Networking Skills (Part 2)

Thank you to those people who have emailed me directly since I began this Networking thread, it certainly seems to have struck a chord. Please keep your feedbacks coming, my email address is listed and I'm always happy to hear directly from you. You may have also noticed you're now able to leave thoughts, questions and ideas at the end of each post. This is a new addition to my Blog, so please also make use of this facility. I promise, your questions and feedback here will be an inspiration to other readers, and for that I thank you in advance.

So, the next step towards improving your networking skills; and something most of us have, EMAIL.

Who have you met with, been interested in, or inspired by at a networking event or meeting – or even better they've said how they'd like to keep in touch with you, but then for whatever reason it just didn't happen? I know this happens with the business card collectors amongst us! A good intention can so quickly become an overwhelming pile of never followed-up leads.

So now here's the thing; you need to get back in touch with them. Put together an email, or better still a letter that re-establishes the connection. Remind them where you met and what you talked about - and if you can't remember simply be honest and say something along the lines of 'I know we've met in a business networking situation recently/or not too distant past…'

Honesty, even when you may have been remiss in keeping touch, is such a refreshing and attractive characteristic. Use it, and immediately you set yourself apart.

Be prepared to follow up with another email/letter/or telephone call if they haven't responded within a week or so, and if they ultimately choose not to reconnect at least you gave it your best shot.

My personal experience has usually shown that for every one person that doesn't get back to you, two or three people will; and in business that's a great result!

Get to grips with your email follow-ups, and I'll Blog again in a few days with the next step to build better networking results.

Top Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

This is a ‘cut & paste’ of the reply I just posted on Linked-In, it’s part of an excellent thread by my friend Bev James, MD of The Entrepreneurs Business Academy. If you want to follow and/or contribute to this or other threads sign up or go to your Linked-In.

Here are my top tips for young entrepreneurs…

1. Have a 'magnificent obsession.' Top entrepreneurs are usually pretty obsessive about their goal, whilst they measure, research, plan etc, they come from a place of 'how can I make this happen' rather than 'what if this doesn't happen'.

2. Assemble a power team. As Anthony Robbins says, 'no man (or woman) is an island' - we will never be as successful alone, as we could have been with a team around us. Great entrepreneurs inspire others. They give hope and a chance to ride along with 'the dream', and because entrepreneurs exude enthusiasm and focus, they attract fellow experts, making assembling the power team possible.

3. Keep on, keeping on. Successful entrepreneurs stay the course; they don't give up. If a plan doesn't work, they examine what happened, make adjustments, and get back on with the journey. As a jet flying between New York and London (granted, not this week...), off-course 80+% of the time contently resets the flight plan whilst keeping focus on the destination, so an entrepreneur takes action, makes adjustments, and keeps his/her eye focused on the target.

How Good Are You At Networking

How good your network is, and how much time and energy you invest in it, will undoubtedly have an effect on the success of your business.

No matter where you are now, over the next few Blog posts I want to run through some of the fundamentals of how to build, nurture, and grow your ideal network.

To be honest with you, the first (and worst) networking strategy I had was to join Chambers of Commerce and Business Link for London, attend their events, stick on badge at reception, grab a glass of wine and a plate of food, and then hide in the corner!

Eventually I graduated to being able to mix. In fact I became a serial mixer, collecting business cards – hundreds of them – and piling them up with all the other unused business cards I'd collected along the way. Or even worse, SPAMMING contacts, trying to sell regardless of what they'd said, did or didn't want when I (obviously) hadn't listened to them at the original networking event.

Does any of this resonate with you? Or even if it doesn't, if you're at the beginning of your networking journey, the up-and-coming Blog posts will be useful, and may well save you spending so much time getting low, or no results from your networking endeavours.

The upside? Networking can be fun! Business should be fun!! We live in a world of more than 6 billion people, we're sociable creatures, and so interacting with some of those people in a subject we're passionate about (our business) should be so easily a win-win situation. Check in the next time and grow your networking results now.

The Next Level: Giver’s Gain

As regular readers will know, for me this year is all about how I can take my business to 'the next level.'

'The next level', whilst powerful, is a generic phrase, and as anyone who's worked with me or has experienced coaching will know it's about being specific. So, to clarify; I'm talking 're-invention', or even better 're-evolution'. I call this being switched on, listening to the changing world and the requirements of the markets and our present/future client base.

One of the greatest lessons learnt from my time with Anthony Robbins Companies a few years ago was about the importance of team, and understanding we will never become as successful alone as we could be as part of a team.

Add to this what Brian Tracy refers to as our 'reference group', the group from which we soak-up and share values, beliefs, adventures, success, and even failure – and then what we do as a result, is fundamental to business success. If we want to raise our standards, improve performance; achieve better business results then we should begin by upgrading our reference group.

This year I'm actively looking to meet some more fantastic, motivated, inspirational, and intelligent new people into my reference group.

Enter BNI 'Riverside' in Putney. Each Tuesday for the last month I've been soaking up their energy and enthusiasm at their breakfast meetings – and believe me, this group of 42 plugged- in, focused business professions can really take the energy and ideas to the next level at 7am like no other!

The one great lesson I've been reminded of and that they've evolved my understanding into so far is the BNI founding principle of 'givers gain' – the belief that 'if I give business to you, you'll want to give business to me'. Of course, we're talking about qualified referrals, which takes the whole 'reference group' to another level.

Over the coming weeks and months I'll be learning, exploring, and implementing.

Watch this space!

Major Definite Purpose

Knowing what your major definite purpose is immediately separates you, makes you stand out, and rise above the competition - and in the world of business that's essential.

Complete this **FREE** exercise and decide your major definite purpose for 2010.

1. Write a list of 20 goals you want to achieve during the next 12 months.
   
2. For the next week add supporting evidence and information for each goal.
   
3. In a week's time pick one goal from your list to really run with and commit to for the next 12 months – the one goal that by achieving would have the biggest positive impact on your life.
   

That goal you select will be your 'major definite purpose'.

Most people use the 'scattergun approach' to goal setting – attempting to store even the most important of ideas in their head without committing anything to paper – waiting for other great ideas to come along, which they do, and then forgetting about the first great idea without ever having tested it out. With the scattergun approach nothing gets completed or is allowed to reach its true potential.

Commit to deciding what your major definite purpose will be over the next 7 days, and then stick with it over the next 12 months.

You will be surprised how much you can achieve!

So, what's my major definite purpose right now, I hear you ask? To establish B2B coaching as a leading brand and supplier of innovative and fun business coaching solutions over the next 12 months.

Accelerating Success

Thanks to Jack, Sarah, Paula and all the other people who have emailed me with their thoughts about the 'axioms in life' post a few days ago.

Another 'axiom' or often repeated phrase most people accept as true is that 'we become like the people we're around'. I remember a friend once shared the follow on phrase, 'it's not so much what you know, but who you know'.

Brian Tracy suggests people are like chameleons in that we absorb impressions and attitudes from all around us, so if we want to change our lives, or accelerate the success we strive towards we should consider changing or adding to our reference group.

Whether we chose to radically change that reference group, slowly introduce new people to the one we have, or educate present members, it's always amazing how quickly then changes begin to happen.

If you were to upgrade your reference group, add one extra person to the cast of people you currently have in your life – someone, who by adding them life would positively be enhanced - who would that person be?

The Politics of Body Language

At an event hosted by Shadow Chancellor George Osborn recently when he launched another raft of Conservative Party financial proposals as part of the run up to this years' UK General Election, I was struck by the body language and general communication of those there.

One rule of thumb with communication is that we can never not communicate. Whether our communication is positive, negative, or if we choose not to communication at all THAT is still a communication!

Also, who we are and how we fit into the hierarchy of life changes depending when and where we are, as well as what the situation happens to be. George Osborn and those around him are very much in pre-General Election mode, and needless to say this makes it an even more important time for the Conservative Party, given they haven't won a General Election for 13 years.

So, picture a large auditorium in the plush surroundings of The British Library, 50 plus journalists, also known as 'the pack', television cameras, another hundred or so invited guests (including me), and right at the last minute a special 'surprise' guest just happens to arrive and sit mid-row, three rows from the stage; Conservative Party leader, David Cameron.

In this situation dynamics change, stakes get higher, 'the pack' becomes more powerful – and George Osborn's nervous smile and glance towards the audience from behind his lectern spoke louder than any words could. Of course, he was as eloquent as always, but there was something more…

How he and all the political leaders handle themselves over the next few months will make all the difference.

What will make the difference for you?