Networking Insight

9 Signs That You Are An Effective Networker

Building relationships takes time and effort. Sometimes it is hard to tell if your efforts are working. Below are 9 signs to look for so you know what you are doing is paying off.

1. People follow-up with you after you meet them.
2. You get unsolicited referrals from others.
3. You are invited to speak at events.
4. People contact you so they can get to know you.
5. You are asked to be interviewed on your subject of expertise.
6. You are asked to submit article to blogs or industry publications.
7. When you reach out to your network for help, you have no problem getting the help.
8. When you make referrals, your contacts take them serious.
9. You have no problems finding new jobs.

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Social Media Humor

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Book Review: The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It was written by Tony Wagner who is co-director of the Change Leadership Council at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tony’s book explores our current education system and demonstrates that it is not working for the majority of teens.

Reading this book was an eye opener for me because I didn’t realize how bad the majority of our school system really is in this country. The book makes us realize that most of our kids are not taught to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers. Rather, they are taught to memorize facts for multiple choice tests. The problem apparently is across all types of schools in multiple demographic areas.   Because of this problem, U.S. kids are falling behind and competing with new graduates across the world.

To write this book, Tony interviewed dozens of business leaders and observed hundreds of classes. What he found was a large disconnect between what employers are looking for in potential young employees and how our schools are preparing our future workers.

The good news is that we do have some new and different schools that have opened up over the years that have successfully taught our kids with new methods.

Below are the chapters in the book:

Chapter 1: The New World of Work and the Seven Survival Skills
Chapter 2: The Old World of School
Chapter 3: Testing, 1 2 3
Chapter 4: Reinventing the Education Profession
Chapter 5: Motivating Today’s Students – and Tomorrow’s Workers
Chapter 6: Closing the Gap: Schools That Work

If you are interested in learning more about our current school system and what needs to be done to fix it, then this is worth a read.  The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It is an easy and very educational read that is backed up by a lot of research.

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Turn These Three Negative Perceptions of Networking into Positives

We all come across naysayers and people who don’t think that networking works. Most of these people have not had a good experience meeting people at events. In addition, many of these people probably don’t know how to be effective at relationship building. Let’s face it. Networking takes time and effort. Some people are not willing to put in the time.

Below are several common negative perceptions of networking. With each negative, I list how to turn those into positives.

Negative Perception #1 – Networking is about sales people trying to sell you something

Positive #1 – At every event, you probably run into others who are just focused on selling you a product or service that day.  These individuals are not fun to talk to because all they care about is themselves and even more so about selling something. People who act this way are missing a major component of networking, which is to get to know others first before any business transpires. Keep in mind that most people who attend events do not act this way.  If you meet these people and they make you uncomfortable, then move on to the next person. Don’t let a few bad people ruin your networking experience.

Negative Perception #2 – Networking takes too much time and effort

Positive #2 – It is true that you need to spend time to see the results of your efforts. Networking is not all about attending events and meeting new people. In fact, much of relationship building is nurturing your existing network. You can put in as much time as you want. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Chances are that you will see the benefits of networking fairly quickly and you will want to do it often. Over time, it will become second nature and be something that you build into your regular routine.

Negative Perception #3 – Networking doesn’t produce results

Positive #3 – As mentioned above, relationship building takes time to see results. You need to be patient and focus on helping others. Over time, it will come back and people will help you.  It can take years to develop trust and credibility with others so don’t lose sight of nurturing your relationships. Once the fruits of your labor come full circle, you will better understand the power of networking. Your life and business will soar.

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8 Technology Etiquette Tips for Networking & Job Seeking

Whether you are looking for a job or building relationships, don't fall in the trap of just using technology to stay in touch. Technology can be very impersonal so be careful.  At the same time, technology is a wonderful tool to use after you get to know someone and want to stay in touch. Below are tips taken from the following article, 8 technology etiquette tips for job-seekers.

1. Avoid email blasts
2. Embrace snail mail
3. Get personal
4. Avoid follow-up foibles
5. Observe boundaries
6. Stick with Land Lines
7. Network the Smart Way
8. Manage Your Digital Footprint

You want to make yourself stand out and become remembered. Make sure that you treat each person with the appropriate amount of respect so take each relationship personal.

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E.Factor Coming to Chicago / Event on February 26

Global entrepreneur network, E.Factor, is coming to Chicago!  E.Factor provides online/offline networking opportunities, financing help, and various other business perks for entrepreneurs. I have helped them organize their first event in Chicago. See below for the details. I hope that you can join me.

Title: Building Your Business on Social Networks
Date: February 26, 2009
Time: 6-9pm
Location: Mid-America Club, Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph, 80th Floor, Chicago
Cost: Free for premium members, $40 for basic members and guests
RSVP: Fill out a profile and register at E.Factor. 

Does the word Social Media and Web 2.0 make you nervous?  It shouldn't.  Join E.Factor and its panel of experts to learn about how you can tap into the online world without feeling overwhelmed.

Speakers include:

• Howard Greenstein, President, Harbrooke Group - social media expert
• Charles Fellingham, Founder, QAlias - entrepreneur and personal branding expert
• Ted Greene, CEO, SkatingCircle.com - Chicago serial entrepreneur
• Blagica Bottigliero, Founder, CondoPerks.com and Senior Account Supervisor for Consumer Brands and Social Media, Edelman - Chicago entrepreneur and web marketing expert

Moderator: Cd Vann, Founder, Sohobiztube.com - entrepreneur, networking and social media expert

Go to E.Factor to get more information and to register for this exciting event.

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Have You Thanked Anyone Recently?

How often do you thank people in your network?  You should do this as much as you can. People like to be acknowledged. If someone does something for you, then make an effort to thank this person with a phone call, email, or handwritten notes. You will stand out from everyone else and will be remembered.

It is a nice and appropriate gesture to follow-up with people after they help you with a referral, job, project, etc. So many people fail to say “thank you” that it can be a good way to turn people off from helping you in the future.

Even if someone hasn’t recently helped you, it is still good go reach out and thank this individual for being in your life, etc. It is important that you reach out to people in your network often so you stay relevant in their lives.

Make it a goal to reach out to 1-2 people every week in your network who you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Set up a phone conversation or better yet in person meeting. Also, make it a habit to thank everyone who helps you no matter how large or small. You will feel good about yourself and it will help to further develop your relationships.

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Funny Facebook Story Involving an Arrest

We have all heard about the stories of people posting ridiculous pictures and information on social networking sites as Facebook. Well, here is another one involving eating an iguana in the Bahamas. According a recent story,

"Vanessa Starr Palm and Alexander Daniel Rust are believed to have been arrested for posting pictures on Facebook of them dining on an iguana.  Vanessa, 23, of Illinois and Alex, 24, of Indiana went to othe Bahamas on vacation, caught an iguana, killed it, and then cooked it.  The iguana is on the endangered species list."

My guess is that they didn't know that what they did was illegal. Nonetheless, you shouldn't post any questionable material on your profiles. You can do severe damage to your online brand.

To read the entire story, go to Vanessa Starr Palm and Alex Rust Arrested For Eating Iguana On Facebook Photos.

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Are You Really a Giver?

Take a moment to think about how you interact with others. Ask yourself the following questions to help you figure out if you truly do help others.

• After you meet with someone, do you have a commitment on your part to do something?
• Do you make the first move and ask how you can help?
• Do you follow through with all of your commitments?
• Do you only care about what others can do for you?
• Do you care about the success of others?
• Do you only reach out to people when you need something?
• Do you consistently find ways to add value to people in your network?
• Do you let people know of the outcome of their help?
• Do you focus on building long term sustainable relationships?
• Do others have a favorable impression of you?
• Are people willing to help you?

Are you a giver or a taker?

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Why Do We Build Relationships?

Most of us spend a lot of time meeting new people and managing our existing relationships. Why is it that we do this? What is in it for us?  Here are a few reasons to consider:

Build a Support System
When we have challenges in life it is important that we have a support system of trusted people who we can go to for advice.  Also, this support system is great for sharing good news.

Develop Friendships
One of the benefits of building quality relationships is that many of these people become friends. It is important to always grow your sphere of people in your life.

Sense of Accomplishment
With networking, you should always be finding ways to help others. Therefore, you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you positively help someone.

Demonstrate Your Expertise
The more we develop relationships, the more people will see us as subject matter experts. You need to share with people what you know so they can make introductions and provide opportunities for you.

Grow Your Business
One of the major results of successful relationship building is that you will eventually grow your business. By helping others and getting to know people, it will result in growth for your business.

What other reasons do you build relationships?

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