It’s great to meet new people and learn what they do, and it’s even more exciting when you can find a great deal of synergy between your goals and theirs. This is when you can start to explore referral partnerships or strategic alliances.

These are collaborations you can create with other entrepreneurs, professional service providers or small businesses owners that can open up a whole pipeline of new business for the both of you and strengthen your respective brands.

Partners can help you:

Build more customer trust and loyalty. The more resources you are able to share, the more completely you can serve your market. This will help you be seen as a go-to resource and allow you to transition from mere service provider to trusted advisor.

Break into new markets more easily. Building awareness of your products and services in a new market takes time and money, but you can shortcut some of the process by leveraging the trust and credibility of your referral partner. If you provide copywriting services for financial advisory firms, for example, you can offer the same services to insurance agents by partnering with someone who already serves that market but with a non-competitive offering.

Get a new perspective. If you have trouble navigating your new client’s bureaucracy, or just want to bounce ideas off of someone who knows the players, you can turn to your referral partner for important insight and feedback.

Become a stronger competitor. You can take the referral relationship a step further by partnering to create a bundled solution for your market. By connecting your products or services together, you can provide a more complete answer to your target market’s needs, saving them time and energy in gathering all the elements themselves, and giving you an edge over competitors who offer just one piece of the puzzle.

Allow you to think big. Sometimes you don’t see the full potential of what you can create in your business until you see what others are doing, how you overlap, what their strengths are, and where you can take the relationship further. That’s when the fun really begins. In working together, you might discover new products to create or new expansion opportunities that you would never have thought of tackling on your own.

Partnerships are most powerful when all the parties benefit. It’s about being open and sharing, and knowing that when we help others, we also help ourselves. For a great example of this, visit www.SmartNetworkingNow.com to see the power of partnerships in action.

When you’re there, you can learn more about Liz Lynch and her book “Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online” – a must read for anybody looking to build relationships authentically and strategically – and sign up to receive a gift package of Liz’s 11 Smart Networking Tips and additional bonus gifts from her partners (including yours truly!).

Be Your Best You Today,

Carolann

Photo by Molly Steenson

Ever had one of those moments when someone told you something that you aleady know, but you’ve let it slide or you’ve never implemented it?

I hate to admit it in public, but I had one of those moments this week.

I pride myself on my business networking savvy.  Mind you, my friends Jeff Klein, Jim Penny, Liz Lynch and Dean Lindsay are the experts, but still, I would like to think that I’ve incorporated many of their best teachings into my business system.

Dean reminded me this week how much the grasshopper still has to learn from the masters.  Y(ou could probably hear my “ARRRRGH” where you were.)

If you want to see what you could be overlooking that may very well be costing you opportunity, read this article.

Be Your Best You Today,

Carolann

p.s.- One of Dean’s suggestions is public speaking. Folks, I speak.  People tell me I’m pretty darned entertaining and that I provide a lot of value (never more true than when I speak for free!).  I admit I’ve dropped the ball when it comes to marketing this talent shamelessly.  My topic is “I’m Not Dead Yet!  Leadership Lessons From the ICU.”  Email me today to get me on your calendar!

p.p.s.- If you have a group of leaders who’s like to learn more about great leadership while laughing and having a good time, I am your gal.  I speak at lunch and learns, company retreats, management meetings (like all-hands meetings), associations and networking groups.  Email me today to find out more.

I was one of those people, and to some degree I’ll admit that I still have some discomfort around it… even though I run a networking group that teaches people how to network better…. even though I do it all the time.  My “hang-ups” are different than they were years ago, and I still have some learning and reframing to do.

Which is why I love this book by Liz Lynch: ”Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online“  First, my friend and fellow coach Pam Narvaez is featured in the book, so how could I not love it?  Second, Liz is all about having a “Winning Mindset” which is the fundamental theme throughout my coaching, both in my groups like Replacement For Outplacement Bootcamp and with my individual clients.

Liz takes the “ick” out of networking by accounting for individual styles, and puts an emphasis on relationship building, as opposed to that transactional interaction that most of us associate with networking.  She gives you a customizable strategy, so that you can easily create a plan that feels good and in integrity for you.

TODAY, there is a unique opportunity to have Liz answer your questions LIVE.  Just visit the Smart Networking Now website and ask your question.  You’ll have the opportunity to attend a free live call TONIGHT (or receive the recording), and Liz is sweetening the pot…

She has 47 Free Gifts from her networking partners when you register. How’s that for giving before you get?

Successful people have large networks.  I want you to be successful, and I invite you to take advantage of Liz’s offer by getting your question answered direcly from the expert at Smart Networking Now.

This is one way for you to…

Be Your Best You Today,

Carolann

p.s. -As you think about the people you will share this idea with… you will begin to see how many can be touched by simply sharing the best of what you find online.

Just one contact can lead to amazing possibilities when you share this and build your own SMART NETWORK.

Photo by Joe Kirschling

Navigating business networking these days can be confusing at best.  My friend Jeff Klein offers two excellent excellent teleseminars on the subject.  Learning the rules of the networking road becomes more and more necessary as more and more toes get trodden upon.

There are more networking tips out there than one can read in a day, and I thought these five from an article written by Liz Ryan were some of the best:

1) The Happy Life Rule is the cornerstone for networking. We must presume that every person on Earth is leading a happy life without benefit of having met us. A networking overture is not “level.” It’s not neutral. The person making the overture is asking for a very concrete favor, an investment of time and energy.

That’s why we can’t say to someone “Yo, you don’t know me, but I reckon we’d have a great conversation, so please drive thirty miles to meet me.” That’s rude. A networking overture that includes a FTF meeting invitation requires the overture-maker to make the drive, right up to the happily-living-person’s door (let’s say, a quarter mile from his or her office).

2) The Introductions Are Sacred rule requires that a person who’s planning to make an introduction either check in a la “Hey Greta, can I introduce you to this young woman I met on the train? She’s interested in your field” or run the
risk of overstepping the bounds of friendship. People value their privacy and, of course, their time.

3) The Name in Vain Rule kicks in when a person you barely know asks you “Do you know Sharon Smith at the Chamber?” and you say yes, and the next thing you know, Sharon’s been hit up for a meeting with this guy under the premise that you strongly suggested such a meeting take place. That’s introduction theft. Let your friends know “If I think you should meet someone, I’ll make the introduction myself.” Trust no imitators.

4) The You Matter rule requires that a person making a networking overture know enough about his or her networking ‘target’ to make a credible and polite self-introduction. “I don’t know Jack about you, but I suspect that you could help me, here’s my resume” is the networking equivalent of going up to a person on the street and asking for help, or money. It is easy to hand someone $5, but it’s a big imposition to have one’s network and reputation pressed into service, so before asking for those things, we need to understand the history and goals
of each person we’re approaching, and have in mind some ideas of how we might help him or her (not just ideas about he or she can help us!).

“I cannot help anyone – I’m job-hunting” doesn’t cut it. We can still offer to make our own useful introductions, to help with a marketing plan, or to support our networking contact’s goals in some other way -if we have the foggiest idea of what those goals are.

“I’m so glad to be having lunch with you, thanks for meeting me – now what do you do, exactly?” is Networking “Don’t” number one. Why are you meeting this person if you know nothing about him or her? Do your research, BEFORE you walk into the restaurant. Otherwise, you signal “It’s all about me – I’ll have lunch with anyone who’s willing to talk to me. You could be the Man in the Moon for all I care.”

5) My last top-five networking rule is Grandma’s favorite, the Golden Rule. If it feels icky, don’t do it. The kind of networking that wins people new jobs, new clients and funding isn’t the mechanical how-many-intros-can-I-get-out-of-you-in-one-coffee-meeting kind. It’s warmer and more slow-to-build than that. It takes time and energy. It’s based on trust. You already know all this. But, as you say, a reminder every so often isn’t a bad thing.

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace. Contact Liz at liz@asklizryan.com or join the Ask Liz Ryan The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author’s.

Be Your Best You Today,

Carolann

Another way to kill the cred is not brushing - photo by Jim Frazier

Has this ever happened to you?

You sat across from an executive at a business meeting or company event.  You had a nice chat.  Maybe you even heard about their last vacation or what’s been going on at a big picture level in the company. Fast forward two weeks.

You’re at another event or meeting. You walk up to this person you had the nice visit with and say, “Hi.” Because you know that people aren’t always the best at remembering names, you say your name as you hold out your hand.  And this executive, this person you had a nice visit with two weeks ago, says, “Nice to meet you.”

How does that make you feel?  Do you feel like a valued member of the team?

Imagine this same scenario, only it is someone you met at a networking function.  Has this person just become a trusted part of your network? Is it someone you’re eager to give a referral?  Someone you’re willing to trust with your customers?

One clichéd phrase has completely ruined someone’s credibility.

So, here’s a good tip:  Take the phrase, “Nice to meet you” and throw it away. Crumble it up into a little ball and toss it in your permanent trash can in your head.

Try, “Nice to see you.”

“Good to see you.”

“How are you today?”

“Great visiting with you.”

Any one of these is a vast improvement over, “Nice to meet you.”

So what is your “Nice to Meet You” Story?  Please post it in the comments section of the blog.

Cheers,

Carolann

p.s. – I want to give credit where credit is due.  Jeff Klein, creator of “30 Seconds to Success” and renowned speaker wrote a version of this for his e-zine “IMPACT”.  Jeff’s mission is to help you win business by improving your business networking skills.   Jeff offers teleseminars that pay for themselves as you create a consistent pipeline of new business.  Contact Jeff at jeff@kleincreative.tv for upcoming dates.

Last week, we explored how active, real Listening is the key for creating great solutions out of conflict.  Surprise, surprise, it is also the key to your getting what you want out of life.  The second biggest secret to having what you want is to be in constant service to others.  How can you be in service if you don’t know what people want and need?  You could guess, or you could just ask a question and pay attention to the answer.  Which sounds like a more direct route?

My friend, Dean Lindsay, Author of Cracking the Networking CODE, wrote a fabulous article on the topic of Listening and why it is so important for relationship networking.   Love this, and I’m sharing it with all of you today.

Cheers,

Carolann

Photo by Thomas Mues

Listening as if Your Lifestyle Depended on It. It Does!

By Dean Lindsay

Want to deliver solid first impressions that help build powerful, even
priceless, business relationships? Sure you do. We all do. Well then we
gotta’ listen up because everyone has a need to talk and be heard. As
Calvin Coolidge said “No man ever listened himself out of a job.”

Those who choose to really listen to others will always have someone to
talk with. Notice that I wrote talk with, not talk to. Everyone wants to
feel that they are significant and have meaningful ideas to share. The
key is to: Turn people ON to you by tuning IN to them. Good listeners
absorb and reflect on what they hear. They are active in the listening
process. This requires energy and motivation because listening is more
than just hearing. We must work to become active listeners rather than
just passive hearers.

The challenge is that often our motivation to actively listen is not all
that high. We think we can get by without really focusing. This is a
mistake. The ability to value what others say is critical to building
priceless relationships. To make solid first impressions, be determined
to understand completely what others are trying to communicate.

Collect your thoughts and focus.

Think only about the present conversation. How often do you catch
yourself thinking about some unrelated issue when you should be
listening? It is difficult to tune in when you’re preoccupied with
previous conversations or unfinished tasks.

AA-ttennnn-TION

Business philosopher Jim Rohn is quoted as saying, “One of the greatest
gifts you can give anyone is the gift of your attention.” Rohn is right.
Don’t get distracted by other people’s nearby conversations. If you have
to, walk the person you are speaking with to a quieter place in the room
to have your initial chat.

Try this.

Look directly at the person and when they stop speaking, count to two
(in your mind!) before you speak. Committing to this brief pause:

A. helps you avoid interrupting the other person, who may

have only paused to gather his or her thoughts.

B. establishes that what has just been shared was worth

contemplation.

C. gives your brain time to digest the information and ask a good

clarifying question or make a comment.

Ask Questions

Good clarifying questions offer the person the chance to rephrase their
thoughts and say precisely what they mean. Repeating back (as questions
or tentative statements) what you think you’ve heard the other person
say also makes people feel wonderful, and it avoids mind-misreading errors.

Don’t Stress Out

If networking stresses you out, you may turn into an overanxious talker
and end up overpowering the fine folks in the dialogue and not letting
anyone else talk. Active listening can help prevent this from happening.
Think about it:

In the past, at the end of a conversation, did you tend to know more
about the person, or did they learn more about you?

Discipline yourself to uttering no more than four sentences in a row
without stopping. This ensures that others will have the opportunity to
express themselves.

Two ears, one mouth. You know the saying.

Crack the Networking CODE

Be Progress.

What’s Your Business Networking System?   by Jeff Klein

If you haven’t figured out by now Networking is a process. And like any process, to be successful there needs to be a system. And you need to be able to track your results.

Do you know who gave you the most referrals in 2008?

Do you know who gave you the most referrals that you turned into closed business in 2008?

Do you know in what industry the people who gave you the most referrals work?

Do you know which networking event or group generated the most referrals in 2008?

At the end of this article, you’ll find a link to download a simple Networking Planning Form. Once you’re keeping track of your activities, you may be surprised by what you find.

It’s important to identify those people in your circle of influence who provide the most, and the best, referrals. Do you know why they’ve been able to make more quality introductions for you? Figuring out why they’ve been productive for you could help you make other people better referral sources.

On the other end of the spectrum, is there someone you are in a networking group with who hasn’t given you many (or any) referrals? What can you learn from your best sources to influence the rest?

Is there a trend in the people giving you the most or the best referrals? Are they in the same or related industries? If the answer is, “Yes” then wouldn’t it make sense to ask to meet people like that? Of course it would.

Are you in multiple groups that are creating vastly different results for you? More pertinently, are you wasting valuable time in a group that you enjoy, but isn’t creating results for you?

The beginning of the year is a good time to evaluate where you’ve been, where you want to be, and how to get there.

The Networking Planning Form is a good place to start. It’s an Excel spreadsheet so you can customize it. I suggest you add the information you want to track and make this document your own. But make sure you use it.

Now start answering those questions and network more effectively in 2009.

Happy Networking,

Jeff

Dean has a new book coming out this spring that talks more about “Six Ps of Progress.”   I am looking forward to it, and I’ll post out here when it comes out.

Remember to join Miriam and me at Land Your Dream Job: 8 Strategies for Outrageous Success in 2009 on Thursdays at 5:30CST/6:30EST in January and February.

Peace and Prosperity,

Carolann

Building Priceless Business Relationships by Cracking the Networking CODE
by Dean Lindsay – Progress Agent

There is this unassuming little word you often find in the biographies
of famous people. The word is met: William R. Hewlett met David Packard.
Dean Martin met Jerry Lewis. Sid met Nancy. Siegfried met Roy.

We meet people all the time. Meeting people is part of life. Meeting
people is one of the fundamental steps to building priceless business
relationships. But it is not the only step.

There is a big difference between meeting someone and building a
priceless business relationship with them. There is a long way from ‘Met
to Net’, and because people misjudge this distance, the term
“networking” has gotten a bum rap.

I consistently ask professionals who come to workshops and speeches
based on my book, Cracking the Networking CODE, to share with me what
they think of when they hear the word networking. Far too often, they
say it conjures up images of manipulative, self-serving, insincere and
predatory individuals who are on the prowl for someone they can pounce
on, try to sell something to, or solicit an unearned favor from. I wish
I could say this style of networking wasn’t out there, but it is, and it
is a waste of time for ineffective networkers and the unfortunate people
they corner. True networking is not about arm-twisting. It is not about
trying to get someone to do something that does not make sense for them
to do. It is not about scary old backslapping sales shenanigans.

So, how do you build priceless business relationships through
networking? This is an important question to consider because, to a
large degree, who you know and associate with determines who you become
in life. The most successful, well-rounded and happy people are most
often the ones who are best connected to other successful, well-rounded
and happy people. When these people need support or information, they
know who to call.

How well-connected you are determines your access to those with the most
money, the best contacts, the real power and influence (not to mention
the best seats at sporting events). Being connected to the right people
opens up opportunities for you and your company.

If you will be looking for a new career path, deep down in your blood
pumper you already know that you need to get out there and connect with
people. Sure, in a perfect world, your track record and past successes
would speak for themselves, but without professional and personal
contacts, your spiffy two-page résumé on off-white professional-grade
paper is likely just going to take up space in a pile on a hiring
manager’s over stimulated desk. You are going to have to log off
Monster.com, move away from the keyboard and find a room to work.

Become a Progress Agent

To build great relationships, you need to help others be successful. You
need to help them progress. Everyone connects with others with the goal
of progressing in some way.

Everything we do, consciously or subconsciously, is because we believe
the perceived consequences of those actions will bring us what I label

the “Six Ps of Progress.” Pleasure, Peace of Mind, Profit, Prestige,
Pain Avoidance and Power.

This goes for eating, shopping, exercising, hugging, crying, working,
going to the movies—whatever. Each of us makes decisions as to what to
read, who to talk to, what to buy, where to eat, what to eat, who to
take phone calls from and who to help, based on whether we think these
acts will bring us these Six Ps of Progress.

At each moment, we make decisions based on what we think will bring
these benefits—short-term or long-term. At a mostly subconscious level,
we continuously think to ourselves:

Is taking this action (e.g., talking with this person) helping me move
toward pleasure, peace of mind, profit, prestige, power, or helping me
to avoid pain? Is this action progress, or is it simply change?

The people we meet must view being around us as progress, not change. It
is natural to resist change, but we embrace progress. Building a
relationship with us must be viewed as progress if we hope others will
choose to alter their lives to include us.

Think of networking as a creative process: You are creating ways to
serve and to help people progress. To build priceless business
relationships and become a truly effective networker, you constantly
need to search out ways to help others progress. You must position
yourself in their minds as a catalyst in their progress, as an agent in
their progress, as a Progress Agent.

The CODE Revealed
The four letters that make up the word CODE stand for the four steps
consistently taken by the most effective networkers to build truly
priceless business relationships and be progress-effective networkers:

C: Create personal curb appeal

Effective networkers feel successful and display a genuine desire to
help others progress. They are Progress Agents. They look and act the
part of someone you would want to have in your corner. They don’t go to
networking events looking for success; they take success with them to
the events.

O: Open face-to-face relationships

Effective networkers connect with new people everywhere they go. They
also research the various networking event options and commit to a
networking strategy. They get out and about and reach out. They
proactively open relationships. Be aware that it’s possible to go to a
networking event and not have any “networking moments.” It is not just
about showering and showing up. It’s about connecting with people and
finding ways to help them progress.

D: Deliver solid first impressions
Effective networkers know their first impression sets the foundation for
all future impressions, and they make sure it’s progress-based.
Effective networkers strive to stand out in a positive way in the minds
of people with whom they want future contact. Effective networkers focus
on being interested, rather than interesting. They turn people on to
them by tuning in to others.

E: Earn trust

My definition of trust is the promise of progress. Effective networkers
follow up and keep in touch. They get to know and stay involved with the
people they meet and earn their trust through a series of progress based
impressions. They continually find ways to help—to “be progress” for
those in their network. This is where most ineffective networkers drop
the ball. Even if your Blackberry or ACT database system is bursting
with names, numbers and email addresses, it will not do you a bit of
good unless you BUILD the relationships.

Sure, being in business is challenging. Sure, it’s nerve-racking to look
for a new job. Sure, sales can be tough to come by. Sure, marketing is a
moving bull’s-eye. Sure, people are often pressed for time.

But here is something else I know for sure: People do business with, as
well as help, share information with, brainstorm with and give referrals
to people they trust and value. They trust and value people who
genuinely care about them and provide progress for their lives. They
trust and value people who offer the promise of progress.

Be Progress.

Popular Business Speaker and Author, Dean Lindsay’s latest book is
Cracking the Networking CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business
Relationships. For more information, log onto: www.DeanLindsay.com or
call 214-457-5656