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From Business Cards to Business Relationships

E-BookEPUB2 - DRM Adobe / EPUBE-Book
256 Seiten
Englisch
John Wiley & Sonserschienen am20.04.20122. Auflage
Want to supercharge your life? Effective networking is the answer and this book will teach you how.
Professionals of all stripes and ages are told to 'get out there' and network so they can build their careers, grow their businesses and elevate their influence in the community, but they are rarely taught the skills to do that. Most people are lost, intimidated by the idea of presenting their own personal brand, and frustrated when it comes to networking. Despite long hours at events and attempts to make the right connections, they aren't seeing their desired results.

From Business Cards to Business Relationships is a start-to-finish guide that demystifies the networking process and teaches readers how to truly benefit from getting connected. Allison Graham provides an easy to follow road map that is adaptable to your personality, circumstances and growth goals. You will learn how to strategically decide where to go, what to do when you get there and what to do afterwards to turn those casual business card contacts into meaningful relationships. Allison's approach is based on the Four Pillars of Profitable Networking: Perspective, Personal Brand, Procedures, and a Strategic Plan.

This is a prescriptive, practical system based on the author's real-life experience of going from unconnected to connected in a short period of time. No cheesy gimmicks or high-pressure nonsense, just the skills and knowledge that will create success for anyone willing to do the work and follow this advice. Regardless of your past experience or current level of connectivity, your industry or profession, whether you're an entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder: you can accomplish whatever you want by meeting and connecting with the right people. From Business Cards to Business Relationships gives you the tools you need to cement a positive personal brand and build your own profitable network.

Praise for From Business Cards to Business Relationships

'Allison Graham can help you turn an introduction into a business, a dinner into a relationship, and an average practice into world class. I've long preached that we're in a relationship business, and this book provides the handshakes, codes, actions, and routes to master those relationships.'
-Alan Weiss, PhD, Author of Million Dollar Consulting and The Consulting Bible

'At last-a networking book that actually makes sense! Allison Graham's four pillars of networking are as simple as they are powerful. If you are willing to follow her lead with consistent and persistent effort, you will make your mark and expand your horizons both personally and professionally.'
-Lou Heckler, Humorous Business Keynote Speaker and Speech Coach

'This book is an excellent and much-needed resource to share with the business community.'
-PJ Hartson, Business Editor, Sun Media



Allison Graham is a corporate consultant and keynote speaker specializing in successful business development strategies for professional service providers and small business entrepreneurs. Her company, Elevate Seminars + Strategic Development Inc. (www.ElevateBiz.com) is based in London, Ontario. Allison writes a column and blog on networking and professional growth for the Sun Media chain, and blogs for the Huffington Post. She has contributed to and been quoted in several media outlets including the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail.mehr
Verfügbare Formate
TaschenbuchKartoniert, Paperback
EUR29,00
E-BookPDF2 - DRM Adobe / Adobe Ebook ReaderE-Book
EUR12,99
E-BookEPUB2 - DRM Adobe / EPUBE-Book
EUR12,99

Produkt

KlappentextWant to supercharge your life? Effective networking is the answer and this book will teach you how.
Professionals of all stripes and ages are told to 'get out there' and network so they can build their careers, grow their businesses and elevate their influence in the community, but they are rarely taught the skills to do that. Most people are lost, intimidated by the idea of presenting their own personal brand, and frustrated when it comes to networking. Despite long hours at events and attempts to make the right connections, they aren't seeing their desired results.

From Business Cards to Business Relationships is a start-to-finish guide that demystifies the networking process and teaches readers how to truly benefit from getting connected. Allison Graham provides an easy to follow road map that is adaptable to your personality, circumstances and growth goals. You will learn how to strategically decide where to go, what to do when you get there and what to do afterwards to turn those casual business card contacts into meaningful relationships. Allison's approach is based on the Four Pillars of Profitable Networking: Perspective, Personal Brand, Procedures, and a Strategic Plan.

This is a prescriptive, practical system based on the author's real-life experience of going from unconnected to connected in a short period of time. No cheesy gimmicks or high-pressure nonsense, just the skills and knowledge that will create success for anyone willing to do the work and follow this advice. Regardless of your past experience or current level of connectivity, your industry or profession, whether you're an entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder: you can accomplish whatever you want by meeting and connecting with the right people. From Business Cards to Business Relationships gives you the tools you need to cement a positive personal brand and build your own profitable network.

Praise for From Business Cards to Business Relationships

'Allison Graham can help you turn an introduction into a business, a dinner into a relationship, and an average practice into world class. I've long preached that we're in a relationship business, and this book provides the handshakes, codes, actions, and routes to master those relationships.'
-Alan Weiss, PhD, Author of Million Dollar Consulting and The Consulting Bible

'At last-a networking book that actually makes sense! Allison Graham's four pillars of networking are as simple as they are powerful. If you are willing to follow her lead with consistent and persistent effort, you will make your mark and expand your horizons both personally and professionally.'
-Lou Heckler, Humorous Business Keynote Speaker and Speech Coach

'This book is an excellent and much-needed resource to share with the business community.'
-PJ Hartson, Business Editor, Sun Media



Allison Graham is a corporate consultant and keynote speaker specializing in successful business development strategies for professional service providers and small business entrepreneurs. Her company, Elevate Seminars + Strategic Development Inc. (www.ElevateBiz.com) is based in London, Ontario. Allison writes a column and blog on networking and professional growth for the Sun Media chain, and blogs for the Huffington Post. She has contributed to and been quoted in several media outlets including the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail.
Details
Weitere ISBN/GTIN9781118364246
ProduktartE-Book
EinbandartE-Book
FormatEPUB
Format Hinweis2 - DRM Adobe / EPUB
FormatFormat mit automatischem Seitenumbruch (reflowable)
Erscheinungsjahr2012
Erscheinungsdatum20.04.2012
Auflage2. Auflage
Seiten256 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
Dateigrösse690 Kbytes
Artikel-Nr.2772917
Rubriken
Genre9201

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe


Chapter 6

Friendship versus Business Relationships

To understand the essence of business networking, consider the famous quote by author and businessman Mark McCormack: "All things being equal, people will do business with a friend. All things being unequal, people will still do business with a friend."

With the changed marketplace, I actually don't think this quote has as much merit today as it did in the 1980s when McCormack first said it. (I hear the shrieking of business traditionalists everywhere.) As we've seen in the last few years, and will likely see in 2012 and beyond, accountability is crucial. Gone are the days of signing a contract solely out of loyalty. In the good old days, people would pay more or avoid looking at competitors' quotes just because they liked you. Today you'd lose your job or go broke if you ran a business that way.

Nowadays substance is a requirement. Being someone's buddy isn't enough to get and keep a contract. If you do get in the door based on a friendship or a favor, expect to deliver to a higher standard.

Most networking books teach that people need to know you, like you, and trust you to do business. I take it a step further. Prospects need to like you, trust you, and believe you're competent. My phrasing drops the "know you" because that's implied.

To make McCormack's quote relevant today, I would adjust it to say, "All things being equal, people will open the door for a friend. All things being unequal, you'll put your buddy in the awkward spot to open the door for you, but you shouldn't expect him or her to give you the business based on friendship alone, so be prepared to go out of your way to earn the business. Then, be prepared to deliver a higher quality product or service than the competition." Granted, saying it like that is not quite as catchy as the original quote.

Another way to make this famous quote relevant today is to adjust how we perceive "friend." It's doubtful that McCormack was saying you need to be best friends with everyone you hope will buy your product or service. That's not realistic, but there has to be something that distinguishes you from your competition. That something is a relationship. The balance is in determining the best depth of relationship that leads to business. It starts with a mini-bond, which you'll learn more about later in the book. It means you're not best friends, but you have connected enough to establish a sense of credibility. This connection includes a positive opinion along with a mutual understanding of each other's value, and consistent yet intermittent interaction. When needs align, that's when the door for a more in-depth business association can be pursued.

I realize this may seem counterintuitive. You may be asking, "Isn't the goal to build deep, meaningful relationships with your buyers so you can get so close that they can't say no to you?" Well, yes, eventually. The ultimate goal is to solidify and create loyalty with your customers, after you've earned their business. Since studying and living profitable networking, I've come to realize there is a "sweet spot" of balance that maintains the professional boundaries while still feeling personal enough that you don't feel like strangers. Crossing the line and getting too close can be a deterrent.

Once people put you in the "friend" box, before they see you in a professional light, it's difficult to go backward to learn your value as a professional. If you're already in the "friend" box and need to shift to the "professional" box, it can take more work to earn the business and get on your friend's radar screen as a legitimate contender.

It's amazing how many times I talk to professionals who complain that their friends, the people they see as their inner circle, go to their competition. There are three reasons this could be happening. First, they only see you as a friend. This means you will have to build your credibility as a professional and help them take notice of your ability to serve them, not only as a friend, but as a client too.

Second, they don't clearly understand what you do professionally and how well you do it. It is your responsibility to clearly communicate what you do and what you have to offer so they can make a decision one way or the other, which is the same with any contact, as will be shown throughout the book.

Third, they may be nervous about mixing business with pleasure. If this is the reason, you are in the official friendship box and need to decide if it's worth changing boxes. Drawing clear boundaries to manage these fears and expectations is helpful to set minds at ease.

One of my best friends changed roles inside a huge financial company that was on my original list of target firms when I launched ElevateBiz.com. As you can imagine I was pretty excited to hear she was now in charge of hiring speakers for the firm's conferences. "Woo hoo! I'm in," I thought. Ah, not so fast.

She did significantly more due diligence to hire me than she did hiring any other speaker, even though there was a strong fit with my message and their advisors and I was proven in the industry. She even had her colleague attend another firm's event to hear me speak so he could make the final decision. It was very stressful for her to hire me because of the optics of hiring a best friend. She feared if I didn't "wow" the audience, her judgment would be called into question by her superiors.

I'll never forget the day the session finally arrived. Five minutes into my presentation I looked at my friend, who was sitting at the "power table" at the back of the room. I watched as her boss leaned over to whisper in her ear. A look of relief came over my friend's face and so did a huge smile. When she gave me the two-thumbs-up signal, I could finally relax and stop worrying about her stress.

Even though, as a professional speaker, there is always pressure to deliver 100 percent every time you're on stage, having a best friend sign off on my invoice felt different. There was extra pressure because I was worried about her job as well as doing mine.

It can be difficult to shift the perspective of our closest family and friends from personal to professional. Therefore, I've found it's more advantageous to build solid genuine business acquaintanceships rather than deep, close personal friendships with our business contacts in the beginning. Once the business is established there is a chance those business contacts will turn into personal friendships too. That's great as long as the contacts see your credibility as a businessperson first.

The higher your professional "rank" or success, the faster this transition can happen. Let's say a vice-president moves into a new city and joins the local private golf course. Since he holds a high-level position, there is an inherent expectation of competence, otherwise he or she wouldn't be in that role. Therefore, when the new VP meets people at the golf club, there isn't as much of a hurdle, rightly or wrongly, to earn credibility as a professional. If he or she meets some new golfing buddies, they'll become fast friends and work is left off the green. A simple phone call to the office during the weekday and he or she can open the door. By the time a person has gotten to this level in their career, this process of meeting people, earning credibility, and transitioning to business when necessary is second nature.

It's our family and best friends who tend to imagine us when we were little, or focus on how we acted at the dinner party on Saturday night, instead of seeing us as successful professionals or entrepreneurs today. This boxed thinking can hold you back in business. So we need to find the balance in the depth of relationship that works best for you and your circumstances.

These can vary depending on industry, product, service, and the type of relationship and level of trust required. For example, if you're a financial advisor, you would naturally want to take care of your close family and friends to be sure they are well served by a trusted advisor. However, if you're not confident in your abilities, or if your family and close friends don't see you as someone who is competent in this area, then this business relationship won't likely happen-at least not until you've proven yourself in the real world. These people may give you a chance to show they support "little Jimmy" and his new venture by giving you a small piece of their portfolio.

It's easier to be seen as the go-to advisor in a business networking group where everyone's first introduction of you is in this role. If they accept you at face value as an advisor and grow to trust you as a professional, you're more likely to create a book of business from these contacts. Over time, as you prove your ability to manage others' finances, those in your inner circle are more likely to choose you to manage their finances too.

There are people who tell me their family and close friends won't buy from them and don't take them seriously. Most recently this happened with a woman who started selling costume jewelry. She's having a tough time moving her stock because the people she expects to support her don't see her as a...

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