Category: Networking

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Networking

Your Bucket Lists: Networking with Purpose

We all need to create three bucket lists in order to truly network with purpose. The first bucket contains a list of all your current connections. We are all connected to far more people than we realize. If you were to take 10 minutes and write a list of past and current work colleagues, industry contacts, friends, family and social acquaintances, you’ll likely be surprised at how long a list you have.

Ask yourself the following questions about the people on this list:
•    Who are they?
•    What have you done for them?
•    What have they done for you?
•    What are you going to do to keep them?

Your next list is people you want to make connections with soon. Ask yourself the following questions about these people:
•    Who are they?
•    What can you do to attract them?
•    What do you want from them?
•    How will you connect with them?

The final list is people you hope to connect with in the future. Ask yourself the following questions about the people in this bucket:
•    Who are they?
•    What can you do to attract them?
•    What do you want from them?
•    How will you get in front of them?
•    How will you connect with them?

The thing to keep in mind as you answer these questions for each name in each bucket is that the more you do for them, the more they will do for you. The more you do for them, the more important you will be in their life. The more likely they will be to take your call. The more likely they will be to meet with you. Why? Because you have brought them value in the past. So the emphasis has to be on what you can do for them… NOT what they can do for you.

Value Based Networking is all about your willingness to give value first. It’s the process of creating and actively maintaining relationships where you can help others achieve their goals and they can help you achieve yours. Value Based Networking involves determining your networking purpose, defining possible contacts, developing a plan of action and committing the time and energy necessary to produce meaningful results.

Now take your top ten contacts, maybe five from bucket one, three from bucket two and two from bucket three, and write one action item next to each name with a deadline to complete that action within the month. The action can be just about anything – send them an email, write them a letter, give them a call, or set up a lunch or meeting. Ask them about a trip they took recently or a conference they attended; send them an article or book you think they would enjoy; introduce them to a contact of yours. But whatever it is, focus on providing value to them.

If you do this each and every month, you’ll have made 120 meaningful value based connections over the next year. Now that’s meaningful!

About the Author:

The Balanced WorkLife Company is dedicated to helping the best get better while they enjoy the journey. Our programs give you access to tools and methodologies that allow you to break through the barriers and achieve your goals while also helping you enjoy a balance between and within your job, your career and your personal life. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the Balanced WorkLife Company can help you achieve your ultimate potential. To learn more, visit www.balancedworklife.com and download our free report “The 16 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid,” which is jam-packed with information to help you develop and build long-lasting business and social relationships.

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Networking

All Networking is Not Created Equal

They say that the key to happiness and longevity is having meaningful relationships with others. This means having a support system of family, friends, business associates and clients who are there for you because you are always there for them.

In business this concept conjures up the word networking. Don’t run screaming into the night: this does not mean dragging yourself to meetings and seminars where you exchange business cards with people you don’t know and pursue meaningless threads of conversation trying to find something of mutual interest. I’m talking about a different kind of networking.

We call it Value Based Networking™.

Value Based Networking is about more than just selling. It’s about having people in your life who are in a position to help you gain access to key decision makers and to new and exciting opportunities. It’s about not just surviving – but thriving – in today’s complex economy. It’s about having people in your life who can help your career and who also can enrich your life.

As the name implies, Value Based Networking is about creating value for others before you expect to receive value from them. It is the mutual give and take that results in a winning situation for everyone involved.

People naturally want to repay the kindness of others, and if cultivated properly, Value Based Networking can not only lead to strong and positive relationships, it also can lead to personal connections, more referrals, increased sales, measurable success and lasting impressions.

We all have lots of people in our lives. Most we barely know, some are nodding acquaintances, a few are everyday associates and co-workers, and a small number are family and friends. The key question is: in what ways can we provide unselfish value to them without expecting anything in return? Here are a few ways:

o Helping solve a problem
o Supporting their dreams
o Helping them understand their thinking
o Letting them help others, including you
o Connecting them with others
o Helping to make them more successful
o Making them feel connected and appreciated

What you need to do is tap into their needs, adapt your communication style to accommodate theirs, and be a WOW person to be around. Networking isn’t that difficult if you simply keep in mind that most people:

o Want unbiased advisors
o Have a limited set of friends
o Have access to a limited set of social events
o Want to help others
o Need people in their network

So approach your social portfolio like you do your financial portfolio: plan, build and diversify. Foster relationships with family, friends and co-workers. Nurture older relationships, but also make new friends.

Value Based Networking is the sincere and constant effort to help others, anticipating that you will, in turn, be helped. So if you do happen find yourself at one of those networking events, ask for two business cards from everyone you meet: one for yourself and one to pass on to somebody else. You never know who you may be able to help; and later, that someone may help you.

About the Author:
The Balanced WorkLife Company is dedicated to helping the best get better while they enjoy the journey. Our programs give you access to tools and methodologies that allow you to break through the barriers and achieve your goals while also helping you enjoy a balance between and within your job, your career and your personal life. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the Balanced WorkLife Company can help you achieve your ultimate potential. To learn more, visit www.balancedworklife.com and download our free report “The 16 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid,” which is jam-packed with information to help you develop and build long-lasting business and social relationships.

Categories
Networking

Dig Your [Networking] Well Before You Are Thirsty

Your future career is only as good as the quality of your extended network. A network is a social and business resource that must be cultivated and nurtured over time. Your network supports and sustains you in the good times, but is the key to your survival in the bad times.

The time to build these contacts is not when you are looking for your next job.

My friend Bob recently found himself staring at unemployment. The start-up he was working for found itself no longer a start-up, but a thriving, mid-sized firm listed on the NASDAQ. This organization was enjoying such success largely due to Bob’s leadership, but now the company needed a different kind of leader. So Bob started looking around at who he knew in the industry and realized that he hadn’t spoken to anyone for about 3 years. Hmmmm.

Too often, people start networking only after they need something. Imagine a friend or relative who only calls when he needs money. Do you take his call? Do you look forward to hearing from him?

Effective networking means creating contacts and relationships now. Dig your well before you’re thirsty as Harvey Mackay says.

If you choose your network members wisely, they can nourish more than your current position and future career. This is Value Based Networking.

Most people accept the fact that health studies show the connection between long-term life, health and happiness is based on the quality of the relationships that support us. Few of us think of this as an investment we make for our future…but it is an investment just like education or exercise.

Value Based Networking is about creating value for others and in turn receiving value from them. It’s about taking charge of this critical advantage in life in a planned and strategic manner. Regardless of where you are in your career or life, if you are looking to make your future bigger than your past, you need to invest in the people who have helped you achieve your current success and those who can do so in the future.

Here is an exercise we’ve developed to help you begin Value Based Networking:

1. List 10 people best able to bring value to your career, today and in the future.

2. Now, prioritize.

3. Then think about the value they bring to you.

4. And then, the value you (could) bring to them.

5. When was the last time you had contact with this person?

6. And finally, what actions could you take to invest further in this relationship?

Most of us are uncomfortable “investing” in people for the sole purpose of accessing their knowledge and connections. We want to bring value to the relationship perhaps in the form of our own knowledge and connections or unique skill or interest. It’s a case of mutual value for mutual benefit. If you can be clear about what you want, you can begin to take action today to expand your value based network.

About the Author:

The Balanced WorkLife Company is dedicated to helping the best get better while they enjoy the journey. Our programs give you access to tools and methodologies that allow you to break through the barriers and achieve your goals while also helping you enjoy a balance between and within your job, your career and your personal life. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the Balanced WorkLife Company can help you achieve your ultimate potential. To learn more, visit www.balancedworklife.com and download our free report “The 16 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid,” which is jam-packed with information to help you develop and build long-lasting business and social relationships.

Categories
Networking

3 Secrets on Getting the Most Out of Attending Events

You’ve got your suitcases packed, your airline booked and you’re on your way to a live event.

But you’re a little nervous. You’ve already spent a bunch of money, you’re about to spend a bunch more on hotels and food, not to mention the time away from your business and life. Will this turn into a good investment (i.e. help your business grow) or will it end up being just a waste of time and money?

That’s an excellent question and as someone who has attending more than her share of events with fabulous (and not-so-fabulous) results, let me share my 3 secrets to getting the most out of your attending events.

1. Set your intentions on what you want to get out of the event. Are you looking for joint venture partners? New clients? New ideas or information you can implement in your business? Is there someone you really want to meet in person? All of the above? Something else entirely?

It doesn’t matter how you define a successful event, what’s important is that you actually spell out what you want to have happen and make it as clear as possible.

If you’re not clear on what you want, then your results could end up being equally murky. You want to visualize exactly what would have to happen for this to be a successful event for you.

Let me take a moment and share a quick story about this. At an event I recently attended, I was walking through the dining room at dinnertime and I saw a woman sitting by herself. I went up to her and asked if she wanted some company, which she did. It turned out she had set the intention for meeting ME at this event and we’ve ended up doing a couple of joint ventures together. Isn’t it amazing once you set the intention how the Universe actually delivers it?

2. Don’t just hang around your “crowd.” There’s no question that one of the reasons why I love going to events is I can reconnect with all my old friends and colleagues. However, as much as I treasure the face-to-face bonding, I also want to meet new friends and colleagues too.

Make a point of having either lunch, dinner, drinks, etc. with a new group each day. That gives you the opportunity to meet new people without going too far out of your comfort zone. (Now, if the thought of that is making you break out into a cold sweat, take a deep breath. Bring a friend with you, just don’t only talk to your friend. Or only do this once or twice in the few days you’re there and slowly work your way up. You’ll probably discover the vast majority of the people at these events are just as eager and just as nervous as you are, and it all ends up working itself out.)

3. Manage your energy. This is a big one I never see anyone talk about but it’s really important. Events are exhausting. Period. Between being “on” when you meet people to absorbing all the information that’s flying at you, it can wear you out.

So it’s important to know your limits and listen to your body. You don’t have to be at every single networking opportunity. It’s okay to skip a group lunch or dinner and get room service.

Everyone is going to have different limits and whatever that is, it’s perfect for you and you should honor it. The last thing you want to do is wear yourself out so much that when that perfect client DOES show up on Day 3, you’re not so drained you don’t properly represent yourself (and end up losing the sale).

There’s one more thing I want you to do to make your event attendance as successful as possible, but this is SO important I’m going to devote an entire article about it. Stay tuned!

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Networking

Business Success: Utilize Key Sites And Stay Focused

Article Contributed by Tami Stodghill

In talking with a number of associates recently, I found out that some of them felt overwhelmed with all of the social media sites that are out there. They expressed concern that they wouldn’t have time to actually call prospects and potential clients if they were to entertain a presence on the sites out there nowadays, yet knew that social media was an important part of their business. Some of them said it seemed that every day there was a new social site and they felt a pressure to sign on and participate when they were already spread thin. It’s true. There are countless sites out there and available now to network, market and connect with others on that may help propel your business to success. And while a solid presence for your business on these sites is always beneficial if done right, it can also take away from time you need to effectively approach the clients that contact you regarding your opportunity.

What I tell them is that I do sign up for most sites out there. However, I quickly ascertain which ones seem to be the most popular and that offer what I want to portray as far as my business. I find quite a number of those sites are nothing but spam and people hyping their business or opportunity and offer no real advantage or knowledge that will help me build my business. And when that is the case, very minimal, if any, continued participation is necessary in my eyes. Lately there have been 2 sites that I set up a profile on, and to be honest, I haven’t reaped even one shred of knowledge from them. What I have received is countless contacts and messages, all of which are from others pushing their opportunities. Since that is not the way I market, needless to say, I have relinquished all participation on those sites. I will leave my profile up, but since they don’t really offer a chance for me to post items that will benefit others (other than if I was to push my opportunity and “spam” members), it makes no sense for me to take away from time that could be better spent in my business day.

What I have learned, and what I advise people to do, is to participate in any site they are on and gauge the response and the type of information exchanges that take place on those sites. If there are links with valid and useful information posted and the opportunity is there for you to do the same, then definitely invest the time to actively and regularly participate. If the site is netting you nothing but hype and spam-type marketing, then you will be one of countless others on there and not really be moving toward valuable exposure for your product or service.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, forums offer a relief from some of the social site’s downfalls. They have moderators that keep the spamming out (except in maybe one section set aside for that) and allow for valid exchanges of information and advice. And also as I have mentioned, we can definitely always learn from others who have experience in areas we don’t. I spend quite a bit of my time that I allot for sites on the forums. People are generally there to learn and to help others learn. And that’s an environment I want to associate my business with.

I do participate on social media sites, but I stick to the key sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and I make sure that my content offers value and that I develop relationships with like-minded business individuals. I enjoy meeting new people as well, and am able to share resources that I found useful in the building of my business. That, to me, is time well spent and invested and presents my opportunity the way I want it to be presented.

If you make sure that you appraise the actual quality of the sites you spend your time on, you will definitely gain from the dedication of time. And time in your business is money—so it is of the utmost importance that you dedicate your time to only the sites and forums which best “fit” you and your business. By doing that, you can also improve the quality of the content you share on those key sites and stay focused on growing your business. So, take the pressure off yourself to be “everywhere”. Because being everywhere will not produce the results you are looking for if you aren’t even in those places effectively.

About the Author

Tami Stodghill was the Press-Relations manager, for a world-wide extensible-technology distributor based in London and the US for 20 years. She was also a freelance writer for several industry publications and is now a home-based business owner with WMI. She makes her home in Page-Lake Powell, Arizona, in the summers and Palm Harbor, Florida in the winters where she enjoys boating and reading, camping, hiking and meeting new people. She runs a blog site exclusively to offer tips for success for any small or home-based business.