely not, see, one of the beautiful things about the networking concept is that it is underlying principle, its cornerstone, is cooperating and not competing. So you are not in competition with anyone, necessarily, you are cooperating. You are learning, you don't get ahead networking, whether you are doing it economically, socially or politically, you don't get ahead by stabbing people in the back who are part of your network. So you learn to cooperate. And once you make the hab it of that, then a lot of the what-ifs that Jesse Jackson mentioned in one of our earlier shows allowed the what-ifs to come true. What if we don't show up for this, what if we buy computers instead of boom boxes. What if we stop killing each other for a week and what if we formed a habit. But part of it starts with that forgiving, giving, sharing, the getting comes later. Fraser is right on target.

Holloway: Let me ask you, when you got into this whole network marketing situation and you are a former IBMer, did your networking, at that stage, lead you towards this or how did you get into what you are doing now.

Taylor: My networking at IBM primarily in the telecommunications standards development arena really led me directly into the networking areas and independent associate with Pre-Paid Legal. One of the things that we had to do intensely, when you are in the standards development environment, is to be willing to give and take. Be willing to forgive, as Milton indicated there, and definitely be willing to compromise. In the networking, as far as the marketing environment that we're in right now, i is essentially the same thing. You are looking at your contacts, you are meeting people, you are going back, renewing relationships with people that you may not have talked to for several years, maybe. However, as the tape indicated preceding this year, your words will usually precede you and if you have good relations with people in your past, those are the people of course that you would come back with in pushing forward and bringing out ideas for them, for their own personal development and for, of c ourse, monetary gain.

Holloway: Let me ask you both about the whole concept of volunteerism. Because that is one of the ways that people network, but they also give back and form relationships. Any comments you want to make on that in this discussion.

Jordan: I think that volunteerism is actually essential. I guess, the only criticism that I tend to have of it is the assumption that to volunteer automatically means not to profit. I think we've got to find a way to pay people to give to the community. And that doesn't mean that you pay them to give, I think people need to want to give. But I think that we should show our appreciation in a lot of different ways. And one of the ways we show that appreciation is to pay. Like one of the thing s we're working on in another project that I'm involved with is to say to churches, we need some people in our organization, so why don't we recruit them, train them, find the people to do this. We'll train them, we'll find them work to do, you pay them. Instead of you sending us a check, you simply pay the volunteers.

Holloway: Before we move to another part of this networking discussion, while we are still talking about sharing information, George Fraser talked about the whole technology aspect. Mr. Taylor here has a technology background. Let's talk briefly about the whole technology aspect of networking. Specifically right here in North Carolina, we're in the Research Triangle Park. There are a lot of high-tech people, but maybe our average viewer thinks that it is beyond them.

Taylor: Definitely not. My background, of course, is telecommunications development. I developed modem hardware, I've developed token ring LAN hardware and in doing standards development you tend to get deep into it, but then when it comes out, the networking aspects here are fairly straightforward and simple. You really, in order to survive in the, should I say, the fast paced 21st century environment, one must be able to telecommunicate, be able to access databases and information that may n t be at your fingertips. That comes in the form then of having, maybe, a PC at your office or at your home office with just a simple modem and the appropriate software that will you allow you, then, to access the Internet, which is the big buzz word today. Allow you then, if you really want to get sophisticated then, set up your own "home page" on the Internet so that you can advertise your services. And in the back of all of that is the ability to communicate, then, with your other contacts and other a ssociates that you may be dealing with. That is a very, very quick, a very inexpensive means of communications and passing ideas back and forth.

Jordan: Well, one of the things I would like to add as we talk about this is right now networkers, particularly those who use it as a marketing strategy, talk about three things in training. They talk about tapes, books and functions. I suspect that in the next few years they are going to add to it tapes, books, functions and e-mail.

Holloway: Let's move into the whole network marketing situation now. Fraser endorsed it. But he also talked about criticism and network marketing has gotten some unfavorable criticism. Many people talk about its pyramid. Now, Milton, I know you have some very strong thoughts about pyramids.

Jordan: Here is what my research shows, Jay. I guess I should allude to that since that is really my function on this program. The research shows that everything in our society, every structure in our society is a pyramid except network marketing. If you stop and think about it for just a moment, the family, which is the fundamental building block of our society is a pyramid. You have parents at the top, significant others, aunts, uncles and cousins and so forth in the middle, children on the bottom. And the lesson that you learn very early in life is those on the bottom have no power. You go from the family to school and from elementary school to college you have the same structure. Administrators at the top, teachers in the middle, students on the bottom. Continuing lesson. We have no power. And the only way you can get anything done is protest and no cooperation, etc. Etc.

You move out of education, go into the corporate world, whether you are talking small company, large company, medium-sized company. Executives at the top are policy makers. Executives and managers in the middle. Employees on the bottom. Continuing lesson. No power. You go into the church, our spiritual institution. At the top, preacher and board of trustees, in the middle deacons and so forth, ushers, etc., on the bottom members. Continuing lesson, no power. So the whole society is vertically orga ized. The interesting thing about a network, though...the whole society, I'm sorry is horizontally organized and information, power and so forth flows horizontally per whom some person perceived at the top, and the only thing that you are taught to do in most of our organizational structures in our society right now is to struggle somehow to get to the top or accept your position on the bottom. A network is vertically organized so that, in particularly in network marketing, you are an independent busines s. You are voluntarily in relationship with other independent businesses. In service to a consumer market through which a manufacturer funnels a product, good or service.

Holloway: That is what you do now with your company?

Jordan: That is correct. Pre-Paid Legal actually provides a service to the clients. It is not a lot of products for sale, it is a service, it is a legal service. Very analogous to what 25 years ago was pre-paid health care. That is standard, everyone wants it today. In this case, Pre-Paid Legal Services actually provides you, as its product, the services of a legal firm in your particular area which essentially gives you unlimited telephone consultation and a scale of hours of service for au tomobile problems or IRS problems and even the generation of wills and other legal documents.

Holloway: So this company is set up as a network marketing organization and so people that want to provide this service or utilize this service can operate within your business and can have their own business.

Jordan: That is correct. One of the benefits of belonging to the Pre-Paid Legal firm is that as an independent associate, you then have, then, the power to recruit additional associates, in addition to providing the base plan of legal protection. And of course with that, then is a scale of commissions that is very, very good and would essentially prompt you to, actually strive even further and to build your network up. It is a networking environment in the base sense of the word.

Holloway: So, in essence, we are not endorsing one over the other but this is an example of many network marketing organizations, Amway and others that are out there...

Jordan: Right now the research shows that there are 500 companies in the country that are using multilevel marketing, as it is sometimes called, as their principal marketing strategy. They include many very large companies. Now, there are over 2500 manufacturing companies that use one or the other of the network marketing systems to funnel products, goods and services. As a matter of fact, one company, in particular the largest one, called the grand-daddy of multilevel marketing firms, has wel l over 1200 major corporations that use their million and a half distributors to sell products, goods and services through them, and that is the Amway Corporation. So it is a...one author called it, Richard Poe has written a book called Wave 3 - The New Era in Networking Marketing, called it the very best way to reach consumers in 1990. He also said in his book that by 2012 you are either going to be in networking or buying something from one.

Holloway: Let's move the discussion in the last couple of minutes here to, you said also in your research, or you have told me in preparation for this program, that it levels the playing field. And we heard George Fraser talk about in our spiritual institutions, specifically in the black community, but let me add that this is something that is not racial, anyone can do this and networking is really non-racial, but specifically, as it effects this audience and this program, our target audience that is, we're talking about, he suggests, preach the gospel of prosperity versus poverty. Is there some kind of comment you'd like to make to that in terms of the ability of African-Americans to really profit and prosper from networking.

Jordan: Yes, well, first of all, it is a great way. Let me go back and say it this way. In terms of leveling field, Toffler refers, in his latest book, Power Shield, he says that a power shield doesn't simply transfer power from one group to another, it transforms power. Historically power has been perceived as being possessed by those people who owned land and other capital. In our current economy where the principle capital is knowledge, power is centered in the individual Now, networking is a message of transferring knowledge and information and other resources, so it is an opportunity for anyone with knowledge to connect with anyone else with knowledge and create a synergistic relationship where the sum is worth more than the total of its parts. So it is an excellent way for any people, and particularly African-Americans to get over this stigma of the past, to leave the past back there, to forget it and go on into the 21st century. Quite frankly it doesn't matter who was at fault, doesn't matter who we blame, doesn't matter how we discuss it, it is over, it is done with.

Holloway: Mr. Taylor, any concluding comments, few seconds left.

Taylor: Yes, in the last few seconds I would just like to say to any of the African-Americans or really anyone that is looking to get started in his own business or wants to be a small business builder, to elevate himself. You are only limited by your imagination. How far do you want to go. You point to and then you take those steps one at a time.

Holloway: Thanks so much for being with us. And, Milton, we know we have you back again. We hope that this discussion has caused you to look at opportunities for networking differently and as George Fraser, the king of networking in the African-American community says, the key to networking is building relationships and sharing resources. The first principle is to give first, share always and the getting comes later. His second principle relates to the need for extended family and that is to each down and give back to those who need your help. We would like to hear from you about your suggestions and comments on helping to make this program the best it can be. Let's hear from you, call us at (919) 549-7167 or write to us at Black Issues Forum, PO Box 14900, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 or e-mail us at bif.unctv.org. We encourage you to continue this discussion and these important issues facing the African American community and thank you again for watching another episode of Black Issues Forum. Join us next Friday evening at 11:00 when we will discuss pre-school and preparing your young children for school and life. I'm Jay Holloway. Have a blessed and peaceful evening. Good night.