Author Archive for Business Networking in Austin Blog
Intention Setting (Guest Post by: Tonja Eaton)
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog September 7th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog
Whether a formal “networking” event, lunch with a colleague or client, or a simple social gathering, setting a clear intention on what you’d like to experience or gain beforehand boosts networking success. Simply take five minutes before you walk in to ask yourself the following questions:
1-2-3 Intention Setting:
- What do I need most right now?
- What would I like to learn or experience?
- What value can I bring others in this context?
Whether your focus is resolving a business issue, seeking knowledge and resources, expanding your network in a specific area, being in service to others or simply looking for friendship, your intentions will move you closer to your vision and goals. Once you’re clear on your intention, release it and fully experience the event or activity. Your intention will serve you and it is not necessary to “manage” it once present. You’ll be amazed what and who bubbles up when you’ve taken a short moment to do this inner work.
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Tonja Eaton, Full Circle Coaching & Consulting
4:3:2:1 (Guest Post by: Emily Crawford)
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 26th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog |
| Emily Crawford |
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Emily Crawford is a native Texan and UT graduate. She is an active agent with urbanspace Realtors, as well as a Trainer and Coach. Emily was recently named Volunteer of the Year for Small Business by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Focus on One
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 23rd, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog
Does your company offer several different products and services? Are you involved in several projects or causes? Do you have more than one skill?
You are rare indeed if you were able to answer "No" to any of these questions. It seems we’re all working on several things at any one time. So how do YOU answer the question: "What do you do?"
Here’s a hint: The wrong answer is to list all of the above.
Articulating what you do can be one heck of a challenge, especially since there’s just so much. However, if you try and describe all of the different things you’re working on you’re just going to confuse people. Over time you can introduce some of the other things you’re involved with, but that comes later.
In an initial encounter or introduction it’s best to focus on just one thing. Be specific and don’t worry that you’re leaving something out. It’s better that people remember 1 thing about you rather than walk away confused and not remember anything.
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
The Membership Organization Leadership Series
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 23rd, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog
For the last few months I’ve been working with an incredible team to develop a vision: The Membership Organization Leadership Series.
Most of my own community leadership experience is working with these membership driven organizations: Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Young Professionals Organizations, Networking Groups and of course NetworkInAustin.com. In working on the boards and committees within these organizations and occasionally consulting with groups I find that what they’re trying to accomplish is almost universal. Yet each group tries to find solutions and answers to the same questions in isolation.
The Top 6 Questions:
- How do we grow our membership?
- How do we retain our existing members?
- How can we better engage our members so that they attend more events, volunteer on committees and ultimately help us on the board?
- How can we add more value for our members?
- What can we do to make our events unique, valuable and worth attending?
- How can we control costs and increase revenue so we can do all of this?
NetworkInAustin was designed not just to serve individual networks, but also the various business, networking, civic and non-profit organizations throughout the Greater Austin area that host networking events.
What better way to serve them than to bring together their leadership (board of directors and committee chairs) to work together to find answers and best practices around these 6 key questions? That is precisely what the Membership Organization Leadership Series is all about!
The vision is quickly becoming a reality. The first part of our 3 part series is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15th. You’ll find the complete details and registration information here. We’ve worked to make the series very affordable and until August 31st you can register to attend all 3 events for just $85!
This post can’t possibly be complete until I profusely thank the host committee and our incredible sponsors. Without them all of this would still just be a dream:
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- Ali Khataw, Chair Austin Asian American Chamber of Commerce
- Amy Welborn, President-Elect Austin Young Lawyers Association & Board of Directors Austin Bar Association
- Ben Marks, Heartland Payment Systems
- Christine Choate, President-Elect Entrepreneurs’ Organization
- Christopher Popov, President-Elect Austin Young Lawyers Association
- Donna Fox, Fox Career Mentors
- Heather McKissick, President/CEO Leadership Austin
- Kim Wilson, Director of Development Greenlights
- Lamar Romero, Romero Capital and Funding
- Laura Valentino Romero, Absolute Austin Realty
- Matt Kouri, Executive Director Greenlights
- Maurice Benson, Chair Leadership Austin Emerge
- Natalie Kennedy, Kennedy Creative
- Pilar Sanchez, President-Elect Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Priscilla Guajardo Cortez FuturoFund
- Scott Lawrence, Membership Chair Catalyst 8
- Dave Jobe, Karmadillo
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
What’s Your Call to Action?
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 16th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog
Those of you with marketing or advertising experience are likely familiar with the idea of a "call to action." Typically in reference to an advertising a piece a call to action is simply what you want the reader to do. Call now, register, upgrade, order, RSVP, etc. A few experiences this week made me realize that frequently in networking situations there’s no clear call to action.
Take a typical elevator pitch for example: Hi, I’m Bob with XYZ company. We help people with some type of problem fix their problem, and we’re real darn good at it. Bob with XYZ company… Ok. Now what? What does Bob want us to do. What he’s lacking is a call to action. Should we call him if we have the problem he mentioned, or would he prefer an e-mail? Is he looking for people who are displaying a particular identifiable symptom? If Bob were more specific about what he wanted us to do he would likely get much better results.
In another incident I reached out to someone, who I didn’t know, who requested some help. Their request was vague so I asked for a little more clarification in an e-mail. All I got back was essentially a status report. While mildly interesting, it didn’t help me understand how to help them. Nor was there any type of request. So, I simply archived the e-mail and moved on. What a lost opportunity.
So what’s your call to action? If you’re in need of something you have to ask for it and ask for it specifically.
Here’s another lesson I learn repeatedly from e-mail interactions. You can really only ask for 1 thing per e-mail. Even if it’s just information if you ask for 3 or 4 details you’ll likely get one or more, but rarely will you get all of the information you needed. This is even more true if there’s a specific action that must be taken. If you ask people to DO more than one thing per message on average I would expect your results to be <1.
Think about your interactions whether they be an elevator pitch, a conversation, a phone call, e-mail, whatever. If you need something ask for that one thing specifically and clearly. I think you’ll see your odds of actually getting that one thing improve dramatically.
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
Productive Networking Conversations
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 10th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin BlogMore than likely you’d like to find new ideas, new opportunities and great resources through your networking efforts. Why else invest the time and money in building better relationships if you’re not going to see some type of improvement in your life and those around you, right?
If that’s the case, and I certainly hope it is, it’s important to pay attention to the type of conversation you’re having. Are they productive? Are they leading you to the new ideas and opportunities you’re looking for? This has a lot to do with what you talk about when you’re out networking, or heck having a conversation with just about anyone for that matter.
I chose a more upbeat title, but my original concept title for this post was: Leave Your Baggage at Home. Lately I’ve been party to way too many negative conversations. Sure the economy is tough, people have been laid off and things were once a whole lot easier for many people. Everybody has challenges in their life, but for the most part they shouldn’t be part of the conversation. Complaining about a bad situation isn’t going to make it any better. Maybe it’ll make you feel a little better, but that’s not a very big improvement. Wouldn’t you rather find a solution instead of feeling just a tiny bit better?
You may need an outlet to vent about your frustrations or troubles. Go find that and limit it to very few people. The rest of your conversations need to be far more positive and focused on finding solutions. Think about the two styles of conversation if you’re on the other end of them. If you’re talking with someone who is complaining and seems depressed how likely are you to want to spend a lot of time with them and/or try to help them? On the other hand if you’re talking with someone who has a great attitude and is actively looking for constructive feedback or suggestions don’t you want to hang around with that person and help them find those answers?
Anytime you’re having a conversation bring a positive outlook. Think ahead and prepare to ask questions that might help you find what you need. Be prepared to offer to help the people you meet. You may need to ask them so questions to better understand how you can help them. Then don’t spend a lot of time with others who are negative. You don’t want to get sucked into their pity party, it’s just a downward spiral. Instead focus on positive people who are able and willing to help. Then be sure to provide them with a way that they can help. You’ll soon find that you’re having much more productive conversations.
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
Networking is a Process Not an Event
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog August 2nd, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin BlogMany people think of networking in terms of events. In reality networking is an ongoing process. Sure that process sometimes involves events, but done right events should not be the primary focus.
Events are where you meet people, or reconnect with those already in your network. The real work happens outside of those events.
The networking process begins with a more intimate one on one meeting or telephone conversation to begin the relationship. This is where follow-up becomes critical. Not just with those that you met at an event who you’d like to build a relationship with, but with the rest of your network. There are many touches, interactions and follow-ups that must happen to build a real working networking relationship.
An example of the wrong way:
- Attend networking event.
- E-mail people you met at the event, or add them to your newsletter list.
- Rinse and repeat.
An example of the right way:
- Attend networking event.
- Reach out to the 2-3 people you had a real connection with at the event.
- Schedule lunch or coffee with each of these individuals.
- Do what you said you would do and follow-up on promises or introductions that came from your meeting.
- Send some type of thank you.
- Call to touch base.
- Schedule another coffee, lunch or plan to meet-up at a future event.
- Send a useful piece of information, or recommend a book.
- Call to ask how you might be able to help, and offer to make an introduction.
- Continue your active engagement with this person.
- You get the idea. Keep going.
At this point you’re probably thinking… "Scott, are you kidding me? I don’t have time to do all of that stuff. I meet a lot of people." And you’re exactly right. That’s why it’s so important to understand who you’re really interested in building relationships with. In a lot of cases you’ve already met them, but you probably haven’t gone through the trouble to REALLY build that relationship.
Building productive networking relationships takes time, and surface level relationships that are not very deep rarely produce tangible results.
There is no right or wrong process. The examples above are just that, examples. Find what works for you and focus your networking time and energy. Just remember that it is a process and not a one time event.
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
Relationship Networking vs. Visibility Networking
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog July 27th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog
Does your networking strategy match your networking need? Do you have lots of acquaintance type relationships or a smaller number of deep relationships?
Depending on the type of business you’re in or your need for networking you may find that it makes more sense to be at one of these extremes or to take a more balanced approach.
At one extreme in order for people to feel comfortable doing business with you or to refer clients to you an exceptional level of trust is necessary. This is especially true in positions where people will be trusting you with large sums of their own money. You probably wouldn’t refer your rich uncle to the financial advisor you met one time at a happy hour last week. For the same reason you can expect that you’ll need to build very deep relationships in this arena to get the opportunities you’re seeking. We’ll call this "High Trust" networking.
At the other extreme you’ll find "Highly Transactional" networking. In this scenario very little trust if any is really required. If someone has a need they’re much more likely to come and do business with you and refer business to you because you’re the only ________ that they know. I’ve seen florists, plumbers and auto mechanics who were active networkers do REALLY well in this space primarily because at the events they frequented you rarely if ever met anyone else in their industry.
You may want to draw a line with the two extremes at either end. "High Trust" on one side and "Highly Transactional" on the other. Now decide where you fit on that continuum.
Once you understand your own position it’s time to make sure your networking strategy matches.
On the "High Trust" side attending lots of networking events is a mismatched strategy. Instead you need to be more focused on developing very deep trusting referral relationships. You can expect that this will take a lot of time, but if you’re trying to be everywhere all the time this strategy will take a lot longer. Simply put; the "High Trust" strategy needs to be highly focused on developing and deepening the right relationships. A huge percentage of your networking time should be spent in one one one meetings.
If your business is "Highly Transactional" then it makes much more sense to be very visible. Being involved in numerous organizations and attending a multitude of events will serve you well. Just being known and liked should create a plethora of opportunities. While deep relationships are important this type of networker will likely benefit more from simple visibility.
Very few of us will find ourselves at one of these absolute extremes. Instead you’re probably somewhere in the middle between the two and need to develop a more balanced strategy. Consider the extreme examples above and give some thought to what combination makes the most sense for your situation and your preferences.
One other item for consideration is your resource network. In addition to simply networking to identify opportunities you should also be networking to identify resources. With a broad resources network you can become the first call your clients and customers make when they have a particular need if you’ve been able to provide consistently good referrals to them in the past AND have proven yourself to know of hard to find resources as well.
So… Does your networking strategy match your networking need?
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram
You Can’t Build a House, or a Business, Without a Foundation (Guest Post by: Ragen Chastain)
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog July 12th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin Blog |
| Ragen Chastain |
Disorganized business owners lose money.
As business owners it seems like we concentrate as much time, effort, and money as humanly possible on sales and marketing. And that makes sense…that’s where the money comes from. Let me be clear that I am not knocking sales and marketing – in fact, I’m currently working with Pete Monfre of Clarity Marketing (www.claritymarketingsupport.
Unfortunately, what many business owners end up learning the hard way is that administrative systems form the foundation of their business. Just like a house, it’s pretty impossible to create a business without a foundation. It doesn’t matter how many people you meet networking if you can’t keep track of them. It doesn’t matter how many referrals you get if you don’t follow up with them. It doesn’t matter how many sales you make if you can’t fulfill the orders. It doesn’t matter how many orders you fulfill if you don’t invoice. It doesn’t matter how many invoices you send …ok, you get the picture.
Organizational systems do NOT stand over you with a big hammer and beat you up (”It’s not GOOD enough!” “You have to FILE!” etc.). Organizational systems sit underneath you and support you in everything that you do. They are how you know that you won’t lose that business card, that you will remember to follow up with that prospect, that you have invoiced all of your clients, that you can fax that document to someone as soon as you get back to the office (without having to launch a search party in your garage to find it).
So how do you build the foundation under the house?
Create and institute your systems one at a time, over time. Rome was not built in a day and your organization systems won’t be either. For many people summer is the slow time in their business. Consider using this slowdown as a time to create the systems and processes that will support you when things pick up in the fall. Brainstorm a list of all of the things that you do and start creating simple systems to make sure that you don’t miss steps or lose out on opportunities.
I have books and workshops (www.
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Ragen Chastain has spent over 14 years working in administration and organization consulting with all types and sizes of businesses.
She started The Renegade Organizer in 2004 to get the information that I had discovered about organization out to the people who could really use it.
She’s published two books "The Renegade Organizer’s Easy Guide to Paper Management" and "Simple Systems for a Complicated World". She also does workshops, master classes, corporate training and one-on-one consulting.
Renegade Organizing is a simple, realistic system that allows people to create organization in every aspect of their lives based on their own personality and work-style.
Typically she works with people who are:
Tired of leaving money on the table because of lost business cards, lost opportunities, and wasted time.
Ready to shatter the myths that are keeping them stuck in a constant state of clutter, disorganization, and frustration.
Exhausted from trying everything there is and sure that they just aren’t "organized people" and never will be.
Where do Your Opportunities Come From?
Closed Published by Business Networking in Austin Blog July 5th, 2009 on Business Networking in Austin BlogMost of the people I meet out networking are there because they’re looking for some type of opportunity. They’re either looking for new clients, a new job, or to further their career and knowledge.
When I started networking it took me a long time to realize that many of the opportunities we’re looking for don’t come from the places we’d expect. When I built my first company, an IT Consulting Company, I primarily networked because I was looking for new clients. I would frequently target people who I thought had the potential to be really great referral sources. They had a bunch of clients that were in my target market and were in a position to introduce me to those clients. The trouble was that after numerous lunches and other relationship development efforts none of those obvious referrals ever materialized. On the other hand I noticed that I would get referred into really amazing opportunities by people who I never thought could be such a resource.
This is both the challenge and the fun of networking. It’s never quite as logical as you might like it to be.
When you’re working hard to develop the obvious relationships it’s easy to overlook the real opportunities that are coming your way. Make sure that doesn’t happen! You need to develop some sort of system to track the opportunities that come your way. Don’t just track the closed business or opportunities that work out, instead track every opportunity regardless of its outcome.
What you’re looking for is WHO is referring you. Somebody who sends you a referral is probably 10 times more likely than anyone else to refer you again IF you also do right by them. If someone refers you multiple times you really need to pay attention. Having a system that keeps track of these referrals and opportunities will keep you from overlooking individuals who are bringing you consistent business. A system like this will also make it easier for you to circle back and close the loop with these individuals. You may also be able to find consistencies in where you’re meeting those golden individuals who are bringing you opportunities consistently.
Once you understand where you opportunities are coming from you can make sure you’re helping the people who are helping you, and start to find the unique patterns of relationships that are successful for you.
Happy Networking!
-Scott Ingram