You can’t spell Networking without KNOWING

I am a huge fan of all the learning avid networkers are exposed to. As such, I chose to feature that element of networking for this month’s post in The National Networker. You can learn all about what you can learn from networking by clicking HERE. (sorry about that, but that’s how blogs roll some time).
Have a great day and Be Connected!

Staying Visible to your Network

It’s important to recognize that everyone in your network needs to hear from you. What’s dynamic about that is the frequency with which you communicate with them. Sometimes it depends on projects or workload. Other times it depends on how much you like one another.

There are people in your network that you need to communicate with almost daily. There are others that as long as you touch base with them semi-annually, you can keep a relationship strong. In either scenario, you need to have a plan on how to reach out to them.

The simplest and most effective way is to pick up the phone and make a call. Depending on how often you touch base, that may be time consuming. Certainly there are people with whom you love to speak. But you know any conversation with them is 30 minutes at least. What if you don’t have that kind of time?

A sure fire way to stay on people’s radar while adding value to them is to send them information that they will find useful. Everyone loves receiving mail that isn’t a bill. Think about clipping a magazine or newspaper article, sticking it in an envelope and actually mailing it to your colleague. Trust me when I tell you they will be blown away by the gesture.

A much faster way to achieve a similar effect is to email articles or links to people. While this lacks the mail feel, it still
demonstrates caring and people will greatly appreciate your showing interest.

In addition to things you have read, be sure to tell your network
about events you think they will enjoy. Keeping them in the loop will benefit them, but if they attend events where you are, they may be just the person you need to introduce you to your next big opportunity.

How do you determine how often to communicate with folks and how do you reach out to them?

We’re separate enough: Let’s focus on 6 degrees of connectedness

In the mid 90’s a very fun “parlor trick” came about called “6 degrees of Kevin Bacon”. The idea was that every actor in Hollywood could be connected to Kevin within 6 people. Its fascinating how accurate this is and how it proves out the science of networks.

An equally popular use of the phrase is “6 degrees of separation”. Like the Kevin Bacon scenario, this idea suggests that everyone on the planet is connected via those 6 degrees.

My problem with that is the word “separation”. Aren’t we as humans separate enough? I mean, we go so far out of our way to celebrate our differences. Which is especially perculiar considering how similar we are both genetically and from an energy perspective. Newsflash, we are all part of the same.

In an attempt to change the energy around the 6 degrees, I use the word “connectedness” in lieu of “separation”. I understand that mathematically it is the inverse, but from a message perspective, it brings us closer as we should be.

I have also contemplated the 6 things to which we should be most connected. In no particular order they are:

The planet
Others
Technology
Self
Our bliss
The Universe

Want to know more about how being connected to these areas benefit us, check out my talk at TEDxdetroit on 10/21

Be Connected-

Terry

You’re already connected

Universal Guide to Networking with Terry Bean

Connecting people create opportunities.
Opportunities create people connecting.

The good news for you is that you are already connected. In being so, opportunities are already being created by you. Some of them will be for you. Others will be for those you know or are about to.

These connections are more than just the people in your network. They are parts of your universe. And if you want your Universe to be good to you, you have to be good to it.

Every moment we have the chance to do something great. But that only happens when we are aware. Sense the moments that you live and you will instantly note how connected you really are.

The above was originally printed in The National Networker. Click HERE to read the rest!

A networker’s meditation on BEing

This post originally appeared in The National Networker on August 16, 2009 and is reprinted here with their permission.

Universal Guide to Networking with Terry Bean

As a networker, we have to BE a lot of things: professional, credible, responsible, accountable, aware and most importantly, givers. That’s a lot of roles to play considering most of us balance this with our day job.

How does one do all this and succeed in their business?

The answer is two-fold. First, the above list contains a lot of characteristics that successful business people possess. In fact, with the exception of “aware” and “givers”, that list is like a minimum to do business today. Do your skills match those listed? Do you see improvement areas for you or your colleagues? Life is about continuous improvement. It’s never too late to learn.

The second piece is a little deeper. Are you familiar with Landmark Forum? Graduates of their program put together the wonderful movie, “Pay It Forward” (if you haven’t seen it, please do. It may change how you network and how you live”. While I personally have not experienced the forum, I know a few folks who have. This is not a post about them, but about one of the ideas they share.

Most of us go through life with the belief that states “if I only could have this, I would be able to do X then I would be happy (or whatever we want to be)”. The forum suggests that this is backwards thinking. That we in fact need to focus on BEing whatever we are meant (or choose) to BE. And if we are BEing what we are supposed to BE we will do the things we need to do to BE as such. These actions will lead to having what we seek out of life.

Pretty interesting stuff, no? Please share your experience below.

In the meantime I encourage you to BE a better networker and the best business person you can BE.

Do you know who you are talking to???

What a huge opportunity cost there is when we prattle on and on about us and don’t take the time to learn about others. I decided to share this post via video so you could get the gist…

Evidently I can’t embed the video directly into WordPress (editor’s note, this may NOT be an issue with WordPress, it could be a Terry thing…TBD). In the interim, please click HERE to see the awesome video and if that doesn’t work, copy and paste this: http://vimeo.com/5978078 into your browser. Geesh, I sure hope it’s worth it.

Thanks!

5 things you need to know about Twitter

1. Don’t answer “what are you doing” on twitter. Think more along the lines of conversation starting, shining the light on others or sharing useful information.

2. Use the 150 characters for your bio effectively. Use a combination of keywords and a sentence about how you would like to be known.

3. Follow the leaders in your industry. And then follow their followers. Engage them in useful conversation and watch your follower list grow.

4. Add relevant tweets to your page before you start following a bunch of people. This is important because when they come to check you out, they will see what sort of value you have to offer.

5. Use twitter search or other tools to monitor conversations about you, your brand and other things that are important. This helps narrow the tweetstream to things that are relevant to you.

There are about 47 other things Charlie and I teach, what do you think should be on this list?

7 ways to exit a conversation 2 of which are graceful

We can’t be all things to all people and neither can people be all
things for us. It’s just the way the world works. Occasionally as you
are in your networking circles you will meet some people who just
aren’t your “cup of tea”. This could be for any number of reasons:

You find them brash
There really isn’t any common ground between the two of you
They work for a company that you have a bad history with
Your personality types are remarkably different

and the list goes on. For whatever reason, you two just don’t click.
As such, you will find it prudent to leave the conversation. The
reality is, you have a fixed amount of time at a networking event, no sense wasting it talking to a dud. Here’s the tricky part; how do you leave the conversation gracefully??

You’ll notice that I use the word gracefully. Why? Because there’s
lots of ways to do it ungracefully:

You can say you have to use the restroom and make a dash (by the way, this could be a true story)
Maybe it’s time to refill your drink?
Perhaps you want to use the “look at your watch and it’s time to go
line”. Here’s the deal with this one, if you pull it, you need to
leave. Immediately.

While all of these have the desired effect, LEAVING the conversation, they’re not the best way to do it. Here are two examples that the pros use:

1. If you’re at the right event, you are bound to see someone you MUST speak with. Locate that person, point them out to your current conversation partner. Explain that you have been trying to speak with them for X amount of time or just why you need to speak with them. Get their buy in about how important this conversation will be to you, thank them for their time and make a bee line for this next person.

2. This is the best way: Introduce them to someone who you think they should meet. If you did a good job of asking them the right questions and listening to them in the beginning, you will know who they need to meet. If you are aware of the people in the room, you will likely know at least one person who they should be talking to. Make that introduction. It’s quick, easy and if done right, both people will be happy you did it.

Here is a key point to ponder: Just because you didn’t enjoy a conversation with someone doesn’t mean that others won’t.

A few thoughts on Connecting online

The short answer is you make new associates online in the same manner you do in the real world. You start by finding out about one another and determine if there is a reason to continue to do so. Its a lot like rocket science without all the rocket or any of the science.

The long answer is oddly enough, longer. You start by finding someone and viewing their profile. Obviously some profiles are filled out extremely well and others aren’t. Glean what you can from what is written. Don’t make the assumption that because their profile isn’t properly filled out that they aren’t worth knowing. Lots of great and busy people get online and are still waiting for “later” to come so they can fill out their profile.

If you see something you like, send them a note that says-

“I came across your profile on x platform and I really like what you wrote about X.” (Copy their sentence and paste it right into your note). Tell them why that sentiment resonates with you and suggest a way to follow up via either phone or email.

Lots of people try to set up face to face meetings through linkedin or other sites. Color me old fashioned, but I think a first meeting, if not at an event, should be over the phone. This gives you a chance to explore the synergies and then determine if a face to face is in order. The reality is everybody is busy. There is no sense in meeting with a lot of people under the guise of “networking” if we will only be “netting” together.