Getting Out From Behind Your Computer; In Person Networking!

So today I want to share with you some tips to networking in person! So often we are stuck behind a computer screen or the phone and not really interacting with people in person (missing out on that all important body language anyone?). That can make you feel isolated if you don't make it a point to get out and actually shake hands and look someone, anyone, in the eyes!

Here we go! If you have anything to add please share in the comments!

Radiate Confidence 

Even if you are shy or nervous, keep your poise and have a confident attitude as you walk into any meeting or conference. This will attract others. As you do so, you need to be prepared to carry on an intelligent discussion.

Study what is going to be discussed during the meeting. When people understand that you are serious about participating in the discussions in a meaningful and useful way, they will respect you and seek you out.

Do Not Dismiss Small Talk

 
Small talk is a vital part of business communications. By making small talk, you will make other people feel comfortable in your presence, and also slowly build up a level of trust with them.

You can start your sales ‘pitch’ after you have come to know something about the likes and dislikes of the other person. Serious discussions and negotiations will eventually be conducted, but small talk has its place in interactions between business people.

Observe the Other Person

When you are talking with other people, observe their reactions and their body language. You might find that a particular person is more interested in hearing details about you and your small business. You can then focus on that person, since you will have already captured their interest.

This strategy will save you from wasting time on people who are not interested in your company or your products. Limit the amount of time you spend trying to convince someone, before you move on to the next group or person.

Wasting your time on someone who is clearly not interested in what you have to offer will only leave you with less time to converse with others.

Keep Your Business Card Ready

You should not give your business card to each and every person, but you should give it to anyone who displays even the slightest potential of becoming a customer.

Follow-Up Is Important, Too

Call, email, or fax the people you’ve had a good interaction with during your meeting. This will indicate to the other person that you enjoyed meeting him or her, and that you are now interested in conducting serious business.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Do not be afraid of what the other person might think about you. You can expect to have a few misses before you find an approach that works. Until then, keep on trying and attend as many networking events as you possibly can so that you can meet a wide variety of people. A few setbacks should not stop you from meeting new and interesting people that can help advance your business goals.

Use the above tips to better networking, and you will turn into a networking specialist in no time. In addition to getting increased business, you might also make some new friends - and it is this combination that makes networking fun and profitable.

What do you that makes you feel special or confident when getting ready to attend a business function or meeting? Please do share! I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at Sharon@LaMotheServices.com! Take me up on the Free 40 minute consult. You never know what will come out of talking to someone else about your goals. 

Social Networking is Great for Your Business!

Today I am going to share with you one of my most popular services: Social Networking. If you hate spending time on Facebook or Twitter then I can help! Especially if you just KNOW that the more you put yourself out there, the more exposure you and your business can get, the better!

Social Networking is the fastest and easiest way to stay in touch with colleagues, co-workers, industry professionals, family, and friends. But learning how to navigate a site by yourself can be frustrating especially if you would rather be spending time doing other things. Networking in any form is a great way to keep your business in the forefront of everyone's mind and lead you to a better position in your industry or field.

Package #1 includes:

Facebook~LinkedIN~Twitter~etc.

Setting up your social networking site with your e-mail and contact information

Posting your bio and other relevant information

Feed your blog to your networking site if possible

Showing you how to invite friends from your address book to your site

Teaching you how to navigate the site easily and quickly

Package #2 includes:

(paid monthly)

Everything in Package #1 and

Maintenance of your social networking sites

Posting on your sites 2/3 times per week

Networking with other relevant groups on your site

Keeping you informed of events posted on your sites

I believe most here have already set up all of your online social networking sites but if not, I am here to help. The posting, however, is what often takes up the most time.

I just want to say that it's ok to post a meme or a quote or something personal once in a while. It shakes things up and will allow your readers to get to know the personal you!

What types of information do you post on your social networking sites? Please share your ideas in the comments. Local events? Specials? Memes? Personal photos? Your blog? (Do you have a blog? I think I will write about that next!)

Quick Tip for Surrogacy Agency Owners- Surround Yourself with Awesome People!

Build up the people around you. Surround Yourself with Awesome People. Feed off of the energy that successful people bring to the table. Be positive and be in the position where you are always willing to listen and learn.

Self-Promotion That's Fun

This is a picture of me at the Hubbard Glacier!

I have been working with individuals who have no idea how to market themselves. They even seem a little embarrassed that they have to "do it" at all. In the past many relied on referrals from professionals who have been long standing friends as well as colleagues, but as people move on, change jobs, or retire sometimes those referrals dry up and it's hard to relearn how to network and, well...basically sell themselves and their services.

This article below gives an insight to self-promotion. Many of my clients are already on FaceBook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest and Plaxo among other social networking sites but those venues are just the tip of a very large Internet iceberg!

Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding your own marketing issues. Simple and affordable solutions can be found at
http://lamotheservices.com/

Sharon LaMothe

Self-Promotion That's Fun

by Will Craig

Do you have as many clients as you want? Are you "landing" the type of clients that are absolutely fun to work with? Okay, here is one more question... Are you promoting yourself?

The reason most of us get into coaching is to coach. Few of us -if any- get into this business to promote ourselves (and wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to). The sad fact is, we do.

Here's why:
Unless people know about you they can't hire you. It's easy to think that others who enthusiastically market themselves are, in some way, "fly-by-night hucksters." In some cases this may even be true. The fact is, if you don't promote yourself your potential clients may end up hiring those less qualified individuals instead of you. You've given them no choice because you haven't promoted yourself to them as an option.

If you think about it you have an obligation to promote yourself so that the clients that really need to work with you have a way to reach you (and not someone else). The good news is this doesn't have to be an obnoxious task.

Here's how:

The professionals that are successful at selling their services aren't really selling at all. They are promoting themselves in subtle, yet convincing ways. They are allowing their prospects to get to know them. They are building rapport and trust. In a nutshell, they are just being themselves.

If you put yourself in situations where you allow people to experience you, you will have your pick of clients. And they'll be the best clients for you! Feel good about promoting yourself by recognizing that marketing your professional services is nothing more than relationship building.

Mainstream sales and advertising has given the marketing of professional services a bad rap. When self-promotion is done right, it's fun and rewarding, PLUS you can feel good about it. Go out and be yourself with as many people as possible. The ones who are attracted to you will work the hardest for themselves. They will also be the most fun for you to have as clients.

Sharon LaMothe
LaMothe Services, LLC http://lamotheservices.com
LaMothe Surrogacy Consulting http://lamothesurrogacyconsulting.com
Infertility Answers, Inc. http://infertilityanswers.org

6 Tips for Successful Networking

I feel like now is the time to at least take a look at networking. Maybe you have told quite a few people what you are planning to do...open an agency. That is NOT considered networking...at least not in a major way. You are a 'service based' business. No matter where you go and what you are doing YOU ARE NETWORKING. I don't mean that you have to wear lipstick and heels to the local Albertsons or Safeway but you never know when someone will ask you what do you do. Being confident, observant, friendly and having that business card on hand really is a start. Networking at the ASRM conference is easier because you do have a target audience there. Putting yourself 'out there' again and again is how you are going to build your business whether by phone or in person and knowing these 6 tips really will help. Again I am looking at www.morebusiness.com. (I like to give credit where credit is due!)

Sharon LaMothe
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/

6 Tips for Successful Networking
Here are some networking tips that could help you have a little bit of fun, as well as generate more business and profits for your small business.
Radiate Confidence

Even if you are shy or nervous, keep your poise and have a confident attitude as you walk into any meeting or conference. This will attract others. As you do so, you need to be prepared to carry on an intelligent discussion.
Study what is going to be discussed during the meeting. When people understand that you are serious about participating in the discussions in a meaningful and useful way, they will respect you and seek you out.
Do Not Dismiss Small Talk
Small talk is a vital part of business communications. By making small talk, you will make other people feel comfortable in your presence, and also slowly build up a level of trust with them.
You can start your sales ‘pitch’ after you have come to know something about the likes and dislikes of the other person. Serious discussions and negotiations will eventually be conducted, but small talk has its place in interactions between business people.

Observe the Other Person
When you are talking with other people, observe their reactions and their body language. You might find that a particular person is more interested in hearing details about you and your small business. You can then focus on that person, since you will have already captured their interest.
This strategy will save you from wasting time on people who are not interested in your company or your products. Limit the amount of time you spend trying to convince someone, before you move on to the next group or person.
Wasting your time on someone who is clearly not interested in what you have to offer will only leave you with less time to converse with others.
Keep Your Business Card Ready
You should not give your business card to each and every person, but you should give it to anyone who displays even the slightest potential of becoming a customer.
Follow-Up Is Important, Too
Call, email, or fax the people you’ve had a good interaction with during your meeting. This will indicate to the other person that you enjoyed meeting him or her, and that you are now interested in conducting serious business.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Do not be afraid of what the other person might think about you. You can expect to have a few misses before you find an approach that works. Until then, keep on trying and attend as many networking events as you possibly can so that you can meet a wide variety of people. A few setbacks should not stop you from meeting new and interesting people that can help advance your business goals.
Use the above tips to better networking, and you will turn into a networking specialist in no time. In addition to getting increased business, you might also make some new friends - and it is this combination that makes networking fun and profitable.

Using Social Media to Meet People by Chris Brogan (**Read Before Attending the ASRM Conference!)

We, in the Business of Infertility...or better said....The Business of Helping People Reach Their Dreams of Becoming Parents, are about to have one of our HUGE annual conferences in Denver. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine holds a conference each year that attracts thousands from the infertility industry and the reason it attracts thousands is due to the fact that everyone who is anyone attends. The majority of attendees are doctors, fertility clinic staff members, third party agency owners, pharmaceutical representatives, reproductive attorneys, psychologists or mental health professionals just to name a few. All want to learn, share, reconnect and network. But what happens the rest of the year? We use social media. But do we use it well enough?

Below is an article from Chris Brogan that may help you make the best use of your social networking before and after you attend the ASRM conference. ( October 23-27, 2010. Place: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado, USA)
 
I hope to see YOU there!
Sharon
 
Conferences, job interviews, parties, and other events that bring people together to meet for the first time can be tricky for some people. Or what about when you are looking for people that share your interests regardless of location. On one hand, you have people who are a little shy, and unsure what to say upon meeting someone for the first time. On the other, you have people who aren’t especially shy, but who don’t like meeting someone cold. Social media tools are perfect for this.


Before Events

If you’re going to an event, start checking around to see who’s attending. Look for an Upcoming entry or a Facebook group. Most modern conferences put these up as matter of course (and if you RUN a conference, consider this step). From there, see if you are already friends (social network definition) with any one. If not, consider friending them based on the fact you’re heading to the same event.

Other places to check for event communities are on Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups. You might have some other recommendations for this one, too.

Before Interviews, and Related to Events

Log into LinkedIN and see what you can find about your interviewer, people who work at the prospective new company, and other companies in the industry. It’s a way to build a picture of the landscape without relying on other people’s information. For instance, if the company you’re thinking of working at turns up zero results in a search on LinkedIN, it might mean that the culture is less forward-thinking or at least not social media equipped. If you look at a few profiles that come up in the search, and note that people are only there a year (two or three samples, maybe), then perhaps the place is big on competition, or maybe not really rewarding to long term employees.

Related to events, once you know someone’s going, see if you can find them in Facebook (maybe MySpace), LinkedIN, Twitter, and see if you can search out a blog by putting their name and blog in a Google search. Oh, and don’t forget Flickr.

Flickr is a PERFECT tool for searching out info on people. I’ve known some people who don’t use their headshot as an icon on any social network, but a little Flickr searching later, I realized I could point them out at an event. (By the way, if you don’t know this, that’s why I put LOTS of pictures of myself on my website. It’s because I want you to be able to find me at events. Not because I’m vain, though I guess you could argue that one, too).

Conversation Pieces

From here, once you find some shreds of this person or some people online, you’ve built yourself a means by which to seek out similar points of interest, tangential conversational topics, and maybe even potential business opportunities you can discuss, should the moment arise. That’s the beauty of social media and social networks. They let you better understand the people who participate.

If You Find NOTHING About People

That can be a conversation starter, too. “I didn’t find you on Facebook. What do you think of those social networks?” You can assume that the person isn’t especially convinced of the value of social networks and making media, but I wouldn’t lead outright with that. Maybe this person is a prolific blogger behind the firewall. Maybe they’re using an alias. It took me a little TOO long to connect Genuine on Twitter with Jim Turner of One By One Media. They were two different people in my head until spending some time at an event.

After Events

Stealing a page from Jeff Pulver (who is a MASTER at building community in the real world and online), after events is a great time to “plumb up” all the various social media connections. Get connected in Facebook, maybe LinkedIN, in Twitter, Flickr, and wherever else you tend to use. Consider reading their blog, adding it to your reader for a while. Make it a chance to learn more about the person now that you’re in their orbit. Do what Laura “Pistachio” Fitton does and invite them into your Twitter Village. The point is to get to know them now that you’ve met in person.

Reflect on YOUR Presence

Some people are debating the value of Facebook right now as a business platform. At the very baseline, fill out your profile. Give information that you wouldn’t mind your employer seeing. Not because you have to self-censor, but in this world where people use the tools that are available, your Facebook page and your Twitter stream and all these various artifacts you’re creating are available for people to search.

At the same time, once you get over the paralysis of the above, make sure you put enough of yourself into your profiles that people can get these conversational hooks to communicate with you at events. If you’re strictly business at your conference appearances, try to indicate that in your profile. The point is, once you realize that you can use these tools to build real world relationships, consider the effect in both directions (you finding them; them finding you).

First Moves Are Yours

The conversation itself is up to you, and no, I don’t tell you how to not be shy at an event directly (though one way you can do this is to find your way into circles of people on the periphery, and look for your conversational in). But with some of this prep out of the way ahead of time, you’ll find yourself a lot more prepared than when you used to show up at these events “cold.”