Power Networking

P.M.E.T Way!

P - Prepare before Your VentureM - Mind Your Manners in Networking

E – Experience Sowing and ReapingT – Take the Social Networking Plunge

P - Prepare before Your Venture

Identify where you should go.

All venues are not right for all people. You owe it to yourself to do your

research and find the venues that make sense for your business

Make a decision about which organizations

you should join and which you don’t have to join in order to gain value from their events. For example,

does it make sense to join a local chamber of commerce, or just go to the events that sound

interesting and will most likely include people you should meet?

Register for the event and schedule it like a business meeting.

Many people either don’t sign up for events or sign up for them and then

forget to go.

Determine how often you should be networking

in a given week, month or quarter. This will help you narrow down

where you should be going.

Develop open-ended questions

you can use to ignite a conversation. Try to find unique questions; don’t ask the same old “So, what do you do?” if you

can help it.

Attend events with a plan to learn something new.

This will keep you from talking too much about yourself and your

business

Prepare yourself physically and mentally for the event.

Dress appropriately.Bring business cards.

Turn your phone off or set it to vibrate

M - Mind Your Mannersin Networking

If you go to an event with someone.

you know, split up once you get there

Focus before you approach anyone.

When you walk into the room, step to the side, take a deep breath and scan

the room. This will give you a chance to regroup

Don’t sit down

Until the program begins. If there is no program, you can sit once you’ve

connected with someone.

Sit with Strangers

not with people you know

When you see someone sitting alone,

go to them and introduce yourself. You’ll be saving their life! They are alone and

nervous. You can even take them with you to mix and mingle with others

Don’t give your business card to everyone you meet.

Rather, give it to anyone who asks you for it

Do get the business card of everyone you meet.

Have a firm but not killer handshake.

Your handshake is a key indicator of your level of confidence. If it’s too weak you are telegraphing. If it is

too strong you are sending a signal that you are probably more aggressive than assertive or

cooperative. Either way, it doesn’t lend itself to building relationships

Be present.

When you are talking with someone, look them in the eye and really pay attention to what they are saying.

Don’t look around the room

or over someone’s shoulder when you are talking with them. It’s rude. You are letting them know that you aren’t really

interested in them.

Don’t take a phone call.

If you are expecting a call or have a situation that may need your attention, let the person

you are talking with know there is the possibility you’ll have to excuse yourself

If you have to take a call,

leave the room and go to a quiet place. It doesn’t make you seem important if you

take a call in the room. It makes you seem impolite, silly, rude, arrogant . . . take your

pick!

Disengage politely.

How do you get away from someone politely? There are a couple of tactics.

You can tell them you don’t want to monopolize their time.You can tell them you see someone you need to speak with.

You can excuse yourself to the restroom.You can tell them you’d like to continue meeting people.

Follow up (this is critical)!

If you are going to take the time to network, then please take the time to follow up with the people you meet. You can send them a handwritten note or reach

out to them to schedule coffee or a meeting. This depends on how well you connected

Don’t follow up via email unless the person asks you to.

Don’t pitch too early.

Quite frankly, don’t “pitch” at all. When you build relationships it will become apparent to you and the

other person when it makes sense to do business with each other. Remember, business networking is about

relationships, not selling

Don’t sign people up for your newsletter.

without their permission

Don’t assume

that just because you met someone you now have license to gain a referral from

them, use them as a resource, or give them your promotional and sales materials

E - Experience Sowing and Reaping

Focus on giving

Show up regularly and on time.

When you show up late and/or infrequently, you send a message to your fellow group members:

You tell them that you only care about yourself because you don’t take the time to learn about their needs.

You show them how you deal with business meetings and associates. Why would they trust you with their clients? How can

they be sure you’ll treat them well?

Come Prepared

Have a specific list of referral needs. The more specific you can be, the

more referrals you’ll receive.

Always ask for what you need.

We are never so busy that we don’t need more prospects in our pipeline. If you don’t ask all the time, you’ll run the risk of getting

into a place where you never ask.

Be present.

Once again, be sure you are really listening to the needs of the group members. Don’t

play with your phone or answer e-mails while others are talking. Really listen and

think about how you can help them.

Meet with the members individually

between meetings so you can get to know them better.

Do not try to sell

your fellow group members when you have your one-on-one meetings.

Do not expect to get until you give.Even after you have given,

Do not expect to get right away

It takes time to build the relationships with group members so

you trust them and they trust you.

Consider the other group members as resources to you and your

contacts.When you know how they do business and trust

them, you can use them as resources when people mention needs those group members can solve. This can elevate you in the eyes of

your contacts, prospects and clients.

Do give quality referrals and leads

. I knew a man who would write up a referral and put “Do not use my name“ on the sheet. That is not

helpful. I’ve also seen a situation where someone gave a referral but called the referee later and said, “Don’t

call that person.” That’s not helpful! Don’t give garbage. It’s better to not give at all.

Make sure your clients, contacts and associates are open to you giving their names and contact

information to your group members. One of the worst things that can happen is for you to refer a group member to a

client, only to have the client get mad.Your job is to know your clients and contacts well enough that you know who

would be open to taking a call and who would rather not. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t connect these people. It just means that,

instead of passing on the person’s name and contact information, you may have to make the introduction. Reach out to your contact and set the stage for your

group member.

Follow up!

If someone gives you a referral, treat it like gold. You want to be sure that you follow up on it right away. Imagine how you’ll make the other person feel if they refer you to someone and you don’t follow up in a timely manner. It won’t make them want to refer you again. It takes time to build relationships with the people in your referral group. Don’t destroy that trust by failing to take a

referral seriously.

T – Taking the Social NetworkingPlunge

Decide who you want to be.

Of course, you should be you! What I mean is that before you say something in your news feed or in a discussion, make sure it maps with how you want others to know you.

I participate on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and some blogs. I always think before I write anything. First, I want to be sure I am being consistent with my message. Second, I know that my clients and prospects

come from varying backgrounds and belief systems. I want to be sure that nothing I say will change the way they think of me. This is especially true for social networks like Facebook. The intersection of social

and business is very blurry. Interacting with people in these arenas helps you get to know them on a personal level. That can work for or against you. So, think about what kinds of conversations you want to

engage in before you write something.

Don’t spam

No one likes spam and that includes pitch messages on social networking. Use the platforms as a way to continue to build relationships and expand your

network. Irritating people won’t help you accomplish that.

Limit the self-promotion.

You can let people know what you are up to as long as that’s not your

only topic of conversation.

Share information.

People love to learn things. Use social networking as a way to share relevant

information with other people.

Tell people why you want to connect with them.

Don’t use the standard connection script if you can help it.

Participate.

You’ll get out of it what you put into it.

Don’t assume that being connected to someone gives you permission to

pitch. It doesn’t.

If you want an introduction through one of your contacts, make sure

you explain why you want it.

Your online connections are just as valuable as your offline

connections..

Treat them that way

Take the time to get to know people you meet via social

networking. When you engage in a conversation with

someone, belong to a group with them, or read something they wrote, ask them to

connect directly. Then build the relationship.

Pay attention.

Social networking is just like in-person networking. You want to approach it as a way to learn things. When you pay attention to the chatter, the events, groups

and conversations you’ll learn an awful lot about the people in your network. You’ll also learn about people

you should be connected to.

Don’t sell.

This goes along with spamming and self-promotion. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course it does. That’s because social networking has nothing to do with

selling. It has everything to do with building relationships so you can grow your business.

You don’t have to connect with everyone.

You can make decisions about who you connect with on different platforms. Just be consistent. If you decide

that you don’t want to be connected to business associates on Facebook, then don’t. If someone you don’t knows requests a connection to you, you are

under no obligation to connect with them.

Be a giver..

Whenever you can connect people or help someone with a question, do it

Be yourself.

Don’t hide behind a persona. Remember that people do business with people they

trust. You have to be you in order for people to get to know you.

Use your own picture as a profile photo.

Don’t carry on private conversations in public.

Use common sense and good judgment and contact people privately when you

want to have a one-on-one conversation.

Go to events

When an online group you are in has an in-person function, go to it. Meet the

people you’ve been interacting with. It helps to build the relationship.

Suggest a meeting.

When you connect with someone via social networking, follow up and suggest a meeting. The

meeting can be via phone, Skype or in person, depending on geography. Don’t let physical distance get in your way. In this day and age it doesn’t have to

be a deterrent to growing a business relationship.

Be approachable.

I’m not going to get the chance to know you and like you if you are aloof. No one is so

special that they are untouchable. Besides, who would want to build a relationship with

someone distant?

Last Words!

At the end of the day, we network so we can grow our businesses. We meet people and build relationships so we will receive referrals from them over time. What we’re talking about here is how to do it well so those referrals

actually happen. Whatever business networking venue(s) you choose, make the most of them.

Although increased sales is the end goal, we don’t participate in business networking to sell. We do it to find and develop relationships with people

who we can help and who can help us. When we detach ourselves from the emphasis we tend to put on selling, we actually improve our ability to build

relationships. The sales will come naturally from there. Remember these guidelines when you venture out of your office into the world of events, groups, and social networks. Make the most of the time you spend on

business networking.