Category Archives: Networking
Engaging People Is Not Only A “Work Thing”
The only way that you are going to get better at something is through practice. I read a quote in a hockey book once that really caught my attention:
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect” – Vince Lombardi
Even those with raw talent have to practice regularly. Engaging others in sales and other professional roles should not be limited to work relationships. You should practice engaging others when possible.
My dad was a teacher, and is still very engaging to this day – partially because of his personality, but it was also a necessity for his career. Could you imagine being in front of a class of kids and not holding their attention? Teachers who could captivate the crowd were always the ones that remained memorable to me. This also meant that my dad and I could never quickly go to a mall because he was always running into people. Conversations would start, and time would pass by. My mom would always comment upon our return, “Where were you? I just sent you for a couple of things!”
There are so many opportunities to engage people outside of work:
- In line at a store
- At a social events with friends
- Business or community events
- Sporting events
- On a walk or a run
- Groups, associations or teams that you and/or your children are part of
I was thinking about this one day after a run, and I reflected on how many people I acknowledge in that 45 minute period. It was about twelve!
- Some greetings were a simple hello or good morning as I passed by
- With others I would make a quick comment on the weather, or about the degree of difficulty of a hill that I (or they) had just ran up
- Some were a quick stop so our dogs could greet each other
- It was common that I ask for information about their dog, and how the person’s day was going
- I even complimented one guy who was actually attempting to train his new puppy
When I engage people in this setting, most people are pleasant back. It is common for people to jog with an iPod or Mp3 player, but I will still turn mine down to say something, or at least wave. I have done this for so long it is second nature now.
If I never practiced this skill, and instead just went through the day keeping to myself, it would be unreasonable to expect that I’d be very good at it in a short time period. Skills would develop eventually, but carrying that philosophy over to your personal life just means that you have more opportunity to practice. Then before you know it, the skill improves.
This was not always easy for me; because I was quite shy growing up due to my stutter. Speaking up and meeting people was very difficult well in to my teenage years. But with practice and patience, I consider myself very engaging now, and will always take time to speak with others.
- Do you only engage new people in work situations?
- Where can you begin to converse with people starting right away in your personal life?
The most practical business skill that has come out of this for me is keeping conversations going when there is a lot of dead air. I think most of us have experienced conversations that were very one-sided, and it was a struggle to keep it going, and interesting for the other person.
Good luck, and remember to always be in “engagement mode”!
The Connect and “Barf” Method Rarely Works!
I love to discuss this scenario when speaking about networking with anyone who is interested in hearing my take….
You are at an after work business mixer – a cocktail party per se. You meet somebody for the first time, shake hands and exchange business cards. What would their body language be, and what would they say if the next thing you did was try and sell them something?
So why do so many people think this is ok to do when connecting online?
I could rattle off many examples when this has happened to me. I am stunned and bewildered every time. I am now less and less surprised because it is becoming more prevalent online.
Relationships take time to develop, and people typically only purchase from those that they know, like and trust.
Somebody can’t possibly have a hot clue what you are all about after you have just said “hello”. Most people would think you were an alien trying to connect for the first time offering your products and/or services.
- Thank people for connecting when they confirm your “request to connect” via social media
- Provide value
- Get to know them, and actually listen to them
- Connect them with like-minded people in your network
People will see right through you if you are only in this to sell. But if you put the focus on them, and show that you actually care about building long-term relationships, you will be much more successful when it comes time to present your offer.
Don’t just “barf”. That is just plain lazy!
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And Your Best Online Connection Is…..
Only you know the answer to that!
Take a moment to think about it.
How does your best online connection make you feel when…
- they teach you about something
- they connect you with other like-minded people
- share your content
- make you laugh
- pick you up when you need it most
Hopefully they feel the same when you do some (or hopefully all) of those things for them too!
What would happen to your network in 2014 if you developed more connections like your best one?
Is it time to…
- develop more quality relationships online?
- “go deep” with people and find out how you can help them?
- focus on a “serve first” mentality and stop thinking about “what’s in it for me”?
- care more!
I would love to hear about your best connection, and how you have helped each other.
What are your social networking goals for 2014?
Leave a comment or email me at TimMushey@gmail.com
I will publish the responses in a new post later in the month!
Hey! Let’s connect!
https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
(Don’t forget to like to stay connected!)
https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
Check Out Pat Flynn’s “Smart Passive Income”
At some point or another, most people online have thought about the “make money while you sleep” business model. I mean, who wouldn’t want to wake up in the morning and find out that they made money over night? I sure would.
I have been fortunate to follow some of the biggest names in the industry over the last three years:
- Eben Pagan
- Frank Kern
- Brendan Burchard
- Gary Vaynerchuk
- Russell Brunson
- Jeff Walker
I could go on and on. I recently stumbled upon Pat Flynn from the website “Smart Passive Income”. He is a breath of fresh air in a very crowded internet marketing space.
He lost his job several years ago and decided that he could make a go of it working online with a passive income model. He has worked his butt off to get where he is, and is very open about how much income he makes .
What drew me to him was his podcast. Many episodes have helped me immensely over the past couple of weeks, and I thoroughly enjoyed the episodes featuring another guy “killing it” named Lewis Howes.
Pat’s knowledge and passion for everything from YouTube, podcasting, blogging and networking has been truly inspiring.
I could ramble all day. Just stop by http://www.smartpassiveincome.com and find out how you can enhance your current business model (or get started) with some recurring income.
Oh yeah, you can check him out on Facebook too at http://www.PatOnFacebook.com (pretty slick hey?)
Belated Happy New Year and a Huge Shout Out!
Hey there everyone!
Just a quick note to say Happy New Year! All the best for a health, happy and prosperous 2013.
Starting a blog in 2012 was an absolute pleasure, and I am striving for bigger and better things in the coming months.
Speaking of this blog, I noticed something very cool on my blog in December, and just had to give a huge shout out to one of my followers.
Her name is Tina Del Buono and you can follow her awesome blog called Practical Practice Management at:
ppm4u.wordpress.com
When I started to write close to three years ago, I remember exactly where I was when I said to myself, “I wonder if anyone will care about what I have to say?” In that moment of uncertainty, it would have been easy to return to my “regularly scheduled life” and just put the pen down. But I kept moving forward, a little bit every day, with the hope that I would create a bit of a following when I launched my blog.
I have been incredibly fortunate that people like what I am doing, and many people comment.
And then there is Tina. After I noticed some statistics in early December, I was hoping that she would hit a very special milestone with my blog before year’s end. And she did!
She has taken the time to make 100 COMMENTS on my blog!
I can not thank her enough for helping make my blog a success with her insightful comments and support of my work in general. I am touched when anyone takes the time to correspond with me in any way, but 100 times in 11 months was just an incredible accomplishment!
You can also connect with Tina at:
Twitter – @PPM4U
Linkedin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-del-buono/1b/88b/969
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Practical-Practice-Management/335593024309
Let’s make 2013 the best year yet! Have a great week.
Tim
Automatic “Disconnect”!
Twitter has an “unfollow” button which many people use when necessary. Unfortunately LinkedIn does not have a “disconnect” button, where you can “relieve yourself of the burden” of networking with somebody who just does not get it! You can remove a connection, but it takes some work.
I recently had a request to connect from a gentlemen on LinkedIn, which I accepted. I sent a personalized thank you note, and made mention of the other places that he could connect with me.
To my surprise, I was then sent a generic email (with my name inserted) promoting their business and asking me to get involved. There was no acknowledgement of my personalized reply, just them “barfing out” their sales pitch. Usually I let this type of interaction slide, but I had a little “bite in my step” that day, and wanted to give them some friendly advice.
My exact response was:
“I appreciate your connection, but I don’t think that you should be “flogging” your products the moment that we connect.
Just a friendly suggestion to change-up your approach as you attempt to attract partners.
Thank you,
Tim”
I thought this was going to go one of two ways. I would either never hear from them again, or they could come back with some defence of their sales strategy. Instead I received:
“Dear Tim Mushey. Thank you so much for your reply”…
Followed by a canned sales pitch being “barfed” on me a second time, but now TWICE AS LONG!
Did I mention that he also sent me one of those generic LinkedIn invites ? Yuk.
At the end of the day, those who are engaging online, specifically for business purposes, should know better. This is networking 101! Would you try to sell somebody your products and services from the moment that you met them in person? I would hope not! So why should it be ok online?
Network “virtually” like you would “personally”. Show up, be responsive and care about your connections. The last thing you want is for people to “unfollow” or “disconnect” with you soon after accepting your requests.
That would be a huge red flag that you need to adjust your approach.
Four Tips For Introverts Going To Networking Events
I enjoyed this post from Bob McIntosh earlier today. These tips should be very helpful for those “introverts” as their heart races when they enter the room at a networking event.
And how not to arrive to an event unprepared.
I was once given a ticket to a guest-speaker event put on for a group of young professionals in my community. I was excited and grateful for the opportunity because I’d be seeing Erik Qualman speak about social media—Erik wrote Socialnomics and is a great speaker. I would be able to sit comfortably and listen to an expert on social networking entertain me. So I thought.
When I arrived at the event I discovered there would be a networking hour preceding it, and that I was woefully under-dressed. My vision of kicking back and listening to a great speaker was dashed when I entered a hallway full of people dressed to the nines engaged in conversation. I promptly went to the men’s room, looked at my sad self in the mirror, and exited the building.
I needed air. It took me a few…
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