How to get what you want from your networking in 2010

Yesterday I posed the question 'What do you want from your networking in 2010?'. The way to ensure you get what you want is to go about it strategically. Set your goals and plan the activities that will help you achieve them.

The temptation is to set yourself the goals you have as targets. The problem with this is that you may be targeting things outside of your control. The important thing is to target yourself with those activities that you do control and that will lead to the results you desire.

I discussed this in 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking'. Habit 3 of Stephen R Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is 'Put First Things First!' Set yourself targets for the things that YOU can control.

In 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking' I included these as examples:
• The amount of time you can devote to networking
• The number of events you can attend
• The number of 1-2-1’s you can arrange
• How much time you can spend online
• Building a contacts database
• What introductions you can give
• Choosing the right networking organisation for you

Listen to this short podcast for the simple steps involved in developing a strategy to generate more business from your network.

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Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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What do you want from your networking in 2010?

As you reflect on the year gone by and maybe make some resolutions for next year it is worth thinking about what you want to achieve through your business networking activity.

In 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking' I wrote about Stephen R Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 2 is Begin with the End in Mind. Unless you know what you want from your networking then how can others help you?

Once you have clearly identified what you want that's a great start. Combine that with going about it in the right way and you are well on the way to achieving your networking goals.

Take a listen to this podcast on the subject;
'Why are you networking & are you prepared?'

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Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Season's Greetings!
Dave Clarke

A simple way of standing out from the crowd

I recently changed the email address I use to send out emails. I am still using the old one and have not informed anyone that I am using a new address. I did it to simplify the way things get dealt with in my office. What I find interesting is that new messages to the older email address have dropped by over 90%. Further analysis shows that the vast majority of regular emails (excluding spam) are replies to me rather than new ones. This is not unusual as most people react to events rather than initiate them. In other words most people are reactive rather than proactive.

In business networking this means that most do not follow up after you have connected at a networking event. This gives you a great opportunity to be different by becoming one of the proactive few. By simply getting into the habit of following up first with that nugget of information or that helpful introduction.

'Be Proactive' is the 1st habit of highly successful people according to Stephen R. Covey in the best selling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Read about 'applying the 7 habits to your business networking here'.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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How do you manage your contacts?

After yesterday's post on 'how good are you at staying in touch' a couple of contacts asked how can you 'manage' your contacts. It's becoming a problem for them because they use a combination of Outlook and other software and online networks are adding complexity.

Here are some things that I do to help manage the interactions with my network:

1. I use our internal contact management system in the member area of the NRG-networks website.
2. In Outlook I arrange my contacts into categories so that I can ensure I am spending enough time with my Inner Network & Advocates. I talked about these categories in a podcast, How to start building your network.
3. I arrange my online contacts into lists or groups on the different platforms.
4. I use an Outlook plug in from Xobni.com which shows me whether a contact is on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter together with their latest updates.

I would be very interested in learning how you manage your contacts.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you good at staying in touch?

Like many others at this time of year we receive a number of letters from old friends summing up the year just gone by. It's great to hear about the stories they share. Sadly this seems to be the only time of year we do hear from some people. So it is great to find that more and more old friends, colleagues and acquaintances are creating profiles and posting updates on social networks and social media sites.

My experience is that online networks are great for staying in touch and a really good way to get started is to connect with the people you already know. You can also reconnect with people you have lost touch with. The major ones for me are Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and Ecademy.

I created my profile on Linkedin about six years ago. More and more people I meet express the view that Linkedin is increasingly more important for business connections.

I joined Ecademy six years ago too and I have found it great for two things;
1. Connecting with some great people and building friendships through the clubs that meet offline.
2. Learning all about online social networks and social media.

I joined Facebook more recently and it is very useful for both social and business communication. I have a personal profile and a business one too. On the social side I am regularly in touch with family and friends who share news and photos. On the business side I can interact with people with similar interests.

Twitter is great for sharing content and signposting others to the useful stuff that people in my network provide regularly.

For more how the online fits into networking generally see 'How to Effectively Combine Offline & Online Networking'.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Getting in front of the right people at the right time

Many people in business networking often say that they have no problem selling. Their biggest problem is getting in front of the right person. I feel they often need to add something else. It is not just getting in front of that person, but doing it at the right time.

Business to business and professional services are usually bought when someone has a problem or issue they need to solve. You need to have a very good idea of these problems and issues within your target market. The critical thing then is to educate your network with the signs that identify someone with those needs. They can then advocate you and your services to the right people AND at the right time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Is this the ultimate in networking?

In a meeting earlier this week someone was describing how he was developing a new venture with a business partner. He described his partner's approach to building business, "Give me one contact and I will build a business!"

It was very refreshing to hear him describe how he went about this by genuinely building close working relationships. Over time both parties gain substantially from the investment in the relationship. His approach is the opposite of many people who think networking is mainly about meeting new people. In reality they are spending lots of time getting to know very little about the many people they meet.

Most of us will need more than one close relationship to build a business. I think the important lesson is to spend more time getting to really know the people that we do meet. You really can build a business by spending your networking time in developing relationships and growing advocates within the right group of people.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you casting your net too wide?

When you are networking you don't want to miss on any possible opportunities that the people you meet may know about. This can lead you to casting your net very widely and talking about what you do far too broadly. In this podcast 'What is Your Niche?' I take the fishing analogy further to help you really focus on your target market. Listen here:

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Dave Clarke
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What Matters Now

In 'What Matters Now: get the free ebook' Seth Godin writes about a new ebook he has organised. In it 70 big thinkers each contribute a page in which they share an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. Then after thinking about them to do something with what you learn. Download and read it below.
What Matters Now
The overall idea I take from it is how much more we can achieve when we collaborate!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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A simple way of helping

Have you ever listened to someone introduce their business at a networking event and thought to yourself "I have no idea what that means"? It happens a lot, but most of the time that person will be unaware that they are not communicating effectively.

Whenever it happens I am reminded of a scene from the film, "I, Robot". In this scene Dr Calvin (played by Bridget Moynahan) was asked by Detective Spooner (played by Will Smith) “What do you do?”

She replied "My general fields are advanced robotics and psychiatry although I specialise in hardware to wetware interfaces in an effort to advance our anti-amorphisation project.”

He clearly had no clue what she was talking about and asked again, “So what exactly do you do?"

She replied, “I make the robots seem more human.”

The next time you hear someone and have no real idea what they mean you can help by asking them some questions to find out exactly what they do and who for.

Then suggest that they might want to use the simple version next time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking with Decision Makers

"I need to be networking with decision makers and budget holders" or something similar is a phrase I hear often. It is often a result of a misconceived idea about networking. The idea that networking is about finding a room full of prospects, exchanging business cards then moving on to the next. That is not networking, it is selling.

Business networking is about building relationships with your peers so that over time you help, support and introduce each other to opportunities to sell your services. Over time you build trust through a series of exchanges or networking transactions. The people you meet in business networking are decision makers and the route to those budget holders you want to meet. They are constantly making decisions about whether they like you, trust you and are prepared to refer you.

The quickest way to get them to make a negative decision is to constantly sell to them. In short, as I have said and written before, networking is not selling!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Survival of the kindest

On his blog this morning Internet Psychologist Graham Jones poses the question "which kind of people do you like the most? Those who divide and rule, or those who are less selfish and try to help others?".

He asks this in his article, Helping others online could boost your business, which is well worth a read. He writes about recent research from the University of California at Berkeley which suggests that the helpful, altruistic individuals around us are the ones that are doing best in our modern society. The article referred to by Graham is entitled Social scientists build case for 'survival of the kindest'. The article includes this

"In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive."

Good to see some solid academic research into the whole ethos of how networking works. As we know the more you help others the greater your chances of success.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking and starting a new business

Someone said to me yesterday, "there are a lot of people starting new businesses so where you advise them to start networking?"

My advice was that they should start by listing all the people they already know. They will already have trusted relationships amongst their existing social and work contacts. They should make contact with those people and re-establish those relationships if necessary. They will then be able to identify any gaps in their network and where they need to start addressing those.

In this podcast, 'How to start building your network', I talk about how to identify the people already in your network. Listen here:

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Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you willing to share?

In a meeting yesterday with a couple of people who run mastermind groups we were discussing the attributes of people who are successful in those groups. First and foremost they need to be open minded and keen to grow. They also need to be willing to share, learn, contribute, take responsibility and apply what they learn.

Very similar attributes to the people that are successful in networking. They are also willing to share, learn, contribute, take responsibility and apply what they learn.

They share their knowledge and contacts and learn all they can about those they meet and their needs. They contribute fully to the groups they belong to and take responsibility by providing leadership and inviting others. They apply what they learn about the others by connecting them to the things and people they need to succeed.

All that motivates others to do it for them too.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Building friendships that will lead to business

I was chatting on Friday with someone about my last blog post, Should you join that networking group? She agreed with the view that you need to like the people when joining a networking group.

She said that she also looked for groups with professionals from similar backgrounds to hers and who operate in similar markets. She is not looking to just make friends, but build her business along the way.

It struck me that 'building friendships that will lead to business' is a pretty good definition of the process of business networking in a group.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Should you join that networking group?

At the end of a recent event a visitor said to me "do you think I should join this group". I replied that I was biased, but could he answer yes to the following 3 questions.

1. Do you like the people in the group?
2. Over time could you introduce them to your trusted contacts?
3. Do you have the time in your diary for attending the events and following up?

He asked why those questions and I said, "Unless you like the people you are not likely to make the effort. If you can make introductions for the others then it is likely they can do the same for you. Finally, you need to have the time to invest in building relationships."

He smiled and asked for an application form.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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The Not So New Rules Of Networking

Yesterday I wrote about the New Rules of Networking. Of course this is not new as I was reminded by this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson is his Essays on Compensation nearly 170 years ago!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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The New Rules Of Networking

I found some great advice from Paul Simon in this blog, The New Rules Of Networking.

"Not too long ago, networking consisted of walking into a huge meeting room at your local hotel or a large business site and handing out business cards to as many people as you could. Now that is all but ancient history. Networking today can build your sales, but only if you heed the new rules.

Successful networking nowadays means toting along a sincere interest in helping others instead of a box of cards and brochures, shelving your selling fervor in favor of making genuine acquaintances, and recognizing that creating reciprocal relationships will pay off much greater in the long run than any possible quick sale."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Social, Learning & Business

At a recent networking meeting the discussion turned to why people were networking. The consensus was that it was about business, but it was important to build relationships first.

One of the members said for him it was social first, learning second and then business. He drew this picture to demonstrate.

He explained it further by saying,  "firstly it's social as it can be lonely working in a small business so it's great to meet other relevant professionals. Secondly it is important to learn new things from your peers. Then as you get to know, like and trust the others a natural consequence is business."

It reminded me of a quote from someone at a networking seminar a couple of years ago when I asked what networking was to him and he said, "Networking is about making friends you can do Business with".


The key point is that it is the relationship first and business follows.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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