networking
What Happens when you ask One More Question!
Networking.
My business has been built primarily by networking online. You’ve heard me say it before, truly, my business would not have existed 5 years ago – the online world is changing so fast and furious that I have something unique created, and for the most part due to, because of this online and global world we live in. Networking has played a big part in my business growth and is a must to include in your online presence. Networking is how you can be seen and heard in today’s marketplace.
The marketplace of the world we live in today has changed and grown much smaller – the world is not as a vast a place as it was once because people can so easily connect to others using the internet, email, social networking, forums and in the last two years this has changed once again with the rise of the smartphone and how easy anyone can find what they need online.
The world is truly at our fingertips these days and rarely because of a thick yellow book with phone numbers… it is there with the click of a mouse or finger on a screen.
Now… I love talking to people (a far cry from my days of old when I fainted at the thought of talking to people I did not know) and am always trying to figure out if am connected to people somehow – You know that principle of Six Degrees of Separation (explores the existential premise that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else in the world by a chain of no more than six acquaintances, thus, “six degrees of separation”)…and with the global networking I do… the world really is very small.
A prime example is something that happened in a recent email conversation I had.
I was nominated to the Board of Directors on the International Virtual Assistants Organization and during the voting process (online of course) members could check out our CV’s, references and application online. This gave them insight into who they were voting for – in case they did not know the Virtual Assistant who had been nominated.
Anyhow … I got an email late one night from a Michelle Campbell who lives in the United States.
She had seen from the voting info that I was from Dartmouth and just wanted to reach out and say Hi because she grew up in Dartmouth.
What followed in the emails is a lesson in online networking and how you don’t have to intimately know someone to make a connection with them. Also, never be afraid to add more to the conversation, to ask just one more question – you never know where it will lead. Because I enjoy connecting with people so much, I always ask a lot of questions, but I will say I always get lots of results as well.
So … read the conversations below to see what we discovered during this email back and forth. (PS. Michelle’s knows I am writing this blog post and gave me permission to use our string of emails… I don’t want anyone thinking I just post emails willy nilly in blog posts when I feel like it))
Hi Kathy,
My name is Michelle Campbell. I was just reviewing the IVAA Board nominations and noticed that you are from Dartmouth. Me too! I was born and raised and lived there until my husband and I moved to the States in 1997. It’s amazing how small the world really is.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello. Congratulations on your nomination, and good luck!
All the best.
Michelle
Michelle,
Thanks for the hello! What a small world.
I was a military brat and born in Alberta, but my Dad is from Yarmouth, NS so they retired here when I hit grade 10. I went to Sir John A MacDonald High … did you go to school here in Dartmouth? We have lived here since 2001 off and on with a little trip to Yarmouth and PEI for a couple years in the middle – I have moved more with my husband than my Dad!
My kids go to XX, XX and XX schools this year (yes! 3 kids 3 schoolsl!) we live near Shubie Park area.
We must know some people in common so rattle off some schools and areas and workplaces for me!
and thanks for the Congrats!
Hi Kathy.
Wow! This feels really surreal for some reason :0)
I have a very good friend from Black Point who went to Sir John A! I attended a couple of school dances there, and had a boyfriend who lived out lived out near Black Point.
I did go to school in Dartmouth. I went to Michael Wallace Elementary as we lived near Shubie Park when I was small… I went to Caledonia in grade 7. We then moved over into a subdivision called Manor Park behind Penhorn Mall, so I went to Admiral Westphal in grades 8 and 9 and PA for high school (graduated in 1992).
I worked at Wal-Mart (Woolco before it became Wal-Mart) in Penhorn Mall all through high school and after I graduated. I was married in 1996 and left for the States in 1997 when my husband joined the US Army, so I didn’t really work anywhere else.
Michelle
OMG! Soo funny! I love playing 6 degrees of separation!
We never would have met at the high school dances as you were there after I was out for a good 8 years! My oldest started school at Michael Wallace when we lived on Locks Road! Very Very surreal!
Anyhow, stay in touch…
Looking forward to connecting more!
Kathy
Kathy,
Is Locks Road near the bottom of the big hill? I think it’s Montebello Drive? If it’s where I’m thinking of, one of my friends from elementary school lived there. There are entrances to the Shubie trails there, I think.
I will venture over to your FB page to say hello. I’m on there all the time.
I hope my business works out as well. Doing this is something I’ve thought about for four or five years. I am committed to make it work. I have already invested in a coaching session with one of the speakers I heard at the online summit last fall, Donna Toothaker. Do you know her?
Thanks for chatting with me. It was nice to flashback and think about my old stomping grounds. I’ll definitely see you on FB.
HI Michelle,
What a world… yes Locks Road is right at the bottom of Montebello, who was your friend? One of my close friends Jane Matthews lives there too (in her parents old house!, its the solar type one right near the church.
And Donna I know well, going to meet her in person in April at the IVAA conference. I used to be one of her subcontractor VAs before she moved to VA coaching
Kathy
Oh my God! Jane is who I’m talking about :0). I can’t believe she lives in her parents house. I loved her house when I was a kid. It was very cool and modern :0) How is she?
This is really funny! I’m so glad I emailed you. I’m enjoying this trip down memory lane.
Holy Cow! I wondered!
We lived across from her in 2001 on locks rd and she has 2 kids now. What a world!!! She’s a friend of mine on facebook so connect via that way if you are not already.
I will let her know of this.. . wow.
Tooo Funny!!!
Ha! Awesome! She probably won’t know me by my married name. My maiden name was XX.
Tell her I said hello.
Sooo… how is that for a small world story??
It never would have gone as far as it did, if I did not take the opportunity to add more than a simple thank you to her initial email. That is one of the beauties of networking whether in person or online – you can always find great opportunities to connect deeper with the people you meet, but someone needs to take that first step and go beyond the normal – “Hello, so what do you do”
Have you any small world stories to share or other tips on networking online? Feel free to post them here by adding in a comment.
Tips for Follow-Up after Events
The Networking Benefits of Using a Nametag
I was reading an article in Success magazine about a fellow named Scott Ginsberg. He has some fabulous ideas for networking and how to make yourself more approachable to others.
Scott started his business by a decision he made 12 years ago to NOT take off the sticky nametag he had on at an event: “Hello, my name is Scott”. He left it on and he started meeting new people daily. The first day was 20 people. And primarily because they came over to ask why he was walking around with a nametag on!
This opened his eyes to how people react to certain situations and from this came the foundations of his business and career. He has written several books and his newest is called, “The Nametag Principle”. To this day, he continues to wear his nametag (In fact rumour has it he has one tattooed on!)
I totally understand the benefits of wearing a nametag. When I started my business four years ago I ordered myself a nametag. I hated wearing those sticky ones at networking events and had one created just for me (A holdback to my days at the bank when we all wore a nametag). It has my name, title (At the time it said Virtual Assistant) and then my business name.
I cannot tell you how many conversations this nametag has started. Whether it is my last name, or title (At the time Virtual Assistant was an unknown term and prompted many questions) and even the nametag itself got people talking to me.
Wearing it to an event, really gave others something to focus on and to start a conversation with me (We all know the awkwardness sometimes at networking events… wondering what new things we can come up with to start a conversation.) My nametag gave people an easy out to say hello and ask me a question. Not bad for my initial investment of $11.75.
Reading this article about Scott has also made me think about my own nametag experiences and I think it’s time to order some new ones. I say ‘ones’ because I often wear different hats at events and having ones that fit the situation will be helpful. Sometimes I am the Virtual Assistant, others I am the Online Marketing & Social Media Specialist and then sometimes I am simply @TimeonTaskVA, my Twitter persona.
How about you, have you ever considered getting your own nametag or had some great experiences because you were wearing one? If so, what results have you had – share your good ‘nametag’ stories!
Business Referrals – How NOT to accept one
This was the look I got!
For the first time EVER in my life, I was given a referral and was absolutely floored by the response it got! The response was really an eye opener for what people and businesses should never do when someone refers you a client or business.
What happened?
Well, we have been renovating our house and tore down a wall between our kitchen and dining room. The reno has meant we had to look at a few options for filling in the gap where the wall used to be. I was trying to salvage the new flooring laid in the kitchen last year so we were looking for a unique solution.
Since we moved here in 2008, we have been using the same flooring place for everything we have needed. The service has been excellent, the work as well and that has meant we are a loyal customer to this company. Anytime I need flooring or information I head straight to TK’s Carpet and Flooring in Dartmouth and talk to Claude.
This unique solution I was looking for involved getting a custom piece done so they referred me to another local company, close by that specializes in hardwood (I’m going to play nice and not say their name). So off I went this weekend to inquire about me needs.
When I explained what I was looking for, the woman indicated that they actually could not do this type of item and she gave me some other advice about how to go about it as well. As always, if I was referred to a business I like to let them know, most people always like to know why your chose their business. So I mentioned that TK’s had sent me there thinking they would have the skills/abilities to help. The response?
Oh yes, they always like to send people here when they don’t want to help you out.
Now, this might not seem like a big deal when the words are written out, but when you add the change in her facial expression along with the disdain in her voice as she said this the entire tone of the comment changed. I should have commented right there – but I have not always been as quick with retorts as some can be (My sister is really great at this and would have taken her down for sure).
I left thinking “What a rude way to take a referral for business”. No matter what she thought, she should have said something complimentary as opposed to shooting down the business that sent me to her doors in the first place.
As I drove away, heading in fact to TK’s to check out my other options, I was really thinking about how that was such a crappy thing fro her to say. I appreciated TKs giving me a name to check out, but definitely not her reaction to it.
SO… I did what any good and loyal customer would do – I let them know at TKs the response to their referral. I highly doubt they will refer to them again. And I will never recommend them either.
Lesson learned: Always think about what it means to accept a referral.
Someone, no matter who they are, felt you could help the person they sent to you. Accept this complement in the way it was intended, with courtesy and thought. Anything less and you may find yourself losing customers and future referrals because of your attitude.
What referral good / bad stories have you experienced? Please share here by posting a comment.
Delta’s Diversion causes Mass Confusion – Yet is still an Opportunity
Learn the basics of Twitter – understand what a DM, RT and Hashtag are and how to use them
Follow a typical schedule that will help you remain efficient and effective with your time spent on Twitter
Click here to buy your copy nowfor only $27.00.
Download your FREE eBook on Productivity for Entrepreneurs
Join the Social 4 Biz Club
Get your social media questions answered during a live call every month PLUS learn new tricks and tips to using Social Media for your business. Forum support as well for help throughout the month.
