Networking Insight

Calling All Guest Bloggers!

Would you like some more exposure? I am looking for a few guest bloggers who would like to write an article about relationship building/networking for this blog.  Send me an article that is less than 500 words for consideration. This could lead into an opportunity to have a regular column with my blog.

If you have any questions or want to submit an article, email me at [email protected].

A Little Networking Humor

Thought that you would enjoy this cartoon, especially if you are a BNI member.

Please share any business networking humor that you come across.

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With Others, Sweat the Small Stuff

The following article that I wrote appeared in the October edition of Magazine Soho. You can also find it at Sohobiztube.com.

With Others, Sweat the Small Stuff

With networking, you don’t always have to help people in a significant way like finding them a job or a client. In reality, people also appreciate little acts of kindness such as thanking them and treating them with respect.

Pay attention to how you interact with others because you want to make a good impression. Over time, these acts of good behavior will be second nature to you.

Make People Feel Good

When talking with people, make sure to let them know that you are genuinely interested in the conversation. Give them cues that you’re a good listener by having consistent eye contact, smiling and asking questions.

By showing a sign of interest, people will feel that you care and have a good impression of you. In return, most people should also show interest in what you have to say.

Make sure to congratulate or compliment others when something positive happens to them. By going out of your way to do this, people will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will remember you.

Exercise Good Manners

Though having good manners usually goes without saying, some people need to be reminded in certain situations. Pay attention to how you interact with others in various circumstances.

When dining or having drinks with others, offer to pay the entire bill – especially if you invited the person. People will often insist on splitting, which is just fine. So long as you make the gesture, you are showing good manners.

If someone asks if you would like coffee or water during meetings or even interviews, always accept. Even if you don’t want anything to drink, it’s still polite to take the drink because you’re showing respect to the person, who is just being a good host.

Remember Birthdays

When you meet people, try to find out important dates in their lives such as birthdays. Make sure to immediately record this information in your calendar so you won’t forget these dates.

When it’s someone’s birthday, send this person an e-mail, call him or her on the phone or mail a card. Whatever you decide to do, it will show that you were thinking about this person.

Most people won’t expect you to remember their birthday. By acknowledging others on their birthdays, you will surprise them by showing that you genuinely care about them and take an interest in their lives.

Think About Others

Other than remembering birthdays, you should always be thinking about ways to connect with others. Contact people when you come across something that may interest them.

Let your contacts know about important items such as events, articles or resources. Whatever you share, it shows that you were thinking about them.

When you do share information, make sure it provides value and interest to the people you contact. Keep good notes about others so you can pass on appropriate information to the right people in your network.

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What is Your Secret to Networking Success?

Spend time thinking about some of your successes in life or business due to networking. Are you pleased? Did you find any common elements across your various successes?

All of us have our own unique style and approach to building relationships. The way you conduct yourself and treat others is a key element to networking.  Below is a list of items that may have contributed to your success. Consistency is key so continue to do what is working.

1. Always treat people with respect
2. Always follow through and do what you say you will do
3. Never expect anything in return for helping
4. Consistently find ways to help others
5. Continuously connect people together
6. Demonstrate your expertise across multiple channels (i.e. blog, speaking, articles, book, etc.)
7. Always act with integrity and honesty
8. Let others talk more about themselves so you can tune into their needs
9. Always act genuine and be yourself
10. Always respond to voicemails and emails
11. Take time to meet people who are referred to you
12. Don’t immediately say “no” to opportunities
13. Position yourself as a resource for others
14. Host your own events 
15. Active volunteer involvement with networking groups or charities

What has contributed to your success? Please share in the comments section.

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LinkedIn Hits 50 Millions Users!

LinkedIn just announced that they now have 50 millions users. It has taken them 6 years to get to this number. While it took 477 days in 2003 to get to the first 1 million users, it only took 12 days to get to the most recent million. What is amazing is that they are growing at about 1 member per second.

LinkedIn is just getting started. International growth will continue for the firm, which is about half of their membership.

How many people do you think LinkedIn will have 1 year from now?

To read more about the 50 million user milestone, go to LinkedIn: 50 million professionals worldwide.

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11 Positive Words About Relationship Building

When done effectively, relationship building can be a wonderful way to enhance your life, both professionally and personally. Below are 11 positive words about relationship building, which should keep you coming back for more.

1. Partners

2. Friends

3. Employees

4. Sales

5. Capital

6. Helpful

7. Resource

8. Connect

9. Rolodex

10. Satisfied

11. Success

What other positive words come to mind when you think about networking effectiveness?

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Book Review: Becoming a Category of One by Joe Calloway

Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison was written by Joe Calloway who is a consultant on employee engagement and performance. He has many world-renowned clients such as newspapers in Sweden, hotels in Great Britain, BMW, and IBM. Joe is a frequent speaker on business trends and has been inducted into the International Speakers Hall of Fame. You can find more about Joe at www.JoeCalloway.com.

In Joe’s book, he redefines competition by sharing lessons on how to differentiate a business in a marketplace of commodities.  Rather than striving to be a leader in your industry, Joe suggests that you should create a different category and be the only one in it. Therefore, your firm becomes a category of one.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: We Just Started to Go
Chapter 2: What’s Your Story?
Chapter 3: Success Means You Know What Used to Work
Chapter 4: The Commodity Trap
Chapter 5: Your Brand Is Everything
Chapter 6: The Three Rules
Chapter 7: The New Customer Reality
Chapter 8: Tiebreakers
Chapter 9: Case Study: Tractor Supply Company
Chapter 10: The Future of Category of One

Throughout the book, Joe discusses how firms such as Zappos, Apple, Netlfix, and In-N-Out Burger have become category of one companies. All of these firms have done something right because they consistently beat out their competition. In fact, they are in a category of their own.

According to the author, all category of one companies have common threads that make them very successful. Regardless of size or industry, these firms exist everywhere.  Their success can be attributed to the way they do what they do.

Here are a few of the common threads:

• Make a conscious decision to act a certain way
• Have a clear sense of who you are
• Willingness to let go of what used to work
• Your brand is everything

To take it a step further, Joe defines the three rules of Category of One companies as:

1. Know more about your customers than anyone else does.
2. Get closer to the customer than anyone else.
3. Emotionally connect with the customer better than anyone else.

Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison is a good book to read if you want to learn how to take your business to the next level and move past your competition. The author shares over 20 years worth of experience studying firms so he understands what it takes.

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Greater Chicago Networking Website & Workshop Series - Just Launched!

You are among the first to know about a new site that I just launched with one of my networking partners, Lillian Bjorseth. I want to thank CK Interactive Design for putting this together for us.

The site provides information about our annual Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza and new Greater Chicago Networking Workshop Series. We will be offering a five-part series that begins on 11/18. Below are more details:

When: Monthly from November 2009 – March 2010

First one – “DISCover Your Networking Strengths/ Limitations; Then Brand Yourself”
9 am – 12 noon, Nov. 18, 2009
DiSC® Personal Preview included

Where: Transwestern, 200 W. Madison, 11th Floor Conference Room, Chicago

How: Visit Greater Chicago Networking for details, costs and to register

Why: With all the clamor about online networking, Lillian and Jason take a different approach. They work with you on the important, career-sustaining skills: face-to-face, branding and interpersonal communication. They also share how to integrate face-to-face and online networking for ultimate results. Ample practice time will allow participants to hone skills and start building relationships in real time. Lillian and Jason are two of Chicago’s preeminent networking experts and are also experienced facilitators, speakers and trainers. Lillian is author of Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationships That Last, now in the third edition.

Future workshops:
• Dec. 16, 2009 – “Communicate Effectively Through Your Image and Words”
• Jan. 19, 2010 – “Obtain and Sustain Top-of-Mind Positioning”
• Feb. 24, 2010 – “Work Events Effectively and Efficiently”
• March 24, 2010 – “Follow up for Maximum Benefit and Referrals”

We want to thank Transwestern for hosting us in their venue.

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What is Your Personal Brand?

An important part of building relationships is to create your own personal brand. By creating a brand, you are making yourself memorable to others. You want others to remember you before they remember your company. Once people get to know your brand, it can then translate into new customers, partners, etc. You want people to follow you from company to company. 

Take the time and effort to brand “you”. Companies don’t have the loyalty that they used to so you need to take care of yourself. Below are four questions that I ask people to think about when I speak about personal branding. After people answer these questions, they begin to figure out what their brand is to them and others

1. What are my characteristics?
Characteristics are the items that make up who you are. Some you are born with and some you develop over time. Examples include your personality, appearance, demeanor, interests, etc. Everything about you makes up your brand. So, try to mitigate the negative aspects. For example, if you are someone who is constantly late to meetings, then people will remember that about you. On the flip side, if you are constantly a connector, then people will see this is a positive trait.

2. Who are your spheres of influence?
Your spheres of influence are the people who see you for your brand. These are the people who you surround yourself with on a regular basis. These are your co-workers, friends, family, community, etc. You need to position your brand for these people.

3. What subject(s) am I passionate about?
Think about what your passion and expertise. Pick one that you want people to associate with you. Focus all of your efforts around this subject so people will think of you when they need someone with your expertise.

4. What are my current methods of communication?
Your brand needs to be communicated consistently on a regular basis. Think about how you communicate now with people. Is it through email, e-newsletter, blog, Website, Twitter, speaking, writing, etc?  The more you get your brand out there, the more success you will have positioning yourself as an expert.

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How to Bring a Product or Service to Market - November 13

Below is some information about an upcoming event that I am moderating:

How to Bring a Product or Service to Market

In this panel discussion, hear first hand from a panel of experts on how to successfully take your idea to market. The panel discussion will cover all aspects by sharing real world examples of launching products/services. The panel is comprised of successful entrepreneurs, a sales/marketing expert, and an IP attorney.

The discussion will include the following topics
• I have an idea, now what?
• Protecting your idea
• Developing your product/service
• How to position your product/service in the market
• Selling your product/service in the market
• Evolving your product/service based on market demand

After the discussion, guests will be able to participate in a Q&A session with the panelists. Open networking will take place before and after the panel discussion so you can interact with other entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur Panel
• Rick Mazursky - The Executives Profit
• Rhonda Broyles - Industry Elf Marketing
• Tom Gorman - Entrepreneurial Design, Inc.
• Matt Gavronski - Michael Best, IP Attorney

Moderator: Jason Jacobsohn, AEGIS Professional Services

Date: November 13, 2009
Time: 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Location: 120 N. LaSalle Street, 11th Floor Conference Room, Chicago
Registration: $20 (includes continental breakfast)
Sponsors: The Executives Profit and American Chartered Bank
Contact: Andrea at 847-317-9296 or [email protected]

For more information and to register, go to The Executives Profit.

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