If you’re going to make it you’ve got to connect.

And you’ve read the rules – dress well, be sincere, be interested in the other person, follow-up to develop and build relationships, and so on.

Does it still sound intimidating? So much so that you’re still holding back?

Or maybe you’ve put a toe in the water to give it a try but feel like you’re still not quite getting the hang of it?

Try these three key strategies to make your networking efforts that much more successful.

Network In Your Own Way

It has been nearly 15 years, but I can still remember the amused, sideways glance a colleague shot in my direction when I asked whether he entertained clients socially on a regular basis. He was right to give me “the look.” A reserved  introvert with a magnificent brain he was the opposite of a social butterfly and it should have been obvious that socializing with clients was not a priority for him. No doubt he would sooner have a root canal without anesthesia than entertain regularly. He did, however, maintain a wide professional network.

How did he do it?

By being true to himself.

That colleague picked situations which he found manageable, went to these however briefly, and was himself when he was there. He made connections.  He maintained these connections by showing up again and again and also by having additional contacts in ways that were more comfortable for him– sending a personal note or making a quick phone call.

You can mimic this technique to carry out your networking within your own comfort zone.

Does going to a completely unfamiliar organization sound like a bit too much? Start your networking at an internal company event. Or at a community gathering at your gym or local school.

Do you hate the idea of going alone? Grab a friend and make a plan to attend jointly – not joined at the hip but in concert so you’ll have someone to talk to if it is slow.

Zero in on what it is that makes networking feel hard for you and see if you can do something to minimize the challenge. Count an event as a success if you go for just a short period of time; or give yourself a reward for staying longer or talking to more than one person.

Building some connections in this easier and more manageable way will give you confidence to reach out even more.

Take The Time To Develop Relationships In One Group Before Branching Out to Another

In the long run, networking is about the relationships you build and how they support your career and allow you to support others. Building relationships is central to making this happen.

Relationships aren’t built merely by introducing yourself with a memorable “elevator pitch” at a meet and greet event. They require a quantity of contact and a quality of dialogue. Once you’ve chosen to include a specific group in your networking program, make the effort to interact with its members:

• Attend meetings regularly
• Join a committee or take a volunteer post
• Add the group members you meet to your LinkedIn network, facebook tribe or Twitter feed, as appropriate.
• Make outside of meeting contact with people you want to get to know better – exchange information, tips or just a social wave to build community.

Applying these techniques consistently will take an investment of time. Your return will be a web of relationships within that group that will makes you feel as if you belong.  When you feel comfortably settled on the path to create those relationships in one group you can devote a similar level of attention to another one. In other words, your network will grow and you can then grow it further.

Consider Creating Networking Goals

In some ways the broad mandate to “build a network” itself can feel overwhelming. Setting some networking goals is a good way to break the task down into manageable, more comfortable parts.

Let’s say you’ve decided you should expand your contacts amongst your professional peers. You know there are several ways you can do that. You might:

• join a local alumni association
• join the local chapter of a national professional organization
• attending an upcoming conference
• find ways to meet people with similar job descriptions in other nearby companies.

None of these options are leaping out at you and taken as a group they sound like an enormous chore.

Let’s say instead that you set a goal of expanding your peer group by 4 people per month for the next 3 months. At the end of 3 months you will have grown your network by at least 12 people.  In the meantime, though, instead of focusing on the big task of broadening contacts with professional peers you can focus on the smaller, manageable task of meeting 1 new person each week.

You can use goals to break down other networking goals into more manageable tasks in a similar way. Once they’re resized, networking goals frequently become more attainable because they feel more less overwhelming.

Try applying these three techniques to your own networking efforts. And see if they make this important, ongoing task,  a big more manageable for you over time.

Anne Clarke is an executive and personal coach specializing in supporting women in achieving their professional goals. For more information about her services visit her website www.setting-and-achieving-goals.com

I’ll go on the assumption that both films are worthy. I’ll go on the assumption that both actresses are wonderful. And yet, maybe it’s my own sentimentality, maybe even a bit of loyalty. Meryl has been a “bridesmaid so often” it was time for her to walk down that aisle of accomplishment and claim the prize.

I began to wonder if she is not the cool, elegant woman and performer she appears to be. I thought about the fact that there may have been some jealously that made people vote for young, sweet Sandra. I wished I could have cast my vote, actually many, many votes.
And then I thought “What if I was Meryl Streep, what would I do now?”

First, my thoughts went to a very basic human emotion: revenge. I would snub Sandra and maybe even stomp my foot on the hem of her dress! Then I got real and spent time thinking about what to do and how to handle a public situation where no matter how you word it, you were rejected…..again.

I will offer my personal ideas next week. For now I would love to hear from you. The best answer will get my new book “KaChing: Family Patterns and Finances” hot off the press as a gift; also, a free coaching session on any topic, professional or personal.

So, let me hear from you. In the meantime, I am sending an email to Meryl telling her how much I respect her. I’m sure it will be one of millions.

So why do so many people running projects run scared at the possibility of seeing red; or even seeing a little pink?  Some won’t even utter the words “at risk” until it’s almost too late to do anything about it; even worse, they change the “requirements” to keep the project from going red.  No one wants to run below par, but changing the rules doesn’t fix the problem.  I’ve never understood that concept. If something is broken or if more information is required, what is it in our business society that keeps people from telling the whole truth and working through the issues? Is it fear? Is it pride? Is it stupidity?  Maybe it is a combination of the three.

However, I’ll say it again, if you don’t have sufficient practice in the “reds,” you won’t have what it takes to climb to the highest “blacks.”  To become a great leader means you have to be able to adapt and overcome to just about any situation—this goes for being a leader in your home to being a leader in your company to being a leader in your community.  It’s good to have a healthy dose of nail-biting uncertainty every now and again, but when faced with a downhill slippery slope, there are three simple steps to reporting and righting the red.

1. identify the issues (all of them—large or small)
2. ask for the right help from every source (up or down the ladder)
3. allow the people who have solutions solve the problems

It may sound oversimplified, but in 2003 DirecTV suffered four years of losses only to achieve a $4.9 billion gain in 2009.  They weren’t afraid to ask the right questions and get the right help.  Their strategy may have entailed a bit more than simply identifying, asking and allowing, but that was the basic premise of their turnaround.  If it worked for DirecTV, it can work for you. 

Part of the problem is that people try to make it more complicated than it has to be. Simple is good. Three easy steps are good. Identify, ask, allow. These steps work well in all of our business matters and relationships, especially when we’re in the red—and my favorite power shoes?  They’re red, too!

 Why then do many business professionals treat themselves and their own career marketing tools with substandard expectations?  As a career strategist and resume writer, pricing of services is one of the top #3 questions asked of clients.  Certainly understandable and always welcome! 

 If you are willing to spend money on high end clothing, hair salon upkeep or high end handbags, perhaps you may want to redistribute where you are investing your hard earned dollars.  Are you buying into someone else’s brand or are you taking care of your own?

 While most professionals realize the time, complexity and strategic writing that goes into developing a solid and effective marketing tool, there are always a few folks who see their resumes as a typeset piece of paper tracking the basics of their work history asking, “Why does it cost so much”?  

Top 5 Reasons Professionally Written Resumes Cost Money

 You are paying for a customized marketing tool reflecting your most important commodity…YOU.  Customized, one-on-one marketing takes time and a specialized set of skills from a writer who has the ability to dig deep into extracting your key skills and accomplishments.

1. A behavioral based trained professional writer has a unique skill set in individualizing and interpreting your core competencies in writing.  This takes credentialed training and years of practice which is more than just being a technical writer.
2. Strategic writing and appropriately targeting a clients goal is factored into a professionally written resume.  When I am asked to write a general resume, I educate potential clients that this is not a service that I offer.  A general resume is as useful as trying to catch a variety of fish using one type of bait. 
3. Researching industry trends, verbiage and current job marketing opportunities takes time.  Behind the scenes, a top notch resume writer is busy collaborating with industry peers, researching web sites and bringing forward new information to support the needs of the client.
4. Credentials cost money.   Most writers have a varied assortment of credentials, education and training to support their writing.   For a writer who is continuing to learn, refine skills, seek out new credentials and advanced exposure to global assessment programs, know that the cost of doing business will be aligned according to skills being offered.

 Lesson:  Invest in your professional brand by having the appropriate tools. If you are going to drive a fancy car, wear high end heels or expensive jeans, become truly authentic and coveted by having a top notch resume in your tool kit.

Writing and publishing became important tools right off the bat. In the past six years, she has co-authored seven books, in addition to numerous articles, which she has used effectively to build a business that has made her a popular speaker and trainer and routinely takes her around the country, interacting with diverse audiences, many consisting of employed women who dream of someday owning businesses of their own.

Donna’s initial decision to publish led her to join with others to self-publish books in her areas of focus: leadership, time management and communications. Selling books is not, however, her main motive for writing. She uses her books as door openers for her speaking and training business.

This is what Jody Gabourie (see February 28, 2010 post) had in mind when she identified “writing” as one of the three vehicles we should consider using when, as small business owners, we go out to explore new markets.

Purists will advocate against self-publishing, and I will not quibble with them, but keep your goal in sight. If it is your goal to become a well-known author, self-publishing is not the recommended tactic. But, as is the case with Donna Satchell, writings that are meant to blaze a path to one’s core business can be self-published. On blogs, they may or may not be found, but in books they are tangible evidence of a person’s expertise. And, when they sell well, they compensate for the “free speech” many consultants seek and accept.

Other examples of self-publishing women who have successfully used writing as a marketing tool include Tricia Molloy (Divine Wisdom at Work), Naomi Tickle (You Can Read a Face Like a Book, Closing the Sale, and What Makes People Tick and Why), and Jeanne A. Heinzer (Living Your Best Life Abroad).

Writing is not everyone’s favorite marketing tool. But if you have a story to tell, and if getting some titles on the market fits into your business plan, consider hiring a co-author or a ghostwriter. It’s more expensive that being a sole author, but if the potential revenue makes it attractive, it should not be overlooked.

What’s taken me awhile to figure out, however, is how to use the iTunes store.  I know that millions of people buy and download music, tv show, movies and more at iTunes, but for this old gal, it’s not intuitive.  I got in the mood yesterday for the music of my younger years, Simon and Garfunkle and Heart.  I made the purchase but then had a difficult time figuring out how to do the download and syncing…as I said, not intuitive.  Probably logical.

So what does all this have to do with business and my title of “A Sweet Song of Success?”  For any size business, from the tiny solo-preneur to the mega conglomerate, success is a matter of tonality.  Of chords that make sense and lyrics that speak true.

The iPod is a successful product for the Apple company because it provides (1) exceptional sound, (2) multi-functionality – you can listen to music, you can listen to books and podcasts, and you can view tv shows and movies, (3) portablity, (4) variety of options – everything from color to features, (5) accessories to tailor its use for the consumer and (6) value for pricing.  There are other provisions but these are good ones for any product.  Measure your product:

• Is your product exceptional?  Is it constructed well?  Will it hold up under ordinary useage?  Is it easy to use?  Does the paint chip?  Will it sun fade?  What is the shelf life?  If you have competitors who make something very similar, what is different about yours?
• Is your product a “do only one thing” product [nothing wrong with that] or does it have more than one function?  Multi-functionality can offset a product that generally is a one-time purchase rather than a repeat purchase item.
• Can your product be used in more than one location?  Is it easily transportable?
• Does your product have options?  Does it come in various sizes, colors or flavors?  Can you do more than one thing with it?
• Can the consumer purchase add-ons to extend the use and functionality of your product?
• Is your product priced competitively?  Do you believe your customers receive equal or greater value for the price charged for your product?  Do you offer any added value?

Interestingly, my iPod doesn’t replace anything – I have not gotten rid of our cd player…it has its place.  But I am enjoying both the small size of the iPod and, because of its size, the many ways and places I can use it.

As for my mention of the musicians, Simon and Garfunkle and Heart, they are proof that some “products” retain their “flavor” long after they are first produced.  How sweet is the success of having a product that retains a marketshare for decades.

Since I’ve decided to give up a large portion of my client service business because I will be attending business school in the fall, I’ve decided to focus a lot more of my attention on going to events here in New York City and networking with people across all industries.  Since I’ve been networking with people across all industries, I wanted to share a list of the most important things that I have learned to boost in person credibility. 

Follow these tips to build a strong network:

1. Sincerity is a must. Most business people can smell phoniness from a mile away.
2. Determine your goals and objectives. Before attending any networking event – conference, luncheon, holiday party or any other business or social event, make sure it is for the right reason. Some events are for making contacts, while others are for learning a certain trade or industry. If you are a make up artist, I don’t think you would attend the American Bar Association Mid Winter Conference for Surety and Fidelity.
3. Join as many associations and groups to expand your professional circle. Many groups allow prospective members to preview how groups are organized by sitting in a seminar or attending an event.
4. Offer to volunteer in different organizations and events.
5. While networking, ask questions – who, what, where, when and how as opposed to questions that can answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
6. By joining different groups and associations, your brand becomes transparent and you become a resource to others. It will also help you become an expert within your industry.
7. If you have a certain person that would like to speak to, make sure you have a clear approach. You don’t want to sound like you have no idea what you are talking about when you open the conversation.
8. Have a clear mission of how you can help networking professionals.
9. Respond quickly and efficiently to referrals. Don’t make others look bad by not delivering results that you promised.
10. Don’t try to sell yourself. Networking is about gaining leverage by building relationships with other professionals within your industry.
11. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Most networking events require business attire. Remember, first impressions are the only impressions that count.

In this day and age, networking is a must. It doesn’t matter whether you are looking to expand your business network or looking for a job, networking is critical to a healthy career. The more resources you have, the more leverage and opportunities will be readily available.

For more information on how to network effectively, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.

In every job there is danger. For a construction worker it could be a collapsed building. For a police officer it could be a crazy hostage situation. For a pizza maker it could be a burnt hand (ouch). For entrepreneurs, it is the danger of the unknown!

As an entrepreneur, a lot of a one’s success is determined by how much they are willing to risk.

To go out on your own and break free from the safety and security of a 9 to 5 job with benefits – that’s a lot of risk. Not knowing when your next client or customer will come along – that’s a lot of risk. Not knowing if your product or service will sell – that’s a…well you get the point.

Being a risk-taker is a recurring theme in every entrepreneurial article or book I have come across. In my experience, taking risk is a huge part of becoming an entrepreneur. One thing that’s even more important than being a risk-taker though is having passion. The average entrepreneur is said to be driven by their passion for the product or service they offer. This passion will break down any walls of fear of not having that “safety net”.

For anyone considering going out on their own and venturing into the world of ‘being your own boss’ remember to pack along your passion and let go of the fear – your passion for your product will be contagious in how you handle customers, how much effort you put into your work on a daily basis and how far you are willing to take your business.

Now, I’m no math whiz, but my final entrepreneurial equation is this:

passion x (risk – fear) = success

The facilitator at the table asked each person to give a little information about their background, their strengths and expertise, and what kind of position they were seeking. I was impressed how well each person articulated their strengths and what types of companies and jobs they were targeting for employment. Everyone around the table responded enthusiastically with potential contacts and leads for their colleagues.

We worked our way around the table to one woman who told the group that she was an architect and was now in limbo and trying to decide what she wanted to do going forward. She told the group that at this time she was looking for any type of job. Interestingly enough, the group who had previously been so helpful to others, now remained quiet. They simply did not know how to respond.

The lesson from this is: People really want to help. In fact, most people are eager to assist you in getting a new job or getting clients, but YOU need to give them enough information so that they CAN help. When we are vague and unclear about what we want ourselves, we cannot expect others to come up with the answers for us.

If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, the more specific you can be about who is your target audience, the easier it is for people to refer business.

If you are looking for new employment, be clear about what type of company you want to work for and what kind of position you are seeking.

People sincerely want to help. Give them the opportunity to be helpful.