I meet a lot of different people both socially and professionally. Being self -employed, I’m at many business mixers and networking events. Whether for professional reasons or casual conversation, the question “What do you do?” comes up. The answer is usually your 30-60 second elevator speech… Hi, My name is …. I work for/my company is ….. I help people…….Sometimes the response goes on for more than 60 seconds.

Last week I was at a mixer and was called over by a colleague to meet a gentleman to whom she was speaking. With my name tag on, I walked over and extended my hand. Next – the question ” So what do you do?” I have several short responses that invite questions if people want to know more. He didn’t. My turn came up to ask him the same question. After learning about his profession (financial services) in about 6O seconds, I asked him a question to learn more about who he was. His answer was to tell me about how good he was at his job, how happy his clients were with his services and so on for 10 -15 minutes. I stopped hearing him after the first few minutes as I looked for a polite way to excuse myself. Know what I mean? During the entire conversation he never asked me anything that showed any curiosity in knowing who I am. It felt more like listening to an advertisement instead of having a conversation. It was all about HIM! Then he gave me his card, asked for referrals and said he’d get in touch with me. It was a total turnoff. Sound familiar?

Here’s my 64 cents. People like to be talked to not talked at. If your focus in networking is only to get clients to build YOUR business, that’s what people will pick up. That may work with some people. Remember, the first thing people buy is you not your product or service.

Have you met people who have shown a genuine interest in you/your needs? What was that like? Did you feel a connection or want to affiliate with them? Would they have been people you would want as friends? And if that person had a service or product something you needed, would you want to buy from them? If your intent is to forge strategic alliances and build relationships with people, take a look at the way you’re coming across and the agenda (expectations, desired results) you bring in meeting people in any situation. Creating connections naturally opens the door to referrals. If you knew of someone great who would be of help to folks in your life, would you keep that person a secret? This is Attraction not a technique to be more effective in business.

Three Attraction Tips:

– Be real – be yourself with people. * If you don’t know who you are or how to be real, contact me. I’ll help you figure that out!

– Be genuinely curious in learning about people in casual or business situations. Listen for how many times you make “I” statements to draw the focus consistently back to you. Good conversations have a back and forth flow vs. being a captive audience.

– Really listen by staying present to what’s being said. Practice active listening. Asking question that refer to people’s comments invites conversation.

Three Networking Tips:

1. Only offer your card when someone asks for it. Ask for their card if you want it.

2. If you want to give your card but haven’t been asked – you can say ” May I give you my card?”

3. When given a card, hold it in both hands and say something about the card ( I like the color, very striking) before putting it in your pocket or purse.

– If you meet someone you’d like to know better, invite them for coffee!

Last comment…..I’m a big believer in forging relationships and building a community of support. You can quote me – “What we can do alone is nothing compared to what we can do together” - Lorraine Cohen

About the Author
Lorraine Cohen of Powerfull Living (http://www.powerfull-living.biz) is a Business Coach and Life Strategist and Team Member of Solo-E (http://www.Solo-E.com). Lorraine Cohen is a Business Coach & Life Strategist who brings more than 25 years of experience in life coaching, counseling, and sales. She helps people through career change, life transitions, and the process of breaking through FEAR and removing barriers to success.

You can generate a ton of business by networking, whether you belong to a networking organization or just get referrals from existing (satisfied) customers. Whenever you meet a new potential client, it’s important to create the right impression about you and your business straight away. That’s where a 10 second introduction comes in handy – and the more this introduction stands out from the rest, the more likely your new acquaintance is to remember you.

One great way of making your introduction stand out and to really grab the attention of the person you’re introducing yourself to is to put an unexpected twist right at the start. One lady I know starts her introduction: “Hello, I’m Jane Doe, and I want to root through your trash cans.” Now that’s an introduction that nails everybody’s attention – and leaves them wanting more. The lady in question is an environmental consultant and helps companies reduce the amount of waste they produce – hence rooting through the trash.

Spending some time thinking about how you can present your business in a truly unusual light will turn out to be a great investment in the long run. Write down all the things you typically do in your business and see how you can twist them around to make people ask “You can’t really do that for a living?”

But that is only the beginning, of course. Now that you have grabbed their attention you have to follow up with something useful. Nobody would ever hire somebody to go through their trash, no matter how interesting that sounds as a job description. So now’s the time to follow up with your USP, some strong benefits and your guarantee if you have one. Let’s say you’re a printer. Your USP is that you always deliver on time. Your introduction could read:

“Hello, I’m Joe Smith. I’m an undertaker’s nightmare.” Now you should have the undivided attention of the person you’re talking to. An undertaker’s nightmare? So you go on: “That’s because I want to be buried in paperwork.” [Yes, I know, that was a terrible pun. But be honest – it got your attention, right? And that’s what counts.]

“I run a printing business. We do any kind of print run, from as little as 100 copies of a monochrome flyer to ten thousand full-color catalogues. And we promise that we will deliver on time, [USP] so you can be sure to have your materials when you need them [Benefit]. We’re so sure of that that we promise to knock 15% off our fee for each day, should a project ever be late. [Guarantee]”

And that’s your business in a memorable nutshell. Just as the environmental consultant is now known to everybody as “The trash can lady”, this printer could be famous as “The undertaker’s nightmare”. The point is to be instantly recognized and remembered by the people you’ve met – so their next project goes to you instead of the person who just said: “Hello, I’m John Doe and I’m a printer”

So, to recap, a great 10 second introduction needs:

· A way to introduce your business that will grab the listener’s attention.

· A short description of what you do, including your USP and benefits.

· A Guarantee (if you have one. If you don’t, think about getting one!)

Get all these elements together and you’ll see that people will remember you – and give you their business.

About the Author
Frauke Nonnenmacher is a copywriter who specialises in marketing materials designed to build customer relationships. For more information, please visit her web site at http://www.creativecats.com

In part 2 of the subject of networking both online and offline, I am concluding with offline networking techniques and opportunities.
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Offline networking or in person networking is similar to online networking, yet different at the same time. Many people will tell you to make sure that you have your business cards and brochures ready when you are networking in person. However, I am going to take a different stand and tell you to take only your business cards. Only when you follow up should you give a brochure.

The next time you attend an in person networking function, I want you to stand back for a few minutes, peruse the room and listen to what is actually being said and what is going on. Then I want you approach someone and talk about them and ONLY them. Don’t bring up your services, except to say who you are and what company you are with. Ask the person standing in front of you probing questions about their business. What is the primary function of their business? What is their role in it? What are their pitfalls? Try to keep the focus on them.

Once they are finished talking about themselves open up your mind to your “virtual Rolodex” or your actual Rolodex and give them names of people that you think could be of assistance to them. Or give them names of a few leads that could benefit from their product or service. Only after you’ve done that, should you begin your 30-second elevator speech.

The prospect is going to be extremely apt to listen to you because you provided them with great information and a few leads (which they would not have gotten if you hadn’t taken the time to listen to them). While this particular prospect might not have the need for your services now, chances are they will return the favor with leads for you.

Also another goal should be to obtain more business cards than the number you actually give out. When you get home, stop and take a look at the cards. Are any of these professionals your ideal client? If no, then file them away in your Rolodex and refer others to this particular person when a need arises. However, if you feel as though they are an ideal client, then research them and their company. Position yourself as an expert with regards to helping them and their business.

Call the prospect and let them know who you are and let them know where you met them. If you get a good feeling from this prospect, invite them out for coffee so you can talk to them about how you can better position them in their business. Most times, these particular business owners and professionals will take you up on your offer. Don’t be afraid to give out some free advice, but don’t “give away the farm” either. Also, don’t be afraid to open your Rolodex. This will score subconscious points with the prospect.

This might not be the perfect opportunity to close the deal, but don’t fret. Go home, armed with the information from today’s conference and create a proposal that is going to WOW them. Highlight you, your company, your benefits, etc. and personally drop it off at the company. And keep in contact with the business owner or professional.

Networking Opportunities Offline

Your local Chamber of Commerce. Sometimes the Chambers can be extremely pricey. However, the good news is that there are usually multiple Chambers in your area. Be diligent and check around before joining. The “cheaper” Chamber might have everything you are looking for.

BNI– BNI is pretty pricey, but members say that it is worth every penny. BNI was started in 1985 by Dr. Ivan Misner, one of the world’s leading experts in networking and word-of-mouth marketing. BNI has thousands of Chapters worldwide with tens of thousands of members passing millions of referrals.

LeTip – LeTip International, Inc. is a professional organization of men and women dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service. Their primary purpose is to give and receive qualified business tips or leads. Le Tip is not available in all areas, so please check their website to see if they are in your area. As far as pricing, it depends upon the area in which you live.

Leads Club – Founded in 1978 by Ali Lassen, and currently under the leadership of Lisa Bentson, President, they are the oldest and most respected networking organization in the world. Leads Club is open to business owners, professionals, sales people and managers seeking to begin or expand a business. During weekly 75-minute meetings over breakfast or lunch, each Member gives a brief business presentation and exchange leads collected during the previous week. Pricing depends upon the area in which you live.

Ryze – Ryze.com offers a variety of local networking events. Check out Ryze Events for more information.

One of the great things (and could be a draw back) is that BNI, LeTip and Leads Club only accept one member of each profession into their meetings. Also, some of the groups do not acknowledge the VA profession as a profession. So it might take some education as to what a VA is and how they can benefit the group.

Another thought would be to create your own networking and referral group. Partner with a local business person (who has contacts) and start your own. Research standards via the internet and model your group after some of the successful established groups. Who knows, maybe you’ll have a new profession on your hands and you’ll be the next BNI and we’ll be clamoring to get to you!!!

Until next time,
Becki

Just about everyday Dale and I are contacted through our website by surfers inquiring how they can become a Virtual Assistant. We provide some guidance, but also refer them to our training center, VA Training as well as VAU and AssistU. Our second most popular request is about networking, both online and offline. They want to know how to do it effectively.

Let me begin by saying that when our practice Virtual Accuracy “Assistance for Coaches” was started our main tactic for attracting clients was cold calling, because that was a quick fix for us. However at the same time Dale was making cold calls, I was building relationships online and offline. After our practice was about 50% full, we stopped cold calling and began to rely almost solely on business networking. To date our practice is at full capacity. Besides WOM referrals, the majority of our new clients have to come to us through networking online and offline.

The simple definition of networking is, “To interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support.”

I like to describe networking as “building your social capital”. What do I mean by that? Well in a nutshell, not everyone is your ideal client. However, chances are the people you are networking with know your ideal client. The more people you know both online and offline, the better the chances of finding your ideal clients and thus building up your practice.

For example, Dale and I receive referrals from our networking experiences a lot. However, most of the time, they are not our ideal client or within our target market. We have a very focused market and do not stray from it, while there are other VAs who target many types of markets. When these referrals come to us, we look to our “social capital” and match these clients with VAs who can service them in the way they deserve.

Additionally, we receive referrals from satisfied clients. Again, the clients that are referred to us are not always our ideal clients, so we refer them elsewhere. And yet again, our social capital comes into play. So when you network, be extremely helpful and cautious at the same time. There are people within the boards and forums that are closely watching you and your expertise because they might need to refer someone to you at one time or another.

One of the biggest pitfalls many new networkers face, both online and offline, is that networking is a two way street. When you network, your Rolodex has to be just as open, if not more, than the person you are talking to.

Networking is a give and take relationship. As VAs we know that there are many posts on various boards saying something like this, “My name is Mary and I am a VA. I am available to help you with all of your overflow work. Contact me off list as soon as possible to discuss this.”

When I read these posts, my gut reaction is, “Who is Mary and why should I give work to someone that I do not know?” When your practice is full or nearing capacity, my first inclination is to tell you to steer away from Mary. Am I being heartless and cruel? In my opinion no and here’s why.

There are many of us who give valuable information to anyone who asks on the various message boards. Why do we do it? Besides just being nice, I know that many of us are secretly hoping that we will be referred business based upon the answers we provide to others. When someone like Mary pops onto the scene and doesn’t provide anything useful to us, why should we consider her when we need help?

As stated previously networking is a two way street. There are times that you will give and give and give and not see much return, but in the end your return will be huge.

The idea of online networking and online social networking is just that…being social. A faux pas of networking is posting to forums saying, “Hi, I am new the board. My name is Mary and I am a VA with ABC Company. I help business owners with their paperwork. All business owners need my services. Contact me ASAP.” What true value does this add to a conversation or “thread”? It is nothing but an advertisement disguised as a networking post. Sure she may have gotten a few “glad to meet you(s)”, but are fellow members of the forum going to remember Mary? Probably not.

Susie is also a VA who actively participates in discussions on a regular basis. She provides great content but also asks thought provoking questions to other members. Within the networking group, Susie is seen as someone who truly knows her stuff.

Joe is also a member of the networking group. His business is growing exponentially and he now needs assistance with the backend of his business. There are a few VAs who are a part of his networking group and now he needs to make a choice…Mary or Susie. Who would you choose? My bets are on Susie. It feels like you know her personally because of the online relationship that you have. Mary swooped in and swooped out again. Chances are Joe doesn’t even remember her or her post.

Tomorrow I will touch on effective in-person networking.

Until next time,
Becki

During a recent networking chat, I read where someone said, (paraphrase) “she must be a really good networker” and “patience is a virtue, but my goodness…”

Building a business takes a lot of time and effort. We started part-time in 1998 and we were under the sad impression, “if you build it they will come”, meaning our website. The sad truth is they did not come. Sure we had a few project clients, mostly through word of mouth, but it was just p/t income and no effort on our part. Plus, to be honest, we never really thought of being VAs full time until much later.

I left my corporate position in mid-2003 as the Director of Marketing and Guest Relations for a large non-profit organization so I could focus on my son who has special needs. My intention was to work at my VA practice on a very part-time/limited basis for extra income. However, God had other plans.

In late 2003 Dale was laid off from his lucrative corporate position. With a wife, a special needs child, a cat, a dog and a mortgage, Dale was in sink or swim mode. Should he return to the corporate world and face yet another lay off or dive into our business kicking and screaming? Dale chose the latter. He put in 16 hours days for about 4 months and I put in a good 8 (6 days a week) and wouldn’t you know it, our practice grew and grew and grew. Did it happen overnight? NO! It took blood, sweat and tears and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We worked HARD to get where we are today…long hours too. We had our own business coach from the beginning of our practice. No, we couldn’t afford to pay her, but we did barter with her. It was a win-win situation and our practice wouldn’t be where it is today without her insight, guidance, coaching and mentoring. Not just for 8 weeks, but every single week of the year! We have been meeting faithfully once a week with a coach for the past 80 weeks.

If I ruffle the feathers here, please excuse me. But the “if I build it they will come” philosophy might have worked in 1995, but it’s now 2005 and the competition is fierce. I am not talking about competition between VAs, because this is one of the most giving professions that I know of. I am talking about getting recognized on the web. There are so many sites, that it can be extremely difficult to stand out in the crowd. It is no longer enough to have just a website. That must be just one single piece of your puzzle. What are your marketing efforts? What are your networking efforts? Are you using your business plan as a guide? Are you following your marketing plan? If not, do it. If it’s out of date, update it. Are you targeting anyone and everyone who has a pulse and a checkbook and it’s NOT working? If so, it might be time to revise your strategy. If you need help with revisions, we are here to help. Remember, we have ALL been where you are. Some of us might still be there.

You can get recognized using Search Engine Optimization, but that’s another long discussion for another thread.

How much time do you put into the marketing efforts of your practice? Are you achieving your desired results? If not, what can you do differently? I am not telling you to put in 16 hours a day on building your business, but just stop to think about how much time you are actually putting into it. Let’s face it, an hour here and there is not enough.

Being a VA isn’t just as easy as having a computer, fax machine and printer. When you are a VA you are an entrepreneur. As an independent business owner you must go in search of the perfect clients for you. Until you build your client base, the word of mouth referrals will be slim to non-existent. Market, network, “preach it from you front lawn”, scream it from the rooftops, and shout it out! You are in control of your business destiny. Today is the day to seize the opportunity. If you need help seizing it, just ask!

I am in no way, no how an extrovert. I am as introverted as they come. I am your classic INFP with extensive introverted tendencies. If I can do it, anyone can do it…literally.