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I was just reading some of the feedback from the 90 Day Networking Event last week.

Thanks Robert Williams from Your Brand Unleashed for this one.  Comments like this make all the hard work worth while!

“I must say, this was by far, the best networking event I have been to in quite some time. It was conducted really well, had some great speakers, and have some really great time to connect with others and also bring benefit to others. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in B2B networking to attend and find out for yourself Brenda's difference in her approach to networking. Far better than the rest! Great job!” Robert Williams Your Brand Unleashed www.yourbrandunleashed.com.au 1300 MY BRAND

 But the one I want to talk about today is this one:

 “It was a great day but I could have got so much more out of it if I had been better prepared”

 One of the biggest mistakes I see people making in their networking is not being prepared.

 So here are my top five tips for being prepared for a networking event :
(and you won't find anything about perfect elevator pitches and lots of business cards....)

Read the rest of this entry »

I tweeted this networking tip last week:

 “Set yourself a specific goal 4 each networking event you attend. Then measure your effectiveness.”

 Someone replied and said “ Love that idea but it's easier said than done, isn't it? How do you get conversations to happen as you would like?”

 What a great question!  And the answer is all in the goals you set.

Read the rest of this entry »

If the answer is NO and I think it probably is because I have been to a LOT of networking events and never met anyone wearing one, then I have to ask.. Why do so many people wear a mask on Social Networking sites?

If you are using LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter as a business relationship building tool then please don’t hide behind a mask by uploading a photo which is NOT of you or worse still not uploading a photo at all. 

How many people do you know who look like this?

Upload a quality professional photograph that reflects the business image you want to portray. 

 And on the subject of your profile photo on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter -  a few other things to think about.

Would you take your family to a business networking event?

Would you show up at a networking event in your bathers, gardening clothes, or the dress you wore to the ball last night?

Would you turn up at a networking event carrying your favourite motorbike, car, teddy bear or hat?

 If you are using Social Media as a business relationship and business development tool remember your best referral partners,clients or potential client could be watching!

Think about the image you portray, everything you say and everything you post as if you were at a live networking event with all your referral partners, clients and potential clients in the room.

Just read a great blog post “Goodbye, Facebook” suggesting that you save time and declutter by leaving Facebook.  Some great points. But here’s an alternative viewpoint.

 From a business (and even a personal) point of view Facebook is an invaluable networking tool for making new connections and keeping in touch.  The key is in how you manage your time on Facebook. 

 If you are constantly logged into Facebook, always checking updates and chatting to friends it pretty much the same thing as spending your entire day in the local coffee shop, chatting with everyone who comes in and keeping up with all the gossip, useful and NOT useful.  If you did that you would be wise to say “Goodbye” to the coffee shop.

 Instead schedule specific times of the day to spend on Facebook. Do specific activities while you are there. The GET OFF and get on with your life and your business. 

 So instead of saying Goodbye, Facebook.  Why not say “See you later, Facebook”

I was at a networking event the other day and one of the attendees exprerssed concerns at how difficult she was finding it to find new customers, not knowing where to advertise and who to create alliances with.   When we asked her who her ideal clients were she replied "Everyone" .

Therein lies the problem. 

One of the most common mistakes I see new small business owners make is thinking that they have to have "everyone" or "all business owners" as their target market. Contrary to what you may want to believe, the whole world is not your market. Even if everybody CAN use your product or service, there is a specific group with an intense need or desire for the benefits you offer.  
 Identifying your target market enables you to find opportunities and tap into them. It gives you the information needed to focus on the buyers that are interested in what you have to offer. This will save you both time and money and is absolutely critical in finding the right marketing opportunities and identifying and connecting with potential referral partners and forming powerful strategic alliances.. 

So if you are new in business, or even if you have been around for a while, if you find yourself saying "my potential clients are everyone or all small business owners, or all women..." etc.  Do yourself and your business a favour, STOP and work out exactly who your ideal client is..

How old are they?
Where do they live?
Are they male or female?
Are they married or single?
The list goes on..

The great thing is that once you have done that you will easily be able to work out where and how to advertise,  you will be able to spot other people who share that target market that you can create power alliance strategies with, and your referral partners will be able to easily recognise your ideal clients so they can refer them to you!

I was at a networking event last week and someone asked me for my business card.  Out of politeness I obliged and an exchange of business cards occurred.

All fine so far.

So how did she follow up? A “nice to meet you” postcard or letter? No. A friendly phone call?  No.  A polite email?  No.

Over the next two days I received TWO e-newsletters from that person.  Obviously I had been added to her mailing list.

I don’t know about you but I get far too many e-newsletters that I have subscribed to without receiving those that I haven’t subscribed to and have no interest in.

When someone gives you their business card at a networking event it is NOT automatic permission to add them to your mailing list. 

If you want to use networking as a direct means of growing your database here are a few legitimate ways of going about it: Read the rest of this entry »

I was talking to someone a few weeks ago who said “I’m not ready to start networking yet, I haven’t got my business cards or my brochures ready.”  Big Mistake! A month later she was still waiting. Perhaps if she had started networking BEFORE she ordered her business cards and brochures someone would have helped her find a more reliable supplier.

Also how much other helpful and completely free advice could she have collected before her business really started?

Don’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row before you start business networking. Networking isn’t (or shouldn’t be) just about canvassing for new clients.  Networking is about working together to help and support one another.  Why not use that help and support to get those ducks all lined up instead of trying to do it alone?

What have been your experiences of networking before you felt you were really ready or did you wait till you had all your ducks neatly lined up?

 If you’re looking for a business network that focuses on how members can help one another and not on trying to sell to one another check out SMART Networking Forums. SMART Networking Forums are the result of what over 500 small business owners said they wanted (and didn’t want) in a networking group.

I don’t know about you but I don’t give referrals lightly. After all if I refer someone to another business I am putting my reputation on the line. I have to know you, trust you and have complete confidence in your ability to deliver to the highest possible standard before I will refer my friends, colleagues or clients to you.  

So I am constantly surprised when I hear people at networking events asking other attendees they have never met before to refer business to them.

Please if you want referrals, take the time to build a relationship. Get to know one another.  Focus on ways that YOU can help the other person. Work at becoming a trusted resource and advisor. Show that you are worthy of receiving referrals before asking others to trust you with them.

Let’s face it no-one goes to a networking event to be sold to.

When was the last time you heard someone at a networking event ditch their pitch and instead stand up and say.. I’m looking for a top quality widget seller. Can anyone recommend one? 

It doesn’t happen does it?

I don’t know about you, but if I’m in the market for a something and I am looking for a referral here’s what I do:

1.  I ring or email people who I think may be likely to know and whose opinion I respect to ask if they can recommend someone.

2.  I ask for recommendations through social media (well I suppose that’s pretty much like standing up at a networking event)

3.  Then if all that fails I search on Google and try and find one of those websites with endorsements from previous clients. Got two tradies that way last week. It worked like a charm and they both turned out to be fantastic. 

What I DON’T do is go to a networking event to listen to a heap of elevator pitches from people I have never met before in the hope that one of them will turn out to be selling what I am looking for. Do you?  If so there are hundreds of small business owners delivering their pitches every day at networking events who'd LOVE to meet you.  They might be able to make a sale.

So why do those people persist in delivering elevator pitches at networking events?  We’d be much better of saying what we are looking for or what we are facing a challenge with and seeing if anyone can help.  Try it sometime. You may be pleasantly surprised with the result.

Love to hear your thoughts?

 Want to be part of a networking group where elevator pitches are banned and everyone is there to help one another?  Check out SMART Networking Forums.

The Ideal Networking Group Revealed

What’s popular and what’s not for small business owners looking for networking opportunities? And what are the key factors small business owners consider when evaluating a networking opportunity? 

That’s what we set out to find out in our recent Networking Survey.  

If you’ve been in business for a while you’ll already know how many different networking opportunities there are out there.  Here are a few of the most common models you are probably familiar with: 

• Closed Referral based Networking Groups like Business Networking International (BNI) with regular (typically weekly) compulsory meetings and only one member from any profession in each Chapter.
    
• Informal networking events, a bit like a cocktail party where everyone mixes and mingles freely. Sometimes there is a speaker and sometimes not.
    
• Speed Networking events. A lot like speed dating.  You have a limited amount of time (typically 2 or 3 minutes) to introduce yourself to another attendee before a bell rings and you move on to the next introduction.
    
• Meal time events with a speaker. Attendees all sit at tables over the course of a meal and listen to a speaker.  Networking opportunities typically limited to other people at your table and informal networking before and after the event.
    
• Structured,meeting style events where all attendees have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the other attendees in a structured format.
    
• Facilitated networking where a facilitator uses some form of process designed to help introduce and connect attendees in an easy and unthreatening manner.

 So what’s hot and what’s not?  Here’s what our 500+ survey respondents told us. Read the rest of this entry »