Winning Recognition
Winning Recognition
It~{!/~}s not so much that anyone actually asks you that rude question (though you might sometimes ask it of yourself). More often, you detect this attitude in a brusque, impatient response from someone you meet, or the suspicion that you~{!/~}re being ignored because someone important is nearby.
One common response to this problem is to open an impressive office. That was Alan Kaplan~{!/~}s instinct when, at the age of 32, after a year of research and preparation, he set off on his own as a recruiter of highly paid executives and technical staff. Fortunately, though, he sought advice from seasoned people who warned him of the danger of taking on so much overhead at the outset.
And when he ended up starting the business in his townhouse, he was in the right place at the right time. ~{!0~}It was starting to become acceptable to be a virtual company,~{!1~} he said, and as he became more involved in technology fields, he found that clients envied his work situation.
Nevertheless, he still faced the problem of establishing a real business profile from his home office. His solution was to become a volunteer.
I met Alan because he has held many offices in the Entrepreneurs~{!/~} Forum of Greater Philadelphia. And that~{!/~}s probably how most people have met him. His leadership in this group has provided him with an opportunity to become known and to show influential people what he can do.
~{!0~}Starting as a one-man firm, all you have is your personality and integrity,~{!1~} says Alan. He began to look around for ways to have an impact and become better known. Many business and professional groups are voluntary organizations that are always looking for new blood and new energy to keep their programs going. A newcomer can rise quickly.
Alan saw a newspaper article about the Entrepreneurs~{!/~} Forum a few months after he started his business, and decided to call the person quoted in the article. When this contact called him back, he said the organization~{!/~}s most important immediate goal was to find more corporate sponsorship to expand the scope and programming of the forum.
Alan got on the telephone. Because he was working for the forum, and not for himself, he was able confidently to call, and get through, to powerful people who might have ducked a cold call from a newly minted recruiter. He quickly rounded up half a dozen new sponsors, who provided enough money to double the organization~{!/~}s budget. Anyone who pulls off a coup like that will be asked to do more. Naturally, Alan was.
Alan has since held numerous offices in the forum, including president. In these roles, he has built relationships with corporate executives, lawyers and others who are in a position to use or recommend his services. He doesn~{!/~}t market directly in this way, but people most often do business with those they know.
~{!0~}I go to every meeting,~{!1~} Alan says. ~{!0~}I take time to talk to people, to make a contribution. I help people when there is an opportunity to help them. Consistency is critical. It is like brand recognition. People know that you~{!/~}ve been there.~{!1~}
Alan is also very careful to follow up contacts. ~{!0~}Every person that I meet will get a thank you note within 24 hours after our meeting. This makes people feel that I am professional and responsive. Follow-up is so simple; it~{!/~}s the most basic thing. But most people don~{!/~}t do it.~{!1~}
What Alan is doing is, you might say, nothing but networking. This is true, but it is networking for the long haul. He devotes a lot of time and energy to the forum, even when it is not evident that his efforts will soon contribute to his bottom line. He is not a hit-and-run networker. He works with other people on common projects for long periods of time. That~{!/~}s the only way to establish the image of consistency, reliability and effectiveness that he is looking for.
Few people have to ask who the hell Alan is. By taking a leadership role in the forum, he became its president. But more importantly, he became a figure in the community.
Winning Recognition - To learn more about this author, visit James Chan's Website.
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One of the toughest parts of starting in business is what might be called the ~{!0~}who the hell are you?~{!1~} factor.
It~{!/~}s not so much that anyone actually asks you that rude question (though you might sometimes ask it of yourself). More often, you detect this attitude in a brusque, impatient response from someone you meet, or the suspicion that you~{!/~}re being ignored because someone important is nearby.
One common response to this problem is to open an impressive office. That was Alan Kaplan~{!/~}s instinct when, at the age of 32, after a year of research and preparation, he set off on his own as a recruiter of highly paid executives and technical staff. Fortunately, though, he sought advice from seasoned people who warned him of the danger of taking on so much overhead at the outset.
And when he ended up starting the business in his townhouse, he was in the right place at the right time. ~{!0~}It was starting to become acceptable to be a virtual company,~{!1~} he said, and as he became more involved in technology fields, he found that clients envied his work situation.
Nevertheless, he still faced the problem of establishing a real business profile from his home office. His solution was to become a volunteer.
I met Alan because he has held many offices in the Entrepreneurs~{!/~} Forum of Greater Philadelphia. And that~{!/~}s probably how most people have met him. His leadership in this group has provided him with an opportunity to become known and to show influential people what he can do.
~{!0~}Starting as a one-man firm, all you have is your personality and integrity,~{!1~} says Alan. He began to look around for ways to have an impact and become better known. Many business and professional groups are voluntary organizations that are always looking for new blood and new energy to keep their programs going. A newcomer can rise quickly.
Alan saw a newspaper article about the Entrepreneurs~{!/~} Forum a few months after he started his business, and decided to call the person quoted in the article. When this contact called him back, he said the organization~{!/~}s most important immediate goal was to find more corporate sponsorship to expand the scope and programming of the forum.
Alan got on the telephone. Because he was working for the forum, and not for himself, he was able confidently to call, and get through, to powerful people who might have ducked a cold call from a newly minted recruiter. He quickly rounded up half a dozen new sponsors, who provided enough money to double the organization~{!/~}s budget. Anyone who pulls off a coup like that will be asked to do more. Naturally, Alan was.
Alan has since held numerous offices in the forum, including president. In these roles, he has built relationships with corporate executives, lawyers and others who are in a position to use or recommend his services. He doesn~{!/~}t market directly in this way, but people most often do business with those they know.
~{!0~}I go to every meeting,~{!1~} Alan says. ~{!0~}I take time to talk to people, to make a contribution. I help people when there is an opportunity to help them. Consistency is critical. It is like brand recognition. People know that you~{!/~}ve been there.~{!1~}
Alan is also very careful to follow up contacts. ~{!0~}Every person that I meet will get a thank you note within 24 hours after our meeting. This makes people feel that I am professional and responsive. Follow-up is so simple; it~{!/~}s the most basic thing. But most people don~{!/~}t do it.~{!1~}
What Alan is doing is, you might say, nothing but networking. This is true, but it is networking for the long haul. He devotes a lot of time and energy to the forum, even when it is not evident that his efforts will soon contribute to his bottom line. He is not a hit-and-run networker. He works with other people on common projects for long periods of time. That~{!/~}s the only way to establish the image of consistency, reliability and effectiveness that he is looking for.
Few people have to ask who the hell Alan is. By taking a leadership role in the forum, he became its president. But more importantly, he became a figure in the community.
Winning Recognition - To learn more about this author, visit James Chan's Website.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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