BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL
career coach
Get To Work
Happy New Year
R
Networking is not like
group.
emember the good ole days
screwing in a light bulb. You
need to spend time invest-
ing in others so they are
My son Michael, a real
when work just walked in the
door?
I've been getting calls from
clients and scared business executives
telling me their phones are not ringing
and that key customers have cut back,
gone out of business or are sending
their work out for bid.
They all ask the same question: What
should I do to survive? It all depends on
what you are looking for.
Networking is a great place to start. It
is an investment everyone should make
and one that should not be taken lightly.
There are many ways to network. I like
groups dedicated exclusively to help-
ing each member boost business sales.
They are strategic and you pay to join
so those who do so are generally com-
mitted to the core purpose of referring
business leads to other members of the
estate broker, tells me his
local Business Networking
International (BNI) chapter has
helped boost his house sales
significantly. Referrals from the
group now amount to 40 per-
confident enough to rec-
ommend you to someone
else as a person who can
get something done. Most
people will not recommend
someone they do not know
or someone they think
cent of his business.
The group allows one per-
Robe rt Sher
son per profession to join and
might not be able to get the
meets one morning a week
Col urnnist
job done.
before work. Each member
If you take the time to tell 30 people
gets ample floor time and members
each week about your business and
refer other members for opportunities.
ask about their businesses, you will
"If I meet someone at a commu-
have 30 people who know what you
nity event, referrals are not definite,"
Michael says. "It is like going to the
gym without a plan. BNI has a single
purpose: We go there to get referrals.
do and have a good feeling about your
competencies. Then, when opportuni-
ties arise, you can each feel comfort-
It is structured and everyone is there to
get business."
able recommending one another. (Don't
forget to say thanks for every referral,
whether it results in business or not.)
Business networking is leveraging
your business and personal connec-
tions to bring you a regular supply of
new business. It is far more extensive
than showing up at functions, shaking
hands, smiling and collecting cards. It
is about being proactive, making new
contacts, nurturing them and building
meaningful relationships.
"It's like six degrees of separation,"
Michael says. "Each of us knows at least
100 other people. It is very effective and
it teaches us what we want and teaches
us to ask for the right things."
How many people do you know?
How many of these people know
what you do for work? Why don't you
tell them what you do and what you
want? Perhaps you might ask everyone
HAPPY NEW YEAR on page C9
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