“What me? Sell myself? You have to be joking!”
This was the response I received from one of my clients when I suggested that she needed to get out there and promote herself. She had to “network”.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines networking as “interacting with others to exchange information and develop useful contacts.”
This is how I see it. It’s not about “selling yourself” but about an exchange of information with like-minded people.
Say to yourself, “ I am going to do research. I am going to discover what other people are doing, how they are doing it, and why.”
Don’t regard meeting someone as a confrontation. Don’t get up tight. Use lines such as, “I am really interested in you and how you have succeeded in your business.”
One thing is guaranteed. The more difficult you make networking, the less success you will have with it. Approach it with a sense of ease. Have fun! You might actually enjoy it!
The same client complained, “ I never get any business from these networking events. Surely if anyone is interested they would come to me?”
But why should they? What are you doing to create interest in your business? You have to engage them in conversation, ask them questions, and exchange information.
If you come from a space of enquiry, it will be much easier for people to respond to you. The conversation becomes a discussion where you are comparing and contrasting your businesses. You might talk about your staff, or your sales. Try to find some common ground.
At the end of the conversation exchange business cards. But don’t leave it at that. This is the key to future success. Write notes on the back of the card to remind you of relevant points. If you discover a synergy, follow through.
Make contact within the next two weeks, preferably by email first, and then by telephone. Arrange to have a coffee with them. Develop a business relationship.
When I chair meetings I often set the group a task. I challenge the participants to collect five new business cards from one another. Set yourself similar goals. Be bold! Be empowered by your ability to communicate!
Through doing just this Kool Results has joined the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Online I can network with women all over the globe. By taking the first step along the road you too could be flying – virtually or otherwise - around the world.
By Julianne Kuhlmann
Personal & Leadership Coach
Kool Results
"Putting You First"
Personal & Business Coaching, Leadership Development, Individual Training Programs,Work/life balance, Mentoring & Induction, Organisational performance
Email: info@koolresults.com.au Web: www.koolresults.com.au
Flying high, flying far. - To learn more about this author, visit Julianne Kuhlmann's Website.
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Dianne Crampton
Dianne Crampton is an Executive Leadership Coach and Team Building Consultant and creator of the TIGERS team development model. For the past twenty years she has helped leaders and teams achieve goals with high levels of collaboration and teamwork.
Crampton is a published author. Her contribution to Working Together: Diversity As Opportunity was endorsed by Stephen Covey. She has written for trade magazines. Merrill Lynch nominated her business for Inc. Magazine’s regional small business and entrepreneurial awards. Her work with Native Americans was recognized at a United Nations sponsored conference in 1994.
The TIGERS model passed two rigorous validation studies in 1992 and 1994. The TIGERS Survey is able to measure and track team development over time.
Dianne is also the creator and distributor of the TIGERS Team Wheel game. This game helps groups identify behaviors that build collaborative groups and behaviors that cause conflict, morale problems, production failures, and misunderstandings.
For more information, or to subscribe to TigerTracks, a free monthly leadership and team newsletter go to http://www.corevalues.com - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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