How to be You and stand out from the crowd. - Paul M Johnstone

 Be different and ambitious be You

It has been said there are two types of business, those that sell on price and those that sell something different.  If there is no special difference between you and other providers, then people have no reason whatsoever to choose to work with you:

Look again at how you describe your business offering (or yourself as a person) - what's different or special about it (or you) compared with all the others?

If there is no difference, you must find a way to create one.

Sometimes this is merely a matter of redefining or placing different emphasis on what you already are and already do. 

This difference must be something that plenty of people will find appealing; ideally irresistible. If you are struggling to find a difference or market advantage, look at your competitors and talk to your customers, and discover what's missing and what can be dramatically improved out there. There is always at least one thing, usually more - perhaps you can bundle two or three powerful market advantages together.

This difference needs to shine out in your elevator speech, and be echoed in your subsequent discussions whenever initial interest develops towards supplying something, or putting a collaborative project together.

Aim high, very high when thinking about and expressing yourself and your aims. Be realistic, but aim to be the best and to lead in some way, in whatever specialism’s and market-place you operate.

Your aims should also suggest what you are seeking from business networking - otherwise, there's no reason for you to be networking.

Business networking is not simply finding customers in one-to-one meetings and connections; it's building a strong network of connections.  These connections should be helpful for your aims. Accordingly project yourself as a great networker, as well as being a great supplier or specialist.

Business networkers want to work with other networkers who aim high, who have great ambitions; people who see what can be, not merely what is; and who strive for change and improvement. 

These attitudes make things happen. 

When you meet like-minded networkers with these attitudes, your network will grow because they'll see you can make things happen too.

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Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

2 Great Networking applications Appearance and Attitude - Paul M Johnstone

Appearance:

Appearance can be the way you dress and look as well as an appearance at an event.  Along with posture it provides non verbal information about you and your business. 

YOU cannot be too smart for an event.  Note I said smart not fashionable.  

Most networking events expect you to be smartly dressed, some say dress as you would for your business and if that is a trade have a clean polo or branded top for the meeting.

It’s best to be a smart as you can, no matter what your job function.  I have seen Tillers with a clean branded top and clean pressed work trousers look 10 times smarter than an accountant with a joke tie and evidence of a previous meal on his suit.

Make an effort.  You never know who will turn up, and just because you don’t dress up for work of have the take me as you find me attitude does not mean you are not making an impression.  

Go back to the accountant for a second.  He would have to offer me some pretty smart advice and prove himself to have integrity before I would see past the stain on the suit. 

When I was growing up, my farther always made me polish my shoes.  Why?  His rational was that people who take care in their appearance including having shiny shoes, take care of a lot more and therefore are worth talking to.  

Back to the tiller:  He had it down to a fine art and would have a suitor in his van so he had clean clothes to change into.  This he found especially useful when going on to a prospect to talk about work.   Here was a tradesman who looked well presented. He got more work than a lot of his competition.

Unlike some sports and celebrities you don’t get Appearance Money for attending a Networking event, unless you are the star attraction.  Appearance should be seen in the same light as Always and Regular. 

There are some organisations, where people travel thousands of miles to attend their local networking meeting.  More of those in the lest of networking opportunities

Attitude:

Always be positive and have an open caring attitude towards you fellow networkers.  If you come across as someone who is only in it for what you can get.  Others will see through that and you will fail in your networking activities. 

A willingness to help others is a vital cog in your networking activity.  It will open doors for you and get you into places you did not believe possible.  But it all starts with the right approach.

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Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

Three more A’s in the A to Z of Networking - Paul M Johnstone

Today I would like to share with you three often overlooked networking techniques.

Allocation Your Time:

Crucial to networking success:

There are lots of helpful tips on how best to allocate your time.  And like all tips some can be taken with a pinch of salt.  However the best tip I can give you here is BE EARLY:

Also when you are networking have a meaningful conversation (between 5 – 7 minutes) with as many people as you can. 

Plan your 60 seconds, write it and rehearse it Out Loud, so you get a feel for the pace and impact of your words.

Alumni Groups:

Usually meaning University groups, the Cambridge dictionary defines it as: someone who has left a school, college or university after finishing their studies there.

If you have a university alumni group, they are great places to work on open networking techniques.  Just practice

Always:

There is no doubt that EVERY business should network, so Always do it.  You will see from the Seven Keys to Profitable Networking (when we get to S) that regular attendance is a must for successful networking.  In fact once you start to allocate time to attend more networking meetings you will quickly become well known.  Once your name is out there you can adjust some of your marketing messages to capitalise on that fact.

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

Is that an Advocate I see before me? Paul M Johnstone

More from the A - Z of Networking

 Advocate Marketing for Networking

This model of "Networking for Advocates" was investigated in some research conducted by Martin Davies and Roger Croft of the University of Bath. The purpose of the research was to further understand the importance of developing trust in business relationships. The research identified certain networking transactions as the currency of developing trusted business relationships. This led to the development of the Networking System based on this Advocacy Model.

The Methods used are:

a) Make Contact;

b) Follow Up; 

c) Form a Relationship;

d) Develop Advocates

Networking Transactions are:

a) Situational Awareness;

b) Introductions;

c) Qualified referrals, High value introductions, research information;

d) Unqualified referrals, Share IP, Joint ventures, support, testimonials.

The Reasoning is:

a) Potential Reward;

b) Potential reward and Are they reliable enough? Are they able enough?;

c) Quantify reward? And / or Quantify risk?;

d) Monitor reward and Monitor risk

What Drives you:

a) Do I like them? Mutual networking transactions;

b) Initial business assessment;

c) Further business assessment and Mutual networking transactions with further feedback;

d) Rewards and Risks.

Thanks to NRG

Advocates

A simple concept, where you get other people to advocate on your behalf, they sell you as a contact that can be trusted.  You may hear the term ‘Advocate Marketing’. 

Simply put this follows how a lawyer advocates for their clients in court. 

There are many examples of Advocate Marketing in business and how they can help you succeed.

Many people in Business to Business Services report that the cost of lead generation is rising.  One way to cut this cost is to get people to do that work for you. Your Advocates are effectively working on your team.  Not for profit, that will come back as you help them find connections, they do it because they want to do it for you.  

For example if you build 5 advocate relationships through a networking group.  Your investment may be about £200 per Advocate. But your advocates will generate about twenty good connections for you a year each. That’s 100 recommendations for an investment of £1000. 

Now I am not sure what lead generation costs in your sector, some it’s as much a £200 a lead and some less.   It is a fact it costs 6 times more to generate a new customer than it does to develop business from an existing one.

Now there are sites that sell you leads and all you know is someone ticked a box on a web site, with Advocates you KNOW THEY are interested in your service. It’s a win – win so why not?

Either way all you do is work out how much a lead is worth and multiply that by 100, I bet you will find that Advocate Marketing is by far the most cost effective way of generating them.

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

Networking Tips from Paul M Johnstone

Following on from yesterdaya post here are some more 'A's from the A - Z of Networking.   Here are todays pair.

Active not Passive:

In all you’re networking activities its best for you to be active.  Don’t sit and wait for connections to come your way.  You need to put the work into network to make these connections profitable for you.   Being an active networker does not mean you attend every event possible.  If you did that when would you get any work done?

Being an active networker means you pay attention to the details and make the phone calls, send the emails and write the letters in support of your fellow members.   

You ask visitors about their business and make them feel you care about them.  Once you get into the habit of helping others the rewards will come flooding back to you.  A quick word of caution, don’t expect miracles and please be patient.

Advertising:

Is the traditional way to promote a companies, products and services:  Using Advocate Marketing and Word of Mouth strategies you can reduce your reliance on this form of promotion. 

Some people may try to tell you that by using word of mouth marketing you will never need to advertise again.  Let me tell you it won’t.  

What it will do, once you have mastered the techniques of networking is, reduce your reliance on advertising as a medium.  Once you understand how Advocate Marketing works, you will need less and less advertising to reach your annual targets. 

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

The A- Z of Networking by Paul M Johnstone

You’ve probably head lots of urban myths about Networking, even to the extent some people believe B2B Networking to be part of Network Marketing.

There is so much waffle talked about Networking- You must do this and You must not do that.  All of which generally gets in the way of people making business connection that develop into business.

To help you, here is the start of a series of the A - Z of networking.  Not a tomb or a novel, a series of shorts that will, I hope help with your networking activity.  Please feel free to feed back to me on any of these tips, techniques and defenitions.

first up here is the A- B - C part.

A. B. C of Networking

A.     Aspire to reach your full networking potential

B.     Believe in your self and your offerings

C.     Create good offerings to fellow networkers

D.    Deliver what you promise

E.     Enthuse others

F.      Forgive others, we all make mistakes so help them

G.    Give before you receive

H.    Help support and encourage other to succeed

I.      Integrity is vital to your success.

J.      Join In; help your group by contributing.

K.     Kindness and manners will repay you in spades.

L.      Local networking = local business miles

M.    Mentor new members to success

N.    Nurture others so they reach their potential

O.    Organise your networking activities

P.     Planning is essential to your success

Q.    Quality in everything.

R.     Respect others in the group

S.     Sixty Seconds hold the key to success

T.     Think before you act

U.    Understand you networking goals

V.     Volunteering will help your club

W.  Work the Room

X.     Excuses are never the best way ahead

Y.     You should strive to improve

Z.     Zest for life and networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

The early bird catches the worm, But Don't leave early! Paul Johnstone

The early bird and all that!!!!

You know that’s true but for some of you not easy to achieve. You may have child care issues, busy lives to organise or, you may just be one of those people who can't seen to arrive on time. The age old saying about the early bird used to drive me nuts when I was a child. To me getting there on time was no big deal.  

That all changed on the day when I went to play for the under 15's town team, in a cup semi final.  I strolled into the changing room with 20 mins to go to the kick off only to find no one there and no spare shirts!  I found out because I was late (20 mins) I had been dropped for that game.  The real killer was we won and my replacement had a blinder.  You can guess who played in the final ~ not me.

Networking is no different, when you arrive early you have an opportunity to have a business c conversation with al the other members.  This is just one way you build trust between members.  And you know trust leads to business.

Be careful not to leave too early

Now at the end of  a really good networking meeting you will often see people still engrossed in conversations. Many of them will have their diaries to hand arranging meetings. It is this follow up activity in between networking meetings that really make the difference. If you are always rushing off right on time you might be missing out.

Next time you put a networking meeting in your diary try and leave some space beyond the formal end so you don't have to rush off.

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great