What do you do?

Paul Johnstone
One of the most common suggestions was to ask the question "What do you do?". But how many times do people actually answer the question?

People always answer in the same way:

Q: Hi what do you do?

A: I’m and financial director.

That does not answer the question; it tells you what the person is not what they do. I am not pointing fingers it’s something we all do.

Readers will be aware that I use something called a 3 X 3 X 3 to engage people at networking events. Basically this is away of answering the the now thorny question of what do you do?

When I ran a workshop on this topic at a Refer-On group recently a PR manager gave a great example of how by answering a simple question, you can get the other person to ask you for more information. All she said was “I make people famous”

I don’t know about you but that got me thinking. If I got that answer I would have asked how she did that. Not sure I could have stopped myself it is such a powerful answer. And it actually answers the question.

Thinking about your trade or profession what answers do you think you can come up with?

Hear are just a few I have encountered over the years:

I help people sleep at night: An Accountant

I shrink people bills: A utility broker

I find money other people are using: a recovery agent

I put peoples name up in lights: A sign maker.

Well that’s just the tip of the iceberg what can you come up with?

Regards

Helping Real People Do Real Business Through Real Networking

Where To Network Part 2

Paul Johnstone

As promised here are other places to network. The O - Z

Hope it stimulates you to get out there and Network.

Opening ceremonies:
Opening ceremonies, especially for notable new buildings, attract many local business people and dignitaries. You will be amazed what a smile and an introduction can get you at these events.

A note of caution the celebrity opening a new shop is unlikely to get you too many good business connections.

Other clubs:
We must all have heard about the business deal done on the golf course. Clubs exists for every hobby and interest you can imagine. By joining a local club that interests you, you will meet some new interesting people.

Pressure groups:
Pressure group meetings are strongly connected and usually attended by very active and energized people. If you are interested in the subject there will be opportunities to meet some interesting people. These situations often also have scope for volunteering and becoming involved at a strategic level.

Product launches: Product launches invariably offer at least one situation when attendees mingle. Often there are receptions afterwards. If you are able to attend where the subject is relevant to your aims, then you will find opportunities to network. The same applies to book launches and similar publicity events.

Professional body websites:
Every profession and trade is represented and connected by at least one official body. These are used for members and also offer various opportunities for outsiders to get involved and make helpful connections.

Public meetings: Public meetings are held for all sorts of reasons. Local planning consultations; presentation of local development plans.

They attract business people. At meetings like these, most attendees sit and listen for quite a while, and consequently are ready for conversation during breaks and at the close of the meeting.

Pubs: Not all pubs are good for networking, but some are great, because they are the regular haunts of local business-people. For a very long time indeed, lots of business has been done in pubs.

Seminars: Seminars attract business people of all sorts. Again there are usually coffee breaks which are ideal for making introductions and getting to know people. Try your 3X3X3

Shareholders meetings:
If you have company shares, you will tend to meet a lot of business people at shareholder gatherings. Many shareholders do not invest just for financial reasons - many invest because they have an enthusiasm for the company's technology or culture. In some cases can offer a relevant target group for your business networking aims.

Societies and associations:
Every specialist subject has its own society or association. These organizations offer various ways to meet their members.

Speed networking events:
Speed networking is a highly structured type of networking event, in which an organizer (there are several, of varying type and quality) coordinates quick introductions among a group of typically between 20-40 people. The concept is similar, and probably modelled on speed-dating formats.

But the word speed and networking should not be used in the same sentence. They are best viewed as door openers.

Sports clubs: Lots of business people enjoy sport, and enjoy mixing sport with business. Golf is the classic example for sports club networking. If the group is relevant to you and you enjoy the activity, concerned, consider becoming a member.

Training courses: Are excellent for meeting other business people. Many will encourage informal networking among delegates because this adds value to the quality of the event.

Some types of training bring people together in work teams, making it extremely easy to get to know all attendees and an opportunity for further networking.

Trains, boats, planes, etc.: Business-people tend to travel around a bit. When you are travelling too, keep your eyes and ears open and be ready to start conversation. Delays are particularly useful for making introductions. So are long plane and train journeys when you could be sat next to another business person for several hours. Make the most of these opportunities.

Twitter:
Twitter is a great way to get your business message out to thousands quickly. The only downside is that you can get caught up and unless you are disciplined, the hours can slip away.

Universities and colleges:
Universities and colleges are like villages. Some are like towns. They are also now run like businesses. For the past twenty years or so, these educational establishments have been increasingly keen to engage with business people of all sorts. It's a matter of talking to them and discovering what opportunities exist for getting involved.

Website forums:
Website forums exist for every subject you can think of. Each offers a networking opportunity for the subject matter concerned.

Website user groups: User groups are typically within the websites of major internet corporations such as Google and Yahoo. Many user groups are specialised, and by implication, internet networking is second-nature to most of these people. But a lot are general business and worth investigation


And many more opportunities.

Helping Real People do Real Buisness through Real Networking

Follow up your promises and commitments

Paul Johnstone

There are two main reasons for the importance of following up:

1. Networking only produces good results when it is followed up.

2. Following up with contacts builds trust, reputation, and relationships.

Put negatively, to emphasise the points:

1. Networkers who meet people and never follow up are wasting their time.

2. Networkers who never follow up will eventually become known as time-wasters.

Follow up is a matter of relevance and commitment: If a contact or referral is not relevant, then say so, which avoids any expectation of follow up.

If there is relevance, follow it up, in whatever way is appropriate for the situation.

If you find that you are not wanting to follow up meetings and referrals because of lack of relevance then you can re-examine your group targeting strategy. You might be chasing the wrong groups and connections, and could need to redefine these issues.

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

Be a positive influence

© Paul Johnstone

To get the best out of your Networking a positive approach if helpful. Be positive when you network. If you are positive you are more likely to attract others and as a result get to speak to more people more often.

Use positive language.

Smile. See the good in people.

Be known as a really positive person. It rubs off on others and people will warm to you for being so. It is good practice if you Keep your emotional criticisms of others and personal hang-ups to yourself.

Speak ill of no-one.

Be passionate and enthusiastic, but not emotional or subjective. Avoid personalising situations and always remain objective.

Look for feedback and criticism about yourself and your ideas from others. It is the most valuable market research you can obtain - and it's totally free.

Be tolerant. Be patient. Be calm and serene - especially when others become agitated. Followers gather around people who remain positive and calm under pressure, and who resist the herding tendencies of weaker souls.

At many networking events and situations you will have the opportunity to give a presentation to the assembled group. This is a wonderful chance for you to demonstrate your expertise in your specialist area, your positive confident character, and also to pass on some useful information.

When presetting avoid the hard-sales pitch.

Networking is more about telling a storey and informing people. It’s best to inform and educate rather than to sell. In many networking situations a strong selling presentation is regarded as insulting by those present. This is especially so if you are a guest of a group that you would not normally meet regularly. You will sell yourself best by giving helpful information in a professional and entertaining credible manner.

Be confident, positive and enthusiastic, but do not let this develop into pressure on the audience, or a sense of your trying too hard.

Try to find and present within your specialism the most helpful information for the group concerned. Your aim at the end of the presentation is for the audience to have learnt something useful about your area as it applies to them, and to have been impressed with your professionalism and command of your subject.

Helping Real People do Real Business thorugh Real Networking

The Three Foot Rule

© Paul Johnstone
There are many sales manuals and Network Marketing Gurus who promote this. In many sales-oriented networking books and course, people are taught that networking is a selling tool and part of that lesson is what’s known as the Three Foot Rule: “Anyone within three feet of you is an opportunity to make a sale.”

Here we teach that networking is all about telling people how we can help. Never, Never sell at a networking event, you are not there to sell. It is at best short sighted. At worst very rude.

At a networking event the people there ARE NOT YOUR MARKET they are your route to market, and always remember that.

Some organizations are set up so you promote your product and service directly to other members or visitors. Now there is no doubt that some members will find your products or services useful to them. But many products promoted through networking are Network Marketing or MLM. That is all perfectly normal.

However many people involved in network marketing find it difficult not to pitch directly to anyone within 3 feet. The down side is it also creates a negative feeling to the whole concept of networking in the minds of others.

As a result, people begin to avoid any event or activity labeled “networking” because they neither wish to participate in this hard-sell technique, nor do they wish to be exposed to it, especially in a concentrated form, in doing so we all lose out on valuable opportunities for service, connection and growth.

But what so many people miss is the detrimental effect on others. If I have been pitched by a NLM person, I will not get involved. I am already part of a NML organization and would not want to take n another product. But basically they are telling me they want to use me so they can make money.

What they have done is close the door to my contacts.

What should they have done?

They should have told me what their product or service can do for my contacts.

Avoid the three foot rule in networking

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

The Seal of approval in networking situations, events and methods

Paul Johnstone
How many places are there to network? How many occasions are there where your networking skills can be used with effect? Far more than you might imagine.

Most of us tend to think only of the best known business networking clubs and websites. But why stop there? Business networking can be done virtually anywhere that you find business-people.

Take a look at the following list; there are some alternative situations and methods for business networking

Many of these networking situations are simply opportunities to meet people relevant to your aims, when your initiative and creativity can turn vague potential into worthwhile networking.

For all networking opportunities, your success is dependent on the relevance of the situation and the quality and energy of your involvement.

The A - M more next time...

Annual General Meetings AGMs are by their nature a regular occasion offered by corporations and membership organizations to engage with its members. Some are very formal and tightly run with little networking opportunities, but others are more sociable affairs, in which case if the group is relevant to your aims, and you can become a member it's worth consideration.

Breakfast networking clubs
There are lots of these -so start the day with some business with your Corn-Flakes. Some companies will run one-off events to connect with the local business community. There are two primary types of club. Fixed and Forum. Chose the type that suits you.

Business networking websites Since the development of interactive website technology in the late 1990s there are increasing numbers of online business networking organizations. There are lots but LinkedIn is probably the biggest and most useful. You can find lots quite easily by searching the web.

Chambers of Commerce Every county has at least one 'chamber of commerce', and many towns have chambers. Many run networking events and/or other meetings and activities which are ideal for networking.

Community social websites
Facebook is the obvious example. There are many others. Culture and demographic profile are different in each. Some of these websites and memberships are vast. Bigger than countries. This is because of the social aspect, which might initially be appealing, but making a business impact can be very challenging due to the scale of these operations.

Conferences Conferences are full of people with common interests. Coffee breaks are an ideal time to make introductions.

Conventions Conventions are organized for all sorts of special interest groups. If the group is relevant to your aims in any way, then their convention could offer excellent networking opportunities.

Exhibitions Are obviously full of business people with a common interest. Most exhibitions rightly do not like visitors to canvass the exhibitors, but there are plenty of other situations to meet people and network. The coffee bar is a great place just to start a conversation and see where it leads you.

Foreign trade visits
Local chambers of commerce, regional development agencies, routinely organize trade missions and gatherings to promote international trade for their region and/or members. Scratch the surface and you will be amazed at the connections you can make at these events.

Hospitality events Fewer these days but they still happen. They are usually organized by corporations to get to know their suppliers and customers. If you find yourself involved in one of these it will present some of the best conditions for business networking that you will ever experience. Elevator pitch and memory magic will serve you well.

Institutes for industries Every industry has its own institute or similar. Various events and methods generally exist by which outsiders can engage with the institute's membership.

Interactive special interest websites Networking has been made much easier with the advent of interactive membership websites. When you have identified your target groups, there will be a specialist membership website somewhere which represents and brings them together.

Lectures and seminars These occur widely and are held or promote various organizations. Obviously they attract a common grouping of people interested in the subject concerned. Practice talking to open groups at these events.

Local networking events Anyone can set up a networking event, so you can find isolated or more permanent networking operations cropping up near you.


So there you have it the A - M - Fill your boots as the saying goes. N - z follows shortly

Helping Real People do Real business through Real Networking

Help others first and you will get better rewards

Paul Johnstone
It is always better to give than it is to receive, as the old saying goes….So prioritise helping and giving to others ahead of taking and receiving for yourself.

Be helpful to others and you will be helped in return.

There are lots of sayings about the joy of giving and the rewards you get as a result of your actions so why not get on with it?

Networks of people are often highly complex organisms. Frequently it is not possible to see exactly how and why they are working for you. Therefore you must trust that goodness is rewarded, even if the process is hidden and the effect takes a while to come to you.

Use the principle of 'what goes around comes around' because it does.

Giving first shows to members of the network you are serious about contribution to the group. It sets you apart from the hunters and fishermen in the networking community.

Good deeds and helpfulness tend to produce positive effects. They are usually remembered and frequently repaid. The giver builds reputation and trust. Referrals tend to result.

Imagine yourself having lots of personal connections like this. You become known as a helpful person. Word about you spreads, and your reputation grows.

People who give are seen to have strength to give. Followers gravitate to strong giving people.

Helping others extends far beyond your personal speciality or line of work.

Networking is about working within a system of people, enabling relevant high quality introductions and cooperation’s, which get great results for the participants. These enabling capabilities transcend your personall ability and area of speciality.

Giving works on so many levels. In networking you reap what you sow many times over.

Helping Real People do Real Businees through Real Networking

Who sais That?

Paul Johnstone
I spoke a business coach at a Refer-On breakfast recently and asked him what his favourite quote was. He responded that he had two favourite quotes. However I will focus on one quote to demonstrate a point.


The coach said that the quote was often attributed to Einstein, but he had seen variations of the quote. He wanted to find out definitively who the quote was by. The quote is “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting to get a different result.” I did a quick search on the Internet and here is what I found:


“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting to get a different result” Albert Einstein


“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting to get a different result” Benjamin Franklin


Now we have a dilemma because these are the same quote. I went to the library and asked them to check their quotations reference books to see who the quote was attributed to. Either version of the quote wasn’t in any of the reference books that they checked.


Doing some additional research, I found “The New Quotable Einstein” by Alice Calaprice, senior editor at Princeton University Press. I went through the entire book manually because there was no way to do it electronically, and I couldn’t find the quote.


Should I assume that the quote must be by Benjamin Franklin? Not likely! I have not been able to find a definitive answer so whenever I use the quote I say popularly attributed to Einstein and Franklin.


The point I wanted to illustrate to you is that because several people are citing information and attributing it to a source, doesn’t mean that the information is accurate. It simply means that they are all citing from the one source so you have to exercise some due diligence.


I was so exasperated I goggled it and guess what Einstein and Franklin came up time after time. This looks like the perfect example of someone wants to believe one particular person said something, no matter what the facts are.

Moral, check your facts first and don’t go on believing everthing you read. And check your facts if you are presenting at a networking event.


Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

How do you maintain a Twitter presence?

Paul Johnstone

Twitter is a great way to generate business, but it can eat into the time you have top devote to your business.

There are some techniques to success on twitter and Nancy Williams from Tiger Two has some great ideas on who to follow and why.

In her article ‘Do you follow Back’ she opens up the dabate on how to get peole to follow you

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

Its Not Apple - Trust is the killer app

Trust is the killer application:
Paul Johnstone

Research produced by IBM concludes; "Individuals in higher-trust societies spend less to protect themselves from being exploited in economic transactions. Trust is an economical substitute for extensive contracts, litigation, and monitoring in transactions and thus economizes on transaction costs."

Lack of trust kills Organizations again and again. This lack of trust stifles innovation and productivity. Look at non competitive agreements. Most have been through the courts and appear not to be worth the paper they are written on. Time after time Judges have thrown them out of court. So far the only one not challenged is the 6 month non competition contract. The reason? I don’t know of anyone who has one or has been asked to sign one.

William Davies at the Institute for Public Policy Research published a ground breaking paper that examines the role of the government in the increasingly decentralised social and political activities taking place online.

He states there are three sources of trust: State, Community & Online Community. Notice the absence of corporations. He goes on to say that “out of nowhere trust has become the most talked about abstractions of our times” and notes that online communities have an unusual propensity to create environments of trust.

One of the most comprehensive studies of the open source community was conducted by Yochai Benkler to understand how Linux, a free operating system, and a raft of other Internet facing software products that have come from nowhere. They all challenge mainstream paid for products from Microsoft, IBM and others. Benkler concludes:

“Removing property and contract as the organizing principles of collaboration substantially reduces transaction costs involved in allowing these large clusters of potential contributors to review and select which resources to work on, for which projects, and with which collaborators.”

Microsoft formally has for many years acknowledged the threat from Linux to its revenues. It has even started to play this new game by releasing portions of its Windows code ‘open source’ style. I wonder why?

So how do networkers develop trust based relationships that counter the large company threat? If we don’t trust corporations why should people trust us?

The short answer is through B2B networking take time to develop trust based relationships with other people who will advocate for you. Develop and advocate marketing strategy to generate business year on year.

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking