Ways to Make Connections

 Are you new to the Valley and/or looking for a way to
 establish your business and build your client base? Here
 are a few tips that might help you get started.

 1. Take a class just for the fun of it. During the natural
 flow of conversation with fellow students, you can educate
 and inform them about your business.

 2. Start a social or business group. Looking for women
 clients? Start a women's group. After the fitness crowd?
 Start a running group. Etc., etc.

 3. Teach what you love! Design a continuing-ed class.
 Look for opportunities at the local colleges, parks
 department, senior centers, YMCA/YWCA, libraries, and
 non-profit organizations.

 4. Get out there and speak! Volunteer as a speaker at a
 group your ideal client attends. There are hundreds of
 groups around the Valley, almost all of which are in
 constant need of speakers/presenters and would welcome
 your expert knowledge.

 5. Network in a bowl. Buddy up with the owner of a shop
 that your ideal client visits frequently, and offer a free
 giveaway for anyone willing to drop their business card
 into a bowl.

 6. Visit a few networking and/or women’s groups. There’s
 no shortage of groups in metro-Phoenix for every type of
 business. Women’s groups are particularly plentiful. See
 the “Networking” page for specifics.

 7. Contact your local chamber of commerce. Chambers of
 commerce are a great way to network and grow your
 business.

 8. Find a national group for your industry. While there may
 not be a local chapter in the Valley, a national group can
 put you in touch with others in your industry who do live in
 your area.

 9. Check out association lists on the Web. Many industries
 have associations which have newsletters, regular
 meetings, and their own specific networking avenues.

 To make quick work of researching associations, visit your
 nearest public library to use their online subscription to the
 Gale Encyclopedia of Associations. It’s cost prohibitive for

 private citizens, but an essential research tool for:

   - Anyone seeking contact names, membership  
     information, phone/fax numbers of associations

   - Marketing professionals researching special
     mailing lists and target markets or identifying 
     associations and related conferences

   - Journalists needing to identify and interview 
     experts in particular fields

   - Corporate librarians locating associations for
     membership opportunities

   - Human resource professionals recruiting 
     personnel to fill jobs in specialized fields

 With more than 140,000 descriptions, the Gale
 Encyclopedia of Associations database is the most
 comprehensive source for local, national, and international
 associations, containing the equivalent of 13 printed
 volumes from Gale Research.

Everyday Networking Scenarios

 You're having your usual Saturday morning  
 chai tea at an unnamed coffeehouse, when 
 you notice that you and the person sitting a 
 the next table are reading the same Wall 
 Street Journal story...

 You're in line at the bookstore and you 
 notice that the guy in front of you is buying a 
 book about marketing for the small-business 
 owner...

 You're in line a the grocery store and one of
 the tabloids has another cover article about
 Donald Trump and "The Apprentice." The guy
 ahead of you hears you mention it to your
 17-year-old son...

 The bank teller sees your business name on
 your deposit slip and asks you about it...

 You are getting your hair cut/curled/colored
 and the stylist asks you what you do for a
 living...

 You are doing your best to entertain yourself
 at your spouse/partner's boss' daughter's
 wedding, and you strike up a conversation
 with the photographer, who also happens to
 be a master Web designer...

 You're staffing the dunk tank booth at your
 child's school carnival with two other
 parents...

 It's intermission during a play/ballet/other
 cultural event. You notice a parallel between
 the storyline and an experience in your 
 business. Than man sitting in front of you hears
 you discussing this with your date...

 The plumber/electrician/cable guy/phone
 installer comes to your house and has to
 walk through your home office to do their
 job...

 You join a new softball/darts/bowling/
 racquetball/Rock-Paper-Scissors league...

 You're in the waiting room at the dentist/
 pediatrician/mechanic/DMV with three other
 equally bored people...

 You're the co-chair of the raffle committee fo
 your civic/religious organization, and it's your
 job to go out into the community to round
 up gift donations...

 You're on vacation in San Diego and one of
 the other guests at your hotel notices your
 cool logo and business name on your golf
 shirt...

 You're on a flight from O'Hare to Sky Harbor
 and wind up sitting next to a VERY chatty old
 lady...who brags to you  about  her very
 well-connected granddaughter...

Want to Make an Impact 
as a Connector?

Be awake.

Be beautiful, inside and out.

Be confident.

Be courteous.

Be daring.

Be energetic.

Be an example.

Be friendly.

Be funny.

Be genuine.

Be grateful.

Be honest.

Be in the moment.

Be interested.

Be interesting.

Be knowledgeable.

Be lovable.

Be loving.

Be pleasant.

Be purposeful.

Be of service.

Be on time.

Be of value.

Be YOURSELF.

by Laura Orsini

Virtually anyone who's an entrepreneur does some sort of networking to build their business. If you've been at the networking game for a long time, but you're finding that no matter how many events you attend or people you meet, networking is just not working for you, it’s probably you. That's right - it's probably you. You're not attending the wrong events, meeting people who just don't need your product or service, or simply having a run of bad luck. Those things could be a small part of the problem, but if, generally speaking, networking does not work for you, it's probably you.

That might be a tough pill to swallow - your networking isn't working because of something you are doing or not doing. It's OK. First, know you are not alone. For some individuals, meeting people is easy; for others of us, we'd rather have dental surgery than show up at another event, where we stand around with a drink in our hands looking for someone who looks he least bit friendly. Second, understand that you can learn to be a better networker. But in order to do that, it is imperative that right this minute you get out of that victim mentality that’s been allowing you to believe (i.e., justify) that it’s all someone else’s fault.

There ARE things you can do to become a better networker. You have one of two choices: (1) you can master theses skills,  or (2) you can stay home and wonder why your colleagues are getting all the business.

What are the FIVE greatest keys to successful networking??

1. SELECTIVITY Be selective about the events you attend. Hitting every event (also known as being a netwoking whore) is not necessarily the key to effective networking. Detemine the kinds of people, business owners, or industries that would be a good match for your product or service, and find out where they meet, mix, and mingle. 

2. INTENTION — Set an intention before every event. Visualize the outcome, and let it be people-oriented, as opposed to money- or business-oriented. And if you have any hestiation or resitance about the event - that is, if you don’t want to go - stay home! People can feel your energy!  There's nothing worse than feeling obligated to entertain the complaints of someone who's cranky because they attended an event they — and everyone else — would have been better off if they'd skipped.

Set an intention about the kind of networker you want to be remembered as.

We've all met a few people who could use to brush up on their networking etiquette. These are just a few of the networking styles you don't ever want to have used to describe you:

• The Entertainer — This person must be the center of attention at all times The never enter a room unnoticed - when they arrive, they make sure everyone knows they have arrived. They talk at great length about themselves, their fascinating hobbies and pursuits, their thriving businesses, their globetrotting son, their Ph.D. daughter, their cute little dog, their powerful speedboat, their fahb-U-lous neighbors, their oh-so-well-run HOA of which they are the president, their upcoming African safari, their very important positions on various boards of directors, the speech they gave in Cannes last week, their burgeoning portfolio, their...

• Grand Inquisitor — This guy hammers others at events with rude, impertinent, or irrelevant questions. No probing is too personal, and he will turn any affront you may take at his boorishness back around on you. He has a commanding presence, but is unaware of the subtleties of interpersonal relationships. If this guy is in sales, he is King of the Hard Sell.

• The Mystery Man — This individual is not quite sure what he does, what he offers, or why he’s in business. He's quiet, unobtrusive, and you will miss him completely unless you accidentally trip over him on your way back from the bar. He's the nicest guy, but no one ever gets to know how nice he is because he can't keep anyone interested long enough for them to learn anything about him. Sherlock Holmes would have a tough time figuring this guy out.

• The Card Dealer — We've all met this gal whose only expertise seems to be the Business Card Shuffle. She throws her card at every person she meets, whether or not they are interested - usually before she even asks their name, if she ever gets around to asking at all. For this person, networking is just a numbers game. All she's got ot do is get her card out there to 250 new people per week, and then sit back and wait for the phone to ring. "Damn - why isn't my phone ringing?"

On the other hand, there also are people who have such grace and finesse that we surely wish we could one day become nearly as skilled as they are at people-meeting. A few networking styles we can all aspire to:

• The Hostess With the Mostest — This outgoing person knows how to make even the most wilted wallflower feel welcome and important. She genuinely cares about people - she makes it a personal mission to see that everyone who attends an event has a good time- whether or not she's actually hosting the event. She knows  learn how to give a sincere compliment that will make anyone feel instantly more confident and special.

• The Storyteller — This person can engage almost any crowd with their knowledge, charm, and wit.  They always have an interesting story at the ready that, while entertaining, is never self-aggrandizing or simply for show. The have learned that telling a story that others can relate to will get and keep people’s attention — and prompt them to ask more questions.

• The UN Ambassador — This person is a diplomatic wonder. They are very well-connected, and they use their seemingly encyclopedic knowledge about their friends', colleagues' and associates' businesses to continually introduce people to one another, building bridges between individuals who might never otherwise meet.

• The Investigative Reporter — This individual knows how to dig beneath the surface to get to really know people. They usually have more personal knowledge about others than their colleagues (e.g., birthdays, who's sick or just had a new baby, etc.), not because they're nosy, but because they're genuinely interested. They understand the truth in the truism that people do business with those they know, like, and trust. Their secret weapon is ICE. 

I = investigate
C = celebrate
E = equilibriate, meaning we’re all equal, so treat everyone — whether famous or simply members of the support team — equally.

[Acronym courtesy of Adora Spencer, the Celebrity Connector.]

3. CONNECTION — You must have the willingness & ability to create a meaningful connection with others. Anyone who approaches networking simply as a numbers game (if I pass out and collect 50 cards...; if I can generate a dozen warm leads; if I can schedule five appointments) is missing the  point. Who attends networking events? People do! With whom do we do business? We do business with people. If and when you begin making your connections with people the focus of your networking, you will begin to see positive returns on your networking investments.

4. CONSISTENCY — Many novice networkers (and an unfortunate number of networking veterans) attend new networking events or try out new groups, never to return. Ask them why, and they say trite things like, "I didn't get any business." "No one talked ot me." "It's a big clique - they don't like strangers." And then they never go back again, and write that group or event off as another failed attempt. Networking successes don't happen in a box, and networking doesn't pay off instantly. It's about building relationships - and building relationships takes time, just like it takes time to grow a garden from seeds. Sow your seeds networking seeds well, and you will have a bountiful harvest. The fact is, it's not until you attend any event regularly enough that you are missed when you’re not there that you actually know the people well enough for them to want to do business with you.

5. FOLLOW UP — Nothing, absolutely nothing, is likely to come of all your networking efforts if you don't follow up. Some people are stunning with their follow-up skills, while others of us shuffle the stacks of business cards we collect, thinking that someday we'll get to them. The best idea is to develop a follow-up system. Some sort of planned response effort that guarantees that you get back to the people you've met so that you can develop those chance meetings into relationships. As a rule, e-mail is good. A hand-written note is better. A phone call is even better still. But absolutely nothing beats an in-person meeting.

A Few Final Tips

Never assume someone can’t help you, can't be of use to you, or isn’t worth your time to get to know. You have no idea  who your UPS driver’s other clients are, who (s)he’s married to, or who his/her neighbors are. Get to know the people first, so that you can develop a relationship. You'll be amazed at the results. 

If you’ve screwed up — or if there’s someone in your circle who has offended you in some way — be the bigger person air your differences. Isn’t one uncomfortable conversation easier than ducking, hiding, and avoiding that person forever??

Remember, networking is not reserved for events that call themselves networking functions. Successful networking can and does take place ANYWHERE!!

PLEASE FEEL FREE to REPRINT THIS ARTICLE, provided you MAKE NO CHANGES and attach the following bio:

Laura Orsini is a savvy networker and book consultant who specializes in helping self-publishing authors, speakers, and coaches to think like marketers. Follow her book marketing blog for great tips on becoming a Savvy Book Marketer.