Recently, Head of Sharp End Training UK, Jonathan Senior, Head of Sharp End Training USA, Pat Weber and Head of mentorsquare.co.uk Richard Baker met up online to chew the fat and discuss networking tactics and strategies.

The result?

A fascinating 38 minutes which highlights both the similarities and the differences in networking in the US and the UK.

You can access this recording TOTALLY FREE

“10 things happen that (probably) happen to you at networking events whether you like it or not”

1. Within 24 hours either call or email any contact you want to get to know better merely thanking them for a “fabulous” meeting. Leave your sales pitch behind. 2. Within 48 hours send a handwritten note, you can use SendOutCards to make this easy, without even going to the card shop. Express your interest in a future discussion about what their needs might be. Yes; this is a more appropriate place to move the sales conversation forward. 3. Be sure to meet with anyone you believe you could refer business to or receive referrals from within about a week. Life goes on and so might their top-of-awareness of you.

After the 48 hour to one week follow-up plan, schedule your longer term follow-up.

4. Consider your average sales cycle. My sales cycle for my coaching and training services is long – sometimes 6 to 24 months. So in my plan, I have at a minimum, a quarterly follow-up. Even Internet products can have a long cycle so create 7 to 12 autoresponder emails to make this automatic and easy for you. 5. What on earth do you follow-up about over the long term? Start with your prospective clients interests. You are building a relationship and when that prospective client is ready to buy, you’ll stand out from others when you show you were listening to their interests. For example, let’s say you hear your prospect likes red wines. Something comes across your radar screen about a highly rated red wine. Call, email, Tweet or direct message your client to let them know you believe this little tidbit will be of interest. Another example is to send them a birthday card. There is no better way than this to get more personal. I mean who doesn’t like receiving a real paper greeting card in the mail? 6. If you purposefully reduce the information you share right from the get go, it will leave you other valid business reasons to follow-up. So you have maybe 10 products for people to consider. First of all, if you are other focused from the get-go you won’t fall in the trap of letting loose a flock of pigeons, that is, just rattling off your offering in a long list. You do know what a flock of pigeons can do? Instead, focus on one or two offerings. This leaves you the opportunity for mention of 8 others in your follow-up.

Several criteria to consider: - Have you asked your prospective customer or client their preference of follow-up? Some people do better with telephone, others email and others in-person. - Is your follow-up message weighted more toward building a relationship or just asking for a decision? The follow-up is both about selling and building the relationship at the same time. NOTE: shift your focus to helping the person buy and it will minimize you possible queasy factor with selling. When you help another person to buy you can’t help but want to understand their needs more. - Will your frequency be enough to cut through the clutter and keep your name at the top of your contact’s mind? You need to understand your prospects style to tailor this. - Are you mixing educational or editorial messages with advertorial or marketing information? If all you are going to do is talk about about you, your company, your sale, yourself, it’s weighted too heavily on one side. Talk with you prospective client about things that you heard them say interested them. - Are you being yourself? If you are an introvert the follow-up is where your strengths with shine: listening, being more curious and wanting to maintain the relationship to preserve your own energy. If you are an extrovert you may want to strengthen your: focus on the planning and then be your natural gregarious self while you strengthen you listening. - Are you being personal?

1. When you network you are beginning a conversation, and if you’ve followed some of the other tips to prepare, you’ve likely stirred someone’s curiosity to know more. NOTE: Introverts, networking is a place to begin a deep conversation not to attempt to have the entire discussion. Put on your planning forte when networking. The first encounter is not filled with small talk but instead a small amount of meaningful talk. 2. If you leave your networking at the event, or even worst, make one feeble attempt with email or voice mail to follow-up with someone, you’ve now possibly created a conundrum for the other person in new relationship. 3. If you haven’t focused your niche, your target, you’ll leave thinking, “All of these people are my prospects!” That can be your Achilles heel because of the overwhelm feeling of some much to do now that can lead to inaction. 4. The very nature of speed networking is an organic process. To avoid follow through that moves things along to the next likely action is like a cream beginning to curdle. 5. Your time and energy at any one singular event are just planted seeds of the networking process. For those seeds to grow into any might oak tree, a trusting and meaningful relationship, you have to nourish those seeds. Nourishing any relationship that you deem you want to take further means – a planned follow-up that you purposefully act on.

I like speed networking because formal networking events should never be about selling, they should be about meeting people and at best peaking their interest in your product or service. But of course most of us avid networkers also happen to be consummate sales people so we often run dangerously close to giving a sales presentation.

In networking in general the aim should be about exchanging essential fundamental information then following up appropriately with those you meet.

A way to help the process along, particularly as it pertains to speed networking is to have a business card that carries the fundamental information you need to convey. In this way your business card can do some of the talking for you as well as reinforcing the parts of your message you have communicated verbally. A kind of “speed pass.”

I believe it is courteous to give someone your business card when you meet because it reinforces your name and your company name. This is particularly true when you have an unusual name. For instance my name is Reno. Some people are not sure right away if they heard it correctly. Is it Remo with an M or Rico with a C? No, it is Reno with an N like Nevada. In a speed networking situation we might avoid that verbal exchange with a business card exchange instead.

The next question is “what do you do?” If my card is in front of you with a picture of a clap-board and a great big VIDEO for the WEB. It reinforces what I am saying. If a person can hear what you are saying and read it simultaneously they are more likely to remember your message. Maybe include a picture of your product or a logo that reinforces your service, company name or brand.

So speed up your speed networking by exchanging cards early in the process. Then be sure your business card reinforces your message with a clear indication of the types of products or service you provide.

Hopefully this took less than three minutes to read, now go click on another article. Oh! We’re not speed blogging? Well anyway look around at some of the other cool blog articles while you’re here. Hang around what’s the rush.

Reno Lovison is the author of “Turn Your Business Card Into Business” and the producer of web videos specializing in book video trailers for authors. Visit his websites at www.businesscardtobusiness.com and www.authorsbroadcast.com

Wow. Courteous in networking! How refreshing to hear that.

How do you think you will use your business card in the next speed networking event?

Ever heard the popular saying, “Be careful what you wish for, or else you just might get it”? The irony of this statement is that while you will receive what you asked for (aka your gift): Result #1: It will not necessarily be what you bargained for. What you need to know: You cannot bargain with God, the Universe, or the Divine. What (s)he dishes out to you is food for fodder and follow up. For instance, if you and your spouse want to spend more time with the family and the latter loses his or her job, you will have received what you asked for. However, you may not be fond of how this gift showed up in your life. Similarly, if you will soon be experiencing the empty nest syndrome and the both or just one of you has to temporarily relocate so you can find work, this may be happening to strengthen the respect, gratitude and bond between the two of you. Consequently, your relationship will be called to go through a shift so that it can withstand this inevitable change in life stages. How you manage this change (with a focus on faith or fear) will determine the future direction and quality of your relationship. That is, if your subconscious is filled with fear while your conscious mind is focused on faith, you will experience external conflicts (including chaos and confusion) because you will be internally conflicted. So, it is important that you practice consistently focusing on faith in action, instead of fear in action or faith without action. Got it? Result #2: You will like parts of what you receive, while you may dislike other aspects. What you need to know: Whatever is still a duality in your life, you will attract this lack of harmonizing to you. Case in point, if you are an intellect and truly respect that about yourself, the Universe may send you gifts that will help you strengthen the weak link in your Create Prosperity Formula, between Decision and Action. And you will respond to this cue to get out of your head and into your body and trusting your intuition or inspiration in one of two ways: You will make a yes or no decision. Or you will choose to not decide, which is still a decision. Result #3: You will never feel 100 percent ready or prepared for this gift. What you need to know: In fact, you may even initially resist the gift. As Nicky VanValkenburgh had mentioned in her article Put your brain’s “overactive security guard” to work for you!, “your amydgala is an overactive security guard, always trying to protect you from negative emotions”. It also works hard to maintain your status quo. For example, if you are called to be more real and intimate with your clients, while you may attract an ideal client (= your wish), you will have times where you are challenged (called growth spurts) to be more real and intimate than you have ever been before. If you believe that intimacy is meant to be all neat and tidy and not all emotionally messy, then you may resist this opportunity to grow your intimacy muscle and it will feel painful. Or conversely, you may embrace it and all involved with benefit from it. So you see, this is how can you become masterful at receiving: Become aware (not ignorant) of what you need to know, starting with the three points above. Then become fully committed to using and sharing with your loved ones and peeps the gifts you ask for and receive.

1. If you are a slower speaker, there are about 175 words in a typical 60 second elevator pitch and if you hail from the north, like New York, you can squeeze in about 225. 2. Try, just do it, and allow the other person to talk first if you tend to normally gobble the time. It’s fine to say who you are, your company name and the WHAT you solve for your perfect client. But save your full pitch until a follow-up time. Laura Sherman comments on a previous post about why this works so well. 3. As an extrovert it’s quite likely you love going first, often to the detriment of the either shy or introvert person. Look at tip #3 again and converse in this way. 4. As an introvert, you may be hesitant, but if you find the person you are partnered with going on and on and possibly intruding on your time, take a stance. Politely pipe up with, “Wait, I would like for you to at least know my name and who my best clients are.” You’ll have their attention. 5. This is not the time to go into details. After hitting on the highlights about yourself, who your ideal client is, take more interest in the other person.

1. For your introduction, after you and your company name, and if appropriate, how many years in business or geographical boundaries you serve? 2. Describe your perfect customer referral. Write it out if needed. Remember that in a typical 60 seconds we might be able to get about 175 words in – this statistic comes from my online friend, Barbara Lopez, the Elevator Pitch Coach. 3. If you have a business resource you can offer the other person – space in a newsletter, meeting room space, a Top Ten Tips report – let them know what this is and how they can get it. 4. As you get ready to move into your next conversation, don’t let the current one end without stating your next intention. If you feel you want to connect further, say so. If you aren’t sure, say something like, “Maybe we can talk a bit further to see if there is some mutual interest.”

1. Find out in advance how many people the facilitator expects that you will meet at the event. You want to bring more cards than that if you are one to sometimes say, “Oh I forgot my business cards.” In making that first impression, it matter as much about what you think about yourself but what others might believe. 2. Have business cards handy without the need to fumble to exchange them. 3. Upon receiving someone else’s card, pause to look at it, say their name aloud while you look at them. When you get ready to move on to your next round, do the same before you leave each other. Now, you are one step closer to tyng this person to the discussion you had. 4. Have a pad or a networking journal along with a pen or pencil for notes in conversations that you want to keep top of mind.

Extroverts (energized most by other people) love:
- Networking with more people.
- Networking with new people.
- Networking CAN get loud at times.
- Networking in a large group is what you start and end with.

Introverts (energized most by their own thoughts and selves) thrive with:
- Networking in a designated time.
- Networking with structure.
- Networking without small talk.
- Networking is 1 to 1!

And what works for anyone, introvert and extrovert alike:
- The overall structure, typically you meet 15 to 20 people in 4 to 6 minute conversation rounds, is a comfortable and less intimidating environment than typical free for all events.
- A person can learn effective networking techniques through each conversation, repetition and a facilitator.
- The math works for everyone. Connections you make of 15 to 20 people in an hour, times an average of 250 if you have been in business for a year or two.

Networking, if it is in your strategic plan for marketing and business development, tends to lead to a lot of make-me-puke-but-I’m- listening kind of small talk, can wear out an unprepared introvert and because of distractions from the fast fun of it can leave the most ardent type cheerleader, an extrovert, weary. The train is in – speed networking has arrived and gets better with each round.

How else do you see think it benefits either the introvert or extrovert?