Friday, May 18, 2012
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Blog Archive

Here are Rob's previous blogs in date order (latest first). Click on any to view or filter any keywords.

Five Top Professional Networking Skills

Great networkers are good networkers who have just taken their craft a little bit further. In the world of business, networking is crucial. You might be outward facing with a sales angle to you role, trying to hit targets and create business opportunities. You might have a number of stakeholders and partners to build relationships with. You might be internally focused but ambitious, planning moves up the corporate ladder and needing to build your professional profile.

Whatever the reason, good business networking skills are vital for serious business professionals looking for maximum reach, profile and influence. Here are five of the top traits of the best professional, profitable and productive networkers:

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Turning Networking Into Business

So many people attend business networking events, participate in online business networks and have networking meetings. But what do they get back from all of that time and effort? The answer is usually very little. They struggle when it comes to turning networking into business. To explore this, I use the phrase 'CTC' in my many networking and referral seminars. It stands for any of the following:

  • Card to Client
  • Contact to Customer
  • Card to Connection
  • Connection to Client

You get the idea. It's about turning a business card into a sale. It's about converting your networking leads into paying customers and clients. It's also the hardest thing for most networking business people to do. Here's why:

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Re-Calibrating Your Network

Read a useful blog recently on influence by Darren Hardy which reminded me of Jim Rohn's quote: "You become the combined average of the five people you hang around the most. You will have the combined attitude, health and income of the five people you hang around the most." Brian Tracy said something similar: "Your income will be the average of the ten closest people to you."

As Hardy says: "The people we spend our time with determine what conversations dominate our attention, and what observations, attitudes and opinions we repetitively are introduced to."

Read more: Re-Calibrating Your Network

   

3 Ways to Make Networking Fun

Great video from top journalist and Eric Schurenberg that came from my good networking friend Jason Jacobsohn. Love its simplicity and passionate message to make business networking fun!

Many people don't like networking. But when you follow Eric's advice you've got a much better chance of enjoying it AND making it work for you. His three key messages:
  1. Make It a Game.
  2. Make People Come to You.
  3. Measure Success by How Many Cards You Get.

Learn how to do these by watching this 1min 27 secs video. Happy networking!

 

What Is the Optimum Size of Your Business Network?

Just been reading a great blog post The Most Valuable People in Your Network by Rob Cross. In Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, he talks about the critical number of 150.

When companies, churches, gatherings, networks and communities expand beyond that point, it takes a different level of managing to make things run smoothly. But with technology, online social networking and mobile tools, the networking landscape is changing. So in 21st century networking, what is the optimum size of your business network?

Read more: What Is the Optimum Size of Your Business Network?

   

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Rob Brown is UK's leading authority on 'selling yourself' through networking, word of mouth, trust and reputation building. To book one of Rob's motivational talks for your event or enquire about his 1-1 Selling Yourself Mentoring Program, email Rob or call (44) 115 846 2127.