Strategies for More Productive Networking

Have you ever left a networking event feeling like you’ve been assaulted? It’s an awful feeling to be smothered in schmooze, or dealt flying business cards ala drive-by style, or product dumped-on.  All of this by people you don’t even know!  It’s our civic and professional responsibility to stop the madness before it goes any farther!

Let’s get back to basics, shall we?  What’s the point of networking anyway?  Networking is about making meaningful connections with like-minded people.  It should not be viewed as isolated events, but rather a process of building relationships. 

If you get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about attending networking events, you need to connect with yourself first.  People typically behave in unusual ways when they’re uncomfortable or afraid of their environment…a.k.a. “assaulters”.  It definitely takes a respectable level of courage to walk into a room full of people you’ve never seen before and get involved.  I believe things go wrong when we go in with a preconceived notion of how we’re supposed to act instead of being who we are.   We’ve all heard it at one time or another…”just be yourself – everything will be fine.”  So – BE YOURSELF.  Understand how you best communicate and how you get your bearings in unfamiliar territory.  If you like to observe a situation before you jump in, then do that.  If you are more comfortable being introduced around a room, make arrangements in advance to have that happen.   Look for someone you’ve met before and break the ice with that person.  Your comfort level will rise as you acclimate to the situation.

Next, make sure you’re clear about your expectations.  Don’t put undue pressure on yourself or set unrealistic expectations for the outcome.  You’re setting yourself up for disaster and disappointment if you think you’re going to walk away from a networking event with new clients.   Networking is simply the venue, the forum, the opportunity to meet people and begin to build a relationship with them.  It’s up to us to decide which forums suit us and our situations the best, and to discern which relationships we are most interested in building.  This takes time, focus, a sincere interest in and curiosity about others, and a true appreciation for what it takes to earn another’s trust. 

Take some time to set your strategy for networking and devote time consistently to deepening relationships with people you’re connecting with.  You are creating an environment to foster referral business, which grows in value over time!

Showing Up

Did you ever consider how you’re showing up in your life and your business?  They’re connected, you know. 

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the ABC’s of Great Leadership.  How about the ABC’s of Having a Great Life and Business?  Authenticity, belief system and compassion are key components of living a fulfilled life and doing great work. 

Our lives begin in complete authenticity and freedom.  As children we make choices totally based on our own fulfillment.  And then the world happens to us, and we get conditioned to live based on other people’s choices for us.  It’s natural and has to happen to some degree to protect us and so that we can function in society.  At some point, though, we all have to reconnect with ourselves… rediscover ourselves… get back to the core of who we are and choose the beliefs that support the highest and best of ourselves.

I work with small business owners all the time who talk about potential – the business has potential, their staff has potential, this new idea has potential.  Reading between the lines of what isn’t being said, what I hear is “we could be successful if only…..”  I would be rich if only I could win the lottery Saturday night.  Does that kind of thinking help us confidently spring into action, or does it cause us to resist doing anything because we think we aren’t enough, don’t have enough and don’t believe enough to get it done? 

To be authentic and to show up that way, we need only to focus on now and recognize that we have everything we need at this moment to do what we can do today.  Then do it.  We are free to choose a belief system based our growing capacity instead of an “if only” potential mindset.  Show yourself some compassion – accept and love who you are.  You are the only person in the world who can do what you do in the way that you do it. 

When you can show up in your life and your business as the best YOU that you can be, the world will happen for you.

What's Bacon Got to Do With It?

Image via Wikipedia

My sweet husband only gets his favorite breakfast on the weekends.  It's not my favorite, but he loves it and I love to make him smile, so I figure over the course of 16 years I've made over 800 bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.  A nice deli sandwich bun, lightly spread with canola margarine and broiled to a lovely light brown...topped with a hard fried egg covered with shredded cheddar cheese (melted, of course)...finished off with crispy strips of bacon.  Man's favorite food.

Bacon has risen to rock-star status over the last couple of years.  Bacon doughnuts, bacon flavored lip gloss, pork belly this and that all over the Food Network.  So wouldn't you think there would be some quality control?  This is what drives me crazy.

My sister-in-law uses the "dump it all in the pan and it'll work itself out" strategy.  I like to prepare the bacon in the microwave - it's super crispy, not greasy, and I feel it's somewhat healthier, somehow.  But in order for me to achieve bacon perfection, I need to be able to get the dang stuff out of the package in nice, neat little strips.  I've tried every brand...expensive, on-sale, store brand, out of the butcher's case...and still I find skinny little strips mixed in with super thick strips.  Either they won't come apart in the first place, or they don't cook evenly, and my husband's perfect breakfast is spoiled by the expletives coming out of the kitchen.

What would happen to all of us in our businesses if sometimes we did things consistently and sometimes we just cut things a little skinny?  What if the 16 oz. package really didn't hold a pound of bacon?  The latest bacon incident - fresh in my mind because it was just this morning - got me thinking about the parallels.  If there's no quality control in bacon, what's next?  There are whole restaurants focused on bacon - there's one here in Boise.  Wonder if they feel my pain?

I guess the only thing to do is raise my own bacon.  No, that won't work.  I know me. And I could never convince the neighbors it was a bulldog.  What do you feed live bacon anyway?

What About NOW?

It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of January!  How are you doing with your goals so far this year?  Are you making progress?  Are you feeling stuck?   How are you talking to yourself?

Dictionary.com defines catalyst as “a person or thing that precipitates an event or change”.  Be a catalyst for your own growth! 

Rather than get caught up in thinking about what you don’t have that’s keeping you stuck, focus on the resources available to you right now – today – and use them to your advantage.  Acknowledge your skills and experience.  Remember challenges you’ve overcome in the past.  Stay connected with your support networks and others who are invested in your success.

Most importantly, when limiting thoughts pop up and have you convinced that you can’t achieve your goals, ask yourself this question.  “What evidence do I have today to prove that I can’t?”  I bet there is no concrete evidence.
  

Keeping your focus on what you can do today will help you be a catalyst for positive growth in your own life and the lives of those you touch.  You can do it!

Related articles

• The Catalyst (xtonycz.wordpress.com)
• Catalyst to Inspiration (lizawrites.wordpress.com)

How do you create lasting connections?

Becky McKinstry of Open Lines visited today with Carolyn Holly of KTVB about creating connections to build your business and help your customers build their businesses, too!

Check it out here!

Top 5 Ways to Beat the Holiday Momentum Busters

Image by betsyweber via Flickr

Yes, Santa Claus is coming to town, but I highly doubt that his bag is full of new clients for us…no matter how good we’ve been.  Don’t be lulled into believing this is the time of year to slow down and kick back.  This is actually the perfect time to kick your business up a notch or two!

1. Close all the business you can before year-end.  What have you done to make a compelling case for your prospects to see the advantages of buying now?

2. Make sure the pipeline is full going into 2012.  Have you checked in with your existing clients to see how satisfied they are with your product or service?  If there was a problem, did you swiftly and courteously correct it?  Have you asked for referrals?

3. Take an objective look at your systems and processes.  Do they support your business-building efforts?   Are opportunities to provide value and say ‘thank you’ to your client base part of your process?

4. Check your attitude.   How do you respond when you get a ‘no’?  Are you focusing on the right stuff and truly hearing what your clients need?
 
5. Write down your goals and dreams for next year.  What do you need your business to look like in order to create the life you love?
 
Use the last few weeks of this year to your advantage, and start 2012 prepared for the best year ever!

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• How Social Media Can Help Us Generate Productive Momentum (AuthenticOrganizations.com)

Are you thinking about starting your own business?

 

According to the US Census Bureau, more than 18 million people in the US are self-employed.  But the SBA reports that only about 44% of new businesses survive four years.  Why do most people take the leap into business ownership?  

Given the state of the current employment situation in our country, people who have lost their jobs often feel they would create a better situation for themselves if they were in control.  They are burned out on the restrictions and lack of freedom that most traditional jobs offer.  And the illusion of security, that exists when you work for someone else, is just that…an illusion.  There are no commitments in the “at will” employment community, and benefits that companies once considered a cornerstone of their cultures, are disappearing because of rising costs. Aside from freedom and control, probably the number one reason people decide to start their own business is because they offer a service, or they’ve invented a product that they’re passionate about.  And the only way they can engage in their craft is if they’re independent. Our economy and our psyche are totally ready for the courageous individuals who take the plunge to bring to market their unique take on a service or a new product that could potentially create more revenue to pump up our local larders.

How can they prepare themselves?  They may make the best product, or have the most innovative service and of course, they know their product or service inside out and backwards.  But if they don’t know the business basics, they will end of up part of the 56% that don’t make it beyond four years.  A must read for anyone contemplating starting their own business is The E-Myth Revisited.  Author Michael Gerber explores the difference between working in your business – what you do.  And working ON your business – how you do what you do.  This is the information that not enough of the 18 million take the time to check out, and contemplate, and incorporate into their business plans. 

Yes, you may have invented the next best thing to sliced bread, but if you don’t have systems to run your business…if you don’t have a marketing plan and a method for executing it…if you don’t have a clue how to sell (and the thought of selling makes you feel geechy…), recognize that if you want to be one of the elite 56%, you should first assemble a team of professionals who have the experience and passion to do the things you aren’t trained to do or interested in doing.  So you can continue to invent the next best thing…and the next…and the next.

Give Good Synergy

Effective networking is a learned skill. Often a networking event is dominated by people running around to see how many individuals they can dump information on. Talking fast is not the best way to network. Listening makes sense. Asking questions makes sense. Adding value as you work to build relationships makes sense. Connecting and gathering information is a good way to network. Organizing the information and staying in touch with the people you meet will add customers and referrals to your business. Evaluate your actions at the next networking event you attend. Spend time being interested in others. Make notes on the back of the their business card so you remember the highlights of the conversation. Schedule follow up calls to learn more about them and see if there is a fit for you to work together or refer others. Be on the look out for ways you can help others build their business. It always comes back to you and will build solid relationships along the way. Good luck as you add quality and information gathering to your next networking event.