Toni Hunter's SuperBlog

This is a guest post from Gary Johannes, an amazing networking colleague of mine, 4Networking Regional Leader for the Eastern Region, Bartercard representative, and the man leading the inspiring BRAVE challenge for children with spinal injuries.  Follow his training, fundraising and charismatic view of life www.twitter.com/garyjohannes

Because of the work I do, and the number of people I meet, one of the questions put to me on an almost weekly basis is this: “Networking doesn’t work, does it?”

And the simple answer? “Yes, actually, it does.” In fact, it also works for the majority of the hundreds of people I meet every month.

But, of course, some of the people I come across would give a resolutely negative answer to the same question.

When I find myself chatting someone who is disillusioned by networking, and firmly believes it simply doesn’t work for them and never will, I generally come to the same conclusion: they don’t ‘get’ networking. They’ve got a skewed view of how it works and what it’s for, and that’s letting them down.

Rule no. 1 – Be likeable. People relate to humans, not walking sales brochures

For me, making networking work for you starts with some basics that are applicable to any area of your life. So, I treat people with respect and I talk to them as people, not prospects. No one likes to find themselves cornered at a social event, being sold to as if they were in a car showroom. It’s a turn off. Instead, I’m friendly and I take an interest in the other person – sometimes what I do barely comes up.

Why? Because having a person like you is far more valuable than winning a business lead there and then.

Rule no. 2 – People are valuable. Nurture and protect your assets

If you’re an astute business person, you’ll realise that having lots of contacts in lots of industries doesn’t just give you more chance of winning referrals, it also makes you more valuable to your clients.

How? Well from time to time, your clients will ask you if you know a good wed developer / plumber / financial adviser. The more tuned in you are to the range of providers out here and the quality of their offerings, the more valuable you are to your client as a resource.

Rule no. 3 – Trust is everything. Stay honest

In networking circles, people applaud great work, they offer testimonials and they recommend great providers – it’s all part of the process. But keep letting customers down, and recommendations will quickly dry up.

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver on, don’t go into a meeting trying to be something you’re not, and never, ever lie to win a recommendation, because it will come back to haunt you, and you’ll miss out on more than you ever gained. Networking, after all, is all about trust.

Rule no. 4 – Commit to networking regularly to see the real benefits

You are very unlikely to start winning work at your first, second or even third meeting. People need to meet, know, like and trust you (to steal a 4Networking phrase). Turn up once a year, and how can you possibly expect to build relationships? Turn up once a fortnight, and people will recognise you and, more importantly, remember your name when it counts.

And finally…Quick tips for networking

So to close, a round up of some of the key things to remember as you walk into a your first networking event.

• Never go looking for sales.
• Get to know people, not just what they sell.
• Don’t discount people if they cant buy from you (they may be best mates with someone who can).
• Sell yourself, not your business. Be likeable, warm and approachable.
• The more you give the more you receive, so offer advice and support wherever you can.
• Support others. If a fellow networker does a great job for you, let others know.
• Enjoy yourself. Approach it like a chore and you won’t stick it out for long enough to reap the benefits.

With sincere thanks to Emily Cagle Communications for allowing me to reproduce Gary’s post.

Simon Jordan says “social media and offline networking is an incredible way to grow your business”

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post

This post has been written by a great networking colleague of mine, Sue Isaacson who runs HR Dept a successful HR consultancy and/or complete outsourced HR solution.  I hope you find it useful.

Crashing into Winter

Autumn

Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness is the poetic description for Autumn however, with the clocks going back, the dark nights are here this is the ideal time for employers to review their driving policies. It is estimated that between 25% and 35% of all road traffic crashes involve someone who was at work at the time.

A driver’s reactions depend almost entirely on vision, and vision is severely limited at night. Twilight is one of the most difficult times to drive as our eyes are working to adapt to the growing darkness. After a long day at work tiredness is often greater, and this can make driving even more hazardous. For employers there are numerous laws that cover driving and many of these are ignored by employees once they are travelling around the country.

According to statistics 31% of the UK’s van drivers are not wearing seatbelts, even though they have prevented an estimated 60,000 deaths and 670,000 serious injuries over the last 25 years and are considered to be one of the simplest ways of improving road safety.

Smoking in Company vehicles was prohibited in 2007, but how many times do you see drivers and passengers puffing away? There is a lot of confusion around this with employees believing it is acceptable so long as the passenger does not mind. But this will not save them from a fixed penalty fine.

Using mobile phones or programming a Sat Nav both substantially increase the risk of a driver crashing. Recent research from The Transport Research Laboratory found that text messaging while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. Drivers using mobile phones, whether hand-held or hands-free, are four times more likely to have an accident. In addition to this, if the Company is ringing the employee on their mobile phone at the time of an accident there is a risk that they could face prosecution for corporate manslaughter.

As adults working together in a busy commercial environment, it is easy to shun responsibilty for our staff and colleagues.  After all, these ‘problems’ happen to other people don’t they?

Sue points out it is the human tragedy behind accidents that make it imperative for sensible and practical driving policies to be in place.   These policies needn’t be complex or burdensome, but they do need to exist to protect both the business and the people involved in them.

Sue Isaacson is a human resources professional providing advice on HR and employment issues for The HR Dept. She is a friendly, approachable professional and I would highly recommend her easy-to-read monthly emailed newsletter. 

 www.hrdept.co.uk/cambridge.htm     Tel: 0845 078 8454 or email: sue.isaacson@hrdept.co.uk