| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Networking Events - Lose the Fear and Gain the Benefits
"Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking events? I hope not because I hate them." No, of course you don't have to go to them. You could stay home or sit in your office. But if you choose to not go, you won't have the chance to learn something, to help others, to get new ideas, maybe generate some new Clients, and yes, meet new people. "But Kevin, I don't do well at these events, I am too self conscious and besides, you know I am shy." It is true, some people aren't as outgoing as others, but I highly doubt that anyone reading this is a hermit. We all like to be around people. As for the self conscious part, well, that is what the rest of this article is about. Read on. I hear all sorts of excuses for not going to networking events: "I already know all those people." "I have other things to do anyway." "Everyone there is in a clique - I won't have anyone to talk to." "I hate those things." "I get scared." "I don't know what to wear." "I don't know what to say or talk about." That's right - they are excuses, or they are based on misinformation about what networking is or can be. You will have the most fun and gain the most from networking opportunities when you stop worrying about yourself, what you are going to say and what you are going to wear. (Here's a hint, no one really cares what you are wearing, as long as your clothes don't stand out as too casual or too flashy - get dressed and get over it.) Networking is about forming relationships and forming relationships works best when you remember Dale Carnegie's admonition, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." Rephrased by Kevin for networking success - be interested, not interesting. Once you understand that networking events are about meeting and learning about others and their interests and activities, rather than trying to perform (or remember our ever- important 30 second statement of what we do), many of the excuses above go away. Be interested - ask questions about people's business, how they got involved, what sets them apart, what they love about it. Ask about their perfect Client, their interests and their family. As you listen see what connections you can make for them to help them reach their goals. By being interested we lessen the fear concerns. By being interested we become less self conscious. By being interested we form relationships. Being interested means remaining interested and following up with people afterwards. If you promised to get them someone's phone number, the name of that book you are reading, or introduce them to someone, do it right away. You will be seen as a person of your word, but you will reinforce your interest in the other person. While it may sound paradoxical, by being interested in others, they become more interested in our success and us as well. You will have created a double win - you will gain from the networking experience as much or more than you gave, all because you gave first. It all starts with being interested. Invest in your success by investing first in others. Try it soon - go to that networking event or cocktail party or social mixer on your calendar. Try my simple rule as a test, even if you aren't completely convinced yet. I'll be interested to hear your results! p.s. If you have a success story to about of being interested vs. interesting, send it to Kevin at: Kevin@KevinEikenberry.com and receive a list of creative networking ideas collected from a recent session I led. Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Kevin publishes Unleash Your Potential, a free weekly ezine designed to provide ideas, tools, techniques and inspiration to enhance your professional skills. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/current.asp to read the current issue and subscribe.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
So What Do You Do? Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at some point in the conversation, the prospect will ask you, "So what do you do?". In most cases, you will only have 60 seconds, to catch the interest of the prospect. How to Booste Your Profit Quickly There are so many competitions by running business. So you must do something in a smart way. Open Doors by Building Relationships "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get others interested in you." - Dale Carnegie -"The same could be said for increasing your professional network. The Key to Success Good business is about communication.. Your Plan For Marketing Success The most important, yet overlooked aspect of marketing is an actual written marketing plan A business simply cannot succeed without marketing. Whether you are a one person business or have 50 employees, you simply must have a marketing plan to succeed. Practical Advice to Generate Successful Campaigns Using Merged Lists You could end up with poor results when designing a direct mail campaign that combines your inhouse list with one or more rented lists. Merging lists generates a set of conditions that you may not have thought about at the conception stage. You Must Get Going If You Want To Get Growing For many of service-based businesses out there, it's not that you don't know you should be marketing or don't want to get better at it. It's just that you don't. What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business? Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that only a few select people know the secret too. In fact if you look at the entertainment industry you will find some of the best models to follow. Using Purchased Leads A little advice about using leads that you purchase from another source;These are not opt-in leads per-say, that you have gathered using lead capture pages.They might join your list, but initially this is a whole different animal. Reinventing The Wheel Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's what made us superior to animals and prove that we are the dominant species of this planet. Getting More From Your Customer We are all customers of one product or another. How is it we always seem to buy or shop from the same place? What is it that these businesses do to keep us coming back and buying from them? A large portion of the selection process that a customer goes through is done through advertising - attracting and reminding customers through promotions. Marketing Secrets #101- Your Most Important Sale Which sale is the most important one you will ever get from a client?I'll bet you're thinking it's your first sale with a new client. Well, it's not. Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Power of Freebies - Part 2 In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why giving stuff away is a great tactic for filling your pipeline.Now let's take a look at the kind of things you may want to give. Developing A Focused Marketing Strategy You want all of your marketing messages to have a single focus, so they pull together instead of competing with each other. Great! So how do you come up with one?First, there are several things you need to know. Six Secrets to Creating Successful Tourism Marketing, Websites, Ads, Tradeshow Booths, & More If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and sales without a lot of effort and expense, then read on and prosper. You are going to learn the power and impact of the written word. Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. Attract More Clients by Raising Your Profile One of the most common issues I'm asked about is how to raise the profile of a business to attract more clients.This is an important issue no matter how small or large your business may be. How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common? How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common?Now before you decide I've gone totally bananas, there is a connection between these two subjects but it's not perhaps obvious straight away.For most - men anyway - they learn how to do one of these before the other. The Greatest Business Tips are FREE The best way for someone to hang on to a tip is on a business card.Do you remember seeing the TV commercials of OSH Hardware stores, the ones where they give out time saving tips on things like squeaky floors and a host of other common household problems? The tips are well received and they are getting their name associated with "the answers are out there". Encouraging Contact The small time promoter has to work hard and on a shoestring to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth and media name checks are some of the tools promoters use to fill small venues or club nights.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
