Identifying Your Targets
Networking starts with introductions and introductions come in a number of forms. I have separated them into five categories:
Cold calls
Leads
Cold introductions
Warm introductions
Personal introductions
Cold calls are attempts to contact people who you don’t know and have little or no information about. They can hardly be called introductions. Calling names that you received from telephone directories or similar listings are cold calls. They are usually attempts to contact targets who you don’t know without any introduction or referral.
Generosity
Business is not always about money, although for most people the bottom line influences a lot of their decisions. In business, profits are always a consideration; they are the measuring rod. But sometimes the best way to get noticed is by forgoing some profits, charging a bit less, giving a little more—balancing it out. While I was working on a consulting project with an old client, she was having severe money issues. Since she had to keep her expenses down,
Get Noticed… Get referrals!
In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.
—JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
The best way to build or expand your business is to become influential, to convince others that your goods or services can improve their businesses or their lives. To become influential, get noticed. Getting noticed is the most powerful way to drive your business, in- crease your profitability,
Generosity of Time
I think the number-one thing people remember about other people is when they have been given more of their time than expected. We all know doctors who make us sit in the waiting room for far too long, but we keep going back because once we are in the examining room, she gives us enough time to feel like we are being cared for. We don’t mind waiting because we trust she will give us the time back,
How Kindness Generates Connectivity
Neil Alcala, CEO and owner of DirectPay for the last 20 years, processes credit cards and places e-commerce solutions for coaches, speakers, trainers, info-marketers, and other professionals to get paid for their services.
I’ve personally witnessed Neil’s generosity throughout the years, as a CEO and a person, with no concern for receiving anything back. “Kindness is ingrained in our culture at DirectPay,” he told me. “It’s not something that we actively measure, but one of the things that we focus on is when you call or contact DirectPay,
Why Compassion Matters Now More Than Ever
When you work with people for a long time, your colleagues, customers, vendors, and clients become friends. You share the joy on their wedding days, send balloons when their children are born, let them cry in your office when they experience a loss, and stand by them in their decision to leave the company. We travel through life with one another, and there is no way around that fact. When you see someone in tears, go to them and practice compassion.
Interpersonal Flexibility
If you are in business, you have probably been burned too many times to count. We have all learned from one bad experience to another that it is critical to protect ourselves. However, there is always a time and a place for flexibility. Bending to the conditions that catch you off guard is not the same as being pushed around. Of course, you will discern which conditions you should adapt to in order to sustain your business,
Crises Control—confront disasters and turn them around!
In light of the pandemic we thought we’d share some crisis control tips from guerrilla publicity as its relevant for this time.
“Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, they force us to think.” —Jawaharlal Nehru, former Indian Prime Minister
Your brand, your business or product name, is your most important asset and once you’ve established it, it must be protected at all costs. Otherwise it can destroy your business.
Every book seems to include a warning about Murphy’s Law— and our book is no exception.
Building Your Network
“The quickest way to the top is to take everyone with you.”
—Bernhard Dohrmann, Ceo & Chairman of Space International
If you want to succeed, build a great team. A great team multiplies your prospects for success; it enables you to form relationships with powerful people who can make your dreams come true. A great network supports your strengths, fills in your weaknesses and allows you to trade and build on your teammates’ accomplishments. When you have a great team,
First Impressions
Immediately make a great first impression by introducing yourself with a sound bite. Use the sound bite to create a solid connection with important new contacts quickly.
Your sound bite is your verbal business card. It’s the introduction that tells others several things:
■ Who you are
■ What you do
■ The specific benefits you can provide
Here are some examples:
“I’m Dr. Delicato, DDS. In my chair you have no pain, no drugs, no anxiety—just healthy teeth and a radiant smile.”
“My portraits let you preserve those beautiful moments of you and your family and treasure them for life.”
“I bring delicious,