PRO NETWORKING
Archive for the ‘Business Networking’ Category
Enhancing the Value of Your BNI Referral Group with Social Media by Martin Brossman
BNI Morning Show - N. Raleigh
Enhancing the Value of Your BNI Referral Group with Social Media by Martin Brossman
I was privileged to speak at The BNI Morning Show, a popular BNI group in North Raleigh, about business use of Social Media and on-line reputation management. To share the highlights with you, here are a few of my short tips for profoundly enhancing the value of your BNI referral group using Social Media and reputation sites.
- You can update LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook status about the meeting with something unique to that day, and the name of the group. Example someone posted: Looking forward to hearing Martin Brossman about Social Media w/business at our BNI Morning Show
- When having a one-on-one with someone, you may want to say something about the meeting and reference the person on any of your micro-blogs or status updates such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn .
- Give recommendations to members on LinkedIn after you have worked with them enough to give a specific and valid recommendation.
- Use on-line press releases to announce significant changes or advancements to the group.
- Include a member /reference the group in a blog post.
- Using Facebook “Pages” for business allows a posting to be picked up by Google vs. your personal profile that is basically seen by only the people you have let in as friends. .
- Have a short URL for a Web page or Facebook business page for members to use when posting on micro-blogs and status updates such as bit.ly .
- Post honest and positive comments in on-line sites like MerchantCircle.com or LocalAdLink.com This can also include posting on the person’s “wall” on sites like Facebook.com, LinkingRaleighNC.com and inside919.com. (LinkingRaleighNC.com and inside919.com are in the RTP NC area, www.insideareacodes.com to find the one in your local area code. )
- Make sure you have your LinkedIn profile optimized for your target customer, and consider connecting with the people on your BNI team.
The BNI Morning Show is one of the BNI Chapters in RTP, to learn more about them go to: http://trianglebni.net
Martin Brossman is a Business Coach, Trainer and Author who integrates Social Media training and Success Coaching. He offers training for Referral group on using Social Media for Business. He is the co-founder of Professional Networking on the Web at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh. Find more info and links to Martin’s Social Media universe at www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com and find his new book “Brossman’s Social Media and Online Resource Directory for Business”. A great resource to find out more about Social Media for Business . Martin can be reach at US EST: (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com .
Understanding Linkedin for Sales Professional – Part 1
Look up your next contact on Linkedin
Last week I convinced my friend Bob of the value of using Linkedin for sales. It happened right after I saw him having lunch with John, another friend of mine. When Bob called me later to let me know that he was doing well in his new position and to make an appointment with me for continued sales coaching, I mentioned that I knew John well. I asked him if he had used Linkedin before he talked to John. Bob said no, he hadn’t. I was sitting at my computer at the time. I asked, “Did you talk about the fact that you are both big Hurricanes fans? “No, I didn’t know that,” Bob replied. Then I asked him, “Did you discuss that you both did your undergraduate work at North Carolina State University?” Again, Bob said no.”Did you tell Bob he knows your best customer, Richard Jones? Bob replied, “No, that would have been great to know, but it didn’t come up–how did you know this?” I told him I knew it because I had looked at John’s LinkedIn profile. “If you had just taken a moment before you met John to look up his Linkedin profile,” I explained to Bob, “you would know all this information and more. Also, since John posted his profile on Linkedin, it is information that he is clearly comfortable having others know, so it’s okay to mention. You could have said, ‘I looked you up on Linkedin and noticed that you are a Hurricanes Fan, or that we both went to NC State.”"Now, on the other hand,” I continued, “if he looked you up on Linkedin, he would see that you had 15 connections, that your profile says you still work at the company you left two years ago, and that you don’t have a single recommendation.” “Bob,” I said, “you’ve done your best to always sell top-quality products with a personal commitment to give the best quality support to your customers. Would you want an easy way for potential customers to see your years of experience and be able to check you out before you meet? I know you have a large number of customers that would be pleased to give you a recommendation on Linkedin if you simply asked. Bob replied, “Can we include some Linkedin training along with regular sales coaching-as soon as possible?I told him to start immediately by making sure his Linkedin profile was fully filled out and to start looking up customers before meeting them. And I noted that there’s also a large amount of information available by looking up the company that many people aren’t even using, which gives info which would have traditionally cost money or a lot of research. Several key things for a sales professional about Linkedin: Start looking up companies you are involved with, including your own. Before you meet with someone see if they are on Linkedin and review their profile. Make sure that when your future customers look you up on Linkedin, current information is there that enhances understanding and trust of you. Linkedin is a valuable tool for a successful Sales Professional and offers a great deal at the free service level.
—Martin Brossman: Success Coaching & Trainer offering Social Media, Personal Branding and Linkedin training since 2006. www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com -Martin@CoachingSupport.com (919) 847-4757 (Article re-printed from www.LinkingRaleighNC.com )
Reasons to Spend Time Using LinkedIn for Career and Business
How are you using LinkedIn?
The Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time Using LinkedIn for Career and Business
By Martin Brossman and Greg Hyer
LinkedIn is a free resource that lets you build and maintain a global and local network–a powerful tool in a world where higher transparency is required for trust. LinkedIn allows you to keep in touch with not only what people are doing but who they are connecting with. It is a social medium that is professional and businesslike. If you have not spent time with it and you care about your career and your clients’ trust, it’s time to start allotting some hours to it.
Here are just a few reasons to invest time in LinkedIn.com:
1. More than 30 Million people you can search.
LinkedIn lets you research 30 million professional people with almost 100% accuracy and gives YOU permission to know the information posted on the profile. For example, if you met someone for the first time and mentioned you saw in their LinkedIn profile that they went to the same school you went to, that would build rapport. If you gained this information from a private paid database, that might make them feel uncomfortable.
2. Free quality consulting advice.
Use the Answers area of LinkedIn to obtain valuable free information as you need it—it’s often comparable to thousands of dollars of consulting advice. One way people are motivated to give you quality answers is because they have a chance of you voting their answer to you as the most useful answer increasing their status as an expert.
3. Establishing yourself as an expert.
Receiving authentic recommendations from past or present associates and co-workers which appear in your LinkedIn profile can help position you as an expert. Of course recommendations have to be earned by quality work, generally building over time to enrich your LinkedIn presence, and are often inspired by your giving sincere recommendation to others. At the same time, answering questions offers you a further opportunity to be seen as an expert by responding to questions posed in your field. When your answer reveals your expertise, you have the possibility of being voted “expert answer.”
4. Enhancing your brand and presence on the web.
LinkedIn is a site that builds more credibility than your own website. It is well-indexed by Google. When people see a recommendation given to you on LinkedIn, they can choose to see the full profile of the person that gave the recommendation, giving it more credibility.
5. Direct introductions to a large number of quality people.
Through LinkedIn you can be directly introduced to and have access to people who may not take your call directly. By properly using LinkedIn’s direct introduction system, you can get introduced to people that you are connected to as well as people that your contacts are connected to. You can also learn who your contacts are connected to, and how they are connected. Important note: When you make the reach to contact them, always have a reason in their best interest.
6. Allowing people to prescreen YOU to build faster trust.
With higher demands for greater transparency, LinkedIn offers a credible way for your customers to prescreen you by seeing recommendations without having to bother people. This also applies for people looking for a job. People can see recommendations to you without your having to repeatedly bother your references to pre-screen you.
7. Professional groups that let you connect with a common interest.
Connect with people that share a common interest by joining a group and participating in group discussions on the group’s discussion board. There is a group for everyone, such as local networking groups like Linking Raleigh, NC, school and corporate alumni groups, or groups related to an industry or profession.
8. Providing valuable changing resources to attract multiple visits to your information.
Use the LinkedIn applications to do things like display your Wordpress or TypePad blog in your profile so that visitors can learn more about you. Add the Amazon book app so you can share with others what you are reading and recommend they read. Promote your events or find an event through the events app. Make a presentation by uploading a PowerPoint slide show about your business or even yourself.
9. The ability to recognize good people that the world can see.
LinkedIn lets you give recommendations to people throughout your entire life, and that can be a better use of your time then the usual mode of interrupting people to ask for a job or a sale. LinkedIn not only allows you to build trust and credibility with local people but people all over the world. Since you can search in your vicinity or anywhere, you can have local contacts and global ones very easily. By providing deeper information, LinkedIn can enhance existing relationships and deepen new ones. Spending some of your time appreciating good people in your life is the avenue to fostering friends and associates who care about YOU.
10. Keeping track of your direct and indirect network.
Use LinkedIn as an easy way to keep track of your contacts, their contacts, and changes in status. For example, if someone you know got promoted or received an award, this could by a way to acknowledge them for their accomplishment. You may find that a good friend wanting to help you just connected with an important person you want to meet.
Like anything in life, you do have to spend some time with LinkedIn to gain value from it. The time you spend building your profile will reap its return when you put yourself out there to expand your professional network and build your reputation through this rapidly expanding social media tool. Simply by sending and receiving recommendations, using apps, answering and asking questions, and helping others along the way, you can be remembered and made memorable by using LinkedIn. Take full advantage of what LinkedIn has provided for free and bring yourself to the forefront of a crowded room.
About Martin & Greg:
-Hello, I am Martin Brossman. As a success coach, I believe almost everyone should be on LinkedIn since it has given so much value to myself and to my coaching clients when they spend the right amount of time with it. If you Google my name in quotes, you will see the second item listed is my LinkedIn profile–all possible with the free LinkedIn service. I currently use their paid service, but that evolved after I gained value from the basic free service. (Our post above refers to all that is possible with the free service.) I have been offering group LinkedIn training in the Triangle since 2006, and in response to requests, I now offer customized LinkedIn training for individuals and small groups. My LinkedIn profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/martinbrossman
-Hello I am Greg Hyer. As a local networking advocate, I feel strongly that LinkedIn is the ideal tool and service to use to enhance your professional brand and manage your professional relationships. The benefits to using LinkedIn are significant, yet it does not require that you devote that much time to it. As a founder of a LinkedIn Group and corresponding website, LinkingRaleighNC.com, I help local professionals build a quality network and provide some resources to improve their chances of finding the connection for the next opportunity. My LinkedIn profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/greghyer
Short URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/10LinkedIn
Interviewed with Martin Brossman by NBC17 about Job Hunting using Linkedin
NBC17 interview with Martin Brossman about Linkedin and Jobs
An Interview with Martin Brossman on Using Linkedin as a Job Hunting tool. Also see other resources below.
Here is the two links to the shows:
1st the spot that was shown on the nightly news:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2951/Linked%20In%20pkg/
2nd more of the interview:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2944/Martin_Brossman_interview/
I want to thank all who recommended me for this show including Greg Hyer with the great RTP Linkedin resource: www.linkingraleighnc.com, Wayne Sutton and Chuck Hester (Linkedin Live, find Chuck at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckhester). I know their were others that recommend me as well but did not get the names.
Other resources: Professional Networking On-Line (Article on MyNC.com) :
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/Community/story/11074
Martin Brossman - Success Coach / Trainer
About Martin Brossman
Martin, a success coach, speaker, trainer and author, has been mastering the art of networking in the Triangle since 1982 ( www.coachingsupport.com ). He has originated numerous successful in-person and on-line networking groups which have facilitated meaningful business connections among members. Martin’s computer skills have powered his keen ability to create and teach crucial new Internet communications, such as blogging, podcasting and on-line networking. His own podcast show can be heard at www.InquireOnLine.info . He offers consulting on how to generate profitable alliances by maximizing face-to-face and on-line presence and managing “the conversation of you” on the Web. Also see: www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com .
For more information, contact Martin Brossman at (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com
For TinyURL to share this page using: http://tinyurl.com/5lqyyl
Job & Career resources – Using Linkedin – Martin Brossman Interview
An Interview with Martin Brossman on Using Linkedin as a Job Hunting tool. Also see other resources below.
Here is the two links to the shows:
1st the spot that was shown on the nightly news:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2951/Linked%20In%20pkg/
2nd more of the interview:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2944/Martin_Brossman_interview/
I want to thank all who recommended me for this show including Greg Hyer with the great RTP Linkedin resource: www.linkingraleighnc.com, Wayne Sutton and Chuck Hester ( Linkedin Life, find Chuck at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckhester ). I know their were others that recommend me as well but did not get the names.
Other resoruces: Professional Networking On-Line ( Article on MyNC.com ) :
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/Community/story/11074
Martin Brossman – Success Coach / Trainer
About Martin Brossman
Martin, a success coach, speaker, trainer and author, has been mastering the art of networking in the Triangle since 1982 ( www.coachingsupport.com ). He has originated numerous successful in-person and on-line networking groups which have facilitated meaningful business connections among members. Martin’s computer skills have powered his keen ability to create and teach crucial new Internet communications, such as blogging, podcasting and on-line networking. His own podcast show can be heard at www.InquireOnLine.info . He offers consulting on how to generate profitable alliances by maximizing face-to-face and on-line presence and managing “the conversation of you” on the Web – www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com .
For more information, contact Martin Brossman at (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com
For TinyURL to share this page using: http://tinyurl.com/5lqyyl
Professional Networking On The Web By Anora McGaha
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. By Anora McGaha
There’s a new group in town, for online networking; one that really helps people apply the tools of online social networking to daily business. Professional Networking on the Web. What do you know about that?
A few of you have been doing this for years, and this may or may not appeal. Maybe you like to share what you know, then you might like to participate. But for most of us, even signing up into LinkedIn, THE professional registry online, is a major leap of faith. It takes anywhere from two to ten people inviting us in before we sign on, and then, once we’re in, then what? If we have a business that is ready to go, ready to network, ready for new clients, the “Then What?” question is very important; it is the core focus of this group.
The biweekly breakfast meetings are led by Coach, Martin Brossman, and Web Consultant, Whitney Hill. They start with introductions, and a quick round of progress and successes since the last meeting. Then, down to business: choosing a person to review on LinkedIn and to help with networking. Step up to the laptop. Type in your password, and let’s go over your profile! Questions and comments come in from around the table. Suggestions are made; praise given. Then… Then, it’s time to find someone you want to meet to further your business opportunities. Who do you want to meet? CIOs in biotech? Project managers in consulting firms? Recruiters based in the Triangle?
Martin coaches the person through the search features in LinkedIn and someone is chosen from the search. Their profile is reviewed to see what they have in common. Their degree of connection is evaluated, and the people known in common looked over. Then the team offers suggestions about how to approach this person. “One of the most valuable aspects of this group is that we explore what are valid and authentic ways to approach a new contact, respecting their priorities and their time,” says Martin Brossman. “We work as a team using both in-person and on-line resources.” With that, time’s up, and one more person has gotten suggestions on their profile, and methods of finding and approaching people from LinkedIn. In the process, everyone has gained.
One of the group members, Athena Delmontie writes this: “The unique focus of using our internet connections as well as our off-line contacts is a valuable resource to my business. We not only help each other with new introductions to business but also etiquette in the on-line networking world and sharing proper application of social media for business.”
The Professional Networking on the Web group meets at the Capital Club in the Progress Energy Building in Raleigh. On the 21st floor in a spacious room with a view of the rising sun (yes, it meets early, at 7:30 am), there are breakfast choices, both continental breakfast and five cooked breakfast options for a nominal fee. The group is by invitation only, but you’re invited to request consideration to participate. Write to Martin Brossman at martin@coachingsupport.com or call 919-847-4757 to request consideration.
Republished from: http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/community/story/11074/
To see more about the group go to: http://www.coachingsupport.com/network/PNOTW.html
The Conversation Of You on the Web by Martin Brossman
The Conversation Of You on the Web by Martin Brossman
From your career to your business, it is wise to think about the current and future conversation about you on the web. When you have a talk with someone at a networking event, that conversation lasts only as long as you’re speaking and in the memory of the people who were listening. Conversations on the web that may passionately express a strong opinion in the moment may live for years, long after the opinion has faded away.
Right now you are probably on the web in some form whether you planned it or not. My invitation is to participate in the conversation that you want about yourself on the web. Trying to control everything that is said about you on the web is not what I’m talking about (and a poor use of time that would drive you crazy.) Just as speaking without thinking in public can have immediate negative ramifications personally, doing the same thing on the web can have ramifications over a longer period of time. For example, when I first started searching my own name on the web I was shocked to find an upset note complaining about a faulty product associated with my name. When I investigated further, I found out that I had actually posted the note a year ago to the manufacturer, and Google had pulled the note out of context with my name attached. This opened my eyes to the importance of paying attention to what I put on the Internet and the value of spending some time attending to that. I am not talking about falsely representing yourself on the web to look good, but I am talking about insuring that what’s on the Web represents the type of person you are committed to being. So you see, “the conversation of you” on the Web is your permanent virtual showcase, including more than just what you do or your job. It is giving people a sense of the total person, beyond a mere description attached to a job.
Just as in business networking in person, trying to be everywhere all the time does not work well. My advice about business and social networking is to start by picking one to three good networking sources. Work with them and get to know them, — even though every one of your friends may be sending you an invite to other online groups you’ve never heard of . For example, you may want to start with linkedin.com, or a local business group like inside919.com. Allot a set amount of time each week for learning about how to use it, or even go to some training on the topic. From You Tube, to blogs, to the site’s own resources, there are a lot of free educational resources on the web to help you learn to navigate wisely. Watch what others do and notice the effect it has on you, both positive and negative. Remember to use the same social skills you would have in person on the web (sometimes people forget this key point.) Don’t over-dominate one community group with listings of things you are selling. Make sure to lead with value and contribution.
Being part of networking communities on the web is as important to a business owner as it is to someone with a “career job”. The saddest thing I have seen is the hardworking employee doing their best to “take care of their family” by focusing only on doing their job. When someone takes no time to build a conversation about themselves outside the company and is suddenly laid off, it is a lot harder and more costly to market yourself for a job on the web when you are unemployed. It is a good idea to talk to your PR person, marketing person, web developer or career consultant to have these conversations aligned strategically on the web. Even if your name is not unique, you can make it stand out with quality information attached to it. Using a Blog reader or a news aggregator is a great way to keep track of many information sources in one location. Look forward to seeing YOU on the web!
At a recent event of the Business Alliance at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh NC there was a presentation on this topic by myself and several other people. Here are the contacts from that meeting; they all have good resources on their blogs:
John M. O’Connor – President – Career Pro Inc. – www.careerproinc.com – john@careerproinc.com – (919) 624-1336
Lorana Price – CEO & Creative Director – Holy Cow Branding – www.holycowbranding.com – lorana@holycowbranding.com – (919) 342-3349
Whitney Hill – President – Carolina Web Consultants – www.internetpeople.net – whitney@internetpeople.net – 919-676-7500
Frank Williams – Founder of Pioneer Strategies – www.pioneerstrategies.com – (919) 833-4345
And myself: Martin Brossman – Success Coach / Trainer / Author: www.CoachingSupport.com , Martin@CoachingSupport.com , (919) 847-4757
My podcast is: www.inquireonline.info
A New On-line Business Networking Resource – Inside919.com
If you are a business in the 919 area code, you may wonder where on-line to network. Of course linkedin.com is worth having a profile on, but I want to talk about a new one– www.inside919.com (they also have ones for all US area codes — www.insideareacodes.com – but you need to really work or live in the title-designated area code ).
It is free to join, allows you to form local discussion groups like “Triangle Business Bloggers” or “Podcasting.” It lets you list calendar events, have a blog so you can contribute useful articles, have a profile stating your business and it offers an RSS feed so you can keep up with it in your Blog Reader. By requiring you to live or work in the 919 area code and asking that people make at least one contribution a month, it keeps it smaller then the big guys offering a local connection. It was started by Pat Howlett who moved from a small town to the RTP NC area and wanted to create a small town business networking feel on-line.
My networking advice for using Inside919 is to take a little time to join it, fill out the basic profile, maybe join a few groups that are of interest and connect to some people you know. Next just check in once a week or even once a month based on your time demands and the importance of a web presence. When you check in, look for ways to help others or contribute to a conversation that is occurring in a Forum or group. If you use a blog reader then add the RSS feed to that so you can keep track of it.
I do recommend a picture and if you don’t have one you like, pay a photographer for one good one. The good photographers can offer Photoshop touch ups if that makes you more comfortable. You can find one in InSide919.com as well.
Next share the site with good local businesses you know to help them connect to others.
I like this group since Pat is a local person who truly wants to help the local business professionals and make it easy to participate. To me this can be one of the important pieces of your on-line presence and marketing plan.
Pat Howlett also is creating groups for other area codes and here is a website to find all the groups: www.insideareacodes.com
If you join www.inside919.com , look me up and say hello!
By Martin Brossman – www.coachingsupport.com – Martin@CoachingSupport.com (919) 847-4757
Are You LinkedIn?
Are You LinkedIn? Submitted by Theresa Carter – StayNTouch.biz
LinkedIn (www.Linkedin.com) is a business network that has emerged as a replacement for the old rolodex because it is online and self-managed. LinkedIn offers a much more robust way to maintain your business connections and see what they are up to. But beyond that, LinkedIn has become an indispensable tool for business introductions.
Your Profile
Before you begin looking for contacts within LinkedIn, make sure your Profile sells you! A professional picture will help people remember you, so make sure it makes the impression you’re looking for. List your current and past positions, including volunteer positions. Every position you list is another way to “link” with other people. For example, I list my position with WBON. When someone does a google search for WBON, my LinkedIn profile comes up!
Once you are satisfied with your profile, begin looking for people you already have a relationship with. The easiest way to do this is to upload your contacts from your electronic rolodex – Outlook, Yahoo Mail, etc. This upload will identify all the contacts from your rolodex who are already “LinkedIn”. Follow the instructions to “invite” them to connect with you.
As you receive emails indicating that contacts have accepted your invitation, take the time to view their profiles. Have you done business with them in the past? Can you write them a great endorsement? Do it now! Next, check out their connections. This is the fun part. People you know are connected to each other and you had no idea they knew each other. You went to the same college as someone you know and didn’t even know it!
Repeat this process with each accepted invitation and you’ll be building your network in no time. The, when you are looking for a product or service, use your network first!
Doing Business through LinkedIn
Say you’re interested in talking to StayNTouch.biz about your new product. You log into LinkedIn and search for people who work for StayNTouch.biz. Then you Figure out how you might be connected to them. Ideally the connection is just one degree away, or in other words, you know someone who knows the person you are looking to connect with directly. Then ask for an introduction. Try it now by going to my profile and checking out my contacts. Is there anyone you’d like to connect to? Ask me for an introduction.
An introduction received via LinkedIn is much warmer than a cold call, because it comes with a bit of trust. You are no longer a stranger trying to sell things that no one needs, instead you come with a recommendation from a person that the receiver knows. And even if you can’t find a path to connect to someone, sending a direct message via LinkedIn is better than sending a cold email. The reason is that LinkedIn implies business, and so the person you’re trying to reach likely is not going to be as surprised or angry about the unsolicited ping.
Submitted by Theresa Carter, WBON Membership Chair www.StayNTouch.biz – 919.369.7801 If you have any linked in questions, please email me and I’ll try to get back to you right away, but if I get a lot of questions, I may do a follow up article!
Networking, The Super Seed
Networking, The Super Seed
By Whitney Hill
CEO and Marketing Director, Carolina Web Consultants, Inc
Are you frustrated because networking to get business appears to be a waste of time? Are you networking at the right watering holes? Are you doing it the right way? Are you getting results? How often have you heard a professional who was new to networking complain that the leads group they were in was not getting them business, or that the business group they were a member of was a waste of time and money? Membership or participation in any networking group does not guarantee business unless you follow some basic principles:
1) Plant in the right field. When you get started, survey a number of different networking groups and find out which ones offer the best exposure for your business, which ones best fit with your marketing plan, and which ones compliment your personal marketing style the best. In this way you will ensure that you invest your time into the places that will yield the maximum return. Don’t make snap decisions. For example, if you are in a business to business segment and you join a leads group that is made up of consumer businesses, or if you are in the healthcare industry and you join a group with IT and communications people, you are not putting yourself into a good position for the best results to occur. Spend time to find the right networking forums for you and your business.
2) Plant good seeds. Instead of just focusing on what you can get out of the networking group, make your primary focus to look for ways to contribute to the group in the most efficient, effective manner possible. Make referrals, pass leads, make introductions, promote businesses that are in your group, share business information and take leadership roles where you are needed. The principle here is that you cannot give into a worthwhile endeavor and not get a multiplied return.
3) Tend your field. Building one on one relationships within your networking forums over a cup of coffee or a meal is where the real magic sets in. The individual relationships are the real glue of your personal network. Balance your time between establishing new relationships and maintaining your close contacts. Keep an A list of your closest partners. Maintain communication in a manner that fits your style. If you like to write then send notes, if you like to talk then make phone calls, and if you are spontaneous then send emails.
4) Do not dig your seed up. A farmer invests in seed, spends time preparing and planting, then waters and cares for the field. Early on, when nothing looks like it is happening, he does not go out and dig his seed up or move to another field, but instead waits patiently for his harvest to arrive. Networking is the same way. It will take time in most cases for you to cultivate trust and goodwill in your networking forums. Be patient and keep planting good seed. Your harvest will come, and when it comes, it will be multiplied.
5) Visit other fields. You main focus should be tending your own networking groups, but take occasion to step out and visit other ones. You can learn from other forums, make outside connections, and spread the word about your business to other professionals. Look for alliances outside of your regular networking forums. These relationships are something of value that you can bring back to your regular networking groups.
6) Be prepared for the harvest. When you start getting results, be ready to receive them. Be ready to professionally and effectively facilitate the leads, contacts, introductions, etc. that you receive.
7) Your harvest does not always come up where planted. Many times opportunities will arise from places that you did not plant. Congratulations! You are experiencing the benefits of the unseen law of sowing and reaping. This is the super seed. Receive it and do not try to figure everything out.
8) Harvest the field properly. When contacts and introductions are given, make sure that you provide feedback to the referrer on what happened. When the referrer sees that their trust in you was wisely given, they are going to feel all the more confident in sending the next referral. This feedback will encourage the referrer to send you more referrals. Rewards given in the right manner are wise. Take the referrer to lunch, give extra focus on helping them, send a note, or come up with a creative way to say thank you.
9) Evaluate your harvest and plan next year’s crop. There is a time when you need to take an honest look at your networking plan. Once a year, look at where your time and resources are being spent. Drop what is not working well, and move to a group with programs that may be more effective. Be careful how you do this evaluation. Hard metrics, like how many leads have I received, how many good contacts have I made and how many times has a relationship from this group helped me close a deal, need to be in the mix for your evaluation, but other soft indicators, like branding exposure, access to industry information and size of sphere of influence should be considered as well. These are often intuitive metrics and hard to measure, but they could be even more important to you and your business than are the concrete metrics. Changes in your business or the networking forums you are in may also dictate changes in where you spend your networking time. When you choose to leave a networking forum, do not just disappear. Exit gracefully and maintain key relationships.
In your networking, just remember this quote from the greatest networker of all time whose network continues 2000 years later, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Be a patient giver and a seed sower and watch the return come in.