Tuesday, March 31, 2009

How To Stand Out From The Crowd

Dear Wendy,

I want to stand out from the crowd at a networking event – but still look like I belong. How can I figure out the appropriate attire based on the association or type of event I've chosen to attend?

P.B., Atlanta


Dear P.B.,

How astute of you to realize the importance of simultaneously standing out and fitting in. I have good news for you; there are three rules for answering your dilemma.

DRESS YOUR PROFESSION: If you are a doctor, it’s okay for you to wear your lab coat. If you are an attorney, it’s appropriate for you to wear a suit. Dress the way you would for an appointment with a very important client.

Clueless Carmen, who sells a $40,000 product, consistently wore jeans to a Friday networking meeting. Members, concerned that she would show up in their client’s office dressed casually, weren’t sending her referrals. When Good-friend Gloria shared this info Clueless Carmen replied that it was her right to wear jeans on Friday. She’s correct. So was her network.

STAND OUT BY CHOICE: When you stand out you make it easy for people to talk about you. (And buzz is, after all, the reason you’re networking.) The rule here is: always stand out in the same way.

Nance Donaldson has seven different pairs of glasses – each frame stand-out unique. Collected while traveling in Germany and Austria, Nance has worn them networking for the last 5 years. People notice, ask questions, and remember her. Lynda Martin wears her collection of 50’s glitzy costume jewelry. Iris Grimm stands 6’2” in heels and keeps her hair stand-up-on-end short.

BE VERY SURE YOU FIT IN: Use the athletic ruler ‘To the Edge, but not Over the Edge’. Standing out in an embarrassing way won’t benefit you.

I know a young businesswoman who wears bare midriff tops to networking meetings. Mistake. Don’t think that you can wear workout clothes to a business meeting if you are a personal trainer or on your way to meet her. Over the edge. You can’t wear a ball gown before seven pm, a t-shirt with words on it, or a ball cap to anything billed as a meeting. Ever. The Etiquette Grrls remind us to only wear one striking accessory at a time – the orange leather jacket or the teal purse or the flashing earrings – not all three.


Ready . . . Set . . . Go Make Money! That’s Wendy Kinney’s methodology, honed from 16 years of living and breathing referral marketing.
For information on how to make networking profitable, visit www.ReadySetGoMakeMoney.com or call Wendy at 404-784-0699.

Monday, March 23, 2009

How To End A Conversation By Beginning A Network

There are two tough times in every conversation—the beginning and the end.

Consider the ubiquitous close “We’ll have to get together soon.”
When you hear it, don’t you think “Oh yeah, right, I’ll be waiting by the phone?”

It only takes two changes to convert that brush off into a new
networking partner: say what and say when. What is a reason for meeting again; when is a time frame.

Try one of these five potential reasons the next time you have
the opportunity to close a conversation:

Invite them to visit another association with you: Bringing a guest is a valuable way to participate in every organization.

Send a resource by email: No matter how many times they repeat the dot.com address you recite, by the time they get back to their desk it’s forgotten.

Sleuth out a reason to send something by mail: Hand address the envelope. Personal touch makes you memorable.

Call with details: Ah, a reason to get back in touch and a reason to move on now.

Set up a 4-way lunch: Tell who you would like to introduce them to, and invite them to bring someone to introduce to you.

So go end a few conversations. That’s the surefire way to build your net worth.

Network and Prosper –

W!

Ready . . . Set . . . Go Make Money! That’s Wendy Kinney’s methodology, honed from 16 years of living and breathing referral marketing. For information on how to make networking profitable, visit www.ReadySetGoMakeMoney.com or call Wendy at 404-784-0699.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

So What's New With You?

So, What’s New With You? (Wendy Kinney Blog Series -Part I)


People we haven’t seen in six days or six months routinely ask the profitable question: “So, what’s new with you?”

The common response is a bland, “Oh, not much.”

The profitable reply is a jazzy explanation of the part of your business that is the most profitable, including a SuperWoman story (with you wearing the cape) showing how you created great results for one of your favorite (read ‘profitable’) clients.

The SuperWoman Story has three parts:

Problem—describe the problem your client had before they found you.

“This week I worked with a printer who was frustrated with the level of information he gets from the standard reports in Quickbooks.”

Action—tell what you did. The more specific you are the more likely the person you’re talking to will think of someone who needs you.

“In two hours, less than $200, I showed him how Quickbooks data can be exported to Excel and used in a pivot table to create totally customized reports.”

Result—wrap up with your client’s situation now.

“He said the report we created saved him from a $20,000 mistake. Then he thought of four other reports that will make him money every month.”

That’s the good news. Even better is the knowledge that you can prompt a “So, what’s new with you?” by asking other people the question first. Odds are that after their standard reply they’ll toss the same script back.

You could make some money.
Network and prosper -

W!

Ready . . . Set . . . Go Make Money! That’s Wendy Kinney’s methodology, honed from 16 years of living and breathing referral marketing. For information on how to make networking profitable, visit www.ReadySetGoMakeMoney.com
or call Wendy at 404-784-0699.