Weekly Presentations
5/22 – Jessica Carter, DesignSource, “What I Can Do For You”
5/29 – NO MEETING – Holiday
6/5 – Bonnie Gilbert, PNC Bank, “TBD”
6/12 – Victoria Taylor, Affordable Cleaning, “Going Above & Beyond Your Cleaning Needs”
6/19 – Trey Winslow, Patriot Pro Clean, “Roof Cleaning 101″
6/26 – Duane Wilson, Bookkeeping Express, “TBD”
7/3 - NO MEETING – Holiday
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Hide & Seek
We are seeking businesses in the following industries to join us! Feel free to be our guest at one of our meetings. If you like what you see (and we know you will), we welcome you to apply to become a member. We have referrals for you, NOW! If you know of someone in any of the industries listed below, please feel free to invite them to learn more by contacting us at: membership@bullrunnetworking.com.
So don’t HIDE your business – come seek us out!
- Arborist
- Architect
- Auto Sales
- Auto Repair
- Construction
- Contractor
- Dentist
- Electrician
- Event Planner
- Fence Companies
- Florist
- Furniture Restoration
- Graphic Designer
- Hair Dresser
- Heating/AC Contractor
- Home Improvement
- Interior Design (Residential/Commercial)
- Moving Company
- Nutritionist
- Outdoor Lighting
- Physical Therapist
- Plumber
- Public Relations
- Real Estate Commercial
- Restaurant Owners
- Sign Company
- Telephone Systems
- Vacation Planner
- Website Developer
- Wedding Coordinators
…and many more!
Effective Networking
Learning how to network effectively is a great way to build your business. By taking the time to meet with other businesspeople and discovering how you can help them and how they can help you, you can develop relationships that will provide great rewards for you in the future.
Networking is more than just attending every Chamber of Commerce meeting, local business association mixer, or joining every professional networking group in your area. By becoming an EFFECTIVE networker, you must learn the skills first.
1) Make the right contacts. Are you spending time nurturing relationships that will help you grow your business? Make sure that you are aligning yourself with positive people with the same goals.
2) Learn how to communicate with other people. It’s not a race to collect the larges number of business cards. It’s making a TRUE connection with the few people you meet. Finding a common interest, hobbies, goals, anything personal, fun, or interesting about the individual is more effective than finding out “what they do.”
3) DON’T SELL… CONNECT! Another great thing to remember. Within the first introduction/meeting, don’t immediately try to sell your products/services. First connect and truly get to know the individual. Make an impression! It’s easy to follow-up with the person AFTER your networking event over coffee to talk about other business opportunities. You are looking to building a long-lasting relationship with the individual. Don’t force or rush the process!
4) Join a professional networking group. When finding a professional networking group (or leadshare group), make sure that you “date” the group a couple of times. Shop around! When you visit the group more than once, you can get a better feel for the group’s energy, whether or not the members have similar business practices and ethics, and if the group “feels right.” You should carefully think about the cost of the group (should the group have membership fees) and the return on your investment. Time is money… and if you are investing a lot of time (or a lot of money), with little return, you may want to find another group that better fits your needs!
5) By attending a leadshare group, your goal is not to make the group members your clients. Your goal is to build relationships with the members so that the members become your “marketing department.”
6) Give more than you expect to receive. If you keep focusing on giving more than receiving, you will receive in kind!
7) Follow up with everyone you meet. The better you are with the follow-up, the more effective your networking. Stand out in the crowd and go the extra mile to follow up after a meeting with a nice hand-written card, thanking the individual for their time, and share something you learned from your meeting. The small gesture can go a long way and leave a greater impression!
12 Tips for Making Simple Conversation
There was a study done at an Ivy League university business school that tracked a group of MBAs ten years after graduation. Remarkably, the result showed that the grade point averages had no bearing on their success — but rather their ability to converse with others did!
“Small talk” can lead to big things. Not many can connect with others by doing so. Networking events can be frightening. Some people find the fear of networking debilitating. However, one can overcome this fear… they just need the skills to do so!
Here are a couple of tips that can help you START as well as STOP those conversations:
1. Prior to attending a function, come up with 3-4 generic topics to encourage conversation. If you remember small details about the host (for example), that could be a common conversation starter to meeting another guest at a party.
2. Be the first to approach another person to say, “hello.” Always state your name clearly and slowly during the introduction. If you need extra help remembering the person’s name as well, repeat their name (for example if you are reading it off of their name badge), and then state yours. For example, “Linda Jones? I am John Smith, of Smith Law. It is very nice to see you again.” Smiling first and always extending a hand to shake puts the other person at ease.
3. Again, take your time during your introductions. Make an extra effort to remember names and use them frequently.
4. Get the other person talking by leading with a common ground statement regarding the event or location and then asking a related open-ended question. For example, “Attendance seems to be higher than last year, how long have you been coming to these events?” You can also ask them about where they are from or how they know the host.
5. Stay focused on the conversation! Actively listen, maintain eye contact, and interject feedback when appropriate. Never glance around the room while they are talking to you (which shows you are disinterested in what they are saying).
6. Remember, we were given two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk!
7. Have something interesting to contribute. Chat about current events and culture. Also, leading a conversation with “What do you think of…”, “Have you heard…”, or “What is your take on…” are great open-ended questions. Stay away from negative or controversial topics. When contributing to a conversation, refrain from long-winded stories where you are the main conversationalist. A conversation is like a dance: it takes two to tango!
8. If there are people you especially want to meet, one of the best ways to approach them is to be introduced by someone they respect. Ask a mutual friend to make the introduction.
9. If someone hands you a business card, accept it as a gift and with great respect. (The card represents the person themselves!) Thank them for their card, take both hands to hold it, and take a moment to read and review the information. Do not put the card away until you step away from the conversation. Should you need to, take your time putting the card away, and preferably with your own business card (i.e. a breast pocket), to show that it is valued. Never shove their business card in your back pocket.
10. Maintain proper body language! People who look ill at ease make others uncomfortable. Act confident and comfortable, even when you’re not. Do not cross your arms. Try to hold your hands casually in front of you and remain relaxed.
11. Before entering into a conversation in progress, take a moment to observe and listen. You don’t want to interrupt a private conversation, change the dynamics within it, or interject with an unsuited or ill-timed remark.
12. Have a few exit lines ready, so that you can gracefully leave a conversation. For example, “Oh, I see Jane Carter there… let me excuse myself so I can say hello.” You can also politely step away by saying, “Unfortunately, I skipped lunch today, so I’m going to take a peek at the buffet.”
When should you exit a conversation? Remember… your objective with all networking events is to make a great impression and make people wanting more of you. According to Susan RoAne, author and speaker known as the “Mingling Maven, “Be bright. Be brief. Be gone.”
Business Ettiquette with Today’s Technology
Business ettiquette today is very different than what it was 10 years ago. With today’s technology, people are more and more accesible. Everyone carries a personal communication device (i.e. a smartphone, PDA, tablet, etc.) and with those means, there seems to be an expectation that emails and phone calls could be readily received. So as a business person, it is even MORE important to make sure that inquiries and messages are returned promptly, or clients will not hesitate to move on. But that is not all… here are other ettiquettes that should not be broken!
1. TURN IT OFF. It’s okay to be unavailable when you are in a meeting. Responding to a message or call after the meeting has concluded is acceptable! Remembering to turn your phone off completely (or silencing your phone) during a meeting is what you should do. Taking a call, responding to an email, or even surfing the web during a meeting is truly disrespectful to those around you. You should be fully present (physically and mentally) to those you are meeting with. (Remember, they have taken the time out to be with you as well!)
2. USE PROPER ENGLISH. Nowadays, people are getting more lazy when composing emails and texts. While it may be cumbersome to type out each word properly, it should be a habit that you instill, especially when speaking to your colleagues and clients. Replacing “are” for “r” is truly not professional. Using all lowercase or even ALL UPPERCASE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Remember, everything you write and how you write it, creates and leaves an impression of you!
3. REREAD WHAT YOU WRITE. Don’t hit “send” too quickly! Make sure that you reread what you have written in your text or email before sending it off. Have you sent it to the correct person? Have you accidentally repsonded to an entire group when you meant to respond to just one? Have you written something that you would regret later on? Take time to prepare your responses and if you don’t want it to be recorded forever, consider picking up the phone and speaking to the person directly. If what you want to send has absolutely no relevance to the person to whom you are sending it to, you probably don’t need to include them! And definitely, if the email you want to forward asks the recipient to forward the message on to another 10 people to keep a chain going… JUST DON’T SEND IT.
4. DROP A CARD. It makes a bigger impression if you take a moment to send a hand-written note to thank someone for their gift or service. An email does not offer the personal touch.
5. 24 HOURS. That is how long it should take for you to respond to someone’s email, call, etc. If you do not have a moment to give them what they need, it is polite to respond and say, “I will get back with you with that answer when I return to the office tomorrow,” or “I will research the information you need and will be back in touch within the next 48 hours.” Giving your colleagues and clients a response like that is appropriate. It is NOT appropriate to disregard someone’s message completely. If you don’t have time for them, don’t expect them to have time for you. They will move on to the next business owner who WILL give them that courtesy! (Again, don’t forget, your clients/colleagues know that you have a smartphone… and you probably have one for the ability to receive emails directly to your phone, right? [Why else would you have spent the money?] Well, guess what? If you don’t respond, it will DEFINITELY appear that you are ignoring them… so don’t do it!) Are you on vacation or out of town? Make sure that your email has an automatic response or voicemail has a message clarifying your absence.
Authentic Networking
Many people think that successful networking is collecting as many business cards one can from every networking opportunity available. However, if you take a poll of those individuals who focus on this practice of “networking,” you will find that they have not made true, authentic connections with the people they have encountered, nor do they have a true “network” of professionals to work with. Authentic networking happens when you focus on the sincerity of the encounters, rather than number of encounters made. Instead of thinking about networking success in terms of the number of people you meet at events (or getting a big number of followers on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook), think about authentic networking as making real connections with people that you would actually like to stay in touch with.
Stay in touch with your new acquaintances because you share a real reason to be connected. This is the most successful and effective way to both grow and build real value into your network. Genuine connections are formed when a relationship is built on sincerity and true interest. Keeping consistent contact with people is the most important part of neworking. This is how you put value into your network. Meeting someone new has absolutely no value if you don’t put forth a genuine effort in growing the relationship!
This authentic networking approach works well at networking events. Attend networking events looking for specific people to add value to your network. You will soon realize that when you network with a purpose, you will end up creating a strong network of business professionals. Surrounding yourself with people who share your same goals and interests will help you make true and authentic relationships.
Maximize Your Network Potential
Networking is a fine art and it should be taken seriously! Most individuals think that networking is an vehicle for self-promotion and a venue to sell their product or service. But the personal relationships you build are much more important. Your consistent face-to-face interaction will establish you as a friend, confidant, business reference, and the best in your field of expertise.
The best advice for networking effectively is to first SHOW UP. “Dating” different professional networking groups is a fantastic way to find out if you are compatible with the members and their professions. Most groups restrict membership to one representative per profession (one industry per seat). Before you attend a networking event, check with the group organizer (Membership Coordinator or any other board member) to see if your industry seat is open.
Making friendships is the key to successful business networking. If you are unwilling to invest the time and energy into the members of the group, you will most likely not be maximizing your potential in the group. Remember, most successful networking & business transactions are made between friends, rather than simple acquaintances.
Most networking groups not only require a consistent commitment in attendance, but also a commitment monetarily. If you are unable to adhere to the rules of the group, it is best not to pursue membership within the group. Absences count, and should you fall below the group’s expectations, you could be asked to resign from your seat.
Another responsibility as a member of a networking group is for you to find leads and referrals for your colleagues. The ultimate goal is for you to refer all business leads to the members within the group, acting as a salesperson for each of them while you go about your daily responsibilities. You should be willing to give MORE than you expect to receive. If you have this frame of mind, you will be blessed with as much business as you give, if not more.
The importance of networking is to establish yourself as a person with integrity with the same level of commitment others have. Attending every meeting, volunteering for board positions, being present at different social events, and actively recruiting new members is very important. The more people you invite to the networking group, the more business everyone will have.
Work hard to develop good, solid relationships and a reputation that your group can rely on. After all, we’d rather do business with people we know and trust, rather than those listed in a phone book.
The 7 Critical Elements to Success
- Vision – a picture of what your business would look like
- Strength -your natural, innate talent or skill by training
- Passion – what you deeply care about - this is the fuel that drives you
- Resources - companies or people you can rely upon to do some of the work for your business
- Alliance Partners - companies in a similar line of business that increase your available customers
- Powerful Tactics - marketing strategies
- Action Plan - a logical business plan
