| Be Who You Are | |
| Today’s tip has to do with a simple suggestion that could help get the results from the group you want. It has to do with presenting yourself as the person you are, not who you think the group would want to see.
Being genuine to who you are helps build trust and personal knowledge faster than any other action or form of communication during a meeting. When given the chance to speak or when talking with other members, ask for what you want in a precise fashion, but try to do so in a relaxed and as genuine a way as you can. Keep yourself in the room, and leave the banker, lawyer or whatever profession you have for the office or workplace. In your meeting, it is always best to be relaxed and as open with other members as reasonably possible. This attitude towards your group will help expedite the return you want which is to build a knowledge and trust between each other so other members care about your success. You do have to ask for business, but if you do it in a “personal way” the results will come faster and in increased amounts. Jim McCullick, Founder |
Archive for the ‘Networking Austin Tips’ Category
Networking Austin Tip of the Week – Be Who You Are
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010Networking Patience Success Story
Monday, April 5th, 2010Networking can save the day, and sometimes your business, if you remain in place and available to receive the leads you want. While some of our business suffers in this economy, others flourish. This is because new and innovative ideas will come to you if you’re in attendance and work the system by giving leads! One-on-ones are also so important for the process. Example: Our travel agent lost several large accounts due to market conditions in the last quarter. A gentleman who owns a phone company gave the travel agent a lead to an internationally based construction company that has turned into one of his largest accounts ever! This happened because over the years they have become business acquaintances as well as friends. Now, two things will happen. The phone company owner has a “salesman” on fire who, in earnest, will attempt to send him business. The Travel Company owner has a huge account! These two members have sat tight in hard times and both will benefit. Patience is the key during trying times. The business owners who don’t give up, keep trying and participating in the network system end up successful. You really can’t win the game if you don’t play! So, keep coming and give as many referrals as you can!
Tip on How to Connect
Monday, March 15th, 2010Best way to get a person to connect to you is to allow them the opportunity to do so by asking them to! Sounds simple and it really is. To accomplish this is not a great feat, but providing a person with a reason to ask you how your product or service accomplished a positive result, and how that can apply to them is a start to building the “business part” of any relationship.
Example. A product was used for the benefit of a marathon runner. It changed her recovery time by more than 70%, and shaved ten minutes off her race time in the first marathon and 30 minutes in the second five days later. Amazing! So, instead of telling a person who asks the usual, “so what do you do?” and you typical response, “well, I have this product that does this, or works like this….”, you might say,” my product saved a runner three and a half days of recovery time between marathons as well as ten minutes off her time in the first race, and 30 minutes in her time in the second.” They will engage you then and ask “well, what is it? how does it do that?” and the rest is history! Great approach and really proves the story, it is not the explanation in the educational sense and is a powerful tool in to get the ball rolling in any sales experience.
The Million Dollar Question
Monday, March 1st, 2010Frequently, the question is asked about the amount of time a member will be in the network and expect activity to be generated in the form of leads. The answer is the time that it takes to get leads differs member to member for several reasons.
First, it depends on what you do for a profession. Some businesses are easy to understand and supply leads to because their service is straight forward, auto repair for example.
A more difficult type of business for the club to service might be a consultant who helps businesses re –work management, or place strategic employees in certain positions. This would take longer to understand.
Another factor is the member themselves. How aggressive, open and gregarious they are in their personality and make up. Frankly, some people make friends faster than others for all kinds of different reasons. All of that is OK.
The main point is that the system will work for anyone doing anything as long as other members in the group get to know and trust you and understand, over time, the type of business or person you need to meet. I have seen it work for all kinds of businesses as long as the member devotes the time to the system, attends regularly on time, and makes the effort to meet outside the room when ever possible!
5 Tips to be Effective in Long Term Networking
Monday, February 22nd, 20101) Attend meetings
Obviously the most effective and successful networkers are the people who attend regularly. This allows other members to depend on you being there to pass on information in person and remind them to share ideas with you that they may not remember to do otherwise. It’s all about communication.
2) Be positive.
A positive member absent of complaints often does better and receives more activity from the group. I think people want to be around positive people and connect with them on the elevator up.
3) Ask how you can help.
This shows that you care, and gives you the vital information to really understand what another member needs. If you can supply, or try to
supply a lead or idea, you will always receive more back yourself.
4) Meet outside the normal meeting one on one.
This allows the personal bond to be created faster than just meeting at the regular meeting. Once a personal bond is created and you trust and care about the other person, both will be more likely to receive good and strong leads.
5) Offer advice from your industry.
This is a good way to show you know your business and draw people in to ask questions and share their ideas. It’s a workable platform for additional business relationship building.
Jim McCullick, Founder
The Biggest Mistake in Asking for Leads
Monday, February 15th, 2010Just about the most confusing and ineffective communication a member can offer to generate business is to ask for a huge, broad, myriad of leads without being specific as to what exactly is needed. “I need to find any person who has money!” Members in the group can supply you a lead more efficiently and faster if you are specific in what you ask for. Stay away from the word “anybody”, and ask for a laser specific lead for that week. “I need to meet the manager of ABC Company,” for an example. Other members will remember what you need and supply useful information more readily if you ask for a specific need or introduction into a specific business. If you don’t ask for it, they can’t give it to you.
This applies to an individual conversation as well. Once a base level relationship is in place, a member should be very able to ask for specific referrals. Really dig, and help the other member help you by giving them information in detail of who, where, when and what kind of specific person you need to meet. Its always about people. Its never really about generalities like anyone needing a home. More like “family wanting a home in this area that has this school; in this price range; on this street; at this time; with this type of financing available.” I mean the more you give or help a person with a referral, the better referral you will get!
Jim McCullick, Founder
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The 6 Biggest Networking Mistakes Revealed
Monday, February 8th, 2010You have probably experienced these things and may have even been a bit annoyed when it happened, but couldn’t quite put your finger on why. Here they are:
Don’t:
- Ask people for business.
- Brag about your success.
- Isolate yourself. Mingle with the crowd; don’t stand off to the side.
- Look like you just came in off the street. Dress like you care about the people you are going to see. It is simply good manners and insulting to your fellow networkers if you don’t.
- Talk about your business until you introduce yourself. This is very hard to do because it is so easy to fall into that pattern.
- Say “What do you do?” Instead say “How do you do?” or “How are you doing?” Be interested in them.
I personally think we should have a networking jail where we lock up people for an hour and let them think about it, so they will stop doing these things. (joke) Take these things to heart and you will be successful.
Jim McCullick, Founder
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Networking Austin Weekly Report
Monday, January 11th, 2010| WEEKLY REPORT – West Austin Club January 13, 2010 | |||||||||||
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Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, December 14th, 2009This has been a very interesting year to say the least. I do believe Austin in general was spared the brunt of the economic downturn until recently, and still seems to be fairing better than most other parts of the country.
Networking has played an essential part in keeping productivity up during these tight economic times by supporting each other in partnerships and exposure to markets and business opportunities that would of been missed otherwise.
It just takes participation in a network that allows the facts to be present in the mix so others may better find the true business and or personal support needed to keep activity coming through the door. In group environments that stifle that exchange or that is not conducive to the free flow of base information between members , vital help is less likely to be achieved. But when a group member truly knows what is needed and most importantly feels comfortable in providing the business lead or contact, the total value of the relationship is realized and the activity continues to flow.
This is when the full value of the effort made in building a business network relationship from the ground up comes to full front and center. So when you look for a network to use to increase your business, don’t get involved in one that works the surface, find a group that allows the whole business relationship to be realized to its fullest potential!
Happy Holidays and merry Christmas.
Jim McCullick, Founder
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, December 7th, 2009Some of the most prevalent benefits of a good networking group are often overlooked. This would be the multi-faceted “goodies” that come in many forms other than a direct business lead. I see it most every week in meetings where people will team up on projects as well as share ideas about everything from travel to investments. The true value of an effective network comes in the form of social events as well as true friendships–including support when the chips are down. So when you decide to become involved in a network club, make sure you are in a system that builds from the ground up and places importance on “base relationship building” as part of the systems make up. This will allow any participant the opportunity to realize the full complement and value from a trusted group of business people that are available for support in other than traditional business areas. We all want the final bottom line to grow, but working with the right system in place allows for a broad band of benefits to enjoy as well!