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Posts Tagged ‘networking’
Zig Ziglar, master sales trainer and motivational speaker said, “You can have everything you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” When you focus on helping other people get what they want, you develop a wide network of relationships.
Recently, I had lunch with the CEO of an consulting engineering firm. Part of our discussion centered around how important relationships are in doing business. She said her network and her relationships, including those of the firm, have gotten them through these last few years. She’s a firm believer in community participation and staying connected with key people in her network.
As you think about your career or your business this month, make a list of people you would like to meet. Think big on this exercise.
- Who has connections that would benefit you?
- What can you do to help to that person?
Most people realize that the strength of their connections and network contribute to their success. People say yes to those they know, trust and like. Whether you are a business owner or employee or independent professional, you daily have the opportunity to persuade people to support you, your ideas, your budget, your career, your business.
Your chances are much higher that people will support you if you have a good relationship with them and they know, trust and like you. Whether through a professional organization, a networking group, an educational program or community group like church or non-profits, you can meet people anywhere that can support you and be in your network of relationships. It’s up to you to take time to get to know them.
If you’d like to learn more about Building Relationships through Networking, please join me on Wednesday, January 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Central or noon Pacific for a no-charge webinar where you will learn important strategies to build strong relationships through networking. I’ll lead the webinar and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions as well.
The webinar is filling up quickly. Register now for Building Relationships through Networking to secure your space before we reach our capacity. We’ll be delighted for you to participate.
Kathy Garland specializes in translating business challenges into opportunities that result in business and personal growth. She speaks frequently on business growth and leadership topics. Join her conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Today’s Market You Mondays tip is how to tell people what you do in ten words or less when you are networking and meeting with people. It’s a big challenge and worthy of your time. When you effectively communicate what you do in ten words or less, it helps build your personal brand.
To get started ask yourself a few questions:
1. What do you do best that benefits other people?
2. What do you do to make their lives easier?
3. Think of your best clients. What are their problems and how have you helped them?
What you do is not your title or your profession. Most people tune out when you use your title to tell them what you do. Titles such as designer, accountant, coach, artist, chiropractor, speaker, consultant, therapist, counselor, financial services advisor, CPA and many others do give people an idea of who you are. Your job is to explain to them how you do what you do in a way that is relevant to them and distinctive from other people in the same profession.
This is one of the most important tasks you need to complete this month. Spend some time brainstorming words, phrases, outcomes that could describe what you do.
It’s always a great idea to ask your clients what results they’ve gotten by working with you. Take their words and add to your list.
Coming up with what you do in a phrase that resonates with people takes time so give yourself several rounds of brainstorming and editing. Keep narrowing your content until you can get it into ten words or less. The benefit is that when you meet new people, they can learn a lot about you in a few seconds.
I’ve changed the words I use several times over the last few years. What I’m most happy with right now is “Translating Business Challenges into Opportunities.” Most of my clients are experts in their field who have a great reputation, however, they are not getting the business results they want for themselves. What I do is explore with them what they do best, listen to client stories and then find the words to describe what they do. Often clients don’t realize the gold mine they have in their business or they are looking at the benefits from their point of view, not from their clients’ perspectives. Once we discover that nugget, we create opportunities that result in revenue growth.
People tend to talk about the process of what they do, not the results. Start thinking in terms of the results you provide. Write down what your clients say.
At first, you may write a page or several pages. That’s fine, don’t stop. Each time you look at it again, keep paring away until you get to the essence of what you do.
You’ll want to be able to use this in several ways depending on the situation. You will want flexibility so you can use your phrase several ways while networking. You can use it as a tagline and to create a short introduction or a 30-second commercial. Your goal is for people to ask you more about what you do or even better set an appointment with you.
Make sure to use action words and benefit-oriented words. Words that Sell: More than 6000 Entries to Help You Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideas by Richard Bayan is a great tool to help you get started. I find his books to be very helpful.
Next Monday, I’ll share more tips about what to say when people ask you what you do. I’d love for you to join my Market You Mondays community on Facebook and add your comments and ask questions.
Kathy Garland specializes in translating business challenges into opportunities that result in business and personal growth. She speaks frequently on business growth and leadership topics. Join her conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
This week on my radio show, I had two guest experts on networking to grow your business. Even as long as I’ve been in the “networking” world, I learned more best practices in networking. A few tips are included here and to listen to the full show, please download “Get the Edge on Networking” from my BlogTalk page, The Leader in You.
Following up with people you meet is one of the most important tasks after networking. Otherwise, you lose your opportunity to build your network. Michelle Martin of C3 for Women and Metro Woman, suggests following up within 48 hours to continue building the relationship you started at the event. Michelle has a guideline I appreciate. She always asks if she can stay in touch and add her new contacts to her database. Please do your part to reduce the email overload by asking first.
Peggy Edge, President of TeamNetworking and owner of Edge Packaging, suggests reading a book about networking, “Power Networking” by Donna Fisher and Sandy Villas.
Another tip both Michelle and Peggy follow is to plan time right after the networking event or block off an hour the next morning to make sure you take time to follow up.
Peggy recommends starting your 30-second commercial with a power question that gets people thinking about what you do. Most people start with “I” which isn’t very effective to grab the audience’s attention.
To learn more tips about networking do’s and don’ts, click on the link to my radio host page and download the segment titled “Get the Edge on Networking” at The Leader in You Radio Show.
Kathy Garland specializes in business growth and leadership for women-owned businesses. She hosts a radio show, “The Leader in You” on BlogTalk Radio and speaks frequently on business growth and leadership topics. For more information, visit Kathy Garland International.