BUSINESSRELATIONSHIPS

A L L I S O N G R A H A M

“ Allison Graham can help you turn an introduction into 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

TO

Personal Branding & Profitable Networking

Made Easy

Contents

Preface xiIntroduction xv

THE FIRST PILLAR OF PROFITABLE NETWORKING: PERSPECTIVE

Chapter 1: Th e Power of Building a Profi table Network 3

Chapter 2: What Does Having a Strong Network Mean to You? 7

Chapter 3: Expectations 10

Chapter 4: What Networking Is Not 14

Chapter 5: Understanding Business Networking 18

Chapter 6: Friendship versus Business Relationships 21

Chapter 7: Education and Connection 26

Summary 28

THE SECOND PILLAR OF PROFITABLE NETWORKING: PERSONAL BRAND

Chapter 8: Th e Business of YOU 33

Chapter 9: Overcoming Age Objections 37

Chapter 10: You Never Know Who’s Watching 41

Chapter 11: Your Ideal Personal Brand 44

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viii Contents

Chapter 12: Reality Check 46

Chapter 13: Why It Matters 49

Chapter 14: Personal Hygiene and Grooming 51

Chapter 15: Professional Wardrobe 53

Chapter 16: A Smile 57

Chapter 17: Eye Contact 59

Chapter 18: Authenticity 61

Chapter 19: Approachability 63

Chapter 20: Th e Tone and Pitch of Your Voice 65

Chapter 21: Sense of Humor 67

Chapter 22: Confi dence: Part One 69

Chapter 23: Confi dence: Part Two 72

Chapter 24: Confi dence: Part Th ree 74

Chapter 25: Recovering from Embarrassing Situations 80

Chapter 26: Building Your Reputation 83

Summary 87

THE THIRD PILLAR OF PROFITABLE NETWORKING: PROCEDURES

Chapter 27: Th e Fundamentals 91

Chapter 28: Handshakes 93

Chapter 29: Name Tags 97

Chapter 30: Remembering Names 99

Chapter 31: Forgetting Names 103

Chapter 32: Dining Etiquette 105

Chapter 33: Objectives for Attending Events 110

Chapter 34: Calculating the Return on Investment for Events 112

Chapter 35: Networking Eff ectively with Spouses, Friends, and Work Colleagues 116

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Contents ix

Chapter 36: Before an Event 119

Chapter 37: Understanding Event Flow 123

Chapter 38: Arrival 126

Chapter 39: Mingling Formula 128

Chapter 40: Initiating Dialogue 130

Chapter 41: Small, but Meaningful, Chat 133

Chapter 42: Listening 138

Chapter 43: Creating Mini-Bonds 140

Chapter 44: Exchanging Contact Information 144

Chapter 45: Moving On 146

Chapter 46: Breaking into Group Discussions 151

Chapter 47: Business Cards 153

Chapter 48: Communicating YOU 157

Chapter 49: Developing Your Own 5-10-15-Second Communication 163

Chapter 50: General Business Etiquette 166

Summary 177

THE FOURTH PILLAR OF PROFITABLE NETWORKING: STRATEGIC PLAN

Chapter 51: Now What? 181

Chapter 52: Th e Logical First Step 183

Chapter 53: Electronic Filing System 188

Chapter 54: Categorizing Contacts 190

Chapter 55: Relationship-Development Action Plan 195

Chapter 56: Following Up 199

Chapter 57: Transitioning from Social to Business 206

Chapter 58: Maintaining Relationships 210

Chapter 59: Tapping into Your Network 213

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x Contents

Chapter 60: Staying Visible 217

Chapter 61: Online Networking 220

Chapter 62: Accessing the Traditional Media 225

Chapter 63: Finding Your Focus 229

Chapter 64: Filling Your Calendar 235

Chapter 65: Analyzing the Options 238

Chapter 66: Networking Ruts 243

Summary 245

Epilogue 247About the Author 251

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Introduc� on

As a professional you likely attend, or plan to attend, business functions in an eff ort to expand your network. Why? Are you truly connecting with people or are you just putting in time? We spend our adult lives interacting with people to earn our living, but shockingly, throughout years of schooling there is no course dedicated to teaching us the specifi c skills needed to help us connect with others and build our networks.

Humans naturally engage in networking on some level, but when the word is formalized as a business activity, for some, it conjures a vision of calculation and manipulation. Proper networking elicits the exact opposite response. It’s not a cheesy sales technique, but a genuine attempt to connect with others and to let others connect with you.

Sales trainers tell you to build your network to generate business leads. Job-hunting manuals advise you to tap into your network to get your résumé to the top of the pile. Company leaders push their junior associates to get “out there” and build their networks.

It all sounds great in theory, but how do you do this? Where do you go to build your network and once you’re there, what do you do so that you’re not just collecting business cards? What is the secret to turning those casual business-card contacts into long-term, mutually benefi cial relationships?

Before I launched my training-and-consulting company, people would ask me for advice on how to get connected and I was happy to oblige. For some, a little advice was all the help they needed and they were off to build their network and achieve success. Others weren’t so agreeable—or successful.

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xvi Introduction

Aft er showing up once or twice at events, they’d tell me networking doesn’t work. Th ey would lose sight of their reasons for wanting a strong network and quit. Th is result puzzled me. Of course networking works—I was living proof. I knew that networking, when done properly and professionally, is an amazingly powerful tool that will enable a person to achieve whatever can be imagined.

Networking, when done properly and professionally, will help you achieve

whatever you can imagine.

So why do so many professionals struggle to make networking work for them while others fi nd success with it? It became my professional mission to fi nd tangible answers and help those struggling to fast-track their success by learning how to connect with the world’s greatest resource—people.

As I studied people whom I perceived to be master networkers, it was clear most of them didn’t consciously realize what they did to network so well. Th ey found success by trial and error and by mirroring the behavior of their mentors. For them, networking just came naturally. Similarly, those who struggle with networking seem completely unaware of what they do to shoot themselves in the foot. Fortunately, some self-awareness and technique-tweaking are all it takes to get results that are better in line with your goals.

Th e information in this book will help you build your profi table and fulfi lling network. Th e ideas presented are a culmination of extensive research into the best practices for networking and, most importantly, they are lessons learned from my personal experience interacting and connect-ing with thousands of people over the last several years.

If you are new to networking, you may fi nd the information overwhelm-ing, so read the book, do the exercises, and then revisit the concepts as you grow your network. Over time these strategies will make more sense.

If you have substantial networking experience, read the book with an open mind. Consider your own personal journey and how these concepts apply to you. Stick with what’s working and fi ne-tune areas that need improve-ment to maximize your eff orts.

As you read this book, you’ll realize I am far from perfect. Th ere are days when my foot fi nds a comfortable resting place in my mouth and I add another experience to my tally of embarrassing moments—some of which I share. Being prepared for the unexpected, accepting yourself for who you are

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Introduction xvii

at each moment, having a keen sense of humor, and forgiving yourself and others can go a long way toward helping you enjoy the process of building your professional network.

I wish you all the best as you work to create a profi table network. It will take time and eff ort, but it will be well worth the investment. I love to hear stories so please visit my website, www.ElevateBiz.com, to share your tales of success—and your blunders too. Also, you can visit the website dedicated to this book by scanning the QR code on the last page for worksheets and addi-tional content.

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