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Breaking into conversational groups is one of the things people ask me about when I’m conducting networking sessions. There’s a buzz that hovers over a crowded room that comes from all those people conversing. You need to break into that buzz to be a great networker.

Let’s face it, looking at a room full of people you don’t know can be intimidating. At
first glance, it appears everyone knows everyone else except you! The first thing
you need to remember is that this is not true. The only difference between you and
all those others is that they have been in the room five minutes longer than you
have. They have had an opportunity to begin a conversation with at least one
person, so they appear at ease. All you have to do is find one person to speak with,
and you will be just as at home.

Ah, but that’s the problem. How do you break into the buzz? Here are a couple of
ideas.

First, find the refreshment table or the bar, depending on the time of day the event
is being held. Now you are going to make your way over there, but don’t make a
mad dash with your eye firmly locked on the coffee pot. Instead, walk over in a
leisurely way, looking over the people as you go. You may notice someone you
know, or someone you have been wanting to meet. If you note where they are
standing, you can move in that direction once you have your coffee.

A common mistake of neophyte networkers is to concentrate on picking up food
and drink, ignoring the other networkers in the line. Don’t do that, as they
represent your first opportunity to make a connection. You can make casual
conversation about the food, or even just introduce yourself. In either case, by the
time you both reach the end of the line you will have someone to converse with as
you move off into the room.

When you find yourself alone in a crowded room, practise the art of “hovering”.
Move towards a small group of people who are having a conversation, but rather
than push right into the group, “hover” a yard or so outside the circle. Someone will
invariably notice you and invite you in. If someone happens to be speaking at the
time, say something like, “Don’t let me interrupt your story it’s interesting.”
When they finish, that’s the time to introduce yourself to the rest of the group.

If you use these ideas, you’ll find it’s not so hard to become part of that happy,
noisy crowd.

Helen Wilkie is a professional keynote speaker, workshop leader and author
specializing in applied communication, including networking. Her popular “Sowing
and Growing Your Network” is a lively, fun session with many more tips, techniques
and exercises for active networking, both at the event and after. If you’d like to
bring that talk to your conference, give her a call at 416-966-5023. If you’d just like
more networking tips for yourself, including Helen’s foolproof method for entering
the room with confidence, check out http://www.mhwcom.com/pages/
valuefromnetworking.html While you’re on the site, sign
up for “Communi-keys”, Helen’s free monthly e-zine full of useful communication
tips and techniques.

What is networking? Are you going to meet a strange group of people, often in a strange place, to somehow get something you think will be of benefit. If you fit this definition in any way you are a Networking Numskull. So what about these people who go to ‘networking’ meetings.

If they go, they introduce themselves and hand out their business cards and collect cards from others. Most of these cards are soon lost or tossed, by both parties!

Everyone knows they should network, but have you? Between making your goals for the company, family and other important things in your life there just doesn’t seem to be any time left for networking. I hear this statement from people every day.

Would you make networking a hire priority if it meant an additional $700,000 in income?

It has been shown that by not maintaining and building your network you will be leaving a significant amount of money on the table. More than 80% of all jobs come from networking.

Statistics show that the average person will have twelve or more jobs in their career with an average three year tenure in each. In addition, establishing a network when you are in transition typically takes at least 4-6 months. If you make an average of $100,000 a year and have to re-build your network for each new opportunity, you will be walking away from 48-72 months of income. That adds up to as much as $700,000 of lost income, not including the potential investment income that could have been yielded.

Instead, let’s build a Career Networking Strategy to maximize the benefits for all.

Phase 1: the Introduction or Contact

What most people do not understand is that this is NOT networking, these are introductions or contacts. They are no more valuable than that person you met for the first time at the company Christmas party.

Phase 2: Get to Know the other person

So, what to do? Take the first, real networking step and start contacting those people who gave you their business cards. You know, the ones you don’t remember! Set up a coffee or lunch meeting and start to “get to know” one another, the first step in networking.

Once you get to know this person you can make a judgment if you should get to know them better. If you decide it would be mutually beneficial to go forward, then start building a relationship. Relationships are what make networking a valuable and rewarding process. We do business with those we have relationships with!

Phase 3: I know the other person

This is when someone asks you about another person and you can say “Yes, I know him/her.” And, you can tell a little about their background and expertise. But, you wouldn’t put your reputation on the line for this person.

Phase 4: I recommend this person highly

This is when you can honestly recommend this person to another and put your reputation on the line. This is when you are selling this person to another because you have taken the time to really know them, and they you. Now you are both comfortable in providing the most powerful referral, a personal one.

The more people you get to Phases 2 – 4 then the more powerful your network will become!

And don’t forget a couple of other simple rules when networking. First, always ask how you might be able to help the other person. If you give, then you will receive. And, surprise, it is not as hard or time consuming as you may think.

Second, create interest in yourself when you first meet someone. How? Start by having a very short statement or ‘hook’ phrase that creates interest for the listener. You know, the answer to the question ‘what do you do’? Why? You only have 10-15 seconds to capture their interest.

For example, a Vice President of Engineering could just say “I am a Vice President of Engineering”. This is possibly impressive to some but amongst a group of executives, ho-hum, not at all interesting. But a friend of mine who is VP Engineering says, “I am a de-engineering expert”. Instantly he gets the question “what is that”? Now a conversation ensues and the other party will more likely remember this person over most they have met.

Since most people can not come up with a ‘hook’ phrase, try creating a ‘value’ phrase. Determine what it is you really do, what value you bring to a given situation or problem.

Instead of that standard ‘title’ statement, use a statement about the value you bring to an organization or group. For example, “I establish engineering processes that are more efficient, easier to implement, and bring more profit to an organization”.

Isn’t that better? Someone said, “It is not who you know, but who remembers YOU”.

What is an “elevator” speech? I used to think it was something you said while riding an elevator. It is really an expanded ‘value statement’!

Even if you think you never need or want to meet an engineering executive, you would still remember this person over most you meet.

If you want to establish business alliances and personal alliances…,

Get past introductions and start building relationships. You don’t have a network until you have relationships. Shaking hands at an event does not mean you have built a network. Take time to build relationships that will add meaning to both your personal and professional life. Do not wait until it’s too late or you could be walking away from well deserved income.

Ask how you can help the other person, and, don’t forget to make an impression that others will remember!

Stephen A. Burgess is founder and CEO of Corporate Toolbelt, a premier business strategy, business planning, leadership and advisory firm. He has served as a ‘C’ level executive, is a noted speaker, and has his MBA. He currently serves on several Boards of Directors. Steve is also a partner in the Power of 8 and the co-founder and Managing Partner of Speakers Alive!, a southern California speaker’s bureau.

He is the Co-Author of the #1 Best Selling book, Purpose, Passion, Abundance, On an Enlightened Path and Business Successes. He is also author of the forthcoming book, Legacies of Leadership, as well as numerous published articles. Steve’s advice is highly sought after by entrepreneurs, business owners and companies of all sizes. He works together with clients to uncover the power to maximize their growth and profits!

Discover more at http://www.thebusinessprophet.com

Did you know thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet?

Did you know you could start your own online business and make a living out of it? Did you know you could be your own boss and make your own decisions?

What do you want from life? Are you tired of struggling to make two ends meet? May be you are fed up with commuting to work and living under a time clock. If you like independence, can make simple decisions easily and are prepared to devote your energy and time to your project, you will succeed! There are lots of business opportunities available on the Internet; you just need to choose the right one and GIVE IT A TRY.

As I have already mentioned, thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet. You can be one of them too. It just needs a little bit of effort and investment of both time and money.

Now the question arises, where do I get started?

Well, the answer to this question is quite simple.

In the beginning when Internet started developing its roots, lots of people started their research about how to make money from it and Ecommerce came into being. These people tried various ways and means to make money. Only a few succeeded. But these few are now counted among the most successful people and are millionaires. If you would have to do this kind of research and use trial and error methods, it would take you years to build your own business. But you can fast track your journey to success.

As of today, things are much different. We can easily find out how these people became successful by reading their success stories. We can find out how they reached their goals and made millions just by using a computer and an internet connection. We can also get to know which steps could lead you a profitable business and which ones could put you in debt!

Yes, there’s the point! You can follow their steps and build your own business. Just use the method of duplication, and you can succeed too.

Copyright © Jagruti Bhimjiani
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

About the Author:
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

Check out Jagruti Bhimjiani’s Blog

1. Create Fake Users


This effective, yet unscrupulous, strategy has been used by many webmasters to get their forum off the ground. The idea is to create fake users and post for them everyday while you are actively promoting your forum. When other visitors see that there is an active conversation going on, then they will become interested and wish to take part in the activity.

2. Keep The Forum Current


Nothing turns off visitors more than an empty forum. The first thing they will check is to see how many posts are on in the forum. Then they will check to see when the last post is. If you want to encourage new members to sign up and participate, then try your best to keep the forum updated by posting at least one new message everyday. Even if the post is by the Forum owner, it is encouraging to new visitors to know that someone is living there and the place hasn’t been abandoned.

3. Call Upon Your Friends


Let all of your friends know that you just started the forum. Most of the time, this is a short-lived solution, as your friends will quickly sign up, then eventually their enthusiasm over your forum will dwindle. Depending on the excitement of your friends over the forum and how much time they have on their hands, they can help to add hundreds of new posts.

4. Start A Scandalous Debate


The idea behind this technique is that if you create a post that is very biased, it is begging the visitor to register an account to express their opposition and get into a heated debate. The post should be one that is very opinionated and slightly annoying to those who would have a different viewpoint on the topic.

Example:

People who support Bush will register in a heartbeat to post their opposition to the statement, while people who do not support Bush will register to support the statement. One annoying post can spawn a 10-page thread of people debating. This will increase your members and post count in a matter of days.

Authored by: Eric Head
Email: chopcow@gmail.com

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