networking – Page 4 – One Insight Closer

What “Not To Do” When Networking

May 2, 2013May 9, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in networking

So far we’ve covered:

This topic, what “not to do” when networking, is the reason that this series came to be. Why? Because I met someone that definitely did a “don’t.” And I’m not sure she realized she did it, but I’ll get to that later.

The Do Not’s

Forget business cards
Too obvious? However, at some point, you’re probably going to forget your business card or not realize that you’re almost out until you go to put more in your bag. It happens to everyone. So, don’t forget to ask for the business cards of the people you’re talking to.

Talk excessively past the amount of time given
This is when you’re given 30 seconds or 3 minutes in front of the group to introduce yourself. Not all networking groups are set up like this, but when they are, honor everyone’s time by staying within the given time frame.

If you accidentally go over a little bit, people will be very forgiving. However, if you habitually take extra time, people will start to tune you out when you start to talk, because you’ve trained them to expect you to be a while.

Talk only to the people you know
You’re there to reconnect with people you know AND meet new people. Yes, you want to continue to develop the relationships you already have, but don’t do it at the expense of meeting new people.

Monopolize the conversation
Don’t spend the whole time talking about you! In fact, ask the other person to tell you about themselves first. Be curious about them, ask them questions. Some questions to get you started:

Tell me more about that.
How did you get started doing that?
How long have you been in that business?
What do you love most about doing that?

Monopolize someone’s time
It can be more comfortable to continue a conversation with someone you’re already chatting with then to find someone new to talk with. However, it’s best to recognize when it’s time to move on.

Sell at the event!
Do not sell at the networking event! Networking groups / events are for meeting new people and businesses (and continuing existing relationships). Yes, they maybe people that you do business with in the future or people that will do business with you, but do not try to sell someone your product or service there. That’s why you make appointments! (See the previous article HERE for more information)

Yes, if someone says, “I’d like to purchase x from you,” you’re certainly going to take care of that request, but you shouldn’t be trying to sell them your product or service – only telling them about it.

Story Time
Yes, one reason this series on networking came about because someone tried to sell me their business opportunity at a networking event. She had a clear vision for the possibilities her business opportunity would give me and my business (good for her! She believed in herself and her company!), but she wasn’t listening when I told her I wasn’t interested (I believe my words were “that’s not the direction I want to go with my business”) and she continued to try to convince me to work with her.

I finally stopped her, thanked her for sharing,, and firmly told her I wasn’t interested. She finally understood and became very embarrassed and quickly moved on.

I share this story for three reasons:

The networking event was not the appropriate time for her to pitch me her business opportunity. If she wanted to share how working with her might benefit me, she would have been better served to ask to meet with me later if I wanted to learn more. In other words, set up an appointment – where I would know what the purpose was.
If you have a bad experience with one person when networking, do not give up on networking or that particular group or event. Recognize it for what it was, an unfortunate experience with one person, not with the group, event or networking as a whole. Just keep that in mind. I know those experiences can be really frustrating!
Don’t be that person! If she continues to network that way she will probably find herself being avoided. Mending fences is possible, but can be difficult.

Be aware of the “do not’s” but focus more on the “do’s” and you’ll be in pretty good shape. Next week we’ll cover what to do when you get home after the event.

Do you have any additional “do not’s”? Share in the comments below!

What “To Do” When Networking

April 25, 2013May 9, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in appointments, introduction, networking

So far we’ve covered:

And, as the title suggests, this week we’re covering the do’s of networking. In the first draft this was the “to do’s” and “not to do’s”. However, it ended up being an almost 1,500 word article, so I’ve broken it into two pieces. The “do not’s” are next week’s article.

Before I go into the “do’s” I want to take a moment to remind you that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start. Yes, you want to be intentional when you network and do some preparation, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.

The person out there doing things imperfectly is always making more progress (and money) than the person sitting at home waiting for things to be perfect.

The Do’s

Bring business cards
Have something with your contact information on it. Minimally it should include your name and email address. Ideally, it also includes a phone number and your website (although don’t let not having a website stop you!)

Talk to people you don’t know
Yes, I know this one might seem a bit obvious, but I felt it had to be said. Why? Because it’s really easy to start talking with someone you know and stay in that comfortable conversation instead of starting a new conversation with someone you don’t know. I have to remind myself of this every once in a while.

Prepare a 30 second introduction
Sometimes this is called a commercial. It’s really just a nice way to introduce yourself to a person or group.

Not sure how to do this? Here’s a script:
Hi I’m {name here} from {company here}. I work with {ideal client} to help them {benefit you bring your client} and {another benefit}. {Your name} with {company name}.

Be prepared to talk beyond 30 seconds
Not sure what to say? Talk a little bit about how you help or serve people. This doesn’t necessarily mean you tell them all about the different products / services you offer, but you might tell them about a happy customer – Jane started out this way and after using my products / services she had these results. Or you could mention what sets you apart from others in your field. Those are just a couple ideas to get you started.

And why come prepared with this? Two reasons: (1) some networking groups give you 2-3 minutes to talk about yourself (don’t feel obligated to use all the time if you don’t need it) and (2) when you’re talking with individuals (instead of the whole group at once) – you’ll be able to tell them more about what you do without getting flustered or tongue tied.

Ask for other people’s business cards
People are busy! If you want to connect with them after the event or meeting, then you need to take the initiative and call or email them. And if they don’t have one, have them write their information on the back of one of yours (be sure you don’t pass that one out!) or on a piece of paper.

Set appointments
This is probably the first one that has you scratching your head a bit. Set appointments? What does that mean? Remember how you did the work earlier on knowing your ideal client and referral partners? This is where having that information comes into play, yet again.

Referral Partner
If you meet someone who is a potential referral partner, then set up a coffee or lunch meeting or even schedule a phone call to find out more about them and their business. If possible, do this at the networking event. If that’s not possible, put a star or fold the corner of their card to indicate that you want to follow up with them later.
Ideal Client
If you meet someone who is your ideal client than you’ll also want to set up an appointment with them. However, it’s slightly different than talking with a referral partner.
Ideal clients tend to fall into two categories: those who know they want to work with you and those that might not realize that they want to work with you.
- Those who know they want to work with you
  They’re easy to identify because they tell you something like “Ohh! I could sooo use that right now!” or “Wow, I’d love to learn more about that for my business.”
  So, set an appointment with them so you can tell them more about what you do and find out if you’re a good fit to work together.
- Those that might not realize that they want to work with you
  These are the people who are your ideal client, but haven’t expressed an interest. You’re not actually going to set an appointment with them. However, you are going to note that you want to call them within a couple days to see if your service / product might be helpful for them.

Anything additional that’s on your “Do” list when you’re networking? Share in the comments below!

Anything additional that’s on your “Do” list when you’re networking? Click HERE to share!

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Making Time in Your Schedule to go Networking

April 18, 2013April 18, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in networking, planning

At this point you know who your ideal clients and referral partners are. And you’ve found some places to network, or at least know where to start.

So, now the question is: How do you fit it into your already busy schedule?

First, you’ll want to further narrow down the events / groups you’ll go to.

Pick just one group to attend a week.
If you can make time to go to more or if networking is a high priority activity, then find a couple to attend. The main point here is to prioritize which group you attend.
What is the travel time?
If you’re picking between two groups that both feel like a good fit, then give the one that’s closer a slightly higher priority, at least initially. Later check out the other one and decide which one is the best fit for you.
Which group appears to be a better match for connecting with your ideal client?
This can be difficult to determine for a group you’ve never attended. Which brings us to:
Go a couple of times!
Yes, some groups you might go to and know in the first five minutes that it’s not quite for you, but generally, going twice will give you a good feel for the group.

Are you wondering how the heck you’re going to find two or more hours to do this?!

What are your three main goals for the week?
Make sure those things get done and don’t get lost in the minutia (Facebook, Twitter, email, anything you find yourself checking multiple times in a 30 minute period that has nothing to do with the task at hand).
Prioritize networking!
Fact is, networking is an important marketing activity (make sure you read the next two articles for tips on how to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your time!).
Know exactly what’s already on your plate.
This allows you to decide what you want to devote your time to – it allows you to be a bit more strategic with your time and not get lost in the things that can wait.

If you’re just starting out, networking can feel like a really frightening thing. On the way to one of my first networking meetings, I remember feeling nervous, scared and looking for legitimate reasons to turn my car around and head back home. I made it there anyway. And felt awkward and wondered if I was doing it right most of the meeting. However, the group was very nice and inviting. And I ventured out again to that group the next month and was welcomed. And over two years later, I still attend that group whenever I can.

I’ve had many more good networking experiences than I’ve had bad ones. And yes, I have been at groups where everyone was more interested in talking with their friends than meeting new people, but those are the exception and not the rule.

So, my question for you is how do you (or will you) pick places to network? One that I mentioned or something else? Let me know in the comments below!

Woman looking to into the distance - searching

How Do You Find Places to Network?

April 11, 2013May 9, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in networking

Last week we covered the three questions that you need to answer to before you go networking.

This week we’ll go over finding places to network. And yes, you’ll need to know your answers to last week’s questions before you begin.

Networking can be one of the most personally and professionally rewarding things you do, but what does it have to do with your productivity?

A lot.

Networking takes time, there’s travel time, time at the event and the follow-up time when you get home. And you want to spend your time at the events that are the most beneficial for you and your business.

You want to do the tasks that move you closer to your goals and, in that respect, networking is like any other task. You want to be doing networking that moves you closer to your goals. And while hanging out with friends is fun, if that’s the only networking you’re doing, it might be time to revisit where you’re networking (or how).

Networking generally serves one of four purposes:

A place for you to connect with your ideal client
A place for you to connect with your referral partners
A place for you to be supported and learn how to grow your business
An activity to get you out of the house, because you suddenly realize you haven’t left for two weeks for anything other than personal or family errands

If you’re already out there networking, review your current groups. Which category (or categories) does each of your groups fit into?

There is value to networking for any of those four reasons. However, I’m going to focus on the first two.

So, how do you find places to network? Ask yourself these questions:

What groups or associations do your ideal clients belong to?
What conferences do your ideal clients attend?
Where do your ideal clients network?

To answer these questions do these two things:

Google it! You know who your ideal client is, so use a short description of those people and add association or conference to the end.
Are you friends with someone who’s your ideal client? Ask them!

One other way to search for networking groups or events is to go to Meetup.com and EventBrite.com. No, Meetup is not a dating type website. It’s a website full of groups inviting you to become a member if your interests align. So, in addition to networking groups for businesses, you’ll find jogging groups, game groups and many other fun things. Generally Meetup.com is for networking and EventBrite is for conferences or one-time events, although that is not always true.

However you find networking groups, go a couple times and see if it’s a group for you. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the group just isn’t a good fit. That’s okay – find other groups that are a better fit.

This week, in the comments I invite you to share your answers to the three questions above.

Three Questions to Ask Before You Network

April 4, 2013April 5, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in networking

How often do you network? The get out of the house and meet people type of networking?

I tend to network one to three times a week, although three times a week can be pushing it a bit for me.

Networking can feel tricky or intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! There are four main parts:

Finding places to network
Making time in your schedule to go
What to do when you’re there
What to do when you get home

And before you start any of that, there are three questions you should answer about your business. And it’s a good idea to revisit these questions at least once a year – if not more!

Who are your ideal clients, the people you LOVE to work with?
Yes, if you spend anytime online learning about marketing you’ve heard this question or some version of it about a hundred times. And you’ll keep seeing it because it’s a very important question!
It isn’t about limiting your service or product to ONLY the people who fit that profile (although it’d be great to be in a place where you could do that, right!), it’s about knowing who you want to be talking to and tailoring what you say to them. Other people will still find you!
And please, please, please do not say “Everyone is my ideal client!” or some version of that! Everyone might be a potential client, but they are not your ideal client.
Think of it this way – if you go to the paint department of a home improvement store and tell the person there that you want to buy some paint, they’re going to want to know what room you’re painting and the color you want. If you don’t know the room or the color, the sales person cannot help you very much! And if they do sell you something, you’re probably not going to be happy with it.
So, be specific! It will help others know who to refer to you.
What do you do? What service do you provide or products do you sell?
What? Does this seem too obvious?
Take the time to answer it anyway and use your client’s words where ever you can. Oh, and be sure you think about the benefits and results of working with you or using your product.
When you do take the time to do this you might find out that (1) what you do has slightly changed, so the way you talk about it needs to change too or (2) you’re doing the same thing you were six months ago, but the way you talk about it has changed and that has helped you greatly or you need to tweak it a bit.
Who are your referral partners?
Referral partners, also called power partners, are other people or businesses that have the same ideal client as you do, but offer a different service or product.
Can’t think of anyone? Think about your ideal client, what other services or products are they buying or do they need?

What does this have to do with productivity or scheduling your time?

More than you might think! And you’ll want to come back each week for the next four weeks to find out more!

Next week I’ll cover finding places to network and the following weeks I’ll cover the other three topics listed above.

Now, for this week, I’d love it if you’d share your answers to the questions above in the comments below!