Your DABGO network is growing with leaps and bounds, which is great news, but it also results in an increased need to protect your time and ability to conduct your business without too many interruptions. 

From time to time we see individuals who, despite already being connected to all of you through the DABGO Group on Linkedin, attempts to connect with all directly. This is certainly not the idea with the DABGO network. Needless to mention, DABGO strongly encourage networking but we have a hard time believing all members in DABGO are the “right and perfect” networking partner so when we see efforts to connect with everybody, we fear it really just becomes time and energy robbery.  It may also lead to advertising spamming which we personally believe is one of our main missions to protect you from.

It is pretty safe to say that the amount of time and energy that would be consumed on all of us connecting with each other directly would destroy your value of Linkedin and DABGO. We reserve the right to ask members to leave DABGO should we feel they disrespect your time and value to the Danish business community abroad. 

We are trying to keep the networking going and the time robbers away but as you can imagine this is a fine line to walk. However, it is and will remain a key priority of DABGO. Should you have any concerns or feedback, please always feel free to contact the undersigned.

Henrik Hansen
Area Manager North America, The DABGO Network
hhansen@dabgo.net  |  210 535 3459
Profil: http://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikhansendk

This is a question we often receive here at DABGO after having sent an invitation, out of the blue, to a fellow Dane to join our rapidly growing network. We will get comments like “How did you find me? I have been here for 3 years and not run into anyone”.

Well, it certainly does not have to be that way. There are plenty of opportunities to strengthening you hopefully already great local network with an equally strong global Danish business network for the more effective combination.

Let us start with Linkedin. Your Linkedin network consists of your direct contacts, two degrees away and three degrees away. When you look for others, you should not just consider you direct contacts but certainly also 2nd and 3rd links.
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DABGO is now by far the largest network of Danish business people in North America. In the network you will find members from all the larger Danish companies, the Embassy and consulates and Danes working at the following large North American companies:

Sun Microsystems, Morgan Stanley, Yahoo, Johnson & Johnson, Ebay, Microsoft, Fidelity, Dell, CA, Wachovia, IBM, McKinsey, Harvard University, Oracle, GE, Accenture, MIT, Allstate, Pfizer, Merck, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Perry Ellis, Metlife, Calvin Klein, Wells Fargo, HP, Google, MTV, NBC, Cisco and many more.

The possibilities of doing business and creating opportunities amongst Danes and the companies they represents has never been better.

The last few months we have seen a faster increase in the number of members, so make sure to check the new members in your area, and make a lunch appointment or arrange a meet up for all the Danes in your area. Remember, it’s up to You!

DACC & DABGO – co-hosting network events in the Bay Area
To optimize networking opportunities for Danish professionals in the Bay Area, the local entities of DACC and DABGO will co-host future DACC Business Mixers. Additionally, a DABGO ‘stambord’ will start up in San Francisco in September.

DACC’s Business Mixers have been running successfully with the theme ‘Success Stories’ as the headline and new forces are working hard to ensure the continued quality and success of this event. The Business Mixers will offer members of the two organizations the opportunity to exchange news and experiences, be inspired by real-life peer presentations and socialize. The next Business Mixer will take place on September 25 in the South Bay Area.
DABGO ‘stambord’ – a Danish colloquial expression encompassing regular gatherings around the same table at a bar/restaurant – have been popping up all around North America and starting the first Wednesday of September a monthly ‘stambord’ will be kicked off in San Francisco.

By DABGO & DACC joining forces, the extensive number of Danish professionals in the Bay Area will benefit from a broader network – making ‘Stambord’ & Business Mixers the regular events of Bay Area networking. (more…)

How often do you wonder if you are the only Dane around? Well, let us take a look at where the North American DABGO members are situated. Can you guess the city with the largest Danish membership group… yes; it is New York City with 216 members. Here is a list of all the cities and their ranking; (more…)

Thank you for your support in 2007. This was the first full year for DABGO since going live in October 2006. And what a year, we started the year with one DABGO group for North America, one Group Manager and 200 members. Below I have listed the most significant things that happened in 2007:

- Dan Trampedach joined as Co-Founder and Partner 
- A new website was launched for www.dabgo.com
- An International mission and vision was created (see http://dabgo.net/about/)
- 20 new DABGO groups were launced. Giving DABGO a global presence. See map below with DABGO covered territory coloured red.
- 9 New Group Managers are now helping grow local groups.
- 1500 members globally.

We are planing even bigger results for 2008. And we encourage you to send us feedback and ideas to improve the network and make it more valuable for you and other members.

Thank you to all the members for making the network possible.

Happy New Year,

Jesper Løvendahl
DABGO Founder & Partner

At DABGO we hope that 2007 has been a successful and wonderful year for you and your loved ones. Now is the time of year to make your New Year resolutions, and in addition to your goals for your personal life and work life. I have created a list that will make 2008 a successful networking year.

1. Get to know your network better - You cannot even begin to network, unless you know who is in your network. Make a complete list of everyone in your network, that being family, friends, coworkers, sports, organizations and online communities etc. Make notes on everything relevant you know about each person. If you have people in your online network that you do not know that well, then write them an e-mail and get updated on their current agenda. Know understand and appreciate your value to the people in your network. We all have unique interests, talents, and experiences which can be used to help others. Revel in knowing that you can touch the lives of everyone you meet if you are prepared to share your knowledge and resources with them.

2. Make introductions – When you meet new people or existing contacts, then ask them about their current challenges and then think creatively and remember what other contacts have told you about their business and expertise. If no one in your network comes to mind, then write down the challenges and keep it on your desk for a few weeks, in case you should stumble upon a possible candidate that can help. Use the new e-mail feature on Linkedin to make the introduction. You can get instruction on how here…

3. Update your Linkedin profile - So that it matches your skill set and experience. You can get some tips & tricks on how to update your profile by Linkedin employees here…

4. Arrange a lunch, dinner, event, meet-up for coffee etc. - Create an event for the local DABGO members where you live. Take the network offline locally, and connect in person with other members. A big part of networking effectively is keeping you visible. People will see you as a connector if you hold your own event.

5. Budget time for networking - Networking will not pay off instantly. So make a networking schedule (goal) for yourself that fits your schedule. Here are some examples of what could be included:

• Reach out to “X number” of people in your network via e-mail and phone every
• Have lunch with “X number” of new contact/s every month
• Have lunch with X number old contact/s every month
• Attend “X number” of networking event/s every month
• Check the www.dabgo.com site “X number” of times every month for new articles and your local network websites for upcoming events.

6. Pace yourself - Get involved in online and offline networking groups and communities at a pace that you can maintain. It is better to get involved gradually than to make a big splash and then fade away. Let your involvement and presence is a process that grows in momentum, visibility and value over time. This gives you and others a chance to develop trust and rapport. It doesn’t matter what you decided to do to get yourself noticed. Just do it, and do it consistently. You’ll find it’s a low cost way to build your business; you’ll learn a lot from others and have fun at the same time.

7. Your Introduction - Plan and practice your introduction of yourself and your company, also known as the elevator pitch. Check this YouTube movie on what an elevator pitch is here… (it is meant for venture capital, but works for any product or service pitch to a potential customer or network contact to understand your business)
Also check the following link to a fast pitch approach to generate interest here…

8. Follow up – Very few people follow up when meeting a new person and receiving a business card or contact details. Make sure to follow up within 24 business hours it will make you stand out, and increase your credibility. Your follow-up displays your level of commitment to relationships.

9. Help DABGO grow – The strength of DABGO will have a direct or indirect impact on the opportunities and wisdom you will receive in return from the network. So please go through your contact list and see if there should be any Danes living abroad or living in Denmark with two or more years abroad. Please send them the www.dabgo.com link and invite them to the network, or send me their names and e-mail addresses and I will do it for you.

10. Recommend a person - Write a Linkedin recommendation for a colleague or business partner that you value. It is a great way to say that you appreciate the person. A public recommendation is much better that sending flowers or wine with a card. It will also last longer and strengthen your connection with that person. Get some tips & tricks on how to write a recommendation here…

With the many possibilities of networking online both for business and socially we have created an open global DABGO group on Facebook, which is the best functioning social network site available. The network is more focused on all the social aspects of life and does not have the business functionalities of Linkedin, so in a sense they compliment each other well.

Join the DABGO Facebook group by clicking here…

Interesting Facebook facts can be found here… or read the Wiki here…

Latest news about Facebook: October 24th 2007: The Associated Press reported Microsoft had bought a 1.6% share of the company for $240 million

It is with great joy that I can welcome you to the new DABGO universe. DABGO North America is not yet 1 year old, and has already expanded to 3 European countries. And I hope that many more will follow. Thank you for your continuous support and assistance in growing the DABGO network. Special thanks to Dan Trampedach who has been a driving force in creating the new DABGO infrastructure and a great help in expanding DABGO to Europe. Dan lives in Switzerland where he is the local DABGO Manager, e-mail dan@dabgo.ch.

Our ambition for DABGO is now to be operational in at least the 10 most important Danish export markets before year 2009, and thereby contribute to an increase in Danish export, the acceleration of Danish business peoples’ international careers, and an increase in international investments in Danish companies and Denmark.

We are looking for funding from institutions – i.e. Udenrigsministeriet, globaliseringsrådet, eksportrådet and similar organizations – as well as various trusts, who would be interested in supporting the growth of DABGO globally. The funding will go to adding more value to the entire network, and coordinate local networking events with focus on generating new connections and business opportunities. If you know of anyone who can be of help in accelerating this process, then please have them contact me at jesper@dabgo.com.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, comments or an article you would like posted on DABGO, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I wish you a wonderful summer and great success.

Sincerely,

Jesper Løvendahl
DABGO Founder & Group Manager
My profile on Linkedin

The US is now Denmark’s 3rd largest export market, and the possibility of doing business in the US has never been greater. Many companies in the US operate with “gate keepers,” people hired to keep you from reaching the decision maker in the company you wish to partner with. The solution to getting through this barrier is networking. The article (click on the link) “Networking in the 21st Century with DABGO” describes how important networking is, who should network, how to network and what DABGO can do to improve your network.