Just on the heels of my last post about networking I have to hop on here and tell you about one of the worse networking experiences I’ve had. Last night I attended my monthly Savor The Success networking mastermind. It is something I look forward to every month. Full of quality women with amazing character and good insight. Angela Jia Kim’s motto is “give, give, get” and she pours so much into this organization that I can’t imagine how she recovers each month.
Last night there was a panel of 3 social media experts discussing LinkedIn and Pinterest. What was great about this panel is that they gave such amazing insight into these two platforms. We all know a lot already about Facebook and Twitter… but not so much so about LinkedIn and Pinterest. The panel was amazing. Fortunately for me, I was in the third row, so I was near the action.
Unfortunately for me, there were two ladies in the row right in front of me that were whispering the ENTIRE time. They were so distracting to the ladies in my row. The speakers didn’t have microphones, the room was big, so we as attendees were already focusing majorly to make sure we didn’t miss even one golden nugget shared from the stage.
But these LADIES!!! It was so awful to be behind them. At one point I leaned over and told them that their chatter was very disruptive to the rest of us. Etiquette when you’re out and about is such a reflection on your brand values. They must know better? AND… get this, one of the women actually works in branding! Just last week I even passed her information over to a friend needing her services. I’m trying not to judge and regret that decision but the constant chatter of two women in a silent environment where even the moderator had to call them out and request that they keep the chatter down has me rethinking things.
When you’re out networking please save the chatter for the mixer and as much as you love or loathe what’s being shared from the stage please remember that whispering and chatting is not only rude and unprofessional, but it just might turn some future business away from your doors.
Have you ever had a nightmare networking experience? What happened? How did you handle it? Share in the comments below:
-Beatrice
I was speaking to a friend recently who told me she wasn’t meeting any new people to expand her community and that her business was stagnant. I found this surprising, because we live in New York City. There are millions of people here. And millions upon millions within a 50 mile radius so I asked her “where do you network?”
She named 3 groups.
WOW.
And amongst those 3 groups there are just 2 that have at least once-monthly meetings.
I told her the problem wasn’t those organizations, but that she simply wasn’t putting herself out there to meet new people. I don’t think networking is a time to hop into an event and try to “get” a client so much as to establish a trusting relationship with people who know other people that you can serve.
If you’ll recall, I have a 3-2-1 plan for visibility that I follow rigorously every month. The “3” part of that formula is three networking events each month. To make sure I’m always meeting new people I make sure that at least one of them is a group that I don’t frequent often. I have a list of 20 organizations that I can learn from and that have the type of people that my community thrives on. People like YOU.
Here’s what I’d like you to do if you think you’re stagnant in business too and if you’re needing to up the ante:
1) Make a list of 2o networking organizations in your region. Use Google, Meetup.com, Eventbrite, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other online directories to find this group
2) when you review the group, make sure they are having a meeting at least once every two months. If they are not having in-person meetings that often, make sure they have frequent online engagement, and an in-person meeting at least once a quarter. I found that organizations that don’t do at least this don’t have enough strength to build a community
3) Go through each of those organization’s calendars and book out your networking meetings for the next 2 months. That means you’ll have 3 events each month. Make sure at least one of them becomes your “recurring entourage”
4) Attend each event with a goal to really connect and build a relationship with 3 people. You only need 3 quality conversations to make networking work on your behalf. Have business cards for others that you meet, but BUILD with about 3.
5) Add your 3 new friends to your contact database, and start to build and follow-up with them within 2 days of the event. This extends the conversation and gives you an opportunity to really connect.
I’ve used this simple formula for networking for 3 years and I get clients out of the blue as a result of it. If you think there just aren’t any groups near you, think again. Look for associations, chambers, etc. and you’ll start to see opportunities to network and grow all around you.
-Beatrice
P.S. If you’re in the New York area and want to know who’s on my list of 20 make a comment below. If I get at least 10 responders below I’ll share my secret stash
Innovation and growth are key signals that your brand will never reach a plateau. If your business goal is to multiply your success this year (financially, or otherwise) one of the most reasonable ways to that is to innovate in your industry and to do that you need to break out of your comfort zone. It’s easy, or at least, not very challenging, to keep your business the same… whether that’s within a small radius of where you live or doing the same work that you’ve done for years. Now is a great time to change that.
One way to break out of your zone by looking for opportunities to expand your business in a new area. Does that sound scary to you? It actually may not be as scary as you think. You can start slowly. You don’t have to launch a full marketing campaign in the new area for it to be effective. You can start off with little things, perhaps the next time you’re traveling for fun or business you can arrive a day or two earlier to your destination and attend another group’s networking meeting.
My husband Darren and I did this many years ago. We attended a Meetup group in Nashville and as a result we made some great friends and were even invited to an exclusive concert, complete with back stage passes and all, simply because we dared to show up and get to know a new group. It was fun, we made amazing connections and have memories for a lifetime.
And speaking of networking, it’s also a great idea to break out of your network by looking for communities that have synchronicity with your brand, but who you don’t serve directly. This is what I like to call inspiration parallels. You look for groups that could benefit from your service, but who, for whatever reason, you generally don’t connect with, or who don’t know about you or your service or the benefits you can deliver to their lives. It’s a lot of fun to show others what you can offer to improve something within their lives or give them a way to achieve their goals quicker. Consider these groups your “Power Partners” and never stop looking for opportunities to expand the circle.
Lastly, to truly break out of your comfort zone look for gaps in your industry that others have been hesitant to fill. One of of the ways that I’ve done this in my own business recently was with the introduction of my Brand Management Program. There’s been a gap for this in the small business sector and I saw that I could alleviate this struggle. Clients have been eager to sign up and I enjoy the work that we do.
I’m sure there are ways in your own industry that unmet needs can be served as well. Break out of what’s expected and see what breaking away from the comfort zone will do for your business. Ready to break of out your comfort zone? Brand Excitement can help. Schedule a free discover session and we can explore your next steps together?