I'm sure you have probably heard it over and over; that you need an AWESOME business card, one that will stand out from others, so I won't repeat that story. Instead, I will tell you that you should view the video below and acknowledge how creativity can bring out the best in business cards. I don't recommend you spend years developing a card or even design a costly card, but just to keep the thoughts below in mind when you are coming up with one. Also, some may argue that putting money into fancy business cards is nonsense, but I think that is an invalid point. My business cards cost a few dollars and I don't mind handing them out because I only hand them out to people who are worthy of having it. It's not like people just hand their card to unknown people who they have only known for 5 seconds, so it is well worth the investment, if you really want to develop the person you are handing your card to, into one of your well known contacts. I also consider my business card, a product that represents me and my brand, which is premium, so the card shouldn't be cheap, but that is just me.
[Click here for Video]
Showing newest posts with label Networking. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label Networking. Show older posts
My Friends Have Deep Pockets
Everyone always talks about networking and how it can lead to better business, etc. But do you ever take a minute to think what networking is useful and what is possibly a waste? Without being ignorant, take a minute and think about the contacts (friends) you have. Now think about the contacts you have, which you can use to benefit you or your business in any way. You might notice that they are significantly less. Some people are meant to be nothing more than acquaintances and some you can really partner with and benefit from.
If anyone looked at my group of friends, they would notice that almost everyone is older than I am and most have deeper pockets than I do. Also, if you look at each persons field of expertise, each person is different. Some are involved in the internet industry, others in retail, a few in health care, etc. A major "problem" with entrepreneurs today, is that they don't like to explore outside of their own industry. For example, when people think of good places to network, they will usually go to conferences and meet new people- in their comfort zone. Which leads to meeting people who virtually do the same thing as them. While it is perfectly okay to do so- I always recommend meeting people from different backgrounds.
Here is where it really matters:
Say that I am taking up a new venture dealing with health care and tying it into the web in some way. While I probably have enough knowledge and know how of the internet field, I might not be able to put the pieces together when it comes to health care. Having the ability to partner with friends who are physicians would give me two benefits:
- Their knowledge
- Their financial capacity
I find that it is also very beneficial to learn from people who are older than I am. Whether it is someone in my field or any other, an older person usually has a great deal of more experience than I do. A lot of my friends give me advice and I can say that it is always great to take it into consideration because it helps avoid a lot of mistakes which cost time or money or even both.
And a last note...some may argue that networking doesn't necessarily have to mean people become your friends, but I will ask you this: Why would you do business with someone you barely know? Exactly, you wouldn't. Therefore, you have to become friends with people in order for them to actually be of any value to your future ventures.
The Personal Brand Leverage
It is a well known fact that personal branding can be really helpful as an entrepreneur because it establishes not only your reputation, but links you to your ventures. Sometimes people lack to build a personal brand when they are employed by another company; one that they do not own or have not founded. Some say that it is not needed to create a personal brand when you work for a company which you have no personal ownership in or do not have any private ventures of your own. I strongly disagree with people who think that creating a personal brand is unnecessary for many reasons. The main point of creating a personal brand is to get people to know you for your expertise and can give you an edge over other people in the workforce.
Be the one- Companies face numerous applications when they are interviewing for certain jobs, especially when the position is really high up in the hierarchy. Having a strong & established personal brand can give you better chances to be selected for a certain position.
Don’t be the one- On the other hand of being “the one,” there is the fact that companies face when letting people go. When you have a strong brand that represents the company you work for, chances are they will not let you go among your co-workers because you have more influence in the outside world, than the other employees. Say you are a business consultant and there are four more in your department. Your department head is letting two people go, but chooses to hold on to you because you are known for your expertise in consulting and the companies clientele are likely to give their business to the company you work for. Because of your personal brand, you are recognized as an asset to your company.
Get a Higher Pay- Most of us don’t mind making more money. Along with a strong personal brand, chances are pay will have a strong positive correlation with the strong identity you have created. Companies will WANT to hire YOU over other applicants, even if it means paying an extra $50k or $100k.
Ability to Create Your Own Business- The workplace is a great learning experience, but what if you want to experiment and start your own business, which is similar to the one you are employed with. Having a strong personal brand can boost that start to your business. The clientele that will come to your new business might have heard from people that you have worked with in the past through your employer. Due to your brand, you have created a strong and positive reputation, giving you an edge over others in the industry.
Many Networking Possibilities- Bill Gates is respected among the tech world. It is probably true that any technology conference around the world would be pleased to have him speak or appear at their conference. He has created a very strong personal brand aside from Microsoft, which gives him the ability to network with new people, who would be honored to be in his presence.
It is not needed that you be working for a Fortune 500 company or own a very well known business to start building your personal brand. Anyone can create a positive personal brand or a negative personal brand, but it is the personal brand that will set you apart from others. If you create a well respected and knowledgeable personal brand, chances are you might open the door for numerous new possibilities, for any industry.
Network Yourself
Earlier this month I talked about networking being key if you want to become a well known blogger, on another blog of mine called Blab Web. Networking goes more for than just blogging, if you want to become well established and known.
“What is key in order for people you network with to care enough to listen to what you have to say?”
Most of the time, people who meet up, will probably exchange business cards or phone numbers and be out of contact for a long period of time. This is probably the most worthless type of networking because there is no follow-up contact, basically making the connection between two individuals virtually worthless. There should always be contact between people you meet, so by keeping touch with them, they are of value to you and vice versa. When there is follow-up discussion with anyone you network with, they will be interested in knowing what you are working on and will look into it. In the long run, you have to get to know people at a personal level, with a personal touch in order to get the most out of networking.
"Where are awesome places to get to know people?"
- Conferences
- Meetings
- Over Social Networks
- Creating a Blog (Web Identity)
- Charity Fundraisers
Depending on what kind of business you are involved in, there may be numerous conferences that you can attend to get to personally interact with other people in your industry. The cost of attending some conferences can be expensive, but there are probably some inexpensive ones in your industry as well. It might take a little research to find the right ones, but you never know what kind of connections you will be able to establish with new people in your industry. You might narrow down conferences to attend, by finding out which key players in your industry are attending and attend the same ones.
Company or work related meetings can be also another great way to connect with people that you may or may not know already. Even though, you may know of someone working with the same company as yours, you may not have gotten to know them more in detail yet. Meetings are great to find out more about the people you work with; not closely, but in the same company.
Social Networks such as MySpace or Facebook and even microblogging platforms such as Twitter are great place to informally get to know people. Adding a friend to Facebook or MySpace might be if you already have interacted with them previously, so it may not be appropriate in some cases, but following someone in the same industry as you on Twitter, might be the first step to breaking the ground. I wrote a post on how bloggers can actually use Twitter to drive quality traffic to their sites before. Twitter can be great to informally start conversing with numerous people at the same time. Many people might start following you and you can probably get to know them more personally over a period of time. When you already establish connections over social networks, it is much more interesting to talk to the same people when you meet them at conferences.
I don’t know how many of you reading this don’t blog, but creating one can definitely help in identifying you on the web. I originally started blogging because I wanted to create a web identity for myself that people can keep in touch with me over, as well as me being able to share some thoughts. Instead of people getting to know me for a venture that I am involved in, then forgetting me after I sell a venture or move on from it, a blog will always have a connection to me.
Charity fundraisers can be a phenomenal way to converse with people that may or may not be in the same industry as you. Everyone at fundraisers support a cause and it is great to start discussing how the fundraiser is related to each individual. Whether it is through work or a personal connection, most people at fundraisers have a connection or reason for being there. Some of my greatest connections to people have come from fundraisers and I still keep in touch with the people who I’ve met because of fundraisers.
Maybe not all the ways here are for you. I network using all of these ways and find every way extremely useful for creating different types of connections to numerous people. My question to you: “How do you network?” Leave your thoughts on your favorite way to network with others or add any other way of networking you feel works.
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