Networking

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get others interested in you.” - Dale Carnegie -

“The same could be said for increasing your professional network.” - Heidi Richards

Building your Network is an ongoing process. Increasing your “Circle of Influence” must be constant in order to achieve and maintain success. The relationships we develop become our eyes and ears to what’s happening in business, to share new opportunities with us and to increase our visibility. We reach these opportunities both directly and indirectly through those relationships. The indirect approach is often the best way to gain access to others by way of introduction or spreading good news about who we are. It is essential to develop a networking plan both for business and personal contacts. In business, the right networking can be ten times more effecting than advertising. And it costs less!

Your Networking Plan of Action should define your objective

1. Is it to increase business by a certain percent, get more referrals, or help others?

2. What can you offer those you network with in exchange for information and contacts?

3. Which organizations should you consider for the best “bang for your buck,” and most importantly, your investment of TIME?

4. What benefits do/can you offer to entice people to do business with you? This is your “30 second commercial.”

Build Your Network

1. Ask your current “circle of influence” for opportunities to which they can “turn you on.”

2. Determine and develop “key people” who will become your greatest networking champions.

3. Find out who in your network’s network seems to know “everyone,” and get to know them.

4. Reach out and “touch someone,” regularly. When you do, have your lines ready and rehearsed. If you must leave a message, make it short, to the point and leave your contact information.

5. Go where the people are.

6. Be a good talker and a better listener.

7. Get to know your network. Find out their birthdays, anniversaries, kids’ names, hobbies.

8. When given referrals, find out who the decision maker is, get to know the gate-keepers.

9. Use your network to gain introductions.

10. Give referrals to those with whom you network. Become a source of reference to build “word-of-mouth” marketing.

11. Be cheerful, confident and straightforward in every interaction.

Be Visible Without Really Trying

1. Ask questions.

2. Participate in discussions.

3. Write letters to your industry magazines and newsletters.

4. Introduce yourself to people during meetings, conferences and social events.

5. Discuss a book with the leaders in your new network.

6. Make people laugh.

7. Create an unusual business card - Have plenty to hand out.

8. Take up an unusual hobby (but not too weird).

9. Use your wardrobe to help you stand out without being outlandish.

10. Do favors for others and remember to thank those who do favors for you in a timely fashion.

Excerpted from The PMS Principles - Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business © 2005 - Heidi Richards

Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is the owner of Eden Florist & Gift Baskets - http://www.edenflorist.com and the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International http://www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) - an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on the WEB.” Basic Membership is FREE. Ms. Richards can be reached at http://www.HeidiRichards.com or heidi@wecai.org

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The ability to connect with people is essential to success in any business. Professional networking events present opportunities to interact with others on a personal level and to develop profitable relationships. These occasions are critical for anyone who wants to grow a business or promote a career.

Many people are simply not comfortable walking into a room full of strangers and striking up conversations. Here are five common stumbling blocks that you may face and tips to help you overcome them.

A RELUCTANCE TO TALK TO STRANGERS. You were taught at an early age not to speak to people you don’t know. It’s not safe. In certain situations today this is still good advice. In business, however, talking to strangers is a way to generate interest and support for your products and services. If you only talk to the people you already know, you will miss out on opportunities to make new connections and establish valuable contacts.

To get past your discomfort in talking to strangers, set a goal for yourself before you attend any networking event. Decide how many new contacts you want to make or how many strangers you want to meet. In some cases, you may specifically target individuals whom you’d like to know.

Next come up with some icebreakers or conversation starters. Have questions prepared that you can ask anyone you meet at the event. You may want to inquire about other people’s business, their connection to the sponsoring organization or their opinion of the venue.

LACK OF A FORMAL INTRODUCTION. It’s much easier to make a new contact when there is someone else to handle the introduction and pave the way. If you wait for another person to make the move you may not meet anyone. At networking events, the goal is to meet as many people as possible.

This is the time to take the bull by the horns, walk up to people you don’t know, introduce yourself and start a conversation. You can do this if you have prepared your self-introduction in advance.

You will not introduce yourself the same way on every occasion. Perhaps it is your first time to attend an association meeting. In that case, you might want to say that as part of your introduction. Let people know who you are, why you are there and give them a reason to ask more abut you.

FEAR OF BEING SEEN AS PUSHY. You may think that you will turn people off if you are assertive and that if they want to talk to you, they will make the first move. If this is your line of thinking you will find yourself spending your time alone at the reception or meeting function and leaving without a single new connection. Being open, friendly and interested does not turn people off.

You will not come across as overly aggressive if you seek out the “approachable” people. These are the ones who are standing alone or who are speaking in groups of three or more. Two people talking to each other are not approachable because they may be having a private conversation and you would be interrupting.

THINKING THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY NOT LIKE YOU. There is always the risk that the other person is not interested in you and doesn’t want to meet or talk to you. It happens. If that is the case, don’t take it personally. Nothing ventured is nothing gained. When you get a cold shoulder, smile, move on and say to yourself, “Next?”

HAVING YOUR INTENTIONS MISUNDERSTOOD. Approaching someone of the opposite sex to begin a conversation may seem more like flirting than networking. This is more of an issue for women than men. Women have an equal place in the work arena and need to make professional connections the same as men do. Women in business can no longer afford to hold back when there is opportunity at hand.

Neither men nor women will have their motives misinterpreted if they present themselves professionally in their attire and if they keep the conversation focused on business issues or topics that are not personal or private.

Whatever your stumbling blocks, face them before the next networking event and devise a personal plan for getting past them. Once you do, you will find yourself connecting with confidence and courtesy on every occasion and the results will be reflected in your bottom line.

(c) 2005, Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors’ Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman’s Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, e-mail her at lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit her web site http://www.mannersthatsell.com.

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A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude or isolation. Sometimes life circumstances can call for us to adopt this attitude. When it comes to marketing our business, however, adopting this mentality can prevent you from achieving the success that you desire.

There are many reasons why people operate in isolation. Some do not know there are better or easier ways, while others prefer to work alone because of certain personality characteristics. Yet working with others in our businesses or even on certain projects can provide us with a boost of energy, motivation, and inspiration.

When we’re coming from this place, we can more easily and readily take advantage of business opportunities. As Red Holzman, basketball coach for the New York Knicks once said, “The power of we is stronger than the power of me.”

What types of lone ranger activities are you engaging in and how can working with others create more business success for all involved?

1. Not enough money. One of the most common reasons cited by people for working in solitude revolves around money. Because most small business people are not making a great deal of money at start-up, they feel they cannot involve other people because they cannot pay them. This is when you need to put on your creative cap. Why not barter or trade your expertise for theirs? Or perhaps there is someone who would be willing to act as an unpaid intern for you in exchange for learning more about what you do.

2. The need to control. When just starting out, many new business owners want to control everything. They feel that if they don’t control every aspect of their business, then something will go awry. Often the underlying fear is the fear of failure. So the result is usually one very burned out business owner. It is important to learn to delegate tasks whether it is to a temporary or full-time employee, or to a virtual assistant. It’s easier to control when one is coming from the perspective of a manager rather than an employee or jack-of-all-trades. Delegation is a great skill to learn, and the sooner the better. By offloading responsibilities, you’ll give yourself the space to be more creative which can be a great benefit to your business.

3. Protecting your assets. Many of us create intellectual property. When we’re starting out, we are quite fearful that people will steal our ideas for e-books, e-courses, articles, books, and audio collections. The sad truth about this is that there are unscrupulous people who will steal from you. But, the reality is, most people won’t. It’s important to keep in mind that you are not the first person to come up with a particular idea. You certainly can’t copyright or protect your ideas, but you can put your particular slant on it. The best attitude to have is that you want people to benefit from your material and let it go at that. If you don’t feel you can move past the fact that people will take and use your material for their own benefit, find another avenue to disseminate your work.

4. Doing it all. Some people are just used to doing everything themselves, never relying on others to lend a helping hand. While that is all very good in and of itself, that type of mentality might not be serving you or your business well. In today’s competitive market place, where being quick to respond can mean the difference between getting a new client or not, you might need to re-consider working with others. At first, when your business is small, you can probably manage everything on your own. But when your business starts taking off and you find yourself rushing around from 7 am to 7 pm, or later, on a daily basis, working weekends and holidays, it’s time to rethink things. You can’t do everything and do it all well.

5. Asking for help. Some people aren’t comfortable asking for help or support from others. They might look at asking for help as something that signals a sign of weakness or neediness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Asking someone to help you out in your business is a wonderful gift you can give to them. People love having the opportunity to help someone out. You never know how their wisdom might contribute to your business success. You might even uncover an opportunity to partner with someone on a project; something that never would have otherwise come to fruition had you not asked for some help in the first place.

6. Where are they? You have a great business idea and you’re certain it would be a real winner if only you could pull it off. But, it might be just too big to handle all alone. Or, you might not have the expertise to make it happen. You don’t know who to ask to help you because you can’t find someone with the same interests to partner with you. So you decide to remain isolated, the idea goes nowhere, and no one benefits - not you and not your clients. This scenario is more common than you might think. The easiest way to find people to partner with is to start networking, whether you’re standing in line at a bank, attending a chamber meeting, or sharing with your clients. Tell everyone you know about your idea and see what they have to say. Before you know it, you’ll find someone who wants to know more about it. They might just be the person who will help you make it happen, or knows someone who can.

7. Too critical and judgmental. Being critical of others is a popular reason for many people to remain working in isolation. You might not think anyone can do the task or project as well as you can. Each one of us is unique and we all have talents and gifts in different areas. Rather than judging or measuring someone in a particular area in which you excel, look for areas in which they excel, from which you can benefit. Another person may be strong in an area in which feel you are weak. By combining talents you can create more than you could have if you remained working in isolation. Take a step back, and set aside your judgments of others. Instead look for the treasures inside of them.

8. Superman syndrome. Many people feel that they are like the fictional character Superman, who could do everything, even see through concrete and steel. Unfortunately, humans are far from this idealized cartoon character. As Jonathan Swift once said, “No man is an island.” We can’t do it all ourselves and if one really thought about it, there is nothing that you have that is solely based just on your physical or mental efforts. It’s actually more fun not to do everything yourself. Let others help you out. Let them share their ideas with you and vice versa. Lighten your attitude, delegate tasks or projects, and really enjoy the work you are doing. Doing everything is not a badge of honor, but rather it is a sign that you don’t know the power of working with others.

9. Not enough for everyone. A scarcity mind-set is a strong underlying component of the lone ranger mentality. This often happens when we “fall in love” with an idea, thinking it is “the idea of the century.” And because of that, we don’t want to share it with anyone. We remain in isolation because we fear someone might do a better job or become more successful with that idea than we ever could. Put your ideas out there. Don’t make the mistake of not sharing your talents and gifts with others because you think you’re going to “corner the market” with your ideas.

10. Not understanding of the power of collaborative partnerships. Lone rangers don’t understand the power of collaborative partnerships. These relationships are a strong and necessary component of any successful business. A collaborative partnership is one where the participants bring their talents and expertise to the relationship. There are open discussions, sharing, and creation of ideas where everyone can benefit. Each participant expends less energy than they would have had they been working in isolation, but the result can be much more than they could have ever hoped to achieve on their own. Seeking out people who have the skills you are looking for while offering your own talents in return, is a great way to break out of isolation and experience new opportunities for business growth and success.

© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith

licia Smith is a Coach and Trainer whose specialty is helping coaches to Make Money Now. This article is derived from just one of the 90 lessons contained in her e-course, 90-Day Marketing Marathon. To learn more about that course and her other products and services, please visit the following sites. (You also can email her at alicia@aliciasmith.com.)

http://www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com
http://www.discninja.com
http://www.InternetAssessments.com

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