BY DEEPINDER S.

CERRITOS, CA – “Franchising and Networking is the new mantra to becoming successful in today’s world”, speakers Rajiv Trivedi, VP of La Quinta Corp & Rhonda Sher, Author of ‘The Two Minute Networker’,  said as they addressed a packed audience at the Sheraton  here, during the  TIE Southern California monthly meeting  on  Aug. 19, on the subject - Franchising: The New Solution.

Rajiv Trivedi, under whose leadership, La Quinta Inns and Suites has become a top franchise organization, said, it requires four areas to work on to make a company or an individual successful. These are leadership, culture, success sharing and challenges. He said leadership is attitude, confidence and thinking out of the box. Similarly, one needs to create a culture of commitment, transparency and treating everybody equal to make an organization successful. He further added that sharing success makes one more successful. While defining success, he said, it is about the people you are surrounded by, searching sense of security for one-self and for others and understanding one’s power and limitations.

Rhonda Sher, with her natural humor and interactive approach, asked the audience to do exactly what their mom told them not to do – talk to strangers. While discussing human psychology, she said, the most favorite subject of people is ‘they themselves’ and they like to talk about themselves only. In a humorous manner she said, the ‘F’ word in business is ‘Follow Up’ as 80% of businesses are materialized after the fifth contact. Furthermore, the principle of networking is ‘giving’. No one wants to be sold, every one wants to buy and what ever you give comes back.

Earlier, TIE President Sumita Batra welcoming the members, reiterated the endeavor to make TiE more useful and productive to its members. Like always, the meeting ended with an inspirational story by Sumita Batra with the moral, ‘Life shoves dust, shake it up and rise up’.