Networking Insight

Do you meet with sales prospects face-to-face? It might be time to join the “White Teeth Club?” by Guest Author Mr. Cold Call

Friend and cold calling expert, Mr. Cold Call, has been generous to provide me with an interesting article about sales and first impressions. The article discusses the importance of having white teeth, otherwise, people may not see you as put together. We all know that you should make sure that you don't have food stuck in your teeth. However, I never thought about how important white teeth can add to your image.

Do you meet with sales prospects face-to-face? It might be time to join the “White Teeth Club?”

If you already have really white teeth then you will certainly smile and show others this sales article. For those of you who do not have white teeth then this article may prompt you to take immediate action. What in the world does the topic of dental hygiene have anything to do with sales? One important aspect of sales is about presentation. It's about you and how you present yourself to your prospect when meeting with them.

Of course, we would all agree that product knowledge and consultative selling are two vital components that make-up the sales process. Though, in the sales process, there are other factors that come to play as well. These factors include how you dress, how you talk, how you walk, and how you carry yourself when speaking in-person with prospects. The topic of conversation today might be considered by many to be a very minor factor in the sales process, but it is important. This minor factor is not a must, but when done in conjunction with other vital components of the sales process can have a very powerful affect during the sales process. This factor focuses on your dental hygiene when meeting face-to-face with sales prospects.

Before I became part of the “White Teeth Club,” I really never noticed anyone’s teeth at all. In fact, it’s didn’t matter to me and I didn’t care. Then, after speaking with a well-respected salesperson she convinced me to take the plunge and whiten my teeth with over the counter whitening strips. During our conversation, she explained that selling solutions is only one part of the sales process and another vital component is about your professional image. At first, I was a bit offended, but then I realized that she was right. She was creating awareness in my mind about a subject at hand that never entered my universe.

While the subject of dental hygiene may seem a bit trivial, she continued to explain that prospects will notice your white teeth. Let’s face it, whiter teeth look better and they feel better too! They help to convey a more positive image of you and the company you are representing. How white are your teeth on sales appointments? Do you think this topic is a joke? I’ve got news for you, it’s not! This article is about creating awareness and about taking immediate action. If you do become part of the “White Teeth Club” then you will soon notice in the days and weeks to come, as you meet with prospects and customers, how important this article is to the most important brand of all---this brand being you! How white are your teeth?

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5 Mindsets to Help You Tackle Your Fear of Talking to Strangers

Many people are uncomfortable setting foot in a room full of strangers. Even worse, they are afraid to talk to people who they don’t know.  Don’t worry. You are not alone if this is you.  Rather than hide from this fear and limit your opportunities to meet new people, you need to change your mindset and go for it.

Mindset 1:  Room Full of Opportunity

Rather than dredging talking to strangers, think about a room full of opportunities. Have the mindset that each person you talk to is an opportunity to build a relationship, which could result in many outcomes such as a new customer, partner, friend, or employee.

Mindset 2: Channel Fear into Energy

While it is okay to have fear, you should channel it into energy. This energy should give you the courage to talk to others. Have the mindset of enjoying the process of getting to know people and leverage the butterflies to help you focus.

Mindset 3: Speaking Practice

Each time you speak to someone, you should be cognizant of your message.  In fact, view each discussion as an opportunity to refine and practice your message.

Mindset 4: Posture Practice

When meeting people it is important that you have good posture from firm handshakes, to smiles, to good eye contact, to standing upright. You don’t get good at this until you practice and meet people on a regular basis.

Mindset 5: Learning Opportunity

One of the neat aspects of talking to various people is that you learn about their backgrounds, expertise, and interests.  The more you talk with people the more you will learn.

What other mindsets can you think of?

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Great Chicago Networking Extravaganza - May 8

You are among the first to get the details about my upcoming annual networking event that I have been co-hosting for the past several years.  Below are the details.

Great Chicago Networking Extravaganza

Host: Lillian Bjorseth - Duoforce Enterprises; Jason Jacobsohn - KMG Enterprises

Date: Thursday, May 08, 2008

Time: 5:30 PM-8:30 PM

Location: The Carlisle, 435 E. Butterfield Road, Lombard

Cost: $50 in Advance, $60 at Door

Details and RSVP: http://www.duoforce.com/GC2008/network.htm

Contact: Jason Jacobsohn, [email protected], 773-368-0229

Sponsors: The National Networker, My Referral Directory, DuPage Woman Newspaper, Benedictine University, The Entrepreneur's Source, SendOutCards

The event helps you grow your network and your networking skills in a fun-filled evening through structured and unstructured opportunities to connect. Numerous events offer you "networking time" with no formal skills enhancement or guidance in how to work an event. Others offer you an opportunity to meet a lot of people in a fast-paced sequence, again with no emphasis on skill building. The GCNE offers both. It gives you time to mix and mingle on your own as well as learn and mingle - a dynamite combination for more career and business success. It is developed and led by Lillian Bjorseth and Jason Jacobsohn, two nationally known and acclaimed relationship-building authorities

Facebook Vs. LinkedIn: Which is Better?

The following article, Facebook vs. LinkedIn: Which is Better for Professional Networking, Job Hunting and Collaboration?, does a great job of exploring both of these sites.  The following six business scenarios are compared:

1. Look for a job without your boss knowing

2. Find information about a job you're interviewing for

3. Find a contract worker for a three-month Web project

4. Solicit ideas and discussion from team members

5. Get feedback on a nasty IT problem from peers outside your company

6. Keep track of former associates

Who do you think is the winner?  You will have to find out by reading the entire article.

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Interview: Dan Oropesa, Co-Founder, Mack Power Group

Dan has over 13 years of business networking and event planning experience.  He moved to South Florida in 1998 and has maintained a well respected position in the professional and business networking arena for the past 4 years.  Predominantly marketing to the gay & lesbian community in Fort Lauderdale, Dan’s company, Mack MultiMedia, Inc, has successfully created long term relationships between the GLBT Community and its allies each month.  His events POWER LUNCH | Fort Lauderdale and MACK MIXER have been recognized in numerous publications including The Miami Herald and The South Florida Business Journal.  Most recent achievement was his Genre Magazine’s 2008 Man of the Year nomination and the company’s recognition as a 2008 Honoree of the Stars of the Rainbow Gala in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

1.  How do you define "business networking?"

Business Networking is an opportunity to create a new or strengthen an existing business relationship.  It’s a skill that can be refined over time with practice.   

2.  How did you brand yourself as a “networking authority?”

My partner (Donald J. Harvey) and I created a business networking group in 2005 called Mack Power Group.  In a very short time after our first networking lunch event (Power Lunch | Fort Lauderdale), we became a ‘resource’ for the South Florida Business Community.   Someone needed a realtor, an attorney, a plumber, an event planner…   Luckily we always had someone in our database of contacts.  So, we took that information to the next level and created a global online directory called MackPlanet.com.   So instead of calling our office, our network simply found each other online and continued to tell their friends about it.   Referrals by word of mouth and internet… two key elements for successful networking.

3.  Why did you start Mack Power Group?

We started MACK because we had so many straight business alliances with such little knowledge of how to get involved and market to the gay & lesbian community.  We needed to create a forum that was publicly known as gay-owned, yet open to everyone in business, regardless of sexuality.  So, we coined the term “Gay & Straight-Friendly”   By letting everyone know via print ads and our weekly online newsletter that ‘it’s less about orientation… and all about discovering untapped opportunities’ - the word got out and here we are today.   

4.  When did you realize that networking was important for your business success?

From the first day we realized that ‘just because you build a website, it doesn’t mean they’ll visit it.’  It was extremely important to attach a face to the internet name.  How many times do we visit a website and think, “Who is really behind this and can I trust them with my money?”  We wanted to make sure that our existing and potential customers knew that they can call our office and KNOW who they’re talking to each time.      

5.  How have you benefited personally from networking?

We’ve both grown tremendously from our achievements, as well as learned from our several failures.  Recently receiving community recognition as an Honoree of the Stars of the Rainbow Gala in Fort Lauderdale (Business Category) was a truly humbling experience.  We realized what a difference we’ve made in so many small businesses and how we’ve represented the gay community with its best foot forward.  It’s an astounding feeling to be known in a large city as a ‘trusted’ business person.  We appreciate every moment of it and never take it for granted.

6.  What is one of the lesser-known secrets to effective networking?

People don’t get business from a flashy brochure or the quality stock of a business card.  They do business with people they trust and consider a friend.  And this only happens with time as you build the relationship.  Just because you show up once to a networking event and hand out your business card, doesn’t mean your phone will be ringing the next day.  Relationships take time and it’s surprising to witness how many people don’t have the patience for it.

For other interviews, view my Interviews Archive. 

What Can You Learn from the Easter Bunny About Relationship Building?

Happy Easter!  I decided to have some fun with this post and remind you about some important relationship building techniques. Each letter of EASTER BUNNY shares one of these lessons.

Enjoy meeting people
Attitude is positive
Show your expertise
Take others serious
Energetic when talking with others
Responsible about following up and following through

Brand yourself so people remember you
Understand other’s needs
Never be rude
Never burn any bridges
Yearn to learn from books and others

Can you come up with your own set of techniques for EASTER BUNNY?

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"Personal Branding – Establish Yourself As An Expert" by Guest Author Pat Roa-Perez

Pat Roa-Perez is a commercial mortgage specialist with JPR Funding Solutions.  She focuses on the small balance commercial market.  She is also a cash flow consultant and helps clients find alternate methods of business financing such as factoring and leasing.

Personal Branding – Establish Yourself As An Expert

Recently, Jason Jacobsohn, www.networkinginsight.com, was a speaker at my leads group and spoke about personal branding or becoming an expert.  It reminded me that in previous articles, I had briefly touched on this topic, and I thought it was time to revisit it.  (BTW, Jason is a relationship building expert and one of the “gurus” I often refer to.)

Why is it important to be known or perceived as an expert?  Actually, it’s pretty simple.  People want to do business with experts or specialists.  They want to know that the business professional they are working with is an expert or specialist in his/her field.  If you go to a mechanic, you expect them to know more about cars than you do.  And you wouldn’t go to a divorce attorney if you needed help with a patent dispute.  People want experts to help them solve their problems.  Experts give us confidence.

So, how do you become an expert?  You learn.  Pick a subject you like in your field or industry or something that interests you, and then learn as much as you can about it.  Let me share with you a simple method I use to expand my knowledge in a particular subject.  I call it my PLWT method.

First, pick a topic about your field or something you feel passionate about.  For example, I’m in commercial finance so I’m always learning about my industry.  But, in addition to my industry, marketing is another subject that’s important to me so I spend time learning about it too.  Next, set out to learn as much as you can about your subject.  Nowadays there are so many resources available to learn just about anything (books, articles, and internet).  Then, write about your topic.  Write an article and share it with others.  (Or do like I did in the beginning of my business career.  I’d pretend I was writing a school “term paper.”  It worked for me!)  And finally, teach it to others.  I believe teaching is the best way to retain the knowledge gained and establish oneself as an expert.

I use this simple method all the time with great results.  For example, when I had just started my business a few years ago, I knew little about networking.  So, I set out to learn as much as possible about the subject.  I read anything I could get my hands on.  I observed the “experts” and learned from them.  I attended workshops and seminars.  Then, I wrote articles about the subject and eventually taught it to others.

If you’re an expert already – great!  But if you feel like you’re not quite there yet, this simple formula will get you going.  Remember, pick a topic, learn, write an article, and teach it to others.  In no time you’ll establish yourself as an expert!

To read articles from other guest bloggers, visit my Guest Bloggers Archive.

LinkedIn Launches Business Directory

LinkedIn has launched a business directory called LinkedIn Company Profiles, which is an index of over 150,000 companies and organizations. The data comes from BusinessWeek, Capital IQ, and LinkedIn members.  Because most of the data comes from members, accuracy of the information could be an issue.

Regardless, this is a great move by LinkedIn because it has 20 million members that provide it data. I suspect that other social networking sites may follow suit.

What do you think?

For the entire story, click on LinkedIn's business directory goes live.

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Volunteers Needed for Global Study - yourBusinessChannel

Fellow networking blogger, Andy Lopata, forwarded me the below information regarding a global study taking place for online TV channel, YourBusinessChannel. If you have 5 minutes, then please take the time to participate.

Online TV channel www.yourbusinesschannel.com has launched a global study ahead of a new series it is planning to produce around "the biggest problems in business".  The series will involve world leading business experts providing new thinking and practical tips about the key issues businesses face. Channel editors are asking business people around the world to take five minutes to complete a confidential online questionnaire, and share their views on the key business issues they face.  In return, participants will receive a summary of results, advance previews of shows, access to top tips and more.  A handful of participants may be chosen to take part in some "business makeover" shows which are also planned a part of the series. To take the five minute survey, click this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=NVjlvIZd1IiknkmDi4hGZg_3d_3d

Roll Up Your Sleeves and Work Hard for Your Relationships

Building relationships is no easy task. It takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and commitment. With the appropriate amount of time dedicated to this activity, you will be in a better position professionally.

Like most things in life, you need to work hard and get dirty to see the results.  In fact, you can’t always see the outcome of your efforts right away. The same is true with networking.

Networking is a continuous process of building and managing sustainable relationships over the long term.  Relationships are not meant to happen overnight. So, you have to always be thinking of ways to meet people and to keep in touch with the new people whom you meet.

You need to be proactive and make things happen. Don’t expect everyone to reach out to you.

Below are some ideas to think about that will help you build relationships:

• Talk to people at events who are standing by themselves
• Work the room at an event and talk to multiple people
• Compliment and thank people often
• Send personal handwritten notes
• Invite people to lunch or coffee
• Share stories or industry information
• Create an email newsletter
• Create a Website or blog
• Host your own events and invite your network
• Be genuine at all times

As you can see with the above list, you will be busy!  You can’t be selfish when it comes to building relationships. Spend the time now helping others and making yourself standout. In the beginning, you will have to take more time planting the seeds. If you do it right, then people will start coming to you and you won’t have to spend as much time building relationships. It will become a two-way activity.

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