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<span class="supporting_member_name">Lisa Kee</span>

1

Lisa Kee

Mortgage Advisor
Everett, Washington

Articles » Business Networking »

Very helpful

7.9

out of 10

16 votes

Ten things to make you a successful networker

Networking can be an effective tool when done properly. As I have gone to several marketing events I have noticed what causes people to gravitate towards others. Follow these tips and your networking will be a success!

Written May 03, 2008, read 843 times since then.

Be prepared -There are certain tools you need to have with you: Professional Looking business cards (homemade is only okay if they look professionally done); Pen and note pad in your purse, or for the guys 3x5 business cards in your pocket; An idea of who will be there and what they do. (we'll get back to that).
Be prompt - I understand that things come up now and again. Trust me, I use to be the queen of fashionably late. That is until a friend told me "being late is nothing more than a statement that your time is much more valuable to yourself than the person you leave waiting". Ouch! So if you are late and cause disruption, that can easily be translated by the entire table that you find your time more important than theirs. That is not a good thing.
Dress for success - Never, never, never wear jeans to an event. I always say if you do not know how formal the others will be dressed, business casual is usually pretty safe. If I am going to an event where a lot of the attendees are going to be business professional, I am wearing no less than a jacket and slacks. Remember you only have opportunity to make a first impression. I never want to feel outclassed as soon as I walk in the door. How will I come accross confident if I am self-concious about what I have on.
Have a "How can I help you" attitude. I don't know about you, but when someone hits me with the hard sell the wall goes up. I remember going to a meeting once and someone said to me, "You know I can help you lose weight". Wow, are you kidding me? I wanted to say to her, yeah but there is no cure for ugly!!! I also went through a period of time where I was stalked by a make-up consultant. If people are interested in working with you, they will let you know. I like to look at the list of attendees, and have good marketing ideas for them. People always love new ideas. If you show an interest in their business, they may reciperocate that. If not don't worry about it. Kindness has it's own rewards.
Be considerate of others - Now I don't know about you, but I love to joke around. In the past I would found myself in many situations where I realized what I said was offensive to someone, only after it was too late. The damage was done. Although it was very embarassing at the time, I learned a valuable lesson. When we joke around we are only trying to be funny. But if you are offensive, people might be afraid to refer business to you because they are unsure what you might say to the referral. The other thing I have seen is when someone is trying to speak and someone is constantly interrupting. If you do that the message you might be sending is "what I have to say is much more important." On that same note, be a better listener than you are a talker. You will leave a much better impression if people come away feeling like you care about what they had to say.
Be upbeat - No one likes a sour puss. Never never never start spilling out your heartaches and trials in life. The key is making people feel like they are happy when they are around you, not depressed. Sarcasm can also send a negative vibe. We all need a shoulder to cry on from time to time, but not at a networking event.
Follow-up - It is amazing to me how many times I have gone to an event and told someone I was in need of their services. Then I never hear from them. Why are you even there if you are not going to follow-up with people? You do not want people to feel like it is a chore doing business with you.
Do what you say you will do - If you say you are going to call someone, call them. If you say you are going to email them something, do it. Otherwise people will feel forgotten.
Be a connector. You should never say "I am not going to connect them with anyone, because they have not connected me." Play a little game with yourself. See if you can send someone else a referral before they send one to you. In the same token, if someone is constantly sending you business, you have an obligation to reciprocate. If they are not someone you are confident in referring clients to, then find another way to help them build their buisiness.
Be confident - If you can not be confident in who you are and what you do, why should anyone else?

None of us are ever going to be perfect. We should never try to be phony, but we might have some areas where we either need to tone it down or step it up. The important thing is that we are striving toward perfection, that way we will always be bettering ourselves instead of the opposite.

Lisa Kee has a new passion. It is helping people to save money In today's economy saving money is the new style. If you have any questions or further suggestions please feel free to give me a call! Happy Saving!!

Learn more about the author, Lisa Kee.

Comment on this article

Posted by Zita Gustin, Kirkland, Washington | May 06, 2008

Hi Lisa,

These are all great tips. Thanks for sharing your insights from the many events that you attend. My favorite on your list is "Be a Connector" for when you help others by connecting them you raise your own esteem. Not only in their eyes, but also for yourself ... because you've done the right thing for everyone!

The ABC's of Networking ... Always Be Connecting!
Posted by Vicki Elam, Klamath Falls, Oregon | May 06, 2008

Excellent tips Lisa! I would love to send this out to my networking group with your permission?

Vicki
Posted by Ben Resnick, Seattle, Washington | May 06, 2008

Great article- concise and accurate. These are all good principles; the key and most difficult part for most people is to turn good principles into great habits. I intend to write an article about this in the near future. One thing that helps is to consciously and constantly review and practice the principles. In this case, although I already practice the principles in this article, it was an excellent reminder and reinforcer, which helps to build consistent habits.

Thanks,

Ben
Posted by Caroline Strittmatter , Snohomish, Washington | May 06, 2008

Great job Lisa; Love the humor that made this article hit home. I have been on both sides of many of these issues. It is good to see others have made the same mistakes and have learned from them. These pointers are why you are so successful. Caroline
Posted by Betsy Talbot, Seattle, Washington | May 06, 2008

Lisa, I've been the jokester and I've been stalked by the hard sellers - neither one worked out well! Thanks for the great reminder about good networking practices.
Posted by Bob Dunn, Seattle and Renton, Washington | May 06, 2008

Hi Lisa, these are great. Having networked for years, you are hitting it right on.

I do have a #11 though. And although I did add this to another list that someone had published, it seems to be overlooked. And I certainly don't want everyone to think I'm "fixated on it".

I call it the Don't Do the Wandering Eye Syndrome. It happens when you are talking with someone and their eyes are constantly looking around, looking for that next lead, or perhaps, someone in particular. Whatever the case, I always find it so rude. I truly believe that you need to focus on who you are talking to. It's not about looking for that next prospect, but building relationships.

So, whatever we do at the next Biznik event, don't let your eyes wander!

Marketing, Graphic Design, Blogging Support
Posted by marco doerr, campbell, California | May 06, 2008

thanks for the advices. they are simple, but sometimes it is good to be reminded.
Posted by Danielle Hall, San Francisco, California | May 06, 2008

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for this article. The point that drove it home for me was how to dress at a networking event. The networking events I go to are usually through APA (Advertising Photographers of America) and usually everyone is in jeans and whatever shirt and coat. (oh artists!) But if I dress it up just a little bit more I might be picked out of the crowd easier and make the impression I want to make.

Thank you for your time in writing this!

Danielle
Posted by Lisa Kee, Everett, Washington | May 06, 2008

Ouch Bob! You hit me square between the eyes! I am a little on the ADD side, meaning I am distracted by movement around me. I will have to work on that, I would hate people to think me rude. Thanks for the addittion of #11
Posted by Lisa Kee, Everett, Washington | May 06, 2008

I serve on the board of directors for our local community playhouse, so I got a chuckle out of your comment Danielle! Hey, don't feel bad, look at the style today. How many men do we see wearing their hair in a ponytail with a business suit? That was inspiration from the arts if I ever saw it!
Posted by Martin McD, New York, New York | May 08, 2008

Good stuff, Lisa, thanks.
Posted by Dawn Renee Mallory, Seattle, Washington | May 08, 2008

Good words to be reminded of!

Number 7 is the wildest... I have been "stood up in followup " and it always amazes me... What?... well it is one way to get rid of people for good!!! Never makes sense!!!

Please send me your flaky friends!
Posted by Jonn Alexander, SAINT PETERSBURG, Florida | May 08, 2008

Not only a great pick-me-up-and-go article. I voted this as a ten, simply b/c it was an easy and understandable read, these are tips that I can use in looking for a new job or my current, or even just using a few of these tips if I'm networking for social involvement.

I was looking into Starbuck's management employment the other day. I wouldn't mind serving coffee and dealing with the public, even if coffee is hazardous to a person's health. Starbuck's has a great employee benefits package, and their attitude about career involvement is, as they would say it, legendary.

So, as an example, Starbuck's, for one, would be a great place to show these sorts of networking tips when cultivating customer relations and relating to others. I know there are different and better examples for career professionals, I wanted to give one starter example of a job where a person would use the tips not only as networking for jobs, but to create repeat business and referrals while making coffee.
Posted by Lisa Kee, Everett, Washington | May 08, 2008

Thanks for the good reviews. I am glad I could be helpful to you.
Posted by Patricia Eslava Vessey, Normandy Park, Washington | May 08, 2008

Great article Lisa. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

I too have that ADD wondering eye syndrome. It's not that I'm looking for the next lead or anything like that. It's the movement that pulls my eyes away. We must try harder...

Best to you! Patricia
Posted by Sven Mogelgaard, Bothell, Washington | May 08, 2008

Great article! You should do a seminar on this.

Sven Mogelgaard, President of Byte Slaves Computing
Posted by Dawn Renee Mallory, Seattle, Washington | May 09, 2008

I have been followin this because it was great.. I do have to comment on Bob's #11 coming from an NLP point of view...

For many if not most people, the eyes move while they are accessing information and processing thoughts. Obviously there are the rude ones who should be beaten, but the old rule of keeping the eyes fixated on the speaker can completely discourage participation with or memorability of the speaker's message for the listener.

The little jetting eyes should not discourage the speaker is, I guess, my message.

Please send me your flaky friends!
Posted by Lisa Kee, Everett, Washington | May 09, 2008

Thanks Sven, I may consider doing that.

I was starting to get self conscious about that eyes thing. You nailed that on the head. I do look around when processing. Thanks for the input Dawn, I will not have to try so hard, what a relief! :)
Posted by Ben Resnick, Seattle, Washington | May 10, 2008

Lisa gave me a great tip the other day about how to respond to "What do you do?"

I posted it here:

http://biznik.com/learn/tips/business-networking/effective-efficient-answer-to-what-do-you-do

Thanks again, Lisa
Posted by Monique Terrell, Edmond, Oklahoma | May 16, 2008

Lisa, I too have enjoyed this article. It's clear and to the point; I like number 6 best I get alot of people attention when I'm happy, smiling and spreading the love.

People want to be around happy!

Monique
Posted by Edwin Nuarr:, North Riverside, Illinois | May 17, 2008

Helpful article to my business.
Posted by Budy Djunaedi, Bellevue | May 21, 2008

Great tips! I love #7, that's what matter most. #4 & 9 are also powerful. In fact, all of them are good. Thanks for sharing. Budy
Posted by Vicki Kriner, Portland, Oregon | May 27, 2008

Great, concise article!
Posted by Lisa Kee, Everett, Washington | May 27, 2008

Thanks for all the kudos, I am glad it was helpful!

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