Inside Business Journal in Norfolk, VA
What I learned so far from speaking to over 350 new best friends in Norfolk VA
I drove four hours in the rain and stayed overnight in a lovely Marriott Waterside suite thanks to the kind offer of the Norfolk ‘Inside Business’ Journal. The quality of the business people was impressive. The Women in Business receiving awards that day even more so. I’m glad they let me speak before they gave the awards and the biographies of the women awarded them. I might have been tongue-tied in awe otherwise.
They wanted my thought on networking, and this is what I told them.
You should see how good you look from here!
I am a Business Matchmaker. I’m in the connections commodities. My own personal blog is the ConnectorQueen at wordpress.
In the introduction of her first book, “Relationship Networking” (ISBN 1-59852-002-4), ‘eWomenNetwork’ founder, Sandra Yancey says, “networking is the art of creating connections and building relationships.”
Remember the Breck commercial, ‘and she told two friends, and she told two friends, and so on and so on…”?
Sandra feels that relationship networking is an attitude, not a destination.
The attitude comes from the abundance of giving. Givers get. It’s a law of the universe.
You know, with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, you can keep in touch electronically.
But FACE to FACE networking builds business now more than ever, and face to face connections bring business. It’s the only way to qualify your leads.
Women’s style of networking is more conversational. It’s a communication process that is different from men’s.
Men ‘report talk’. We interview, ‘what made you decide to choose banking?’ Men are linear (left-brain dominant) and women are kaleidoscopic (right-brain dominant).
We just need to know the difference in styles when we are networking. If the group is mixed, the challenge increases.
Your personal introduction
Needs to be short and to the point. When introducing yourself, we want to know: who you are, what you offer and what do you need in the next 30-60 days. What will you spend money on in the next 30-60 days? Say something ‘memorable’.Let me share some core networking strategies – It’s good to set your intention before the event. Who do you want to meet? It’s not arriving to gather the most cards. With us, it’s not whoever has the most cards, wins.
Show up, listen, and follow up. Suspend judgment. We are here to elevate, not evaluate.
Art of Conversation
Allow others to join your circle – step back and allow a newcomer in. There are no strangers at a networking event, only connections you have not yet met.My own personal trick is to treat each event as if it were you own, and your job to make others feel welcome and comfortable. It’s a great tool for overcoming shyness
Listening — ask for examples. Give me an example of your customers. Ask, “can you explain?” “How does that work?” “Explain how you overcame your biggest challenge?”
And the future is in the follow up and follow through.
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to stay connected. Staying connected is as easy as expressing appreciation. (I have a great Assistant and use Send Out Cards to help me follow up and stay connected, in addition to Facebook and our own local eWomenNetwork chapter website)
We all wear many hats. We can’t be everywhere. But there’s no substitute for consistent and constant networking. You have to circulate to percolate. If you can spend a third of your time networking, its worth it. But you have to give yourself time to follow up or it’s worthless.
This isn’t instant success. We build this one relationship at a time, one day at a time. It’s never too late to start building a vast network of powerful business contacts.
Finally, Don’t PREJUDGE—if you think you can’t use the business you see on their badge, don’t discount them, they may know the very person you need to meet – you never know where the next conversation or contact will take you.
Two years ago at our eWomenNetwork International conference, I found a new business in HEALTHY CHOCOLATE which has taken OFF.
This year at the same conference, I found a Greek cousin that I didn’t know I had! Connections like those are priceless…
To review, remember to
- Create a business card w NOTHING on the back, so that you may write a referral on it to give someone…it raises the value of your card.
- Practice the art of conversation, and be a good listener
- Have an attitude of abundance, givers get…
- Connections are commodities. Commodities are prized in any market.
So, in the words of one commercial, ‘Get OUT there!’
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