Networking Anywhere
Hair scrapped back, baggy top just thrown on, no make up & sleep un-retrieved from the corner of your eyes. This is the normal attire when doing an AM nursery run….and just then as you are walking yourself home, no excuse of a child to hand, you bump into a business associate who saw you dolled up to the nines at the monthly networking event two nights ago, where you were trying with all your might to come across as uber professional. Face Palm!
Think of any TV character, they all have their own style (what you expect them to wear) but unlike them, most of us don’t have a dedicated wardrobe department making sure that what we wear suits our character, our personal brand.
The fact is; Life is a Networking Event & unless you are being the You, you are meant to be it will be blooming hard to maintain constancy in your personal branding.
With that, maybe it’s time to come up with a system for networking that converts to all areas of your life?
1) Ditch the cloths that make you feel less then 100% the you, you want to be.
2) Consider your branding when buying new cloths.
3) Carry your phone &/or business card with you. Never miss an opportunity.
4) Have a one line description of what you do, focusing on how you solve potential clients problems, memorized. i.e. “I remove the overwhelm parent-business owners feel, working with them to cultivate simple actions form what they already have, to move their business forward.”
5) Make sure you have your listening skills in tune & possibly a note pad.
That’s it…. easy to implement practices to effectively network anywhere & still be 100% you.
Now for You: What are your top tips for networking? What was the most embarrassing situation you’ve been in within a business situation? Comment in the box below & remember to share.
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Great tips. The more you make small talk, the easier it is to network in everyday situations, which goes a long way for a business!
Ah networking still freaks me out! I used to hate dressing up cos I never felt like ‘me’. So I love now being able to wear things that I love wearing because I’m just representing myself!
And it often works to my advantage because quirky jewellery, different hair styles and crazy shoes can be a really good talking point and helps break the ice.
(And I know that description of my clothes makes me sound super strange, but I promise I don’t wear them all at the same time!)
Super Strange??? It sounds awesome!
Oh my gosh, I am SO bad at this! I am totally someone who dresses for comfort (even though I am a fashion photographer…) and I rarely have business cards on me! I do have my elevator pitch down, so I guess I’ve got that going for me 🙂
Do you know your key contact information off by heart? If you have that and your elevator pitch you’ll be fine 🙂
Guilty.. I actually need to learn how to shop for myself to begin with. 4 is probably the most important in this list to me despite being the number one thing I see businesses either completely overlook or struggle with.
Who does the shopping now Larry? & What’s your one line? 🙂