|
|
||
Please add 'liz@networkingexcellence.com' to your whitelist or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues. If you enjoy this issue, please forward it to a friend. They'll appreciate it and so will I! |
|
|
Hello!
Here I am with the co-host of the event, publicity guru and networker extraordinaire Rick Frishman, who has invited me to share the stage with him again at a workshop he'll be teaching at the Learning Annex in the fall. Stay tuned. If you've never been to Rick's website, it's chock-full of valuable information on marketing and publicizing yourself, your business, and your books, so please do visit. Do you go to conferences to network? You should. More than 27 million people attend conferences every year, and personally, I *love* them. They have been my key source for meeting the high-level contacts that have helped accelerate my business growth. And I love speaking at them as well, giving folks exactly the advice they need right when they need it most. To share my strategies more broadly, I've just released my newest program, Conference Success Secrets. Plus, in this month's feature article, I highlight 7 key lessons about networking at conferences that my experience at MegaBook NY reinforced. Read about both below. Happy networking!
"Conference Success Secrets: How to Build Your Network, Strengthen Relationships, and Reach Your Goals at BIG Events" If you like today's issue, you'll LOVE my newest program, a step-by-step audio course that's guaranteed to boost your networking results at your next big event. Learn the start-to-finish process I use to attract new business and maximize every conference, trade show, and seminar I attend. My networking strategies for what to do before, during and after will work for you too, I guarantee it. Read more about Conference Success Secrets and take advantage of a special limited time offer until June 21. Don't even think about going to your next big event without it.
7 Networking Lessons from MegaBook NY
Here are 7 lessons that resonated with me from networking at Mark Victor Hansen's MegaBook event last week. 1) The bigger the why, the easier the how. It's one of the first things said on the stage that morning and one of the first things I cover in Conference Success Secrets. It's important to have clear goals in general, but especially to clarify your specific objectives for attending any event. This makes it easier to hone in on making the right connections and engage in meaningful conversations. Otherwise, your networking efforts will be unfocused and important conversations will go nowhere. 2) The best things come to those who ask. Though it's up to you to take control of your own conference experience, a big part of why you are there is to find experts who can help you reach your goals. Talk openly about your goals and the help you need will find its way to you. 3) Participate to accelerate. Every person at MegaBook NY who volunteered when a speaker asked was rewarded. Sometimes they got a prize; other times they got invaluable coaching and feedback from both the speaker and the audience. Don't be afraid to take a risk and put yourself on the spot. In these kinds of situations, you're being set up to succeed, not to fail. 4) Even industry icons are approachable. Conferences are great places to connect with those who are otherwise hard to reach. Unless you're trying to meet someone protected by the Secret Service, there's nothing stopping you from approaching a big name and introducing yourself. If you've done your homework and know a little something about them, AND you've formulated a specific question to open with (better than just, "Hey, what's up?"), you'll be well on your way to a meaningful encounter. 5) Circulate, circulate, circulate. Unlike bigger conferences where you might move from room to room to hear different speakers during the day, MegaBook NY was held entirely in one room. Not a bad thing at all, but you end up sitting next to the same folks all day, so each of us needed to be proactive about moving around during breaks and striking up conversations with different people. In fact, one of my neighbors made it a point to sit in different parts of the room before and after lunch, just to make sure she could meet more people. Smart. 6) It's not how many business cards you give out, it's how many you keep. Another great point made by one of the speakers. It's cheesy to give someone your business card if they haven't asked for one, so don't pass them around like you're dealing blackjack. Business cards should come out AFTER you've had a conversation with someone, NOT before, and you should always ask for one first. 7) Share and share alike. Successful networkers are open and always listen for ways to be helpful. As the people you meet tell you about what they're trying to achieve, share your knowledge and offer suggestions. During one break, my friend Beth gave one participant some great partnership ideas for a book that person had just published on children and finances. Networking at conferences can be very powerful. Not only because of the range and number of people you can meet in one place at one time, but also because of the spirit of collaboration and openness which often surrounds the event. Barriers are lowered, conversations flow, ideas percolate. By understanding how to tap into the natural current of the event and do more than just show up and "wing it," you'll reach your goals faster, easier, with a lot less work and a great deal more fun. © 2003-2007 Liz Lynch WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: "Liz Lynch is founder and executive director of the Center for Networking Excellence which develops products and programs to help professionals learn how to build profitable relationships. If you're ready to start networking smarter, get your F R.E*E tips now at www.NetworkingExcellence.com ."
Liz Lynch is founder and executive director of the Center for Networking Excellence which develops products and programs to help professionals learn how to build profitable relationships, and network smarter, not harder. Her flagship 102 Secrets to Smarter Networking booklet and the breakthrough Networking to Win audio tutorial have sold across six continents. To find out more about Liz and the Center for Networking Excellence, to receive a F*R E* E copy of the 7 Days to Smarter Networking e-course, and to be notified of new products and services, visit www.NetworkingExcellence.com. Center for Networking Excellence, LLC
Give me your input. What's the single biggest question you have about networking at big events like conferences, trade shows and seminars? I'd love to know. Please click over to my blog to leave your question in the comments area and see what others are asking. Looking forward to hearing from you!
PRIVACY and SP^M POLICY: I never rent, trade or sell my email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list. |
||
All who survived the crowds and hothouse temps at the Javits Center during Mark Victor Hansen's MegaBook NY event last week, were rewarded with tons of business-building ideas, and plentiful opportunities to make valuable connections. 
More than 27 million people attend conferences, trade shows, and conventions each year, spending nearly $30 billion. Why are they so popular? Well, in a finite amount of time, you can accomplish so much that can help you move forward on your most important professional and personal goals. And let's face it, if a goal is important enough, we can't reach it on our own. We'll need information, resources, and the help of other people to get there. 
