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5 REPEATABLE STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING

Do you find yourself leaving networking events feeling like you've just wasted a perfectly good evening which could have been better spent working on your business, playing with your kids or even watching TV.

Sometimes you shake your head and wonder, "I wasted gas driving to this?"

The problem may be that you are attending the event focused on the short-term outcome, rather than on your long-term intent.

Let's say you attend the event wanting to make a sale. You scan the crowd looking for your ideal client. When you don't find anyone that meets your criteria, you grow disgusted with the waste of your time, and give up.

But suppose instead, you went with the intent of letting as many people as possible know about your business and your search for your ideal client. Each person you meet is a potential connection to that ultimate sale.

You don't know when or with whom that light bulb is going to go off. Then the evening becomes filled with possibilities as you chat with everyone and learn about them - subtly seeking that connection to your ideal client.

The following steps can be repeated sincerely with everyone you meet:

1) Introduce yourself and really listen to who the other person is
2) Look for commonalities - shared interests, concerns, lifestyles
3) Look for ways you can help them - through who you know or what you know
4) Let them in on who and what you're looking for - they'll want to help in return
5) Exchange information to follow up

The people you meet might not be your ideal client, but they might know someone who is. Or they might be able to give you a new perspective on a direction your business should take. Or they might know someone wanting to invest in your business. Those are all opportunities you would have missed if you had focused only on the short-term outcomes you wanted rather than your real long-term intent.

WHY SHOULD YOU CULTIVATE CONTACTS FROM TRADE SHOWS ?

If you are working a trade show, or even attending a trade show you are going to be overwhelmed by the number of people that you meet. This is a huge opportunity to not only try to sneak in a sale, but to also create a group of contacts that can be very helpful in increasing the bottom line of your business in the long haul.

How to maximize this group of people that you have meet becomes your greatest task and while some people readily remember everyone they meet, not everyone remembers everyone. Your simplest method to keep up with everyone is to purchase something that will allow you to divide all of the cards and brochures into different stacks so you can separate out people who would be potential vendors from those who would be potential clients.

Remember; while the excitement of a trade show is buzzing around and the initial mountain of mail coming in from various people you met after the show will be humongous how can you make sure you stand out to people? First, there is no reason at all to insist upon trying to make a sale. If you are only worried about making a sale then you are going to be pushing the people you meet into making a purchase. This can sometimes be a major turn off to some people and at worse could be considered nothing more than a sales attempt that is thrown into the trash immediately.

Your optimal situation is to instead work on building a good business relationship with the people by sending friendly letters, cards, greeting cards or some other form of personal communication that is not in the form of a sales letter or other form of sales material. This may be hard for some people to actually handle, but it is a skill that should be improved upon with plenty of practice. While some people are naturals when it comes to striking up business relationships other people struggle continuously, your goal is to become someone who seems to be a natural at creating your business relationships.

One of the best methods of doing this is to ensure you do not come across as pushing a sale. If someone thinks you are only out to make a sale they are likely to tune you out. If however someone things you are being friendly and merely building contacts then they are much more likely to be open and receiving of your communication. This is a fine line to tread that can make a huge difference in your final bottom line.

Remember, people are much more likely to conduct business with people whom they have previous business relationships with.

Look carefully for methods that will allow you to easily build those all important and valuable relationships without breaking the bank financially. Look for methods that will allow you to increase your bottom line slowly and over time and you will find a the results overwhelmingly better than if you insist upon pushing sales immediately upon people that you have met at the trade shows.

Remember, cultivating those contacts as quickly as possible helps ensure that everyone is able to walk away from the trade show as happy as possible and with the greatest amount of contacts possible. There are great ways to cultivate the contacts and you are sure to discover many of them as you prepare for your trade show. Just remember; never look pushy or desperate when you are talking to contacts so you do not run someone off.

DEVELOPING RECIPROCAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

The world is a collection of communities and the business world is no different. But many times when we hear the term "community" and business mentioned together, it is reference to the area where the business is located more than the individuals and companies that keep the world running. Your "community" at its core, is your specific niche in your industry. Beyond this direct relationship, is that of your suppliers and customers.

Business to business sales offer you an opportunity to develop reciprocal relationships that can have far reaching benefits for your own company as well as your customers. Developing constructive partnerships with other businesses can help you manage your company more efficiently and provide ways to reduce your overhead.

Cultivating these relationships to a point where cooperative advertising can be done is one way to approach selecting businesses for a reciprocal relationship. If your company and one of your suppliers have complementary products and/or services, your advertising efforts will have more impact. What your customer sees is enhanced value and a more credible business presence.

While there are benefits to developing these types of relationships, it is important to make sure that the other business has a code of ethics that is compatible with your own. Discussing customer service in depth with any vendor that you are considering is first on the list: if you cater to your customers and the other business never returns a phone call, there are bound to be problems.

If you want to establish a relationship with a large corporation, again the keyword is benefit. You need to be prepared to show how your service or product will find a specific need that will enhance the profitability of the corporation. It is not sufficient simply to say that your product or service is the best. The larger the company, the more competition you will face which makes research all the more important.

When you want to broaden your scope of community to encompass a relationship with a vendor, look for compatibility of purpose in order to make the most of the relationship. Small business owners that are working with limited marketing budgets can benefit greatly by the word of mouth advertising that is created in the process of collaborations with suppliers. Endorsements of products and services are one of the strongest sales tools available; people are more receptive to recommendations that are made by a person that they have a relationship with than expensive promotions.

Start building your reciprocal business relationships with small projects that are easy to manage without a huge time investment. Make sure that you involve all the individuals that will be affected by the project or be called into participation to make the project a success. As you work through the process of the project work, take time to discuss and evaluate the impact it is creating for both your business and that of your vendor so that it can be refined and developed into a long term, mutually beneficial method of operation.

BUSINESS CARD ETIQUETTE - ARE YOU MAKING IN BUSINESS CARD ETIQUETTE?

Business card etiquette says a great deal about your business etiquette and professionalism in general.

Can you picture this person at a business networking event? He joins a group of people, pulls out a fistful of business cards and hands them out to everyone. Then he turns to a new contact, pulls a dog-eared card out of his pants pocket and says: Here's my card. Can I have your card?

The contact looks taken aback, but gives him a business card. The guy takes it and stuffs it into his back pocket. He then turns to another contact and asks for her business card. When she hands it to him, the guy takes out a pen and writes on the front of the card.

How many business card etiquette faux pas did you spot?

Business card etiquette mistakes and how to fix them

1. Don't hand out your business card to everyone you know. See if people need or want your cards. Handing out your cards like chewing gum makes you seem like a cheap sales person - not the persona you want.

2. Don't hand out a business card that is dirty or curled at the edges. It leaves a poor impression. Use a business card case to keep your cards clean and fresh.

3. When you receive a card, don't jam it into your pocket. Take a moment to look at it. Make a positive comment about some aspect of the card - the logo, location, or company name. This shows respect for the other person, and demonstrates your interest in them. It also helps you remember their name and job title.

4. Don't put a business card into your back pocket. It shows lack of respect. After you've looked at the card, place it carefully in a card case or in a front pocket.

5. Be careful about writing on business cards. Some people spend time and money designing a professional card, and may not appreciate your writing on it. And in many cultures a business card is an important part of their persona, and should be treated with respect. If you absolutely need to write on a card, ask permission first, and then write on the back - never on the front of the card.

6. Don't pick your teeth with a business card, fold it in half, or treat it as an unimportant piece of paper. Remember that it represents a person's business identity. Treat it with care.

7. Don't automatically give a business card to a senior executive. Wait until they ask for it.

You are invited to use these tips for handing out your business cards with etiquette at your next networking event.

10 TIPS ON NETWORKING

10. Know thyself, understand your energy level and mood going in.

Understand how you're feeling prior to the event and if "not in the mood", do what is needed to get IN the mood so that you can represent you and your organization well.

9. Set some goals of meeting people

A good networker always has goals, whether meeting specific people that they know are attending or meeting X amount of new people. It gets you started, it keeps you moving & you can feel that you accomplished something at the end of the event when you meet (or hey exceed!) your goal.

8. Have a name tag that is legible and can be seen.

People are more comfortable approaching someone where they can clearly see their name and company. It can start the conversation and makes it easier to remember the important stuff like who you are and who you represent!

7. Always have business cards.

Business cards don't sell you or your business, but they do help people to remember you are and what you do and they of course give people that essential contact information. A good rule of thumb - ANYTIME you leave your house, you should have up to date business cards in your hand.

6. Go over to the person standing alone and introduce yourself. Always strive to meet new people.

First because they are available to talk, and also because chances are they'd be grateful in having someone "break the ice" (and isn't that making a great first impression?) If you chat with them and know something they should know, connect the two. This IS what networking is all about, and you now have two people thinking good thoughts about you!

5. Have a good "elevator speech" about what you do and good follow up.

How do you answer "so what do you do"? It should be succinct, interesting and you know you succeeded when the person says, "tell me more"? People often focus on initial statement and ignore the follow up. And what happens is that you lose focus and could start babbling! How do you get out of that?....Just ask, "So enough about me, tell me what you do".

4. Be enthusiastic about what you do and what you are doing now.

Keep your energy and enthusiasm up. If you mumble or by your tone of voice don't sound too thrilled about what your doing, why would someone want to do business with you?

3. Listen, really listen, not just "not talk"

People often let other people talk, but then spend their time thinking about what they are going to say next, thinking about their favorite sports team or a show they are missing right now. Listening is really focusing on what the person is saying. We all have people that we love talking to because they really listen. Emulate them!

2. Remember to follow up.

Nothing kills a relationship faster than offering/promising to do something and not following thru. Why would anyone want to do business with someone that doesn't do what they said they would do? And if you didn't promise anything, drop them a line telling them how nice it was to meet them.

1. Enjoy

This is a no-brainer. Networking and meeting new people, bumping into people you know should be a great, positive experience for you, both personally and professionally. So forget about the hard day at work, that networking is part of "the job", and.....enjoy.

1A. Join in and volunteer.

Become a part of a group. Volunteer at your local chamber whether on a committee or even as an officer. You meet more people and people want to get to know you! And that's what it's all about!

NETWORKING - HOW TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITHOUT BRAGGING

As entrepreneurs there are many occasions in which we need to speak about or write about ourselves and our accomplishments. We may need an introduction to a speech, a bio for a newsletter, a description for a business proposal, or a summary for a press release. Many women entrepreneurs that I work with are uncomfortable writing about themselves because it feels like bragging. We have been raised to believe that bragging is impolite and rude.

So, how do you write about yourself in a way that is honest, exciting and engaging for others without feeling embarrassed?

First, list all of the facts that you can think about yourself: Education, experience, awards, clubs, titles, honors, accomplishments.

Second, review any testimonials you have received from clients. Look for common themes. What do others consistently say about you?

Third, ask your friends to describe you. What stands out in their mind? How do they describe you to others?
Fourth, add some personal information. What motivates you? What are your goals? What legacy do you want to see in the world?

Spread out all of these accomplishments and descriptions in front of you so you get a real feel for yourself and who you are in relationship to the world. Then, leverage the single most important key to writing about yourself - pretend you are writing about someone else. It's much easier to brag about someone else than it is about ourselves - so for the sake of this exercise it's important to imagine you are speaking about a good friend instead of yourself.

Write your bio in the third person, referring to yourself by your first name or by "she" and "her". Pretend that the person you are writing about is a friend, a client or someone you would like to meet. What would you say about your friend and how would you say it? Let yourself go. Sing your praises. Make yourself sound as interesting and exciting as possible. Remember, it isn't bragging because you are talking about someone else.

Finally, review it. Read it out loud. How does it sound? Imagine you were in the audience listening to this introduction being given for someone else. How would you feel? Interested? Excited? Wanting to know more? Remember, it's not bragging if it's true. Just as you want to know more exciting, engaging people, so does everyone else. Give them the opportunity to get to know the real you. And when you can do that without feeling embarrassed and tongue-tied, it will definitely be something to brag about!