THE BEST NETWORKING PLATFORM…NOT WHAT YOU THINK

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I walked into the board meeting of Operation New Birmingham…looked around the room and saw the usual suspects.  I’ve been on the ONB Board for a really long time so I know most everyone.  However, when I glanced towards the front of the room, I saw a man I’ve never met talking to the ONB President.

 I walked up and introduced myself.  He told me he was a banker who works for a large bank that had just taken over a bank headquartered in Alabama.   He told me about his banking career and the other banks he had worked.  We then exchanged business cards and sat down together.

 At the end of the meeting, he asked me about AmSher…he had obviously scanned my business card.  I told him about our company and then mentioned that we are currently doing work for the bank that his bank had taken over and hoped that his bank would continue to do business with us.

 He asked me to contact him so that we could discuss further.  I sent him an e-mail and we scheduled lunch.

 I’ve had so many good things happen for me and AmSher because of my community service.  When I review my current list of clients and prospects, most of them came from relationships that were developed through my volunteerism.  Our largest client came from someone I met at a Chamber of Commerce meeting.  Last week I got some business from a fellow board member of the City Action Partnership.

 This all makes sense.  You and other volunteers have a lot in common.  For sure, you have a passion for the same cause or organization.  People respect and appreciate your efforts, just like you appreciate and respect theirs.

 I love social media and I enjoy going to networking events, but community involvement, without doubt, gives you the best results.

 This is David Sher, your e-Networking guy, saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

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DON’T BE A JERK

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He sat down next to me at lunch at the convention…a young fellow in his mid to late 20’s.  He pulled out two cell phones…one was an IPhone…and some other small high tech contraption.  I had never seen anything like it before, so I asked him, “What is that?”  He said it was a recorder that shoots videos and uploads them straight to YouTube.

 He asked me if I had an IPhone.  I said no, and showed him my Blackberry.  He asked if I texted.  I told him I didn’t text…that I thought it was a generational thing.  He said, and I quote, “the problem with you OLD people is you just don’t want to learn anything new.”  Then things got worse.  I told him I trained professionals & business owners on social media like LinkedIn & Facebook.  He told me no one is interested in that stuff because young folks like him were onto other things.  The speaker at the luncheon began his talk, so we didn’t talk further. 

 Compare my ill mannered table companion with the fellow who sat next to me at lunch the next day.  We introduced ourselves and had a wonderful time learning about each others businesses and families.  He told me he worked with financial consulting firms to build their practices.  This was a great coincidence since I serve on an advisory board of a financial consulting firm.  I was impressed with what he had to say and I promised I would put him in touch with the owner. 

 When I arrived home, I received an e-mail from someone I didn’t know.  He was friends with Bill, the financial guy I met earlier in the week.  Bill had recommended he contact me.  He was interested in hiring me for some training.

 Wow!  What a different outcome.  A condescending kid versus a really nice guy who knows how to build his business network.

 The lesson is you don’t know where your next customer is coming from…and it sure doesn’t pay to be a jerk. 

 This is David Sher, your eNetworking guy, saying it’s not what you know, but whoo you know.

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ARRIVE TEN MINUTES EARLY & STAY TEN MINUTES LATE

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I got to the meeting about ten minutes early and the first person I saw was a LinkedIn friend of mine. The reason I say a “LinkedIn friend” is he is a person I only sort of knew before I asked him to join my network on LinkedIn.   

 I talked to him for a few minutes and then he  introduced me to the fellow sitting next to him.

 We shook hands and he mentioned he was a practice administrator at a gastroenterology group located here in Birmingham. I wished he had worked in a different type of medical practice because I can never pronounce gastroenterology.

 At the end of the meeting, we had an opportunity to talk.  I told him I was with AmSher Collection Services, and I asked for permission to contact him about possibly doing some collection work.

 When I got back to my office, I sent him an e-mail and he responded saying it was okay for me to stay in touch.  By the way, this is how I have made most of my sales at AmSher—through introductions.

 My point is I never would have met the practice administrator if I hadn’t gotten to the meeting early and stayed a few minutes afterwards.   

 People oftentimes go to a meeting thinking that the purpose is the speaker or the information they’re going to get, when the purpose often is to meet other people.  So it’s a good idea to get to your meeting a little early and stay a few minutes late.

 This is David Sher your e-Networking guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

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ETIQUETTE IS IMPORTANT ON LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, & OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA

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I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was viewing an e-mail I received on LinkedIn. It’s the kind of LinkedIn e-mail I get on a regular basis, where one of my connections asks for an introduction.  I really enjoy helping people so making introductions is something I do regularly. I also ask for introductions myself—so it is something everyone expects.

 In any event, I was surprised to see that the request wasn’t for one introduction…it was for a lengthy list of introductions. Evidently, my friend had reviewed all his prospects and matched them against my LinkedIn connections.

 I think that’s a bit aggressive and over-the-line. It’s reasonable to ask someone to make an introduction every now and again, but certainly not to ask for a long list of introductions.

 The same individual, by the way, had run a status update on LinkedIn the previous day specifically asking for business. These are examples of bad etiquette.

 I also see people regularly breaking conventional etiquette on Facebook.  Facebook is primarily a social platform.  People mistakenly try to turn Facebook into a business generator.  Now, I feel its okay to do some business on Facebook if your postings are mainly social.  It’s also okay to do business on your business or fan page…since your friends can opt in or out.  Have you ever been to a Saturday night party and someone followed you around trying to do business with you?  Didn’t make you like them, did it?

 If you want to be successful with your social media relationships, it’s important to follow the appropriate etiquette.

 This is David Sher your e-Networking guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

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