MASTERING THE MEMBERSHIP MAZE: Who do You Need to Meet?

Mastering the Membership Maze with Glen Gould

I noted in a recent article that the first part of the year is the time when chambers and other membership organizations see a rise in
attendance. And true to form this has been the case this year.
Nearly all of the chambers I work with have reported record attendance at their programs for the first part of the year. Even in these challenging times many chambers have had record renewal and conversion rates as well.

There are many reasons for the jump in attendance, retention, and conversion. The resulting audience at chamber functions is full of people who haven't participated in networking groups before or who haven't been in quite some time. Now is a great time to attend chamber events and meet new people. Because many people at the chamber are new, you should be aware that most of them have limited networking skills. Many people new to chambers in this economy have come from industries where business came to them naturally. They never needed to network so they never learned to network. Here's where you can help them and help yourself in the process.

Try to remember what it was like when you attended your first chamber networking event. Chances are you felt intimidated, unsure of what to do or how to do it. For me, I was blessed to have Kathy Lehner, a professional realtor in Venice, Florida greet me at the door. What she did those many years ago has left a powerful impression on me. In my estimation, Kathy saved me from myself and from many of the mistakes most new networkers make. She greeted me at the door and asked, "Who do you need to meet?"

Of course I didn't know who I needed to meet because I never gave it much thought. Then she introduced me to interesting people, most of whom I would have never had access to without her introduction.

New members of the chamber are hungry for results and full of energy.

They need help channeling that energy into a positive experience. You can help them. Greet a new member at the next event. Walk up to someone you haven't met before and ask them, "Who do you need to meet?" Even if you don't know the person they are looking for you can help them connect with someone who probably does. Either way you can help them in their quest to be successful

And what about you? How does this help you? We've all heard of "paying it forward". But often we become impatient, seeking immediate results. When you help someone today, they will remember it for a long time to come. Need proof? You just got it. Kathy Lehner greeted me at the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce in Venice, Florida nearly ten years ago and I am still promoting her to this day. You must trust the process. If you help someone find success, success will certainly come to you.

Glen Gould
770-745-5102

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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MASTERING THE MEMBERSHIP MAZE: Who do You Need to Meet?

FRANCE: 3 Common Mistakes About Business Networking (It happens in France too!)

by Thierry Mazué
French Bureau Chief

#1 Networking overload
Have you ever met one of these desperate business owners who attend almost every single network event they hear of? Does this sound familiar to you? Hope it doesn't. Based upon result, they may end being a well known networker... crying out & desperate to get more business. Truth is, you have to be selective when it comes to choosing the networks you participate in. It does not make any sense to spend your time at all network events held in your area!

#2 And the winner is...
I know this guy, the Net-King! He won the latest speed-meeting contest with over 75 business cards in... minutes! GREAT! I guess he can do better next time.

But let's take a look at the day after: Who are these contacts? Can you remember any face, what they where looking for, not mentioning what do they look like?
If you ask yourself any of these questions, it is time for you to consider acting differently.

Multiplying contacts is definitively not the best contact sport you should choose.
It leads you to a weird zone. Mike Macedonio (President of the Referral Institute and co-author of the new York times bestseller "Truth or Delusion - Busting Networking Myths") has a nice definition for this zone : he calls it IN-VI-SI-BI-LI-TY!

#3 The day After: Wow! Email is such a nice tool!
Quite often, after a networking event, we all receive an impressive amount of emails, offers, "You need it/You need me/Buy it" sort of message.

How do I feel when this happens? Good! I don't even read it!

I've met somebody for the first time yesterday, spend 3 minutes talking just to have a single reason to exchange business cards, and the next day this prospect turned into a customer! How fantastic is that!

We all know that networking is all about people, getting to know them, building serious and meaningful relationships with them. It remains true for business and social networking.

Whatever your goals are, if you are really serious about how you net-work (thanks to Dr. Ivan Misner for this one), take a look at http://www.29percentsolution.com. This is a serious and fun journey!

Please help all the "invisible Net-Kings": share this link with them!

Thierry Mazué

Maisons-Laffitte

(France, Paris)

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com/. You are also invited to click our buttons:

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FRANCE: 3 Common Mistakes About Business Networking (It happens in France too!)

DEALING WITH GIANTS: Preparing for the First Meeting

Dealing with Giants with Claudine Halpern

CONGRATULATIONS; you’ve scored a first meeting with the Big Boys, What Now?

Remember what your mother said about first impressions, well she was right, you have about two milliseconds until everything that you and your company represent registers with your Big Boy prospect.

In this article we will talk about the how to make that great first impression, and accomplish the first step toward turning the Big Boy into the Big Profitable Customer.

Emotions and Intellect

Always remember that we are human beings reliant on all our senses for information. Intellectualizing emotions does not mean that they go away, we heed our emotional impulses whether we admit it or not. Let’s keep all aspects in mind while we talk through the problem.

Be Prepared

The Boy Scout’s motto of Be Prepared should be you mantra, I can’t emphasize planning enough. This article is about preparing for the first meeting, next month’s article will be about How to Own the Big Boy meeting, TAKING CONTROL and KEEPING CONTROL.

Who’s coming to the Meeting

I worked with a small company whose founder/CEO was insistent on going to every meeting that was held, as you might imagine this overkill did not go over very well. The CEO was a larger that life figure who had some really strong opinions about everything and was totally in love with his product, we want that in a CEO, but not for exploratory meetings.

Know who’s coming to the meeting, if the Big Boys have three mid-level people coming to vet your firm’s capacity, don’t bring ten people, overkill shows desperation.

On the contrary if the room will be filled with twenty Big Boy participants, you don’t need 20 people to match one to one.

You need to have the knowledge and clout in the room so that you are matched in experience, business knowledge, and capability.

So how do you get people to a meeting, representing your firm, if they don’t exist? Many emerging and startup companies do not have the staff to bring to meetings with the Big Boys. Beg, borrow, steal or hire the right people for the meeting. I have clients who call on me specifically to manage Big Boy meetings and communications; they understand the need and value of a strong first impression.

Dressing for Success is not Outdated

The first thing that a person registers is how you look. That doesn’t mean that you need to be a candidate for America’s Top Model. Dress for impressing, but don’t overdo it. Many firms will tell you that they are business casual. That runs the gamut from sport coat and ties to beat up jeans and tee shirts.

My personal opinion is in New York and on the East Coast, you can’t go wrong with being professionally dressed in a suit and tie. It shows respect for the client and understanding of the holistic local business environment.

In Europe it is critical to be formally dressed for business meetings, in Asia it depends on whether the firm is domestic or international. Domestic firms take cues from the local culture; international firms take their cues from the country of the firms’ origin.

On the west coast and California there is a different norm, but there are still expectations. Most important for men, well-fitted, neat, high quality, classical styles that you are comfortable in. Women have more leeway but I am a proponent of very classic styling for the first impression, keep away from bright colors, overdone jewelry and makeup.

It’s most important be comfortable, the last thing that you need is to be uncomfortable in your clothing while the prospect is trying to make you uncomfortable.

When I manage prospect meetings for emerging and startup companies with new Big Boy prospects, I ask everyone to show me what they will wear. This sometimes causes a bit of internal friction the first time around. I am never questioned on the Dress for Success mantra after that.

Setting Roles; Rehearsing for the Big Show

Write the Agenda, Control the meeting

Determine what you want the Big Boys to think, know and talk about after you leave, then TAKE CONTROL. Write a detailed agenda, chances are that the Big Boys will be really happy to have you do this.

A good agenda includes the following items:

o Question that you are answering- subject

o Who is presenting

o How long it will take

o Timeslots for questions and answers

o Bathroom Breaks

o Meeting Goals

o Timeslot for enumerating Next Steps

Vet the agenda with the Big Boys to make sure they understand what you will talk about.

Formal or Informal Presentation

How many times have you been invited to a meeting, seen the presentation before the meeting, and decided that you have enough information and don’t need to attend. Don’t publish what you will say before you say it. Give just enough information to interest the Big Boys, Hollywood has it right on this, a small teaser trailer is all that you need, use the agenda as tool to accomplish this.

NEVER READ FROM A POWER POINT; I WILL WALK OUT…nuff said

Less is More; Keep it Open Ended

Wouldn’t it be great if the Big Boys ask every question that you want them to? You can make that happen, you can bring the Big Boys exactly to the place you want them be, YOU ARE IN CONTROL. If you do it right the Big Boys will ask the exact questions that you want them to ask, and you will have the killer answer prepared.

Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse and Rehearse Again

Go through your presentation four or five times with stand-ins for the Big Boys, anticipate the questions, script the answers, then do it again and again until you are so sick of it you can do it in your sleep, then you’re ready.

Assign all of the people that you bring to the meeting something to say, otherwise why do you need them. Make sure everyone talks; it shows that you have the knowledgeable staff and depth to support the Big Boys.

Create hand signals for things like cut, or please shut up, and hope you don’t need them.

Be Relaxed; or at Least Look Relaxed

This seems like a no brainer but believe me, it’s really important, if you are traveling to your meeting, make sure that you have alternative arrangements to get you there, make sure that you get a good nights sleep, go to the gym, or do whatever it takes to be relaxed and on top of your game.

NOW YOU’R READY, GOOD LUCK

Watch for my next article; Owning the Sales Process with the Big Boys- TAKING and KEEPING CONTROL of the First Meeting

Claudine Y. Halpern, President, The YCH Group, Inc.

Claudine Halpern is a chameleon, she has worked in many different situations during her more than twenty five years in business; as a management consultant, Claudine advised many of the major brokerage, insurance, and financial houses, completing more than fifteen major corporate initiatives during the past ten years. As a crisis manager for major corporations, Claudine successfully brought in projects and products that other firms would not touch. As a specialist in business and management consultancy, Claudine consults to emerging businesses across the spectrum.

email chalpern@theychgroup.com

http://ychmagicclaudinehalpern.blogspot.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/claudinehalpern

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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DEALING WITH GIANTS: Preparing for the First Meeting