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Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

What Does Your Personal Brand Sound Like?

I just read a great article from Entrepreneur, as shared here, called “7 Signs Your Personal Brand Needs Work.” All seven signs, and the suggestions offered to resolve each, are insightful and important – read them for yourself. But as is common in such analyses, there is one critical factor for establishing your ideal personal brand that is once again missing from the discussion.

It’s one thing to have consistent branding when you’re writing a blog, Facebook update or tweet, but what happens to that brand messaging when you’re talking to someone, real-time, maybe even face to face? On a very literal level, what does it sound like when you share your idea, insight and suggestion? Is it as compelling to hear as it is to read?

So many people have terrific ideas and masterful skill sets, but their ability to persuade, compel, and inspire someone just by talking with them simply falls flat. There’s something “missing” in the delivery, which can translate to something missing from their personal brand

This is the foundation of what I call alignment. Your words and your delivery must be equally strong and compelling, because your words convey your content, and your delivery conveys your intent behind the message. When both parts are reinforcing the same message at the same time, there is credibility to the whole message, and as a result, the credibility reflects back to you.

Lots of people claim that they can speak well when they have to give a big presentation or are otherwise in the spotlight, and this shows what they are capable of when they believe the stakes are high enough to warrant that kind of focus and effort. But as far as I’m concerned, your reputation is what happens in the moments when you’re NOT trying; all those little moments when you’re not in the spotlight.

For example, when you look at your own participation in generic weekly meetings, what does your participation soundlike? Ask yourself the following:

  • Do you always speak loudly enough to ensure that all people can hear?
  • Do you inflect lots of up-speak when you talk where it sounds like you’re constantly implying lots of questions and requests for validation into your speech even when you’re not?
  • Do you speak so quickly that you tend to slur some words together or mumble, making people have to ask you to repeat what you’ve said?
  • Do you give and receive constructive feedback in an antagonistic or defensive manner, or shy away from it completely?
  • Do you speak in an unnecessarily low voice without enough breath support so that your voice sounds gravelly or creaky, and you seem disinterested, tired, or not confident?

The challenge is that most of us are painfully unaware of our default speech style. We may know how we think we come across, but often the brand and reputation that we think we are building for ourselves is very different from the reality of the brand reputation we’re becoming known for.

This is why it’s critical to gain an awareness of what your “default” speech style is like in these contexts: because for the most part, that’s what people will remember and what they’ll use to form their evaluation of your credibility and leadership, not what you can do in the rare instances when you absolutely have to. After all, what’s more likely: that they frame their opinions based on the exception, or the “rule”?

When in doubt, remember: That “rule” is at the foundation of your brand.

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Do you have questions or comments about the issues in today’s post, want to know how to apply them, or how to help others with them? If so, contact me at laura@vocalimpactproductions.com or click here to schedule a 20-minute focus call to discuss them with me personally!

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Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

The Hokey Pokey for CEOS

Remember the days when we played games with abandon?

Put your right hand in, put your right hand out, put your right hand in, and you shake it all about…

No fear of looking or sounding silly, just unabashed joy at fully engaging in whatever was at hand.

You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about!

That is what it’s all about — putting at least some part of yourself in the arena —

Put your left hand in, put your left hand out, etc…

But somewhere along the way we forget to play the game the way it’s meant to be played. In many cases, we just flat out become afraid of being our true, complete selves. That annoying little voice in our heads keeps asking “what will they think if they know this about me?”

Here’s a better question to ask ourselves: “What if I were to bring all of who I am to every situation?”

Put your whole self in, put your whole self out…Put your whole self in, and you shake it all about…

What would that mean to my business success?

You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about!

For Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley, it’s all about being her authentic self, and winning new business along the way. I recently heard Harris speak at a conference in Houston and a story she told stuck with me.

She was competing for a huge piece of business with other Wall Street firms. Of course, there was a formal presentation, but it was an informal encounter with a key player that made the difference.

You see, Carla is not just a powerhouse in her industry; she is also an author, a speaker, a leader, a mother and one helluva gospel singer! I mean, really — if you’ve performed at Carnegie Hall not once, but FIVE times, why on earth would you keep that to yourself?! It’s not like Carla was planning to burst into song, but when a right moment presented itself during that informal conversation, she did, with complete joy and abandon. That one, impromptu act struck a chord with the right person — and Carla walked away with the business.

I walked away from that conference determined to do two things: 1) be ALL of who I am in every situation, regardless of that annoying little voice in my head urging me not to start salsa dancing at the drop of a hat; and 2) help my clients in the C-Suite understand the value of being their authentic selves and sharing their stories when presenting to an audience, no matter how much they might resist.

It’s really okay. Be your total, complete self. Nobody can do you, like you. And when you start to feel a little self conscious, just flash back to how good it felt to put your whole self in and shake it all about. Go ahead — do the Hokey Pokey, CEO style, and show us all what you’re about.

If you would like more information or to schedule Linda as a keynote speaker, please email info@lorellemedia.com or call 713-247-9600.

 

About the Author: Linda Lorelle is best known as an Emmy and Gracie Award- winning journalist who anchored the evening news for nearly 17 years at Houston’s NBC affiliate, KPRC-TV. The Stanford graduate is now an entrepreneur, using the art of storytelling to create compelling, original video content for clients who understand the value of owning their story. C-Suite executives who want to brush up on their presentation skills also call upon Linda to share her expertise in public speaking and help them feel more at ease.

Linda is a highly skilled emcee and panel moderator who is able to seamlessly guide a conversation around any subject matter. She also enjoys engaging with audiences on a variety of topics as a keynote speaker. The next time Linda delivers her speech, “Don’t Ever Underestimate the Heart of a Champion: A Journalist’s Journey of Loss and Transformation”, don’t be surprised if she pulls a “Carla Harris” and breaks out into a ballroom dance!

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Marketing Operations Personal Development

Six Strategies to Set Your Business Apart

It takes customer service and more for a small company to compete in today’s world of big box stores, and the same business strategies that will set a small company apart are valuable tools for a company of any size.

It is a business situation that has been repeated in towns across the country – a “big box” store comes to town and the local businesses get nervous. How can they compete with the larger inventory and lower prices of a store like Costco or Home Depot? The big stores seem to have more tools at their disposal – buying power, national advertising, etc. Local business owners can list a myriad of concerns, and while there is some truth to their fears, it is really just making excuses. There are ways small business owners can keep their customers – even attract new ones – and flourish, when a larger competitor moves into town.

The reality is that any business must consciously implement effective strategies to address competition from any new business that moves into the same market. This is true for any type of business or industry, no matter whether the established business or the newcomer is small, large, a deep discounter, whatever … the strategies are the same. And some don’t cost a thing.

Here are some low- and no-cost ideas that can help you compete:

  • Make it about more than the merchandise. You sell the same product or service as your competitor, and the competitor happens to be a “big box” store with the buying power to offer a lower price. Is it still possible to keep the customers coming through your doors? Yes! This is where customer service becomes the strategy of choice. Offering a better customer experience adds value to the product and can set you apart from the competition and free you from the commodity trap.

 

  • Or, do make it about the merchandise – the merchandise that the competitor doesn’t have. One small hardware store that happens to be just down the street from a Home Depot has found a way to flourish. They figured out what Home Depot doesn’t sell and then made sure to offer those items. Now Home Depot even sends customers their way for the products that have been so thoughtfully and purposefully stocked.

 

  • Know your strengths – and let customers know, too. Hopefully, you are known for offering good customer service, but what else sets your business apart? Why should someone do business with you instead of the competition? Figure out your advantages and then let others know.

 

  • Make it about more than the business. Lend your name to other causes in the community, be it the local, national or even international community. The company’s market will define the scope of your “community.” For many small businesses, this means taking an active role in the local community by being visible – sponsor a sports team, let a local charity hold a bake sale outside your store on a Saturday, etc. Show the community that you care.

 

  • Let your loyal customers lend a hand. Keep in touch with your customer base through a variety of ways – social media, mail, and so on – and build an army of evangelists. Engaging with them will encourage them to promote your business.

 

  • Consider a formal loyalty program. Airlines, hotels, restaurants and more use loyalty programs to offer incentives for continued business. Would such a program work in your business?

 

Whether you choose to institute any or all of the strategies mentioned here – or dozens of other options – there is one ever-present way to compete in any market. Simply stated, just deliver amazing customer service that makes the customer feel so special that he/she wouldn’t consider doing business with anyone else.

 

Shep Hyken is a customer experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession. Shep works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more articles on customer service and business go to http://www.hyken.com.

Copyright © MMXIV Shep Hyken – Used with permission.

Categories
Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

She-Conomy: A Power to be Reckoned With

 

Women executives may have a slight upper hand when it comes to marketing. Did you know that women make 85% of all brand purchases, and 70 to 80% of all consumer purchases as a whole? Unless you are marketing a product or service that is specifically geared towards men, you should always market towards the female consumer. Most women make purchasing decisions for themselves, as well as their families.

 

In 2012, studies showed that women were responsible for $7 trillion dollars of all business and consumer purchases. However, a whopping 91% of these women said that they felt advertisers didn’t truly understand them as women. This is why women executives may have an easier time understanding how to market to the female demographic. If you’re marketing to a demographic that is mostly female, having a considerable amount of women in leadership positions throughout your company will boost your success rate as well.

 

Studies have also shown that women will earn more money than men by 2028, and most family purchases aren’t finalized until they are okayed by the woman of the house. In fact, 75% of women consider themselves to be in charge of all household spending. Both women executives and male executives need to familiarize themselves with certain statistics so that your business and your brand can grow to be unstoppable together. For instance, did you know that almost 37% of all women would rather purchase a product that is environmentally friendly, while 50% wish they had more environmentally friendly purchasing choices. That’s something that can truly help market your sales to female consumers.

 

In 2012, 55% of female mother consumers said that if a certain brand or product is recommended in a review blog, they will buy it. Since 2012 the number of moms taking to blogging and social media has, of course, increased. So blogging is definitely something that will help boost and promote the sales of your brand and/or product. Most women truly value good customer service, so make sure you have an outstanding customer service team, as well as policies that cater to the consumer. If you take consumer opinion into consideration and offer great customer service, your brand and your demographic will be unstoppable together.

 

Although brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike, and Prada are popular among people that have a very padded bank account, the average women’s list of top brands looks more like this:

 

Walmart Target
Verizon EBay
AT&T Ford
Amazon.com Pepsi
McDonalds Sprint

 

When you are in a position of leadership and you are marketing your brand to women, you also have to take the average financial situation of your consumers into consideration. This is something executive women have to keep in mind. If you’re trying to market to the “soccer mom” type, an ad that is reminiscent of a Louis Vuitton advertisement isn’t going to make them feel like you understand them.

 

For example; as a woman I’ve always looked at a certain cleaning product commercial, and thought, “Oh please! Who cleans in heels?!” I was immediately turned off by that brand because I felt they didn’t really know what they were talking about. So how could I trust their product?

 

The recent presidential election in the U.S. has sparked a lot of controversy between female consumers and certain brands. Ivanka Trump is now the first daughter and she has always been a successful designer. Recently, certain stores have been refusing to sell her brand because of her father’s presidency, while others are being boycotted because they openly chose to continue carrying her line in their stores. Women have every right to refuse purchases based on a political standpoint, but how does that affect business for women in leadership?

 

If you have been thinking that making your political stance known to your consumers is a good idea as a woman in leadership, my honest opinion would be to keep business and politics separate. The problem here is no matter how you look at it you’re going to lose a percentage of your customers. Some of these brands and companies may be trying to send a different message, but the truth is the message is already clear.

 

When Macy’s boycotted Ivanka Trumps clothing line, their democratic customers were proud and overjoyed. However, they also lost a lot of customers that support the president. In fact, women all over the U.S. were canceling their Macy cards live on social media. So, the best thing to do in a leadership position is to keep politics completely out of your marketing approach. Besides, women executives should be thinking of ways that we can Be Unstoppable Together, not apart.

 

Be Unstoppable Together

 

Connie Pheiff, Unstoppable DIVA

 

Do you have questions or comments about the issues in today’s post? Want to know how to apply them, or how to help others with them? If so, contact me at connie@pheiffgroup.com or CLICK HERE to schedule a 20-minute discovery call to discuss with you personally.

Categories
Best Practices Human Resources Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

Love Endures Storms

Did you wake up this morning not wanting to face the day? Just to put 2 feet on the ground, rise up and face your obstacle, your fear, your pain takes courage. No matter what storm is circling in your life, it cannot last.

Absolutely, it is shaking you up, making you feel uncomfortable.  That feeling, the one that is stirring your soul is called LOVE, inner LOVE. When everything around you is dark, look to inner LOVE, to find the strength to endure the storm.

 

Are you facing an obstacle at the office or at home? 

We all go through storms of life to move us, put us on a new path, a

 different path or perhaps a “wake up call” for change. When you are in the midst of your storm, rise up, find that strength, the inner love and pay very close attention to the message. The storm is stirring you up like a big roar but quietly whispering a message, a gentle push toward your new awakening. Pay close attention ….Don’t Miss It!

 

Love, especially self love is the #1 Motivator in the world.  It compels you to rise to your greatness.  How you react to your storms of challenge and circumstance come from your Love Placement System (LPS) which is a belief system inside yourself that has been developed over the years. 

 

If you are faced with a challenge at the office, how you want to react is triggering you to grow and rise to your greatness.  When you feel the storm, it’s calling out to you to rise to become better.  What can you do to be a better leader in your company, or perhaps a better husband or wife at home?  It’s simple – STORMS are lightening bolts shining brightly on what needs to change.  How you quiet your storm is based on your ability to see it as a lesson and a gift.   If you practice healthy self love, you will not hit the easy button.  You will sit with your storm and receive the lesson and RISE to your greatest potential.

Don’t React!  That doesn’t calm the storm.

And, in your storm, Be gentle with yourself. You are exactly in the midst of the uncomfortable for a reason.  Give yourself 1000 reasons to hold on to your inner LOVE. The strength to endure is in YOU!  The ability to grow and evolve into your best self will only make you a better leader in your professional life and a better person for all the relationships in your life.

 

If you notice that you keep facing the same storm, then you keep missing the messages, the lessons and the gift

 It doesn’t fade ~ Not until you learn how to Love yourself enough to seek growth to become the greatest version of yourself.  GO RISE!

 

 

Spread the Love,

Debbie Forth

Love Architect, Love Coach, Speaker

C-Suite Network Advisor & Contributing Editor

Debbie@DebbieForth.com

DebbieForth.com

“Architecting Healthy Relationships from the Inside Out”

 

Since 2012, I’ve helped my clients break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back in creating the love-life of their dreams. Life’s too short to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled by one’s self — so what are you waiting for? Let me help you learn and develop better ways to handle the issues that are standing in the way of your goals. Are you ready to be held accountable to making the choices and changes to transform by falling in love with self and being ready to give/receive love to others?

“It’s with in our own stories that unlock the doors of healing for self and others.”

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Ethnic Marketing: Reaching the Jewish Demographic

Different groups of people will always need to be communicated with in different ways. Understanding cultural sensitivities and tailoring messaging to those needs is what successful marketing campaigns are made of.

A recent Forbes article, “Putting the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Through the Large Family Stress Test” pointed out the efficacy of this strategy. FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automotive) owns virtually half the US minivan market. But they’d do well to ask themselves: who is our target market?

And if they’d ask themselves that, they’d likely answer themselves this: large families. Their follow-up research would reveal that the Orthodox Jewish demographic represents a large segment of their market. Extensive research will prove this point but so will this simple experiment. Take a quick tour of a supermarket parking lot in a predominantly Jewish area and note the number of minivans present. Staggering, right? FCA would do well to nurture and market to this demographic.

Take this example of successful ethnic marketing. JetBlue ran a Passover-themed marketing campaign with a clever play on “The Four Questions,” entitled “Why is This Airline Different from All Other Airlines?” Not only was this a witty ad, but it was a brilliant marketing strategy. Here’s why: Passover is a family-oriented holiday, prime for family get-togethers and vacations, most of which require airfare. A carefully crafted, strategically timed message garners support and gains traction among its targeted demographic.

With Jewish orthodox fertility rates reaching a whopping 4.1 per family, there are opportunities for profitable gains in a wide range of markets, from clothing and toys to food and beyond. Orthodox Jews have also proven to spend significantly on clothing (especially in the holiday season), food, school, and more. For businesses operating in this space, a world of opportunity awaits.

Convinced? Ready to start your marketing campaign? Not so fast.

The Orthodox Jewish demographic a population which needs to be communicated with in specific ways and through specific mediums to accommodate their nuanced sensitivities, which is why strategic ethnic marketing is critical.

There is definitive evidence that Orthodox and traditionally observant Jews constitute an almost exclusive advertising audience – not readily influenced by so-called “mass media.” For example, Jews look askance at the prurience, violent behavior, sexual innuendo, etc. that are commonly found in the media. Accordingly, Orthodox Jews often do not obtain their information from traditional media sources which often discuss and portray these elements.

Additionally, the Jewish people have many times during the year where it is difficult to engage with them. Sabbath, Jewish holiday seasons, and festivals scattered throughout the year means marketing campaigns must be well thought out. These times also present major opportunities as they are times in which Jews make new purchases.

As such, messages to the Orthodox community must be developed in a completely different manner that is attuned to their sensitivities and target them through other Orthodox media sources.

Yitzchok Saftlas, Founder and CEO of Bottom Line Marketing Group, has immense experience marketing to the Jewish population. The team of skilled professionals at Bottom Line Marketing Group have a nuanced understanding of their needs and the market research to back it up.

Bottom line? The Jewish demographic represents an important and lucrative marketing opportunity as its rising population offers considerable power in both the marketplace and political sphere. You just need to know when, how, and why to target it.

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Industries Management Marketing Skills Women In Business

Power Speaking Skills:  Strategies to Increase Harmony in Conversation, Part 1: Tone of Voice:

In this video, Maria tells you how to increase harmony in challenging business conversations by monitoring and modifying your tone of voice.

The Successful Speaker, Inc. video series provides speaking strategies that will help you enhance your credibility and leadership presence during meetings, sales presentations, conversations with senior management, networking events, and even by phone.

The video series addresses every aspect of successful speaking, including how to sound authoritative, speak with credibility, master active listening, and engage your listeners. The videos also provide speaking strategies rooted in theatrical performance, providing tips on how to build belief and captivate your business listeners.

Categories
Leadership Marketing Personal Development

We could all take marketing lessons from Coca Cola

The name Coca-Cola is universal, one of the most famous brands ever. Even People all over the world over recognize the name and the logo. It’s a name like Kleenex or Xerox, so pervasive that the brand name becomes the generic description of a variety of items. Yet, Coke still spends millions of dollars each year marketing their soft drink. You would think for most of us wouldn’t even need to be marketed TO? When I go out to dinner and order a soft drink, I always say, “I’d like a Diet Coke.” What more can the company do to make us stop and pay attention?

The Share a Coke campaign is catching a lot of people’s eyes this summer. I first noticed the change on the cans about a few weeks ago. I’m not a coke drinker then I grabbed from a friend’s fridge said “Family” and the next one said “BFF.” I was curious what the new cans were all about so I actually went to the Coca-Cola website. Darn you, delicious soft drink company! I fell for your incredibly clever marketing ploy!

I thought the cans were cute, but then learned that the 20 oz. bottles have been replaced by names. With that knowledge, I revert back to the 7-year-old me who used to go through the bike license plate displays at the beach, desperately searching for my name. Unfortunately, I’m not likely to find my name on a Coke bottle this summer because the names on the bottles are the 250 most popular names of teens and millenials in the United States. How do I know this? I learned this fact because I wanted to learn more about the intriguing marketing campaign and researched articles about the campaign on the Internet.

The campaign was a huge success in the U.K. last summer so Coca-Cola decided to expand it this year. When you find your name, you can take a “selfie” with your bottle and share it online (the hashtag is #shareacoke, of course), or see who else out there has found your name for you? Not a teen or millennial? You can order a bottle with your name from the online store or get a customized bottle from the Share a Coke tour when your hometown is one of the 500 stops.
So, even though Coke is one of the most famous brands in the world, they have some how captured my attention enough to

  • Look at each individual can I take from the fridge
  • Go to their website
  • Desperately search for name on a bottle
  • Look up articles about the marketing campaign to learn more

What can we learn from this? The greats never rest on their laurels. Even the most famous brands in the world can get customers to examine their product more closely. We can #beunstoppabletogether.

Do you have questions or comments about the issues in today’s post, want to know how to apply them, or how to help others with them? If so, contact me at connie@pheiffgroup.com or CLICK HERE to schedule a 20-minute discovery call to discuss with you personally.

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development

Think Your Voice Sounds Weird? Here’s Why.

If you’re like most people, when you hear yourself on a recording, your first thought is, “Oh my gosh, that’s not really what I sound like, is it?” The short answer is: yup, that’s you! Here’s a bit of insight as to why, and a few tips to make sure you sound your best, no matter what kind of voice you have.

When you are listening to someone else, the “input” goes in your ear, hits the ear drum, and sends vibrations through the inner ear canal, which the auditory nerve takes up to the brain for interpretation. This is also how it works when you’re listening to yourself on a recording, which is like listening to another person.

On the flip side, when you speak, of course your own words come out your mouth and the sound goes into your ear for the same process we just discussed, but that’s only half of the input.

The other half is that when you speak, air comes up from your lungs through your throat and vibrates through your vocal cords, the “source” of your voice. But then those vibrations also ricochet off the muscles in your throat and mouth, in your nasal cavity, and create residual vibrations that hit the bones in your neck and head as well, sending their own pulses to the brain.

In essence, when you listen to someone else or a recording of yourself, you’re listening in “mono-sound,” or single track. But when you listen to yourself while you’re speaking, you’re listening in “stereo” or “surround-sound,” with a much fuller, richer sound.

So how can you ensure that everyone hears your best, most melodic voice? Here’s three quick tips that will help them hear your ideal sound.

First, hydrate. Make sure you drink enough water, because a dry throat, dry mouth and tired throat muscles don’t allow sound to flow easily. The “fine print” to this is that it also means you should limit caffeine (*gasp!*) prior to an important speaking opportunity, because caffeine is a diuretic that makes the problem worse.

Second, limit dairy. Dairy produces mucous, and mucous gives you that sensation of perpetually needing to clear your throat as well, which is an annoying habit to hear time and again in any speech, presentation or conversation.

Lastly, breathe! The way you breathe will directly affect the quality of your voice. Start with your posture. If you’re slouched in your chair, you limit the amount of air you can take in, which is the fuel for your voice. And as you run out of air, it “fries out,” with a frog-like, croaky sound. Some people also ramble on and on without taking a breath for fear that if they do, someone will jump in during that split second and cut them off. Once the air is mostly gone, if you keep on talking, that same vocal “fry” will creep in again.

Why does this matter? Because not only is it unpleasant and even annoying to listen to, but it sounds insecure, timid, and hesitant, which is a combo that connotes anything but leadership.

So remember: Drink water, limit caffeine and dairy before speaking, and remember to take enough breaths while you’re speaking. This allows you to maximize the fullness of your tone, so the voice you hear in your head more accurately reflects the voice that everyone else hears when they listen to you… and that’s a voice the projects confidence, control, poise and power.

Who doesn’t like the sound of that?

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Do you have questions or comments about the issues in today’s post, want to know how to apply them, or how to help others with them? If so, contact me at laura@vocalimpactproductions.com or click here to instantly schedule a 20-minute focus call to discuss it with me personally!

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

Networking with Confidence and Purpose (i.e. Why Networking Doesn’t Have to Suck)

I am constantly surprised by how often I’m working with clients and the issue of networking comes up. In all the coaching – and group training – I’ve done around this issue, I’ve noticed that, broadly, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who generally enjoy networking and those who loathe it. But there is one thing both groups have in common: most people don’t feel like they get true much out of the experience beyond a glass of wine or beer and a handful of business cards from people they’ll probably never see again.

One of the key reasons for this frustration is that most people fail to bring one thing into the networking event: a purpose.

When you attend a networking event, why do you go? Maybe you enjoy the social interaction, or you’re just following the conference schedule, or maybe a colleague dragged you along as a “wingman.” Ultimately, none of these approaches have an underlying purpose that would make networking valuable. So how can you make networking a useful and positive experience with actual ROI… and do it with comfort and confidence?

Networking with Purpose

A purpose should be specific, but can also be simple. For example, I might know that an HR exec I want to meet will be there, so my goal is to have two minutes of face time with her to be able to introduce myself in person, and get her to agree to setting up a follow-up conversation a few days later. Once I’ve accomplished that mission, everything else is gravy and I’ve networked with purpose.

If you don’t have something that laser-focused as your reason for going, here’s a simple rule of thumb: Networking is simply planting the seeds for a new relationship. It doesn’t have to result in an immediate financial transaction, but the purpose is to meet someone that you can then build a relationship with.

Ultimately, whether or not you become each other’s client is not the issue. The key is that you never know when there will be a reason for you to contact them – or for them to contact you. Maybe you’ll read an article that you think they’ll appreciate and you send them a link. Maybe you’ll look through their contact list on LinkedIn and see someone you’d like them to introduce you to. Or maybe they are chatting with someone else at another networking event a month later who just so happens to need your services, and they can make the introduction.

There’s a terrific book called The Go-Giver that epitomizes this perspective. It’s an easy read in parable form that you can skim in a weekend, and will clarify both how to do it and why.

Networking with Confidence

Interestingly enough, one of the biggest stumbling blocks people face is not why they should talk to someone, but simply the mechanics of how to start the conversation, much less how to sustain it.

First, it’s important to distinguish the difference between networking and small talk.
“Small talk” is simply a communication tool used to break the ice, and initiate conversation with someone new. It can be something as mundane as the weather or how slow the elevator is to a more organic offering like a compliment or asking a question about what you’re looking at on the buffet.

I’ve struck up great conversations with other women by saying, “Just wanted to tell you – I love your shoes!” With guys, tech is always an easy in-road: if he’s looking at his smartphone, try, “Hey, is that the new iPhone? What do you think, worth the upgrade?” Or, while in line at the bar, it’s an easy cause to talk about what someone drinking. “Arrogant Bastard Ale (or Cupcake Chardonnay)… that’s an interesting name! Any good?” Then it’s easy to segue with, “By the way, I’m Laura.”

Natural next-steps for the conversation include asking if it’s someone’s first time at a particular event or what prompted them to come, what they thought of the keynote speaker, what organization they’re with and what kind of work they do. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, so don’t over think it. It’s about finding common ground, and/or showing a genuine interest in knowing more about the person, and the above topics are easy and “safe” for any networking event.

Simply put, enter any networking event with purpose and the mindset of discovering some interesting new people who have the potential to create a mutually valuable relationship – of any sort. When you take this perspective, you’ll realize how valuable and easy networking can be, and you might even learn to enjoy yourself in the process!