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In my opinion the most important part of networking is giving and adding value to those you’re networking with. If you don’t have a mindset of helping others in your networking efforts then you’re not likely to see a very good return on the investment of your time, money and energy.

You won’t be able to help everyone, but as long as you work hard to make a difference for others those networking deposits will pay dividends back to you.

I can’t quote it directly, but on a recent vacation I read: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. In this book it says something like: To give and not expect to receive is unnatural. This is an important networking lesson that even very good networkers frequently forget. I’ll talk more about this book in a future post, but I do recommend it. It’s a nice quick read and breaks down what networking is really about into a very readable fictional story.

Now that you’ve done a great job of giving through your networking efforts it’s time to receive right?

It’s not quite that easy. Most people are not mind readers, and many times if they were to guess what you need based on your title or some other piece of information it might not be what you really wanted.

So ASK for what you need! I know this sounds impossibly simple, but so few people do it. You have to tell people what you’re looking for or there’s no way they can help you get it.

The more specific you can ask the better… "I need to grow my business" or "I’m looking for a job" is not nearly specific enough. The more you can focus in on exactly what you need the more likely somebody will be able to help you find just that.

Just look at the difference:

• "I need to grow my business." or "I’m looking for an introduction to the sales manager of a high-tech startup company based in Austin."
• "I’m looking for a job." or "I’m looking for an HR generalist position with a company that has between 50 and 100 employees."

Aren’t you be in a much better position to help someone who asked the latter questions? Give your networking partners the same opportunity. Ask as specifically as you can and you’re much, much more likely to get what you want.

What do you want? How can you ask specifically for that? Who can you ask that question of right now?

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

I was hoping to post all of this in the discussion section of the new NetworkInAustin.com group on LinkedIn. Unfortunately I discovered the hard way that there is a 2000 character limit. I’ve moved the content to my blog, but would like everyone with an interest in this topic to post their comments to the discussion on LinkedIn. All are welcome to join the NetworkInAustin.com group on LinkedIn.

First let me say thank you for joining the NetworkInAustin.com group here on LinkedIn. I’m very hopeful that this will be a good venue for us to share meaningful thoughts and ideas.

The most common question I’m asked about NetworkInAustin.com is "When are your events." My answer has always been that we don’t have events. NIA was designed to be the hub of networking in Austin and I thought that if anything there might already be too many events and the last thing we need to do is create another vent. People just need help finding the events that are most appropriate for them. Apparently I’ve been wrong for a long time…

Recently the demand for events for NIA members has been just overwhelming and I think it’s time to give in. Based on all of the feedback it seems that people need to have some type of physical relationship with NIA outside of just the website.

That being the case I want to know how to make these events wildly productive and valuable. Something that you’ll look forward to attending and want to bring all of your friends to because of how useful it is for you.

The feedback I’m looking for is your ideas on how to make this happen. First let me share my own thinking that you can either agree with or shoot holes in and provide your own suggestions. I’m open to it all because these events are really going to be about you, not me.

First I’m thinking of doing a monthly event, and based on the feedback I have heard a breakfast meeting would be most appropriate (One person told me that their liver couldn’t handle another happy hour!)

I don’t want these events to duplicate anything else that’s out there. Otherwise what would be the point?

I hope that most NIA members are on an ongoing quest to become better networkers. So why not have a networking breakfast focused on the who, what, when, where and why of better networking?

Of course we need to have facilitated networking opportunities, but I also think that we can learn about the various facets of networking from the multitude of local experts we have right here in Austin.

What about a 50/50 model for these events? Half of the time will be devoted to some type of facilitated networking. The other half will be a speaker or panel discussing some facet of building a truly powerful professional network.

Here are some of my ideas for topics. In your feedback please let us know which you’re most interested in, least interested in, and feel free to suggest your own topic ideas for areas you and others would be interested in learning more about:

• Networking – the basics
• Advanced Networking – best practices
• Personal Branding
• Social Media
• LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter
• Leadership Development (someone suggested a “taste” of Leadership Austin)
• Selling for the Networker
• Marketing to support Networking
• Public Relations/Working with the Media

It’s also been suggested that we do some level of segmentation in the facilitated networking sessions. Grouping B2B and B2C or doing small group pairings based on probable synergies or other common interests, etc.

That’s it for my own brain dump. What are YOUR thoughts???

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

It’s probably no surprise that one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is some form of: "Where’s the best place to network?" To which there is certainly no standard answer. So much depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, your industry, the type of people you’d like to meet, etc. etc. However those answers that people are looking for are typically more about specific organizations, events or groups to get involved with. Finding the BEST place to network is actually a little different and is an even more personal choice.

In my opinion and experience the best relationship are forged when you’re doing something you are absolutely passionate about working shoulder to shoulder with other individuals who share that same passion. These experiences often times create the deepest of life long relationships. So the obvious question here is: "How do I get there?"

The first step in what I’ll call ‘Passionate Involvement’ is either the most difficult step, or absolute no-brainer easy depending on your experience. You first have to ask yourself what you are most passionate about. Is it your church? A favorite hobby? Your industry? A non-profit organization? A political cause? Serving some subsection of the community? Figure out for yourself what you’re most passionate about that absolutely gets you fired up.

The next step is finding other people who share this passion. Most frequently there will be some organization where these like minded individuals congregate, donate or otherwise take part and get involved. In many instances there may be several of these organizations. Spend the time to get to know these groups and determine where you think you best fit.

The third and final step is the most important, but if you haven’t done a good job with step one it won’t be meaningful and may even be difficult. This is where you get involved! Whatever that is for you. Ideally you want to figure out how best to leverage your talents and skills and apply them to your organization or cause. Your ultimate goal is probably to work on a board of directors or to be equally involved in the inner-circle if your particular passionate outlet doesn’t have a board.

Please don’t expect to complete steps one and two and immediately be nominated to serve on the board. You’re going to need to make some contributions before that will happen, and it may take years before you attain a seat on that board depending on the organization. However, if this really is your passion those years you spend contributing will be tremendously fulfilling and you’ll be making incredible connections with new friends all the way along. Again, you’ll know you’ve not made the right choice if at any point you’re not being energized by your involvement. Sure there will be frustrations and challenges like anything else, but as a whole your contributions really should be quite fulfilling.

How are you passionately involved? Please feel free to share your passions and involvement success stories for others to learn from.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

I am really excited to tell you that on December 2, 2008 a truly impressive event will be coming to Austin. Zig Ziglar, General Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Suze Orman, Tom Hopkins, Dr. Robert Schuller and more will all be coming to Austin to speak live and in person.

This event will be at the Austin Convention Center from 8:00am to 4:45pm.

Here’s the best part. Members of NetworkInAustin.com who wish to attend will receive 2 free tickets!

Somehow it gets better. Those who attend will also receive Zig Ziglar’s 5 Keys to Igniting Motivation & Success DVD and CD Set, plus one year of Best-Selling Book Summaries via e-mail (an additional $495 value).

If you’re already a member you’ll receive the Member’s Only e-mail with instructions for claiming your tickets.

Not yet a member of NetworkInAustin.com? It’s only $4.99/mo. or $49.99/yr. to join.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you know that I consistently write about finding ways to add value to your network. A couple of ways that you can quickly add lasting value to those deserving individuals in your network are through award nominations and testimonials.

If you pay attention to it you’ll notice quite a few requests for nominations for a variety of different awards through out the year. Here are just a few examples:

• Austin Business Awards - Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
• Austin Under 40 - Young Men’s Business Leage (YMBL) and Young Women’s Alliance (YWA)
• Entrepreneur of the Year - Ernst & Young
• BiG IDEA Awards - BiG AUSTIN
• Best Places to Work - Austin Business Journal

Keeping an eye out for these calls to nominate and spending just a few minutes to think about the one or two people in your network who are really deserving of this type of recognition. Investing just a few minutes of your time to fill out a nomination form can bring some great recognition and publicity to your nominee. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that somebody else will nominate them. Worst case scenario there is nothing worse than for them to receive multiple nominations. How do you think these awards get won?

The most deserving of recognition in your network might not fit a particular award category. That’s ok, you can always write an unsolicited testimonial. Again, this act takes just a few minutes but can be incredibly valuable to the person you’re testimonializing. Best practice: make the testimonial public. An easy way to do this is to write the Testimonial on LinkedIn. That way the person you’ve written it for has the choice of whether or not to display what you’ve written (they’ll be thankful either way). If they do choose to add it to their profile both your entire LinkedIn network and their network will be made aware of your kudos.

The next time you see a nomination request take 2 minutes to think of someone you can nominate.

Right now, choose the one person in your network most deserving of a testimonial (the name should pop into your head almost immediately). Now take just 5 minutes to write a quick testimonial and send it to them. I promise you’ll make their day.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

One of the biggest traps many networkers fall into is the "busy" trap. Often times this is in direct proportion to the success of their networking efforts. However, being "busy" is not a good reason to neglect your relationships and let your network whither and die. If you fall too deeply into this trap you’ll have that much more work ahead of you when you’re not busy and really need your network’s help. If you suddenly need a new job for example it’s too late to ’start’ building your network, it needs to already be in place.

The most common symptom of busy networker syndrome is not attending events regularly or at all. In the beginning your absence might be conspicuous. Over time though people won’t even think about you. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s really hard for people to think of you for referrals and other opportunities when they’re not thinking of you at all.

In the worst stages of busy networker syndrome the afflicted will fail to nurture any of their relationships. They’re too busy working to quickly touch base with even their most important contacts. They are soon completely forgotten, and in extreme cases written off because they fail to return phone calls and e-mails from those who don’t represent a current paying client.

I paint a dire picture and in most cases it doesn’t get this bad. The really good news is that it’s easy to fix.

Beginner networkers or those building a new network in a new town or new industry frequently over commit on the number of events the can attend in a sustainable way. In and of itself this isn’t that big of a problem. As their network begins to grow and time is less available it’s important to determine which groups and events are the most important. Focus on those singled out, and commit to attending regularly even if regularly for you means monthly or even quarterly.

If you’ve been out of the loop nearly everyone will be happy to see you back. Again, determine where you should be focused and how much time you realistically have available. Then get those meetings on your calendar well in advance.

Busy networker syndrome happens to all of us from time to time. I can tell you that in some ways I’ve been there myself for a while with 2 little girls under the age of 3. The important thing is to recognize it when it’s happening. Make sure you’re not neglecting your core network, and work to do the best you can with the time that you do have available. [Hint: You may need to make some time]

Your networking efforts are not just about events either. You’ve already built relationships and those need to be nurtured. Pick up the phone and make a quick call to catch-up. Send an ‘I was thinking about you’ note. Put together an impromptu happy hour and invite your core network. It almost doesn’t matter what you do, just keep the lines of communication open.

If out of sight is out of mind then the solution is really quite simple. Don’t be out of sight, in fact be as visible as you can be. Work to be highly visible and top of mind.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

I am proud and excited to be part of this year’s Leadership Austin class. Meet my fellow classmates:

Greg Abel  -  Grande Communications, Inc.

Damon Arhos  -  Freescale Semiconductor

Mason Arnold  -  Greenling Organic Delivery

Aman Bandali  -  Bandali Builders and Estate Developers

René Barrera  -  City of Austin

Dayna Blazey  -  Travis County District Attorney’s Office

Brian Block  -  Keep Austin Beautiful

Geoffrey Brow  -  Dell Inc.

Scott  Brutocao  -  Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, PC

Amber Carden  -  Bank of America

Angie Castilleja  -  Make A Wish Foundation of Central & South Texas

Tom Coopwood  -  Community Volunteer

Priscilla Guajardo Cortez  -  The University of Texas at Austin

Christi Cuellar  -  Ballet Austin

Peter Daniels  -  A New Entry Inc.

Carol Drennan  -  Katz Builders, Inc.

Chris Ewen  -  Client Outsource

Traci Fish  -  Tangoe, Inc.

Tina Gramann  -  Zachary Scott Theatre Center

Ann Greenberg  -  Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schulze, & Aldridge, P.C.

Laura Griebel  -  Goodwill Industries of Central Texas Inc.

Amy Holloway  -  Avalanche Consulting, Inc.

Scott Ingram  -  ADP

Mark Isaak  -  PBS&J

Gwen Jewiss  -  PageSoutherlandPage

Olivia Juarez  -  Wells Fargo Bank

Bill Kempf  -  Applied Materials Inc.

Tamra Kerns  -  National Instruments Corp.

Ali Khataw  -  Encotech Engineering Consultants, Inc.

Tara Kirkland  -  Greenlights for NonProfit Success

Adams Kirkpatrick  -  Sunflower Design

Michelle Krejci  -  Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

Jamie Lagarde  -  Overwatch Systems

Marion Martin  -  YMCA of Austin Inc.

Michael McGill  -  Freescale Semiconductor

Linda Medina  -  Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Craig Moore  -  Travis County District Attorney’s Office

Brandy Mueller  -  The Mueller Law Office

Andrea Ogilvie  -  The University of Texas at Austin

Patricia Paredes  -  Texas Campus Compact

Tina Prentice  -  St. David’s Community Health Foundation

Diane Rhodes  -  Texas Dental Association

Pilar Sanchez  -  Housing Authority of the City of Austin

Carolyn Schwarz  -  Health Alliance for Austin Musicians

Paul Scott  -  Equality Texas

Emily Shaw  -  I&O Communications

Kevin Smothers  -  pulse

D’Andra Ulmer  -  grand beginnings, Inc

Alex Valdes  -  Winstead PC

Arthur Vargas  -  Austin Community College

Madge Vasquez  -  Wachovia Bank

Amy Welborn  -  Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP

Matt Williamson  -  The Beck Group

Pat Wilson  -  First Marathon Financial

For more information on Leadership Austin’s Essential Class and other programs, please visit www.leadershipaustin.org.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

It’s one thing to use the standard "I’d like to add you to my network on LinkedIn" boilerplate when making a LinkedIn connection request to somebody you already have a relationship with. I’m sure many would disagree, but if we already have a real life relationship I’m not going to be upset that you didn’t change this message.

Using this to connect with somebody you’ve never met, and have never had any previous interaction with on the otherhand is rediculous. Yet I get them all the time. It’s what prompted my previous post about My LinkedIn Networking Philosophy.

Today I bring you the best connection request I’ve ever received. With permission here is Sherry Lowry’s request from late last week:

Scott, I’d say at this point i may be more of a FAN than a friend, and I’d like to change that.

- Sherry Lowry, MCC

Granted Sherry and I have a number of mutual connections so this wasn’t the coldest of cold introductions. However, she’s obviously taken the time to understand my networking philosophy and made the entire request about me and not herself.

Work to incorporate these 3 points into any cold connection request or introduction:

• A connection point that you both share and/or why you think it makes sense to begin a relationship
• Specifically how you think you can add value to them (What’s in it for them?)
• Suggest a specific next step. This could be an e-mail dialogue or scheduling a time for coffee or a phone call.

I’m looking forward to my phone conversation with Sherry tomorrow morning.

How do you introduce yourself into stronger connections?

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

I’m frequently sent LinkedIn invitations by people I don’t know. Generally speaking I do not accept these connections, but have in the past written a long winded response explaining why not. Frankly I’m a little tired of doing that so I thought I’d share the philosophy on my blog and just link to this in the future. Plus it might also help you clarify some of your own thinking about how you use LinkedIn.

There are two schools of thought on LinkedIn. There are LIONS or LinkedIn Open NetworkerS and then there are the rest of us. (Does that make us closed networkers?) The real debate is between quantity and quality. LIONS believe in quantity and that every connection is valuable because you just never know. I believe in quality networking and work to have some type of relationship with every person I’m connected to.

Having a relationship is a tough thing to define. Typically if my fellow networker is here in Austin I want to have had some type of face to face interaction with them. Typically I want this face to face to have been just the two of us (lunch, coffee or some other one on one encounter). If this type of connection isn’t possible due to geography or some other type of circumstance I want there to have been some type of meaningful dialogue. Maybe we spent 40 minutes together on the phone or have gone back and forth a descent number of times via e-mail in an online discussion.

I try to hold to these standards because when someone uses LinkedIn the way it is intended and finds a connection to someone they’d like to meet where I am the connection, I want to be in a position to make that introduction. If I accept just anyone’s connection it’s very likely that I have little or no credibility with the person you’d like me to introduce you to. The only thing we share is our LinkedIn connection.

This is simply my LinkedIn networking philosophy. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, it just how I play the game. I encourage you to develop your own philosophy. Take the time to learn about the rationale behind being a LION and decide which is best for you. If you choose not to be a LION this does not by any means make you a "Closed" networker. It probably just means you’re more focused on real relationships which is where the real business and real opportunities will come from.

If you are reading this because you tried to connect to me and I sent you this link you are on the right track! Many who initiate blind LinkedIn connection requests have no intent in ever building any type of meaningful relationship (and would never take the time to read all of this). The fact that you’ve just read this shows you’re clearly not one of these folks. Now that you’ve gotten this far please send me an e-mail or LinkedIn InMail. I’m sure we can find a way to resolve the issue with our current lack of relationship.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com

P.S. If we’re not connected and we should be please send a connection request: Scott Ingram’s LinkedIn Profile

As I get closer to writing my series of blog posts about social networking for the business professional based on my own recent experiments I thought you might like to read a great post by my friend Liz Handlin. She wrote a post called Social Networking for Professionals where she gives 6 tips to keep you out of trouble.

The most important thing you need to realize about social networking is that it’s public. Anyone, and I mean anyone can see what you’ve written now and in the future.  You have to consider what you’re posting ALWAYS.

For example I would love to Twitter about who I’m meeting with; prospects, clients, etc. This would be a huge help to those in my network who follow me who could benefit from an introduction to some of these folks for reasons I might not have even thought about. But two things stop me from sharing this much detail. #1 the privacy of those I’m meeting with. Without their permission I’m not sure that this is appropriate. #2 If my competition were smart they would follow me, and this information would incredibly useful.

That’s just one example of a present tense situation. Where it gets really tricky is considering how something you post now might create a problem 5 years from now. You just never know. I don’t say this to scare you away from the great online social networking opportunities for professionals right now: LinkedIN, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, etc. Just tread very carefully and make sure you consider each and every action.

Now go read LIz’s post, you’ll thank me.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram

NetworkInAustin.com