"Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” Sir Walter Scott
Forget about that deception stuff, you want to talk about a truly tangled web? Try explaining to people how you met someone through Social Networking. The days of saying "I went to school with her" or "we were neighbors" are over! Instead, conversations are "Oh, Tyrone Turner? I talked to him during a BlitzTime that I was reminded about on Twitter after I met Mike Sachleben on LinkedIn."
And because of social networking, you can a) never talk bad about anyone ever again and b) find people who know people you know in the most unlikely way. Here's a great example.
I spoke on the phone today to Mindy Selinger, Networking Guide and developer of www.networkingeventfinders.com because I clicked a link in one of her Twitter posts and downloaded an mp3 and she called me to follow up. (Sorry but all explanations about how you met someone that involves social networking is going to require run on sentences).
We had a very convivial time - she's an excellent conversationalist as well as good at following up - when I asked her where she was located. San Diego.
"Nice," I said, "I have a friend from Fresno who moved there and now says she died and went to heaven."
Mindy asks, "Oh, what does your friend do?"
"She teaches people about self-defense and personal safety," I replied.
"Is her name Kelly?!" says Mindy.
!
Well, sure enough, Mindy knows Kelly Rudolph who I've known for years (who was a member of the Clovis Chamber before I started there) and whose blog was one of the first I linked to from here. Now, how's that for finding something in common?
I suggest when you meet someone new, whether in person or on line, that you figure out who the two of you both know. The world is small enough that there's got to be someone. And you better discover who it is before you say something bad about them!
Networking tips and the best way to network ... by Networking on Purpose! Professional business networking strategies from Beth Bridges, speaker, and author.
My Internet Media Debut
You are doing the right kind of work if you can have as much fun as I did today. I was a guest on Central Valley Talk, hosted by Charlee Simons. The show streams live on the internet at www.CentralValleyTalk.com
Charlee's show runs every weekday from 3 to 5 p.m. He starts with commentary about local news and politics. If you were a jerk and now you're in the paper, Charlee is going to let you know what he thinks of you! He then has guests from throughout the community. Athena Matsikas (remember Charlee and Athena in the morning on Fresno radio?) is a regular guest and the two have their same hilarious chemistry.
I'm no Athena, but Charlee and I did have a great time. We talked about the philosophies that make Clovis great and I appreciated the wonderful things he had to say about the Clovis Chamber. I look forward to being a guest again.
Now that I know what to expect, I'll give you more notice for the next time I'm on the show. In the meantime, be sure to bookmark the page and make Charlee a regular part of your day.
Charlee's show runs every weekday from 3 to 5 p.m. He starts with commentary about local news and politics. If you were a jerk and now you're in the paper, Charlee is going to let you know what he thinks of you! He then has guests from throughout the community. Athena Matsikas (remember Charlee and Athena in the morning on Fresno radio?) is a regular guest and the two have their same hilarious chemistry.
I'm no Athena, but Charlee and I did have a great time. We talked about the philosophies that make Clovis great and I appreciated the wonderful things he had to say about the Clovis Chamber. I look forward to being a guest again.
Now that I know what to expect, I'll give you more notice for the next time I'm on the show. In the meantime, be sure to bookmark the page and make Charlee a regular part of your day.
A Tale of Two Networkers, Part 3
Just when I thought the score for the year was 1-1 (great networkers vs. networkers who don't quite get it), Jay Petersen of Hire the Geeks Computer Service stopped by the Chamber office this afternoon.
Jay said he had a serious question for me. He has to tell you when he's being straight with you, because he's a hilarious storyteller with such a deadpan delivery that you need a warning. Otherwise you start cracking up when he says stuff like, "I was at the store ..."
2008 was the best and worst of times for Jay, who lost his father Chris Petersen in November but doubled his sales from December a year ago. And yet, with all that going on, here he was, sitting in my office with these burning questions:
Second, he's asking for a specific description of the most likely client to help him be as efficient as possible in finding referrals for me. I sure didn't tell him, "oh, anyone with a business." I gave Jay the most targeted description I could think of. That might leave out a few prospects, but it highlights the very best referrals.
In return, of course, I asked Jay what I could do for him. As any good marketer should, he knew what I could do to help him, which - somehow - is again helpful to me.
Year-to-date score of excellent vs. clueless networkers? 2 to 1
Jay said he had a serious question for me. He has to tell you when he's being straight with you, because he's a hilarious storyteller with such a deadpan delivery that you need a warning. Otherwise you start cracking up when he says stuff like, "I was at the store ..."
2008 was the best and worst of times for Jay, who lost his father Chris Petersen in November but doubled his sales from December a year ago. And yet, with all that going on, here he was, sitting in my office with these burning questions:
"How can I be more useful to the Chamber? How can I find the best membership prospects? And what are their characteristics so I can find more of them?"These are amazing questions on many levels. First, he's asking "what can I do for you?" Can you imagine what would happen if every one of your contacts asked you this question? Can you imagine if you had this question for every one of your contacts?
Second, he's asking for a specific description of the most likely client to help him be as efficient as possible in finding referrals for me. I sure didn't tell him, "oh, anyone with a business." I gave Jay the most targeted description I could think of. That might leave out a few prospects, but it highlights the very best referrals.
In return, of course, I asked Jay what I could do for him. As any good marketer should, he knew what I could do to help him, which - somehow - is again helpful to me.
Year-to-date score of excellent vs. clueless networkers? 2 to 1
A Tale of Two Networkers, Part 2
Funny how two people could represent such opposite ends of the networking spectrum. I saw both of them in the same day. You can read about the first person I met here. He didn't want to waste time networking because he didn't "need friends" but just wanted to get paying customers. He's missing out on a world of information, help, and probably even a few clients.
The other person was the polar opposite. Hannah DeGroot is the Corporate Accounts Coordinator for Realty Concepts in Fresno. She's been working on networking for business for less than a year, but has jumped in with both feet, by joining local organizations and getting involved in social networking.
I first saw her name on LinkedIn, popping up regularly in the "People You May Know" column. Then I started seeing her in Plaxo's suggestions of people I might know. This went on for weeks. By this time, I felt like I should know Hannah and I was wracking my brains to remember how. I kept thinking I should message her and ask where we know each other from, but I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't recall this woman I should obviously know.
In the meantime, I found several Fresno people on Twitter, including "Relocator", who sent me a nice message that she was looking forward to my "tweets." Relocator then sends a message saying we should connect on Plaxo since she's been seeing my name everywhere ... it was Hannah! And she had been seeing me on LinkedIn and Plaxo, too. And wondering how we knew each other.
It was too funny. We decided we had to meet in person; which we did yesterday. Turns out we had several more connections in common including mutual friends, organizations, and even rival high schools. Hannah is a lot of fun, has an interesting life outside of business, and grasps the true meaning of networking. There was no agenda and no selling at our meeting, just two people looking to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. I look forward to getting to know Hannah better and seeing her more in the "real world." What a difference from the other person I saw yesterday.
P.S. Follow Hannah on Twitter
The other person was the polar opposite. Hannah DeGroot is the Corporate Accounts Coordinator for Realty Concepts in Fresno. She's been working on networking for business for less than a year, but has jumped in with both feet, by joining local organizations and getting involved in social networking.
I first saw her name on LinkedIn, popping up regularly in the "People You May Know" column. Then I started seeing her in Plaxo's suggestions of people I might know. This went on for weeks. By this time, I felt like I should know Hannah and I was wracking my brains to remember how. I kept thinking I should message her and ask where we know each other from, but I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't recall this woman I should obviously know.
In the meantime, I found several Fresno people on Twitter, including "Relocator", who sent me a nice message that she was looking forward to my "tweets." Relocator then sends a message saying we should connect on Plaxo since she's been seeing my name everywhere ... it was Hannah! And she had been seeing me on LinkedIn and Plaxo, too. And wondering how we knew each other.
It was too funny. We decided we had to meet in person; which we did yesterday. Turns out we had several more connections in common including mutual friends, organizations, and even rival high schools. Hannah is a lot of fun, has an interesting life outside of business, and grasps the true meaning of networking. There was no agenda and no selling at our meeting, just two people looking to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. I look forward to getting to know Hannah better and seeing her more in the "real world." What a difference from the other person I saw yesterday.
P.S. Follow Hannah on Twitter
A Tale of Two Networkers, Part 1
I ran into a Chamber member at lunch today. We talked a little bit about business. When I told him about my plans for improving the mixers, he stated that they just didn't work for him. I always have to pause when someone says something like this.
In this case, I didn't want to point out that he hadn't been to enough mixers to know if they worked or not. Instead, I said that networking events can lead to new customers, but they are also about developing relationships and that takes time.
He said, "I don't need to make friends, I need paying clients."
Whoa! At this point, I stopped thinking like a friend who wants to share information about networking and immediately switched over to thinking like a salesperson who needs to work on getting the reorder. In other words, I don't need to work on the friendship. I need to make sure he is going to renew his membership. So instead of promoting the benefits of networking to build relationships, I told him about events where he could prospect.
Do you see why I switched my thinking and my approach? This is a person who is not relationship-oriented. They aren't interested in the long-term, but instead are looking for transactions. In that case, I, too, can't look for the development of a mutually beneficial relationship. Instead, I will have to keep this person engaged with Chamber services that meet their transactional-thinking needs.
Maybe he has this philosophy because he's targeting doctors and lawyers for his service. {Insert your own lawyer joke here}. Maybe he thinks that he'll never need the services of someone else. Maybe he prefers to build his business on cold-calls and doesn't want referrals. I don't know. But I wonder how long his business is going to last if he doesn't want to make any friends. Too bad.
The second networker is a sharp contrast. But you'll have to check in tomorrow to hear about her...
In this case, I didn't want to point out that he hadn't been to enough mixers to know if they worked or not. Instead, I said that networking events can lead to new customers, but they are also about developing relationships and that takes time.
He said, "I don't need to make friends, I need paying clients."
Whoa! At this point, I stopped thinking like a friend who wants to share information about networking and immediately switched over to thinking like a salesperson who needs to work on getting the reorder. In other words, I don't need to work on the friendship. I need to make sure he is going to renew his membership. So instead of promoting the benefits of networking to build relationships, I told him about events where he could prospect.
Do you see why I switched my thinking and my approach? This is a person who is not relationship-oriented. They aren't interested in the long-term, but instead are looking for transactions. In that case, I, too, can't look for the development of a mutually beneficial relationship. Instead, I will have to keep this person engaged with Chamber services that meet their transactional-thinking needs.
Maybe he has this philosophy because he's targeting doctors and lawyers for his service. {Insert your own lawyer joke here}. Maybe he thinks that he'll never need the services of someone else. Maybe he prefers to build his business on cold-calls and doesn't want referrals. I don't know. But I wonder how long his business is going to last if he doesn't want to make any friends. Too bad.
The second networker is a sharp contrast. But you'll have to check in tomorrow to hear about her...
Welcome to 2009 - Now Do Something Different
"...And now for something completely different." Monty Python episodes would use that phrase as a transition when a skit had become totally silly or when they couldn't think of how to end the scene. If you feel like your networking efforts were pointless in 2008 or you can't figure out how to take your results to a higher level, why not try something completely different yourself?
What do you need to do in order to change your networking strategy? Maybe it's as simple as having a strategy to begin with. Personally, my plan has been to create events that establish the Clovis Chamber as a leader in networking events, with quantity, variety, and quality. As the person who creates, promotes, and runs the activities, I gain a great deal of exposure and credibility. Running events provides me with something wonderful to give my contacts: an invitation to something that will benefit their business.
What do you need to do in order to change your networking strategy? Maybe it's as simple as having a strategy to begin with. Personally, my plan has been to create events that establish the Clovis Chamber as a leader in networking events, with quantity, variety, and quality. As the person who creates, promotes, and runs the activities, I gain a great deal of exposure and credibility. Running events provides me with something wonderful to give my contacts: an invitation to something that will benefit their business.
- Start with a strategy. Networking is not complicated. A simple plan is going to serve you much better than random activity.
- If you're trying to sell, maybe it's time to back off and make friends first.
- If you've got a lot of relationships, but no sales, maybe it's time to ask your friends if they would like to do business with you.
- If you're maxed out on the time you can spend, maybe it's time to take a leadership position for more exposure in the same time.
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