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Networking: A Two-Way Street

2/29/2016

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Every year I do a workshop for professionals in the counseling field such as therapists, psychologists, and coaches. The workshop addresses managing the business aspects of their work.  I begin with a quote from a seasoned clinician I’ve worked with:, “I would rather lose a limb than market my services.” 

Many people have misconceptions about what marketing is. Sales has become a four-letter word, and people don’t want to do anything that smacks of pushing their services. But marketing is so much more than that. If done right, it will feel like a human connection and not a sales pitch. 

Consider the most common question people ask when they meet you: What do you do? If you have a one minute explanation of your work that you can fire off at anytime, you will be more likely to make a good impression, which will lead to a stronger connection.  If you confuse, you lose. 

Here are some tips that will help you be more effective in your networking and have more fun in the process:
  • Give more than you get-start by listening, and ask lots of questions before jumping in with your pitch.
  • Find out what the person does and what their needs are.
  • If you’re comfortable with the person, offer to introduce them to others in your network who share their interests or have complimentary skills.
  • Ask the person if they’d like to meet for coffee or speak on the phone. Don’t be too aggressive, but convey genuine interest.
  • The next day, send them a LinkedIn or Facebook request.
  • If you offered to introduce the person to someone in your network, send a very brief note about that person to your contact. Ask their permission to pass their name along. 
  • If you plan to meet with your new contact, research the company or organization he or she works for.

When approached in this frame of mind, networking is a mutually satisfying experience.
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    If You Have a Problem Employee or an Employee with a Problem...

    Author Kay Gimmestad is a Business Coach and Clinician with 20 years of experience working in the profit and not for profit sectors of Human Resources, Health and Human Services. In this blog, she shares case studies and other observations from her decades in the field. 

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