Let me paint a picture for you: I am beautiful Geisha A Go Go in downtown Scottsdale enjoying a beautiful night of networking at the Young Professionals Networking event. I am sipping my water, chatting with a young woman who is telling me about her ambitions and capabilities when very abruptly and loudly a young man comes barreling over. After loudly and rudely saying “what’s up ladies?” he forces his business cards (a beige, thick card stock with a green embossed logo, very nice) upon us. At this point it is completely clear that he has hit the bar, watching him webble and wobble back and forth with sweat seeping from his head while he invaded our personal space bubbles.
We both politely took his card and exchanged them with our own. He commenced telling us about his company. It was like listening to a recording, that slurred, but we both kept smiling and listening. I then asked him, so what is the best part of your amazing job? He actually had no answer; he just stood there with a blank look on his face. He works at a place that should be filled with amazing things about his job and he was too far gone to answer.
After we briefly told him about our companies, he said his farewells and headed back to the bar. I turned and look at the young woman I was speaking with and we simultaneously said “Oh my god!” We both couldn’t believe that someone who was representing their company would be foolish enough to drink themselves into that embarrassing state.
Please, remember whenever you are out talking with people, it is an opportunity to network and talk about your business. You are, at that moment, the face of your company; you are who that person will do business with. Don’t ruin it with a lack of self control and foolishness. There is nothing wrong with drinking and having a good time, but there is something wrong with drinking excessively when networking with strangers.
Be mindful of your choices and make sure to represent you and your company in a positive light.
By the way, I got no follow up from the young man.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Do you have enough Flair?
It’s called the little black dress for a reason. It is the one thing that every woman keeps tucked away in her closet, just waiting for the right moment to pull it out and stun. It always fits just right, showing off what needs to be shown and drawing all the right, and bad, attention it can. The little black dress (LBD) is the essence of power, beauty, and attraction and is always paired with the perfect pair of high heel pumps.
The LBD draws attention, which is exactly what you want in business. You want to lure people in, catching them with your charm, wit and amazing services. I have bad news for you, you won’t lure anyone in wearing dull colors and hiding in a dim corner. The key to business is to make yourself known, and that starts with yourself. You should dress for the part you want. If you want to be successful, professional and chic, then your outside needs to be successful, professional and sleek, with a slash of color.
Make sure your clothes fit right and are flattering; just because you can put it on doesn’t mean you have to wear it. You are always safe with a pair of straight leg slacks, a fitted, comfortable top and a piece of flair. (Yes flair, like in Office Space, but you don’t need 15 pieces.) Wear something that will draw people in; a bright shirt, a loud, unique necklace, a bold patterned dress or shirt, a crazy printed tie, or bright colored shoes. You want to attract people to you, draw attention, not hide from people by blending in.
Be careful with your peacocking; people are hesitant to talk to people wearing odd things, like capes, masks, out of date clothing or people who are dressed down in t-shirts and jeans. You want attention, but not negative attention.
Wearing a bold print, a bright shoe or loud piece of jewelry when networking and talking with others allows people to come up to you and comment on what you are wearing, giving the perfect opportunity to network and collect a business card. You can bet that their notes about you on your card will include a comment about your piece of flair.
Like the LBD, your outfit should radiate confidence, giving you the inner assurance to shine for you and your business.
The LBD draws attention, which is exactly what you want in business. You want to lure people in, catching them with your charm, wit and amazing services. I have bad news for you, you won’t lure anyone in wearing dull colors and hiding in a dim corner. The key to business is to make yourself known, and that starts with yourself. You should dress for the part you want. If you want to be successful, professional and chic, then your outside needs to be successful, professional and sleek, with a slash of color.
Make sure your clothes fit right and are flattering; just because you can put it on doesn’t mean you have to wear it. You are always safe with a pair of straight leg slacks, a fitted, comfortable top and a piece of flair. (Yes flair, like in Office Space, but you don’t need 15 pieces.) Wear something that will draw people in; a bright shirt, a loud, unique necklace, a bold patterned dress or shirt, a crazy printed tie, or bright colored shoes. You want to attract people to you, draw attention, not hide from people by blending in.
Be careful with your peacocking; people are hesitant to talk to people wearing odd things, like capes, masks, out of date clothing or people who are dressed down in t-shirts and jeans. You want attention, but not negative attention.
Wearing a bold print, a bright shoe or loud piece of jewelry when networking and talking with others allows people to come up to you and comment on what you are wearing, giving the perfect opportunity to network and collect a business card. You can bet that their notes about you on your card will include a comment about your piece of flair.
Like the LBD, your outfit should radiate confidence, giving you the inner assurance to shine for you and your business.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Email Effect
Once you have someone’s business card in your hands, what's next? You have taken the time to get to know about this person professionally and personally, I hope, and now you have been handed your source of power to contact this individual. Time to FU, as Gelie* would say. FU, or follow-up, is where you formally present yourself and your business. This is generally done via email.
Greet the individual by reminding them where you got their business card, add a little anecdote, regurgitating what you bonded about when you met, and always make sure they are having a good day. Have a formalized blurb prepared with information about what it is your company does and how your company can help the individual and their business; copy & paste it into the email after your greeting. End your email with a heart felt statement about how you hope to hear from them; suggest coffee, a meal, or meeting with them at their office so you can talk shop or just continue to get further acquainted.
Email is also where you want to provide links for your social media. This is a great way for people to keep up with what you and your business are doing, provide great information and communicate with different people in a different way. In your signature include links to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your Blog along with your phone number and website.
Following-up is a very delicate and necessary part of networking; there is a limited amount of time in which you can stay fresh in people’s minds and keep them interested in you. I would suggest not waiting longer than 48 hours for fear of getting the “Who are you again?” response to your email. As tedious as it maybe, always stay fresh in people minds.
* Gelie is the founder and CEO of NetworkingPhoenix.com, an essential website for any individual, small or large business owner. Visit www.NetworkingPhoenix.com for more information.
Greet the individual by reminding them where you got their business card, add a little anecdote, regurgitating what you bonded about when you met, and always make sure they are having a good day. Have a formalized blurb prepared with information about what it is your company does and how your company can help the individual and their business; copy & paste it into the email after your greeting. End your email with a heart felt statement about how you hope to hear from them; suggest coffee, a meal, or meeting with them at their office so you can talk shop or just continue to get further acquainted.
Email is also where you want to provide links for your social media. This is a great way for people to keep up with what you and your business are doing, provide great information and communicate with different people in a different way. In your signature include links to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your Blog along with your phone number and website.
Following-up is a very delicate and necessary part of networking; there is a limited amount of time in which you can stay fresh in people’s minds and keep them interested in you. I would suggest not waiting longer than 48 hours for fear of getting the “Who are you again?” response to your email. As tedious as it maybe, always stay fresh in people minds.
* Gelie is the founder and CEO of NetworkingPhoenix.com, an essential website for any individual, small or large business owner. Visit www.NetworkingPhoenix.com for more information.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Everyone wants to seal the deal!
I’ll admit it, I am business cards snob. When I am out networking, meeting new people or having coffee with a client, as soon as they hand me their business card I take my thumb and flick the corners. I feel how thick the paper is, what the texture of the paper is like and see how their design looks. I can always tell when people really put time and effort into their business cards and when they don’t.
I make an instant judgment on how serious they are about their business based on what I am holding in my hands.
A business card is more than just a piece of paper with contact information. It is the commercial, the billboard, the book cover for everything your business is about. Make it beautiful, worthy and presentable. You wouldn’t go on a first date wearing a dirty shirt and messy hair. You would put time, thought and energy in making a great, clean, sophisticated first impression.
When you are grooming your business card, consider the following:
- Use a good quality paper. Card stock is always recommended, but a lot of print companies use Pounds (#) when referring to paper. The higher the pound number, the thicker the paper; I recommend not going below a 110# paper.
- Consider foiling, embossing, and thermography. It adds more sophistication and professionalism to the card. When people feel more on the card, they will be more interested in it, thus more likely to ask you about it and keep it.
- Get a good design. The design is so important. It is the visual that is associated with your business. Every community has graphic designers full of creativity; post an ad on craigslist.org and you will get multiple bids from designers willing to make something just for you. Remember, spend money on your image, and it will pay itself back.
- Don’t clutter your card. Too much information makes your card hard to read; people don’t want to search all over your card to try and figure out who you are. All you need is your name and three forms of contact. Put your number, your email and your mailing address (or PO Box) on your card. If you have a website put that on there as well so people can easily learn about your business. Don’t put your Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, company statement and all those other wordy strings of information. That is for the follow up email.
How will people judge your business card? Remember at the end of it all you are aiming for that end of the night kiss; let your business card seal the deal.
I make an instant judgment on how serious they are about their business based on what I am holding in my hands.
A business card is more than just a piece of paper with contact information. It is the commercial, the billboard, the book cover for everything your business is about. Make it beautiful, worthy and presentable. You wouldn’t go on a first date wearing a dirty shirt and messy hair. You would put time, thought and energy in making a great, clean, sophisticated first impression.
When you are grooming your business card, consider the following:
- Use a good quality paper. Card stock is always recommended, but a lot of print companies use Pounds (#) when referring to paper. The higher the pound number, the thicker the paper; I recommend not going below a 110# paper.
- Consider foiling, embossing, and thermography. It adds more sophistication and professionalism to the card. When people feel more on the card, they will be more interested in it, thus more likely to ask you about it and keep it.
- Get a good design. The design is so important. It is the visual that is associated with your business. Every community has graphic designers full of creativity; post an ad on craigslist.org and you will get multiple bids from designers willing to make something just for you. Remember, spend money on your image, and it will pay itself back.
- Don’t clutter your card. Too much information makes your card hard to read; people don’t want to search all over your card to try and figure out who you are. All you need is your name and three forms of contact. Put your number, your email and your mailing address (or PO Box) on your card. If you have a website put that on there as well so people can easily learn about your business. Don’t put your Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, company statement and all those other wordy strings of information. That is for the follow up email.
How will people judge your business card? Remember at the end of it all you are aiming for that end of the night kiss; let your business card seal the deal.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Business Card Chronicles : Your Golden Ticket
Has this ever happened to you?
You are sitting at home on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, when the door bell rings. With a heavy sigh, you push past your curious dog and pull the door open just to see a middle aged man in a bad suit ready to sell you something. You kindly say “Hello, can I help you?” thus subjecting yourself to hearing about a useless product and a sad story about how he used his kid's college fund to start up his business.
After listening to him push his product on you over and over and over, you say “No thank you” and close the door. How pushy can you get?
We don’t live in a world anymore where we can go door-to-door selling to people. People don’t want to be sold at, they want their needs met. So how do we meet their needs? With your business card.
Your business card is the golden ticket for your business to meet their needs; giving the impression of what your business is, what you do in your business and how they can reach you to fulfill their needs.
Here is where you will get to tour the chocolate factory: the tips, tricks and stories for using your business card. It will be delightful, entertaining and occasionally full of bad goose eggs.
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