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About a month ago I had the good fortune to meet an extraordinary man named Ben Turpin. He turned out to be the gentleman emailing me weekly reminders for my power networking events in Sarasota. I happened to get to opportunity to meet him face to face at one of these events. We exchanged contact information and decided to meet at Starbucks for a more personal introduction. At our meeting, I immediately noticed a book sitting on his organizer entitled Meet Me at Starbucks. Intrigued, I asked about it and realized he was one of the co-authors. Five minutes, half an iced green tea later, I demanded a copy to take home. Fascinated by the concept and content of this book, I asked Ben if I could have an interview with him for this article. This is what I learned about Ben Turpin, his business and his latest book.

Ben Turpin and business partner Glen Gould started their business Inspiration Agents together about 2 ½ years ago. They realized they needed to earn some credibility in the efforts to running a successful business. As it seemed apparent that writing a book would be a great way to do so, they decided to model their first publication after a networking seminar that they had created and been presenting to different chambers of commerce for some time called Is Your Networking Working? Though they used the key elements from their presentation to be the backbone of their writing, the material in the seminar itself takes about two and a half to three hours to go through and is a great tool to recognizing what kind of networker you are and how to ultimately become a "power networker".

The second book that the duo collaborated on, 101 Networking Nuggets was created to be a networking resource that you can easily make reference to for all your networking needs. It is a handy asset to help keep you focused and productive.

The third and latest addition to the pair’s written accomplishments (and what initially sparked my interest) is a very clever publication called Meet me at Starbucks. The book is comprised of 70 suggestions on how to make the most of your business meetings at Starbucks. Virtually everyone has become a part of the Starbucks craze, especially utilizing the internet friendly, caffeine packed surrounding environment to host business meetings. Ben came up with the idea to write this book from his own experience after the last ten years of having countless business interactions at what he calls "America’s office".

"I have always used it because in most places where there’s a good population source there’s a Starbucks, and it’s a fairly recognizable location. So it’s neutral ground, easy for everybody to find, and depending on whether you want to facilitate a fast meeting or a slow meeting, you can choose how the meeting flows," says Turpin of his work.

In response to my question about what tips Turpin considered the most important to creating a successful meeting at Starbucks, Ben replied that tip number 5 (Drink) and tip number 7 (Always Tip the Baristas). They are essential elements for him because "they are key part of how (he) is wired...and it’s about what little thing (he) can do for (the baristas) today to make them feel special and important, because they are." The other tips that evoked an answer to my question were tip number 3 (Need Speed? Sit Inside) and tip number 4 (Sit Outside). According to Turpin, whether you sit inside or outside can have a large influence on the flow and length of your meeting. "If you want a faster pace to your meeting at Starbucks: just sit inside. The music increases the tempo of the meeting and allows you the opportunity to move things along," (Turpin 16). Ben commented to me that a lot of time people get "stuck" in their meetings, and that if they can effectively learn how to end their meetings based on something as easy as where they sit at Starbucks, they will gain back so much more time, which is something we can never get back.

Ben’s goal for Meet Me at Starbucks is to hopefully one day have the book in the window and available for purchase at every Starbucks around the country. He said that the book is geared toward the business professional who is already an essential demographic to the Starbucks client base, and who is currently spending money at the stores and holding meetings there as well.

When I asked Turpin about how he has gained all this knowledge and whether it has always been a natural talent for him, he commented that though he started out as a "socialite" and could easily speak to people, that networking itself was a continuous learning experience. He fashioned their first work specifically to identify his experience at each point in his "education" and about how he evolved into his different levels of enlightenment in the networking arena.

"Unless you really start to focus on what you’re after and change the rules of your game, networking doesn’t work. If you’re effective at it, and know what you’re doing, than it can work for you."

These days Ben and Glen have their hands full. Their time is divided between multiple states and multiple projects including seminars, consulting, and of course, always thinking of new ways to build their business.

If you have previously, or ever get the opportunity to meet Ben Turpin you would understand why I was looking forward to interviewing him; he is THE power networker. He has a lot to offer in his writings and in person, so I encourage you to reach out to him. Meet Me at Starbucks is available for purchase at www.Amazon.com and will soon be available for purchase in The National Networker’s online bookstore also.

For more information or to contact Ben Turpin or Glen Gould, please visit www.inspirationagents.com.

Gould, G. & Turpin, B. (2007). Meet Me at Starbucks: 70 Success Sips to Growing

Your Business at America’s Office. United States: Inspiration Agents Press.

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