<p><b>Dana, they call you the Jillian Michaels of Careers and Networking. Why?</b></p>
<ul>
	<li>There are a lot of books and speakers about networking. But I’m different…</li>
	<li>It’s all about results. When you want to lose 10 lbs. you can join a gym. If you’re really serious, you hire a personal trainer to accelerate the results, right?</li>
	<li>Well, I believe that networking with the right form and process can deliver significantly more results.</li>
	<li>So I’m like that fitness trainer. Clear, direct, filled with exercises and results-oriented.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Networking has such a bad connotation.  I think of it as schmoozing, tapping someone for a job or passing out business cards. What is GOOD Networking?</b></p>
<ul>
	<li>You are so right, Mark.</li>
	<li>And the reason why it has a bad connotation is because people, generally, don’t have a great working definition of good networking.</li>
	<li>So here is a short definition to consider:</li>
	<li><b><i>“Building two-way, long-term relationships for personal or professional success.”</i></b></li>
</ul>


<p><b><i>What differentiates good networking from bad networking?    </i></b></p>
<ul>
	<li>Two key phrases in the definition distinguish good networking from BAD networking:
	<li>Two-way….explain</li>
	<li>Long-term…explain</li>
	<li>If either rule is broken, it’s called USING.</li>
</ul>
<p><b><i>Wow, are you saying people are intentionally <span style="text-decoration: underline;">USING</span> others and thinking that is networking? </i></b></p>
<ul>
	<li>No, it’s unintentional. The OTHER person feels used when they feel there is no two-way or long term intent.</li>
	<li>&lt;story – example&gt;</li>
</ul>
<p>Ya know, people either think networking is so easy, so they just wing it. OR they think it’s so hard that they just don’t do it. Like anything else worthwhile, they should learn how.</p>
<p><i>&lt;lead-in to next question&gt;</i></p>
<p><b>Can I just flip the switch and network more or is there a flow to doing it right?</b></p>
<ul>
	<li>Most people think networking is a light switch, you’re right. They sign up for a networking event, hand out business cards, drink, and go home. There, they networked.</li>
	<li>Other people even go so far as to connect with people on LinkedIn and update their own profile. There, they networked.</li>
	<li>Wrong.</li>
	<li>At the simplest level, there are 4 stages to building a great network while having good form:</li>
</ul>
<ol>
	<li>Setting a Networking Goal</b></li>
	<li>Preparing to Network</b></li>
	<li>Connecting with People</b></li>
	<li>Following Up</b></li>
</ol>
<p><b><i>Oh, this order makes sense, but I don’t think I’ve heard of someone having a Networking Goal…what do you mean by the first step?</i></b></p>
<p>It’s basic, but missing today. Everybody should have a purpose of why they are connecting with someone. And it’s not something like “to learn about them.” To learn about them for what end result?  Be proud of the fact that you are job-searching, or eager for a promotion or learning about a new career.</p>
<p>And it’s okay if your networking goal changes over time. Today, it might be to get a job, but next quarter, your goal might be to meet influential people in your industry or to get clients!</p>
<p>Finally, Mark, it’s so important for people to share their goal with the people they are networking with. Why do we keep our goals as our best kept secret?  <b>Broadcast them! </b></p>
<p><b><i>Great, so now that I have my goal, can I go network now?</i></b></p>
<p>No, not yet! The next step is to prepare.  This is another reason why the state of networking is so sloppy. There are a number of things you need to get in order before you begin (or before you re-start:</p>
<ul>
	<li>Who do you want to meet and what is the best way to meet them?</li>
	<li>How do I look on social media when they check me out?</li>
	<li>How am I going to capture the contact information of the people I meet?</li>
	<li>How am I going to follow up after my first meeting?</li>
	<li>What am I going to say to them?  Voicemail scripts, e-mails, LinkedIn invitations, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>From a classic movie, Field of Dreams,    “Build the field and they will come”</p>
<p>What are some tools our listeners should use to build their networking “field of dreams”? I have two tools that manage my entire network:</p>
<ol>
	<li>Microsoft Office for the PC or Mac, and</li>
	<li>LinkedIn</li>
</ol>
<p><b><i>Really…just two!  Talk to me about Office…I would not have guessed that. </i></b></p>
<p><b>Office:</b>Since all of the Office tools are integrated, it’s so easy to send e-mails then set up a reminder to follow up with them. Or build a database in Excel then export that anywhere. AND most people don’t know that they are sitting on a piece of gold for networking:  OneNote that is free with Office!   Yes, OneNote is my networking notebook or 3-ring binder on my PC.  I track the conversations, assign follow-up tasks as soon as I hang up and can search for any network contact instantly!</p>
<p><b><i>And LinkedIn?</i></b><p>

Like Office, the majority of our listeners only use about 10% of the full functionality of LinkedIn. For networking, LinkedIn is another gold mine.  Everybody should take the LinkedIn tutorials and become fluent because it is the way future networking will take place even more.

However, please know: LinkedIn is a tool, a data-base…it is NOT a replacement for talking to someone face-to-face, on the phone, or on a web/video call.

Mark, in summary, without ‘the field’ in place, people’s networking will be CRAP.