Networking Insight

15 Words of Encouragement for Connecting

Connecting with people takes time and works better for some than others. Regardless, it is something that we all need to do to build our networks and businesses. Below are 15 words of encouragement that will help you to connect better with people who you meet:

1. Smile
2. Care
3. Help
4. Connect
5. Generosity
6. Giver
7. Listen
8. Brand
9. Expertise
10. Resource
11. Share
12. Nice
13. Confidence
14. Trust
15. Credibility

What other words can you add to this list?

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Don’t Ignore Peoples’ Attempts to Reach You

We all lead busy lives so it can be challenging to respond to everyone who comes our way. Be very careful when walking down this slippery path. The last thing you want to do is not respond to someone who could affect your business and personal live.

It is not a good idea to ignore people when they reach out to you. I know that we all still get telemarketing calls or calls from people who we don’t know. If someone asks you to respond, then it is a good idea to respond. If you can’t do it, then have someone you work with respond for you. The same approach should apply to email.

Not responding to people who you know can send a bad signal. It shows that you don’t care or don’t have enough time to include this person in your life. Either way, it will make you look bad.

You never know where any conversation could lead you so treat each call/email as a new potential opportunity.  Staying in touch with people is very important so you need to have frequent interaction with people.

Do you have any stories to share as a result of you not returning someone's phone call or email? What did you learn from this experience?

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Book Review: Sales 2.0 by Anneke Seley and Brent Holloway

Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology was written by Anneke Seley who is a former Oracle sales executive and Brent Holloway who is a practicing sales manager. The book discusses how selling has changed and how sales professionals need to leverage technology to create measurable and predictable results.  The authors discuss how sales today needs to be built around customer centric sales processes, strong relationships, and strategic allocation of sales resources.

Anneke was the twelfth employee and Oracle and designed the firm’s revolutionary inside sales operation. Her current business, Phone Works, helps firms restructure sales teams to achieve predictable, measurable, and sustainable growth. Brent Holloway currently manages a sales team at Verint Systems that has significantly increased revenue, profit, and customer retention. So, the authors definitely know their stuff.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Part I: Selling in the Twenty-First Century
Part 2: Your Entry Into Sales 2.0
Part 3: Profiles of Four Sales 2.0 Leaders
Part 4: Getting Started with Sales 2.0

The book is well organized and easy to follow. The authors start off with describing the old way of selling and how the new way is different and more effective. Next, they describe in more detail what is Sales 2.0. Third, they profile four Sales 2.0 leaders so you understand what it means in the context of real organizations. The firms profiled are Oracle, WebEx, Genius.com, and Syneron.  Lastly, the authors discuss how your firm can immediately start selling the Sales 2.0 way.

The book is interesting because the authors bring in a lot of real world company examples throughout the entire book. It is evident that much research was done to write this book.

If you are a sales professional, then you will probably come away with some new ideas. My guess is that many of the younger sales professionals are already using many of the Sales 2.0 methodologies because they are already very good with technology.

If you are not a sales professional, then the book is informative about what is happening in the world of sales and how technology is impacting this role. Let's face it, technology is having an impact on all roles within an organization.

Either way, Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology is worth the time to read.

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The Recession Has Been Good to LinkedIn

 As one of the only profitable online networking sites, LinkedIn just got more profitable. During this recession, more and more people have been signing up who have either lost their jobs or fear a loss. Traffic has more than doubled this February from February of last year.

This rise in LinkedIn mirrors the offline world. When many people lose their jobs they decide that this is the time to start networking. Frankly, that is too late. While it is better late than never, it takes time to build relationships. While unemployed, it is nice to already have established relationships that you can tap into right away rather than quickly build some new ones.

My fear is that all of these new LinkedIn users will stop networking both offline and online once they find a job. I hope people realize that networking is a continuous process that should never stop.

To read more about LinkedIn's rise, go to Recession lifts social networking site LinkedIn.

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2009 Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza is Here!

My annual networking event, Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza, is taking place on April 29 in Chicago. My co-host, Lillian Bjorseth, and I have worked hard at creating our first site for this event at www.greaterchicagonetworking.com.

Below are the event details. I hope that you can join us.

Title: Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza
Hosts: Lillian Bjorseth of Duoforce Enterprises, Inc. and Jason Jacobsohn of Sales Results, Inc.
Date: April 29, 2009
Time: 5:30-8:30pm
Location: Mid-America Club, Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph, 80th Floor, Chicago
Cost: $50 if pre-register, $60 at door, includes light buffet and cash bar
RSVP: http://www.greaterchicagonetworking.com

The annual Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza is the premier business networking event in Chicagoland, bringing together the business community for an incredible evening of mixing, mingling, education and fun. The 2009 event features an abundance of networking opportunities and informative presentations from top experts on improving networking skills and growing your business network.

The eighth Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza is the foremost event for business development. There will be ample opportunities to network before, during and after the event. Come meet our marvelous sponsors and exhibitors who will be featuring products and services to accelerate your business.

Sponsors: midVentures, Owlish Communications, SOHObiztube.com, The Mid-America Club, Compass, NetFunction, Garrett Consulting, MyReferralDirectory.com, NetworkingMonkey.com, SpeedNetworking.com, The Entrepreneur's Source, The National Networker

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Don’t Ever Get Caught Without Business Cards

Make it a point to never leave your office or home without business cards. It doesn’t matter whether you will be in a business or personal setting. You never know who you will meet and when you will need to give your card to someone.

One way that you won’t forget is to always make sure to have cards in your pad folios, purses, cars, computer bags, business card holder, suits, desk, etc. Take the time to replenish all of your potential card locations.

The last thing you want to happen is to not have a card to give out.  You should always be prepared. You don’t want people to think that you are not organized. Your professionalism is very important for your personal brand.

In today’s world, you need to be accessible so don’t worry about giving your card out. If you are not able to give your card out, then people can still contact you via sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

One important reason to have cards is so others can write notes on the back of the cards after they meet you. It is difficult to remember every conversation at an event so your cards are a great memory tool.

Also, your card is necessary for others to capture your information to be put into a contact database.  Once this information is captured, your card is less important. Business cards a great tool for first encounters.

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Windy City Social Event on 3/24

For those of you in Chicago, here is an interesting event worth noting.

Title: Social Media / E-Commerce / PR Challenge

Host: Windy City Social

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Time: 05:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Location: Metropolitan Club, Sears Tower, Chicago

Cost: $35-55 for members, $45-65 for non-members

RSVP: Sign up online at http://www.windycitysocial.com/professional

Social Media, e-mail, Search, Sales Promotion, Direct Mail and PR are all highly viable ways to touch consumers and impact a brand. Leveraging more than one touch point creates a powerful combination, maximizing reach and response. Three business leaders will present live businesses cases. You will work in teams to develop the best possible Marketing plan, which you will present to the group. Each business leader will pick a winning team. Each winning team member will receive a fabulous prize!!

Speakers Include: 1) Troy Henikoff, CEO, OneWed.com, 2) Jonny Imerman, Founder, Imerman Angels, and 3) Greg Hall, Founder, Goose Island Brewing Company.

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7 Ways That Helping Others Can Come Back to You

Networking is not about keeping score. You should always be thinking of ways to help others. It shouldn’t matter whether someone helps you back. Don’t expect anything in return. People will help when they think of you or when you ask for help.  As long as you stay in front of people and provide value, they will be there when you need them. Below are 7 ways that your good deeds will be come back to you when you least expect it:

1. Job Opportunities – When you reach out to people who you have helped, they should be receptive to helping you with a new job search. Also, they may send you opportunities independent of you asking for help.

2. Introductions to New People – Because people will respect you they will refer you to quality people in their network. Your network will grow in an effective and quality way.

3. Personal Branding – The more you help others the more your name will be positively branded in the community. A positive personal brand is a key component of becoming an effective networker.

4. Perceived Expertise – As you get your name out there more by helping others, people will start to see you as an expert. Branding yourself around a subject matter or skill set is important when helping others.

5. Speaking Opportunities – As people start to see you as an expert, you will be asked to speak in front of groups. Take advantage of these opportunities because you will meet a lot of people and it could lead to business.

6. Writing Opportunities – Like speaking opportunities, people will see you as an expert and ask you to write guest articles or blog posts. Take advantage of these opportunities as well because they can provide some great exposure and enhance your brand.

7. New Business – After awhile, you will start generating business. People will provide you with leads and some of the people who you have helped will become clients.

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E.Factor Entrepreneur Panel on 4/14 in Chicago

Global entrepreneurship network, E.Factor, is hosting another event in Chicago. Below are the details:

Title: The Value of Emotional Intelligence for Entrepreneurs
Host: E.Factor
Date: April 14, 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 (if you sign up as a Knowledge Member, you can attend all events for free)
RSVP: http://www.efactor.com/p/events/id=79

Emotional intelligence is the key attribute that separates great leaders from good leaders in our global and dynamic workforce. Discover how the power of emotions influence nearly everything you do, from your individual performance to your ability to impact others.

Keynote Speaker:
- Izzy Justice, CEO, EQmentor

Chicago Entrepreneur Panel:
- Troy Henikoff, CEO, OneWed.com
- Rick Mazursky, Principal, The Executives Profit
- Julia Stamberger, President, GoPicnic

Panel Moderator:
- John Dallas, CEO, Hillview Partners Network

For more information and to register, go to http://www.efactor.com/p/events/id=79.

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Book Review: The Money Makers by Anne-Marie Fink

The Money Makers: How Extraordinary Managers Win in a World Turned Upside Down was written by Anne-Marie Fink who is an 11-year veteran of JPMorgan Asset Management. Anne-Marie’s book discusses 11 strategies that managers need to grasp in order to win in today’s business climate.  She debunks some common myths in her book.

The author has a unique perspective because her lens is coming from Wall Street, not from running an organization.  With her analysis and CEO interviews, she has learned about successes and failures of many of the world’s largest firms.  Because of this, she has written a book that can help any manager to run a better business.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Introduction: The Chasm and How to Bridge It
Chapter 1: Think Like an Investor to Simplify Your Business
Chapter 2: Elude Cockroaches by Preventing Information “Roach Motels”
Chapter 3: Avoid the Trap of Profitless Growth
Chapter 4: Don’t Be a Customer Fanatic
Chapter 5: Get More Reward for the Risk You Take
Chapter 6: Economics Trumps Management
Chapter 7: The Best Companies to Invest In Are the Worst to Work For
Chapter 8: Good Performance Requires Inefficiency and Duplication
Chapter 9: Megatrends Start as Ripples
Chapter 10: We’re All Dead in the Long Run: Use Small Steps to Achieve Big Results
Chapter 11: Shrink to Grow and Other Backwards Steps Forward
Conclusion: What Investors Want: Good Numbers That Las

As you will notice, the chapters take on interesting topics that make the reader aware of several business myths.  While the book’s content is a little dry to read at times, the author does make it more interesting by bringing in real world examples of large well-known firms to demonstrate her points.

If you want to read a business book with a new perspective, then The Money Makers: How Extraordinary Managers Win in a World Turned Upside Down may be worth a read.

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