Archive for Networking
Don’t Assume People Know What You Do
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve heard time and again that you can’t assume people remember what you do. It’s one of the cornerstones of BNI and any other networking group you belong to. You
Don't Assume!
need to show up to give people a chance to know, like and trust you. And you need to keep showing up so they remember you.
I had this point driven home to me last week. On Tuesday I posted an update on LinkedIn, including a link to free ebook on internet marketing I created with some JV partners. About an hour later I received an email from a colleague asking if I do training on internet marketing and social media.
My first thought was Read More→
How to Have Off-Line Conversations with Your Online Connections
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for Social Media Marketing Means Talking To More People
- How to Have Off-Line Conversations with Your Online Connections
Yesterday I wrote about why you need to take your online connections off-line. Today I’ll tell you how.
When you met somebody online and you’ve had some sort of an ongoing conversation, someone you think you might have a connection with, approach them about having an off-line conversation.
You can send them a private message on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, or send them an e-mail asking for a phone conversation.
Don’t make this a sales call! Really – I’m serious! Stress that this will be a “getting to know you” conversation. And mean it. Suggest a couple of dates and times and give them a time limit for the call – I suggest 30 minutes.
When the appointed time comes, ask a series of open ended questions that will allow you to get to know this person and their business. Of course you’ll want to give them the same information about yourself.
Types of questions to ask: Read More→
It Takes A Village to Raise a Business
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned after surviving five years in business is that it also takes a village to raise a business.
When I was in my mid-20s I actually tried to start my own business doing very much what I’m doing now (minus the social media since Facebook etc. didn’t exist back then).
I survived about a year before I packed it in and got a “real job”. The problem was that I thought in order to be a business person you had to be independent, and independent meant doing it all myself.
This time around, being a little older, and a little wiser (I hope), I recognized that trying to go it alone was part of the problem. Read More→
6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Attending a Conference
Posted by: | CommentsThis past weekend I attended Podcamp Toronto. It was an amazing weekend, in part because of the people who were there and in part because I had a plan. I went into the weekend knowing what I needed to get out of the event and how to get it. My personal event strategy is one that can be used for any conference you may attend.
1. Choose Your Sessions
Unlike some conferences, at Podcamp you didn’t have to register for individual sessions ahead of time. Even so, I spend a good bit of time looking over the sessions and the speakers. Before I got there I had a list I really wanted to attend.
However, I didn’t carve that list in stone. I know from past experience that sometimes the best sessions are not the ones I was expecting. So I kept my ears open. There were a couple of sessions I attended solely because some else said the speaker rocked. In each case, they were right. Being flexible about the sessions made for a better weekend.
2. Plan Who To Meet
Registration for Podcamp is public – you name goes on a wiki when you register. There was also a LinkedIn group and Twitter hash tags for the event. In spite of this, I didn’t see anyone who I really felt I needed to meet.
However, I didn’t just throw up my hands. I decided one of my goals for the weekend was to meet five interesting people who I would want to contact later and continue the conversations we had.
Setting this goal was very important for me. Although many people who know me personally may not realize this, I’m actually very shy. My natural inclination is to sit in Read More→
Don’t lie to me on LinkedIn (or anywhere else)
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been seeing a disturbing trend on LinkedIn; a trend that is making me angry. People are starting their relationship with me by lying.
Let me backtrack. LinkedIn has a much more rigid code of conduct than other social networking sites. On Twitter you can start following anyone you want: celebrities, politicians, brands, random strangers. It doesn’t matter how or if you know them. You can start following them and they don’t have to approve you.
Facebook is slightly more formal. While you can invite anyone to become Facebook “friends” they have to approve you before you can be connected. Slightly more formal than Twitter but less than LinkedIn.
However, on LinkedIn they’ve put up barriers that make it harder for you to connect with people. In order to send an invitation to connect, you must already have some sort of relationship with that person. You need to work together, belong to the same group, have worked at the same company at some point in your history. If you don’t have any commonalities in your profiles, you have the option of choosing “other” at which point LinkedIn will ask you for the person’s e-mail address. The idea is to cut down on SPAM and ensure your LinkedIn network is of true value to everyone.
That being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t connect with people you don’t are ready know on LinkedIn, it’s just a little harder to do.
On LinkedIn I’m what’s known as an Open Networker. I am happy to receive appropriate invitations from people I don’t already know. I like meeting other business professionals because I never know who will be my next great customer, a great referrer or who I might be able to help.
The problem is Read More→
