Business Networking Rules of Engagement

There is a no lack of networking advice or tips out there in the blogsphere today. Additionally, you can buy any number of great books by authors such at Keith Ferrazzi and Harvey Mckay. But I have been networking for a long time as well, plus I have read all this material too. So for those of you who are trying to find a job, change jobs or increase your business here are Five Rules to Make You an Effective Business Networker.  

Rule #1: Business Networking

Never start a conversation or relationship with someone by asking for something. Yes, I realize that the purpose of networking is to “get’ something, such as a referral or a name, but relationships start better if you are offering something. However, you cannot offer something unless you know the person at least a little bit. So I recommend you start off with this kind of approach.

“Hello Bob, my name is Mike H. Joe S. (the mutual friend) told me you are someone I need to know. I was wondering if I might be able to schedule a brief meeting (or call) in order to see if indeed we can be of mutual benefit to each other?”

Prior to the meeting use social media or search to find out whatever you can about the person you are meeting with. Determine if there is something in their background that might act as a target for some way you can help them with. At the meeting pay attention to what is said, who is talked about, what their background is, where they went to school or any other information that comes from the meeting. Then try to be a resource of information or contacts for that individual.

You will probably shock the person big time by not asking for a name or referral right off the bat. It will be even more memorable if you can offer the person something of value as a result of that first meeting.

Rule #2:  Target Your Networking 

Be focused and targeted in your networking. The shotgun approach of calling everyone and contacting everyone with no seeming purpose just makes you look desperate. Now you may be desperate, but you do not want to come across that way. Understand what you are trying to learn from each individual and why you are contacting them.

Rule #3:  Social Networks are Not Business Networking

Realize that networking is NOT adding someone on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ or Facebook. Networking is best conducted person to person, or at least voice to voice. The tools help your research and they facilitate the introduction but that is not networking.

Rule #4:  Your Networking Success is Your Responsibility 

No one is going to take responsibility for you finding a job or finding a new piece of business. You have to take that. So when you are done with meeting someone their memory will fade very fast. Set up a schedule of contact with them and follow up. Watch for information that they will find of value and send it to them. Set up a Google alert or search on key words to notify you of things that your contact may find valuable. You don’t have to do that for everyone, but the very important ones need to get things from you to remind them of your existence.

Rule #5:  Be Realistic Yet Effective Business Networking 

Be confident but be realistic. Another writer cautioned against trying to reach too high in order to make a contact. It is unlikely that you will be able to connect with Bill Gates, or Donald Trump, or Richard Branson or other mega personalities but that doesn’t mean you should give up hope of reaching someone that has title of President or Vice President. Who knows, perhaps you would eventually be able to reach a superstar if your network gets you there but start more realistically.

There is a ton of networking articles out there, some written for women, some written for shy people, some written for sales people, some written for consultants, etc. Just do a search and do some learning to get started on effective business networking.

Photo Credit. 

 Michael (Mike) D. Haberman, SPHR is a consultant, writer, speaker, teacher and co-founder of Omega HR Solutions, Inc.  He has been in the field of HR for 30 years as both practitioner and consultant. He specializes in compliance issues for his small business clients. He is the author of the blog HR Observations which can be found at www.omegahrsolutions.com and he has been writing blog posts on a full spectrum of HR topics for almost seven years. He is an active user of Twitter and can be found at @mikehaberman or @HRComplianceGuy. He has been an instructor in HR for 14 years and has helped many people achieve their PHR or SPHR during that time.

When faced with a serious ethical dilemma, what would you do?

thorns lie in wait

It is often discussed about what is right and what is wrong but when it comes down to putting your money where your mouth is, how many of us would sacrifice our reputations or a significant amount of money? Do we fear losing the respect we have worked so hard to gain? Do we fear losing a customer/client we don’t even have?

Why is it that the long run is usually the last thing remembered by anyone?  A few years ago, I sat down with a friend that was a well-respected businessman in the community where I had worked and spent much time.

He and his partner had just dealt with a quandary that left their company facing a substantial financial loss.  A mistake had been made and they made the right choice, the difficult choice – the costly one.  He shared it with many, actually writing about it. His partner strongly and aggressively asked him to remove the post from one of his networks. “Admitting to weakness or mistakes is not what we are about. We do not want our customers thinking we are prone to error…”

But do you want them to know that you are the type of business that admits an error and rights the committed wrong?

Admitting defeat or error makes you a professional who deals with reality, ready to push forward and learn from error, growing from missteps.

Rarely is a new venture mistake-free.

Rarely does one walk the primrose path without receiving a prick or two; thorns lie in wait. Tangled vines line the path, eager to trip. Sometimes you just have to cry, wince in pain, then wipe away the tears and move along. Other times, you need to cut out the twisted outcroppings and throw them away or merely step over them.

Having the fortitude to move on, despite trials, is in itself, a lesson and growth response. I am not saying it doesn’t sting, for certainly it does. The ethical thing to do, what would mother do, what would the Golden Rule say: guides, should you need one or two. Faced often enough, the right answers come quicker and are easier to dispense for just like any other habit, decency needs to be practiced.

Hey, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

And well…, they aren’t.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Time is Not Renewable

Plan to Achieve

The month is almost gone.  It wasn’t nearly long enough for all that I needed to do.   I am often overwhelmed these days by the passage of time and the reality that no matter what I might consider, it is a very important asset that is not renewable.  Days quickly turn into weeks with weeks proving how quickly a month can be spent. I often ask myself, how can I keep up? How can I get done all that I need to? Rarely is an answer dropped in my lap.

But what I do know, what I have experienced – is that much more can be done that one could possibly expect when each task is approached with clarity and an understanding of expectations and outcomes.  While this is not always possible, gaining a significant understanding of the plan and what is hoped to be achieved as a result of executing said plan, is the only way to complete work assignments well.

Many haphazardly approach their day and its outline without much of a care as to the product or result of that day. I suppose this is easy to do when we become overwhelmed or are under-qualified to complete assigned or necessary work. You may or may not be familiar with The Peter Principle. This concept states that sooner or later, certain individuals will be promoted to their level of incompetence. Remaining in that state - the state of incompetence - is not good for anyone, the employee nor the employer.

Who will rescue the incompetent?

Of course, the competent will do the rescuing.  This is typically how it works. Occasionally, the incompetent will ask for help or get some training and actually move from incompetent to competent. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough. It might be possible that the competent could stage an intervention, but shouldn’t this just be called a performance review?

So, what would the opposite of the Peter Principle be? Would that be under-whelmed and over-qualified? I think not, given that those who fall victim to this understanding are unable to get anything done or move their company forward, the opposite would have to be the individual that is in just the right position – just the right place within a company. Fulfilling duties and task in a timely manner within or well-within assigned budgets, pleasing all parties, overcoming obstacles that appear too large, achieving significant return for their company…, the perfect employee. We could call it the Payton Principle – applies to the “almost perfect” team leader that knows when to ask for help and is in there until the end.

And with twice the sweetness.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

I used to plow through my days
at the speed of light.

light

If I slowed down, I would fall behind.  I couldn’t afford to fall behind.  What if I got left?  My greatest fear as an adult has always been failure.  I have much to do, so I haven’t stopped, but I have learned to slow down a bit and ride the surf that carries me instead of fight against it…

I have learned to take time to strategize and/or construct lists,
lists that I will actually mind and check off.

During the course of your day, are you taking the time to slow down and regard your work? Or do you flit from one report or project to another, without considering the whole picture and the time suck that absent-minded work can become.  Becoming mentally engaged is not always at the fore front of everyone’s mind.  Many times, we arrive at our desk and absently pour over emails or reports without first connecting with a particular vision or purpose.

In my very first job as a recruiter, I worried incessantly that I would not appear or sound “engaged” or in the know. I was new to the industry and vehemently denied the sales side of me.  I spent a half hour every morning just re-attaching myself to my work, to a particular assignment – its requirements and various details. It was important to me to have that time to strategize, make mental and written notes, and then customize my presentation.  I reviewed the previous day’s work and the follow-up required. I often felt ill-prepared because I had not been raised in business as recruiter or sales person – but I had been raised as a service provider, so the transition required thought and at times, was very difficult for me.  In the end, my service provider mentality blended richly with the salesman dying to get out.

The daily snapping-it-all-back-together is a requirement for me.  Carefully regarding my work is a must.  I must look at the pieces before I try and make the puzzle work.  Then I also must envision what the final picture will look like.  Strategy.  It is not a dirty or lazy word. I think it is one of the most beautiful words there is, but it also is not an easy word.  It requires thought, time, and patience. In the long run – for there is no short run, strategy saves those three key resources.

Thought
Time
Patience

Slow down you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last.  And it will be gone before you look over the top of your computer.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

or Woman Up!

Sitting in the waiting room, my friend’s wife heard the footsteps coming down the hall. She didn’t even look, for hadn’t his surgery only just begun? It was surely not his doctor.  But soon the steps halted right in front of her and she gazed upward to see his surgeon standing there with hands folded before him. He didn’t even hesitate, “We won’t be doing surgery today. The clot has moved, traveling up his leg, dangerously too close to his heart.”

How could this have happened? Why had they not operated weeks ago when he first returned to his physician with the now intolerable pain?  The insurance had put him off, the excuses seemed to mount from every single faction that included not only the insurance, but the hospital and physicians, as well.  Lines of communication had been crossed, pre-surgery tests were botched, a cover-up maybe?  To avoid the astronomical costs of surgery? What could these different parties hope to really gain by delaying surgery to correct a seriously life-threatening problem?

This happens every day – to many people. This particular incident happened to a friend of mine a couple years ago.  Why?  They never did figure it out. Those same factions pointed fingers for a long time and no one was willing to say they were sorry or that they screwed up.

Avoiding fault and dodging blame.

Seems to be a disgusting part of a normal business workflow these days and it runs rampant, sadly and in particular, in health care.  But it is not exclusive to health care.  It is prevalent in HR too and in sales and, of course, in recruiting. And how can we leave out politics and government.  blech…

When more than one party becomes involved in solving a problem or clearing up an issue, how can you be sure that all the work is getting done, that information is being disseminated, and that the shared information is full and  true, on the up-and-up? It can be difficult to maintain a level of decorum when feedback is not forthcoming, when the actions YOU would have taken are not taking place, when individuals are left out of the information loop who needed to be in that loop – where input is vital and involvement is necessary.

The proverbial paper trail is missing, most find it easier to ignore, rather than confront and face down rejection or having to reject. We now rely on our partners or the guy who keeps the server up and at ‘em.  We focus on the CRM or Rolodex (ha!) and the next listed warm contact.  Don’t forget the last one, the cyber trail can get pretty cluttered if you let it.  Step up, take responsibility and do the sign off or the let down.  Inform the client of the negatives.  Tell your partner to pay.   Be the person you should be, live up to your obligations as a contributing human being, take care of those who depend on you, fulfill the obligations to those you have professed to serve,  take care of your business without blaming others for your failure,  promise to do better and be all that you can be…

Then walk that hall and man up or woman up.   Whichever fits.  If you don’t, who will?

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

We all spend a significant amount of time working on the phone, as well as meeting with individuals face-to-face. Over the years, I have learned a bit about how to present myself and the company/position that I represent.  That’s not to say that I am, by any means, perfect at communicating. It is something that I am constantly working on, as I should.

Growth comes from doing.

So “doing” is what I do. One thing I was taught by an early mentor ? “The next one who talks, loses.”  I hate to say it, but, in a way, it is true. We often forget to listen. We often forget to take a moment before we speak.  We often get so caught up and enthusiastic about what we are going to say next that we fail to truly listen and then respond to what we have heard.  That’s where the “losing” occurs.  The opportunity to learn about the speaker, his needs and strengths, is right there before us.

Communication goes two ways. If it doesn’t, then it is not communicating, it is dictating.  Yet when you stay cool and collected during a conversation, the gain is yours.  

“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.” -Thomas Jefferson

Even ol’ Tom knew – the next person to speak, …
Or in many cases, the first one to lose his cool loses.

Two Sides

Using common sense and the wisdom you have gained seems logical.  But many fail at this simple and sound practice. Why is that? What is it that drives individuals to poor listening skills and selfish communication? Perhaps life and business moves at such a quick pace now, that real and decent conversations, those that mean something, have no chance at full development.

When I was twelve years old, I stayed the afternoon at my aunt’s house.  She had the first microwave in our family.  I could not believe that I was able to make a perfect and tasty quesadilla in one minute. No pans, no stove top, no oven, no mess.

A paper towel, cheese, and tortilla, Voilá!

At that moment, my microwave mentality was born.  And every day, in every conversation, I have to consciously slow myself down, waiting for perfection. Cause this ain’t no quesadilla.
Next one to speak… doesn’t have to lose.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.