The first few years after college can be exciting: The freedom, the friends, the fun. It's also stressful. You have to find your place in the world, figure out how you're going to pay the rent, and what you want to do with your career. Building a strong professional network around you is important for your short-term career success. More importantly, though, it's how you can plant seeds that you can harvest the rest of your life. This is especially true because the work world continues to become more and more mobile. If you're a recent grad, you’ve probably seen statistics quoted with the average number of jobs you will have in … [Read more...]
The Simple Social Media Mistake that Kills a Salesperson’s Credibility
I come from the sales world. I grew up professionally around salespeople. My friends are salespeople. At the core I'm a sales guy and proud of it. So salespeople, listen to me when I tell you this. Most of you are killing your credibility on social media instead of building it. And trust is a key ingredient in becoming a Sales Sherpa™ for your network. Don't Brag About Your Wins on Social One of the biggest mistakes that sales professionals make on social is being all about "me, me, me". If you only talked about yourself (your successes, your opinions, your needs) in the offline world, you wouldn't be very effective in creating … [Read more...]
4 Simple Questions Most People Forget Before Networking
There's a cart. And there's a horse. One of the most important things you can do in any professional endeavor is to put those two in the proper order. That's certainly true when you build a network of professional relationships. Too often, professionals start "networking" without asking a few important questions. Before you dive into building and maintaining your network, you want to put a plan in place. Think of this as a marketing plan for “You, Inc.” A good networking plan acts as a map, so you know the best direction to focus your efforts. Instead of making it up as you go along (and getting haphazard results), you’ll outline a … [Read more...]
4 Simple Questions That Will Help You Plant a Flag in Your Niche
It’s hard to stand out in our noisy world. People are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of messages a day and yours will easily get lost in the shuffle. It’s important to create a strong personal brand that your networking partners can associate with you. I call it “planting a flag”. If you can’t be clear about what you do and why you are good at what you do, there’s no way that your network will be able to connect you with opportunities and resources. Your message will degrade every time it’s passed along (like the children’s game Telephone), so the more clarity you create from the start, the stronger and more lasting your message … [Read more...]
Is This Painful Childhood Memory Killing Your Sales Network?
Are you nervous to reach out to prospective sales prospects and partners? Does the idea of making sales calls conjure uneasiness or even a touch of dread? Do you stand in the corner at networking events or industry conferences, just waiting long enough so you won't feel too guilty when you duck out early? Or do you find excuses to skip them altogether, even though you know you want more people to engage with? You're not alone. Many salespeople, in fact, many people, avoid taking the first steps to start new relationships. It stems from an emotional lesson that we learn when we're young and that continues to influence our behavior … [Read more...]
How to Network Above Your Pay Grade and Move Up the Ladder Yourself
You might feel comfortable networking with your peers, but what about networking with professionals who are more senior in age, experience, job title, or reputation? It’s easy to think of networking as “peer-to-peer”, but the real world is rarely that simple. Learning how to interact and engage with people who are more established in their careers is a key skill. It’s the same conundrum that you face when looking for your first job: companies want to hire someone with experience, but how can you get experience if they won’t hire you? First of all, remember that you don’t need a network of CEOs and presidents to be successful. You can … [Read more...]
The Magic Opportunities that Will Supercharge Your Internal Network
"I'm not in sales and I don't run the company, so why bother networking?!" I often hear a version of that question when I tell people about the power of networking, especially when talking with professionals who work for large organizations. It's easy for these people to think that networking isn't for them; that they just need to show up and do their job well. But this couldn't be further from the truth! Networking isn't just about selling - it's about building mutually-beneficial relationships with the people around you. In a large corporate environment where there can be thousands of employees in different departments scattered … [Read more...]
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