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Power Networking Tips
The document provides tips for power networking using the acronym PMET. P stands for prepare by researching venues, registering for events, and developing questions. M stands for minding manners like introducing yourself, making eye contact, and following up. E stands for experiencing sowing and reaping by giving quality referrals, listening to others, and trusting the referral process will be reciprocal over time. T stands for taking the social networking plunge by deciding how you want to present yourself online, limiting self-promotion, sharing information, and participating actively.
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Power Networking Tips
- 1. Power Networking P.M.E.T Way! P - Prepare before Your Venture M - Mind Your Manners in Networking E – Experience Sowing and Reaping T – Take the Social Networking Plunge
- 2. P - Preparebefore Your Venture
- 3. Identify where youshould go. All venues are not right for all people. You owe it to yourself to do your research and find the venues that make sense for your business
- 4. Make a decisionabout which organizations you should join and which you don’t have to join in order to gain value from their events. For example, does it make sense to join a local chamber of commerce, or just go to the events that sound interesting and will most likely include people you should meet?
- 5. Register for theevent and schedule it like a business meeting. Many people either don’t sign up for events or sign up for them and then forget to go.
- 6. Determine how oftenyou should be networking in a given week, month or quarter. This will help you narrow down where you should be going.
- 7. Develop open-ended questions you can use to ignite a conversation. Try to find unique questions; don’t ask the same old “So, what do you do?” if you can help it.
- 8. Attend events witha plan to learn something new. This will keep you from talking too much about yourself and your business
- 9. Prepare yourself physicallyand mentally for the event. Dress appropriately. Bring business cards. Turn your phone off or set it to vibrate
- 10. M - MindYour Manners in Networking
- 11. If you goto an event with someone. you know, split up once you get there
- 12. Focus before youapproach anyone. When you walk into the room, step to the side, take a deep breath and scan the room. This will give you a chance to regroup
- 13. Don’t sit down Untilthe program begins. If there is no program, you can sit once you’ve connected with someone.
- 14. Sit with Strangers notwith people you know
- 15. When you seesomeone sitting alone, go to them and introduce yourself. You’ll be saving their life! They are alone and nervous. You can even take them with you to mix and mingle with others
- 16. Don’t give yourbusiness card to everyone you meet. Rather, give it to anyone who asks you for it
- 17. Do get thebusiness card of everyone you meet.
- 18. Have a firmbut not killer handshake. Your handshake is a key indicator of your level of confidence. If it’s too weak you are telegraphing. If it is too strong you are sending a signal that you are probably more aggressive than assertive or cooperative. Either way, it doesn’t lend itself to building relationships
- 19. Be present. When youare talking with someone, look them in the eye and really pay attention to what they are saying.
- 20. Don’t look aroundthe room or over someone’s shoulder when you are talking with them. It’s rude. You are letting them know that you aren’t really interested in them.
- 21. Don’t take aphone call. If you are expecting a call or have a situation that may need your attention, let the person you are talking with know there is the possibility you’ll have to excuse yourself
- 22. If you haveto take a call, leave the room and go to a quiet place. It doesn’t make you seem important if you take a call in the room. It makes you seem impolite, silly, rude, arrogant . . . take your pick!
- 23. Disengage politely. How do you get away from someone politely? There are a couple of tactics. You can tell them you don’t want to monopolize their time. You can tell them you see someone you need to speak with. You can excuse yourself to the restroom. You can tell them you’d like to continue meeting people.
- 24. Follow up (thisis critical)! If you are going to take the time to network, then please take the time to follow up with the people you meet. You can send them a handwritten note or reach out to them to schedule coffee or a meeting. This depends on how well you connected
- 25. Don’t follow upvia email unless the person asks you to.
- 26. Don’t pitch tooearly. Quite frankly, don’t “pitch” at all. When you build relationships it will become apparent to you and the other person when it makes sense to do business with each other. Remember, business networking is about relationships, not selling
- 27. Don’t sign peopleup for your newsletter. without their permission
- 28. Don’t assume that just because you met someone you now have license to gain a referral from them, use them as a resource, or give them your promotional and sales materials
- 29. E - ExperienceSowing and Reaping
- 30.
- 31. Show up regularlyand on time. When you show up late and/or infrequently, you send a message to your fellow group members: You tell them that you only care about yourself because you don’t take the time to learn about their needs. You show them how you deal with business meetings and associates. Why would they trust you with their clients? How can they be sure you’ll treat them well?
- 32. Come Prepared Have aspecific list of referral needs. The more specific you can be, the more referrals you’ll receive.
- 33. Always ask forwhat you need. We are never so busy that we don’t need more prospects in our pipeline. If you don’t ask all the time, you’ll run the risk of getting into a place where you never ask.
- 34. Be present. Once again,be sure you are really listening to the needs of the group members. Don’t play with your phone or answer e-mails while others are talking. Really listen and think about how you can help them.
- 35. Meet with themembers individually between meetings so you can get to know them better.
- 36. Do not tryto sell your fellow group members when you have your one-on-one meetings.
- 37. Do not expectto get until you give. Even after you have given, Do not expect to get right away It takes time to build the relationships with group members so you trust them and they trust you.
- 38. Consider the othergroup members as resources to you and your contacts. When you know how they do business and trust them, you can use them as resources when people mention needs those group members can solve. This can elevate you in the eyes of your contacts, prospects and clients.
- 39. Do give qualityreferrals and leads . I knew a man who would write up a referral and put “Do not use my name“ on the sheet. That is not helpful. I’ve also seen a situation where someone gave a referral but called the referee later and said, “Don’t call that person.” That’s not helpful! Don’t give garbage. It’s better to not give at all.
- 40. Make sure yourclients, contacts and associates are open to you giving their names and contact information to your group members. One of the worst things that can happen is for you to refer a group member to a client, only to have the client get mad. Your job is to know your clients and contacts well enough that you know who would be open to taking a call and who would rather not. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t connect these people. It just means that, instead of passing on the person’s name and contact information, you may have to make the introduction. Reach out to your contact and set the stage for your group member.
- 41. Follow up! Ifsomeone gives you a referral, treat it like gold. You want to be sure that you follow up on it right away. Imagine how you’ll make the other person feel if they refer you to someone and you don’t follow up in a timely manner. It won’t make them want to refer you again. It takes time to build relationships with the people in your referral group. Don’t destroy that trust by failing to take a referral seriously.
- 42. T – Takingthe Social Networking Plunge
- 43. Decide who youwant to be. Of course, you should be you! What I mean is that before you say something in your news feed or in a discussion, make sure it maps with how you want others to know you. I participate on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and some blogs. I always think before I write anything. First, I want to be sure I am being consistent with my message. Second, I know that my clients and prospects come from varying backgrounds and belief systems. I want to be sure that nothing I say will change the way they think of me. This is especially true for social networks like Facebook. The intersection of social and business is very blurry. Interacting with people in these arenas helps you get to know them on a personal level. That can work for or against you. So, think about what kinds of conversations you want to engage in before you write something.
- 44. Don’t spam No onelikes spam and that includes pitch messages on social networking. Use the platforms as a way to continue to build relationships and expand your network. Irritating people won’t help you accomplish that.
- 45. Limit the self-promotion. Youcan let people know what you are up to as long as that’s not your only topic of conversation.
- 46. Share information. People loveto learn things. Use social networking as a way to share relevant information with other people.
- 47. Tell people whyyou want to connect with them. Don’t use the standard connection script if you can help it.
- 48. Participate. You’ll get outof it what you put into it.
- 49. Don’t assume thatbeing connected to someone gives you permission to pitch. It doesn’t.
- 50. If you wantan introduction through one of your contacts, make sure you explain why you want it.
- 51. Your online connectionsare just as valuable as your offline connections.. Treat them that way
- 52. Take the timeto get to know people you meet via social networking. When you engage in a conversation with someone, belong to a group with them, or read something they wrote, ask them to connect directly. Then build the relationship.
- 53. Pay attention. Social networkingis just like in-person networking. You want to approach it as a way to learn things. When you pay attention to the chatter, the events, groups and conversations you’ll learn an awful lot about the people in your network. You’ll also learn about people you should be connected to.
- 54. Don’t sell. This goesalong with spamming and self-promotion. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course it does. That’s because social networking has nothing to do with selling. It has everything to do with building relationships so you can grow your business.
- 55. You don’t haveto connect with everyone. You can make decisions about who you connect with on different platforms. Just be consistent. If you decide that you don’t want to be connected to business associates on Facebook, then don’t. If someone you don’t knows requests a connection to you, you are under no obligation to connect with them.
- 56. Be a giver.. Wheneveryou can connect people or help someone with a question, do it
- 57. Be yourself. Don’t hide behind a persona. Remember that people do business with people they trust. You have to be you in order for people to get to know you.
- 58. Use your ownpicture as a profile photo.
- 59. Don’t carry onprivate conversations in public. Use common sense and good judgment and contact people privately when you want to have a one-on-one conversation.
- 60. Go to events Whenan online group you are in has an in-person function, go to it. Meet the people you’ve been interacting with. It helps to build the relationship.
- 61. Suggest a meeting. When you connect with someone via social networking, follow up and suggest a meeting. The meeting can be via phone, Skype or in person, depending on geography. Don’t let physical distance get in your way. In this day and age it doesn’t have to be a deterrent to growing a business relationship.
- 62. Be approachable. I’m notgoing to get the chance to know you and like you if you are aloof. No one is so special that they are untouchable. Besides, who would want to build a relationship with someone distant?
- 63. Last Words! At theend of the day, we network so we can grow our businesses. We meet people and build relationships so we will receive referrals from them over time. What we’re talking about here is how to do it well so those referrals actually happen. Whatever business networking venue(s) you choose, make the most of them. Although increased sales is the end goal, we don’t participate in business networking to sell. We do it to find and develop relationships with people who we can help and who can help us. When we detach ourselves from the emphasis we tend to put on selling, we actually improve our ability to build relationships. The sales will come naturally from there. Remember these guidelines when you venture out of your office into the world of events, groups, and social networks. Make the most of the time you spend on business networking.