Category: Networking

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Networking

Turn “Socializing” into “Networking”

Article Contributed by Jeff Beals

Most professionals know they must network in order to achieve long-term business success.  I remember as far back as high school being told by my guidance counselor that I needed to “meet a lot of people and build a network.”  That was great advice back then and even better advice today.

It’s critically important to participate in the public arena and interact with the people who could become your clients, provide you with valuable information or help you further your causes and beliefs.

While they understand the importance of networking, many professionals do a lousy job of it.  It’s easy to show up at an event, grab a drink, eat some free hors d’oeuvres, say “hi” to a couple people, then go home and pat yourself on the back for being involved in the community.

Unfortunately, that’s not networking.  It’s merely socializing.

There’s nothing wrong with socializing.  In fact, it’s generally a good thing, but it’s not efficient. In order to convert socializing into networking, you need to have a three-tiered goal planted in your mind before you even enter the venue where networking will take place.

I call it “goal-based networking,” and here’s how it works:

Goal #1
“I will get a direct opportunity”
This could be a new client, an invitation to join a prestigious organization, a job offer, a promise to donate money to your pet cause.  While Goal #1 is ideal, it unfortunately doesn’t happen at most networking events.

Goal #2
“I will get a solid lead on a direct opportunity”
This is almost as good as the first goal, because it moves you closer to what you really want.  Goal #2 should happen at the vast majority of networking events you attend.  If it doesn’t, you’re not meeting enough people or not asking the right questions.

Goal #3
“I will meet new people and learn valuable information”
This is the bare-bones minimum goal that you should achieve at every single networking event you attend.

Make a commitment to network more and remember to think about these three goals before walking into your next networking event.  Setting these goals consistently over a long period of time will maximize the return from your investments in networking.  That means you increase your public profile, connect with the right people and become that person who always seems to know about business happenings long before your colleagues do.

About the Author:

Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals do more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. As a professional speaker, he delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. You can learn more and follow his “Business Motivation Blog” at www.JeffBeals.com.

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Networking

Networking Like It’s Your Party

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

We all do it. We all go to a variety of networking functions: mixers, meetings, seminars, conferences. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee getting connected or meeting people who are your buyers or can get you closer to your decision maker. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee that you will increase your sales. And how often do you end up talking to the first person you encounter and never have a chance meet anyone else? That certainly doesn’t help you achieve filling the pipeline to grow your business.

What if you treated the next networking function like it was your party? You are the host. That means it’s your responsibility to meet and greet everyone in the room.  Introduce people who don’t know each other to each other. Basically, be in charge of everyone else having a good time.

It’s an interesting concept and it does work. I was tired of getting “stuck” talking to the first person I met. And quite often they weren’t anyone who could be a potential client or put me closer to one. I got tired of feeling like I had wasted my evening, because these networking events were not helping me to increase my sales.

Then I began treating each networking function as if it was my own party.  I would meet the first person, talk to them and find out as much as I could in a few minutes.  With the right questions they’ll gladly talk about themselves. I knew I wanted to meet more people, so I’d invite them to go with me to meet others. I’d introduce myself and my new acquaintance, ask a few questions to get them talking and most of the time left them to each other as I went on to meet the next person.

I’d repeat the process throughout the evening. Before we were sitting down to dinner or whatever was next on the agenda, I had met a significant amount of people, given – and taken – business cards, and more importantly made everyone feel good about themselves. That, in turn, made me memorable. There were plenty of people who now wanted to “sit” with me.

The host and party format has worked well for me. My follow-up phone calls are taken and requests for other connections are well received. I’m making the connections to increase my sales and I’m having a ‘ball’ at someone else’s party.

What are some networking tips and tricks you use to make the most of a networking event? Let us know in the Comments section.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

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Networking

3 Lessons on the Reciprocity of Referrals

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Want to grow your business in a tough economy? Use the power of reciprocity when asking for referrals from existing customers to grow your sales.

Reciprocity is defined as a “mutual exchange” – the give and take of life. In a slow economy it can be your lifeline. Often, referrals can be one-sided which minimizes the benefits to everyone involved. Instead, when we focus on what we give as well as get, we are more successful.

Here are three lessons I’ve learned on the give, take and give of referrals:

Lesson 1. Give great value and your best referral sources will be loyal customers.

Who are your loyal customers? These are customers who will sing your praises given the opportunity. They know you provide great value to them and trust you. They stick by you in hard times because they know you will do the right thing for them.

To make the most of these relationships, GIVE your loyal customers the opportunity to share referrals. This looks/sounds very different depending on who you are asking.

For example: I did great work for a loyal customer and she valued our results and relationship. But this never led to referrals. In considering this person’s needs, I realized that she might be concerned that by giving me a referral I would be less available to her.

To help ease this concern, I approached it differently. First, I assured her how important our relationship was to me. Second, I identified that I had positioned my company for more growth through additional consultants and was looking to secure work for those consultants. And finally, I asked who she might know who would benefit from the work we do in strengthening customer loyalties.

She had two names for me within a week!

Lesson 2. Help them help YOU!

This is the ‘take’ part of the referral process.  Answering these two questions will help make TAKING referrals easy:
1. What type of person/company makes a good referral for you? Help your contact identify opportunities that will be good business for you. What companies are you best positioned to serve with your product/service?

2. What is the value you provide? Explain the value in a sentence or less so your referrer can articulate it for you.

When the economy slowed after 9/11, I contacted our loyal customers to review updates and talk about how we might serve them in the future. THEN I asked, “As we look to the future of our business, we are positioned to help more people like you. Who else is in a position such as yours that might benefit from increasing sales 5-25% this next year?”

Notice I didn’t give them the, “Who can you introduce me to?” Or, “I’d like the names of everyone in your address book.” I specified the value we could provide to make it easier for them to refer specific people/companies.

Over 80% of these loyal customers provided at least one referral, giving me the opportunity to build more loyal customers.

Lesson 3: Follow-up and reciprocate!

Closing the loop is extremely important in the give, take and give of referrals.

When someone provides you a referral, keep them updated on the status. A quick message telling them you have initiated contact or you have a meeting scheduled is always a welcome surprise and closes that loop. A side benefit is that they might help you even more. For example, I couldn’t get in touch with a referral for months. When I followed up with the person who gave me the referral, he said, “Hang on, I’ll conference us all together and get this done.” Wow, in a minute’s time I was on a call “meeting” with the referral and scheduling an appointment!

It’s also very important to reciprocate generosity and give back value. The value can be a referral, a note, information or a heart felt THANK YOU.

Relationships have always been the foundation to long-term successful business. The value in relationships is even higher during a slow economy. Focusing on the give, take and give of referrals will show how you VALUE your most loyal relationships and give you opportunities to build new ones.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

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Networking

Attending Events: A Crucial Element in Growing a Small Business

Article Contributed by Michele DeKinder-Smith

Women business owners are constantly bombarded with opportunities to attend events. Whether the events focus on networking, business building or creating a desirable work-life balance, these events are constantly touted as life-changing, knowledge-building and business-growing. Female entrepreneurs may wonder why there are so many events out there – and whether they’re effective.

Savvy business owners, coaches, consultants and educators create events to help others find success – and by choosing to attend an event that fits her specific needs and desires, and by then putting her new knowledge to use once she returns home, an entrepreneur greatly increases the likelihood of getting a good return on her investment. .

Here are some points to consider when deciding whether to attend an event – and if so, which one:

Knowledge is Profit: Research shows that when a female entrepreneur invests in her business by investing in her own knowledge, she sees a huge payoff. New knowledge can be the key that jumpstarts profitability in any business because it increases an entrepreneur’s effectiveness in the area of focus. If it’s knowledge an entrepreneur is after, then she should select an event based on how well it will cover the areas where she feels she needs more information, such as marketing or business plan development. Because live events often do require a substantial investment, a business owner should read through the material carefully to ensure that she will learn exactly what she needs to know during the event.

Recharging is Vital: Every hard-working female entrepreneur runs the risk of falling into the day-to-day rut of running a business – especially when things are going less smoothly than she would like. In cases like this, attending an event can revitalize a business owner. Simply getting into a new environment, being around new people – and getting away from the confines of her office – may provide her with a much-needed break from the daily grind. When she attends an event designed to meet her needs, the business owner then has the opportunity to gain new knowledge while recharging. No one operates well when they’re exhausted and drained. To operate at the high levels of performance most female entrepreneurs demand of themselves, they must take time out to refuel – and sometimes that’s as easy as getting a change of scenery among a group of like-minded professionals.

Networking is Crucial: Sharing experiences with other women in her shoes can greatly improve a woman business owner’s experience, outlook and attitude, as she works to grow her business. Attending an event with other women of similar mindset can provide a stimulating environment in which to share ideas, success stories and even hardships. Also, it can provide an opportunity for women to find partnership or affiliate opportunities that can stimulate growth. Finally, every woman business owner needs a support system; attending events is an excellent way to build such systems.

For female entrepreneurs, knowledge, recharging and networking are vital components when seeking business growth and personal improvement. Attending an event – one that is designed to meet her specific needs in a certain area – is a fun, easy and educational way to get all three!

About the Author:

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com

Categories
Networking

Attending Events: A Crucial Element in Growing a Small Business

Article contributed by Michele DeKinder-Smith

Women business owners are constantly bombarded with opportunities to attend events. Whether the events focus on networking, business building or creating a desirable work-life balance, these events are constantly touted as life-changing, knowledge-building and business-growing. Female entrepreneurs may wonder why there are so many events out
there – and whether they’re effective.

Savvy business owners, coaches, consultants and educators create events to help others find success – and by choosing to attend an event that fits her specific needs and desires, and by then putting her new knowledge to use once she returns home, an entrepreneur greatly increases the likelihood of getting a good return on her investment.

Here are some points to consider when deciding whether to attend an event – and if so, which one:

Knowledge is Profit

Research shows that when a female entrepreneur invests in her business by investing in her own knowledge, she sees a huge payoff. New knowledge can be the key that jumpstarts profitability in any business because it increases an entrepreneur’s effectiveness in the area of focus. If it’s knowledge an entrepreneur is after, then she should select an event based on how well it will cover the areas where she feels she needs more information, such as marketing or business plan development. Because live events often do require a substantial investment, a business owner should
read through the material carefully to ensure that she will learn exactly what she needs to know during the event.

Recharging is Vital

Every hard-working female entrepreneur runs the risk of falling into the day-to-day rut of running a business – especially when things are going less smoothly than she would like. In cases like this, attending an event can revitalize a business owner. Simply getting into a new environment, being around new people – and getting away from the confines of her office – may provide her with a much-needed break from the daily grind. When she attends an event designed to meet her needs, the business owner then has the opportunity to gain new knowledge while recharging. No one operates well when they’re exhausted and drained. To operate at the high levels of performance most female entrepreneurs demand of themselves, they must take time out to refuel – and sometimes that’s as easy as getting a change of scenery among a group of like-minded professionals.

Networking is Crucial

Sharing experiences with other women in her shoes can greatly improve a woman business owner’s experience, outlook and attitude, as she works to grow her business. Attending an event with other women of similar mindset can provide a stimulating environment in which to share ideas, success stories and even hardships. Also, it can provide an opportunity for women to find partnership or affiliate opportunities that can stimulate growth. Finally, every woman business owner needs a support system; attending events is an excellent way to build such systems.

For female entrepreneurs, knowledge, recharging and networking are vital components then seeking business growth and personal improvement. Attending an event – one that is designed to meet her specific needs in a certain area – is a fun, easy and educational way to get all three!

About the Author
Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com