Sue was not feeling GUTSY; she was still in pain as she talked about an ugly spill that ended with a badly injured ankle. Several doctors told her she would have to be CAREFUL, very, very careful for, well…forever. Diana, sitting across the circle from Sue is a nurse. How could it be that she had the same ankle injury with that big, long medical name, a year ago? And she was … [Read more...]
Five Mistakes We Make at Networking Events
Whether you are a solo entrepreneur or small business owner or career professional, you probably spend a fair amount of your time at networking events to build your business. Here are some common mistakes we make at networking events: 1. We schmooze, but don’t make the necessary connection with people to get business. It’s great to meet new people, but effective … [Read more...]
How to Network Like a Pro
Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer You’ve arrived at an event that you believe will help you professionally – perhaps a meeting of a business organization or community group where you hope to see people you know and meet new contacts. You are investing your time, perhaps money too, to be there. So how can you make the most of this … [Read more...]
Women and Networking
The Times Online from the UK, published an article in March called Why Women are Such Bad Networkers. It’s no good thinking that hard work will get you anywhere. If you want to make it to the top, you’re going to have to overcome your fear of socializing and start schmoozing like men. Of course, this caught my attention! Is this really true? Is it valid that women have a … [Read more...]
Power Up Your Networking With 3 Key Strategies
By now you’ve gotten the message that networking is a crucial element of career success. 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 … [Read more...]
Give Others the Opportunity to Help You
I was in Rhode Island last Friday giving a workshop on Promoting Your Brand to Rhode Island Networking to Open Doors to Jobs. I arrived early and was, therefore, able to sit in on the facilitated networking exercise at one table. All of the people at the table were highly qualified and competent individuals who held director or executive level positions before being laid … [Read more...]
My love affair with social media
I’ve been battling a bad cold for the past few days and I could not sit at my computer long enough to send a Tweet - thank goodness for BlackBerries! As you can imagine, I had a lot of time to think between making my next batch of green tea and watching the Olympics in bed (Go Canada!). One question that came to mind was, “what would the world be like without the internet, … [Read more...]
How Do You Get Someone’s Attention?
I was in Orlando this past week with some colleagues training a medical device sales force on “purposeful communication”. “Purposeful Communication” is communication that has a goal or desired outcome and when applied to sales presentations, the objective is to create a sales presentation that is well organized around a desired outcome with your target audience. Selling to a … [Read more...]
Top 10 US Cities to Capture Small Business Recovery Act Dollars
Uncle Sam wants small business entrepreneurs to lead the nation to economic recovery--and has billions of dollars to make it happen. Small business owners are in line to receive low-interest loans and government contracts through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To secure your little corner of the recovery, you'll need to be at the right place with the right … [Read more...]
Are Professional Women’s Networks Passe?
What do you accomplish when you put a group of professional women together in a room? a valid question and now a controversial topic of discussion. Professional women's networks have recently come under fire for perpetuating the ideology that women need to be "fixed" in order to be successful in the workplace. These professional groups were for the most part originally … [Read more...]