Many people tell me they have a great fear of public speaking and giving presentations.
A quick commercial here is that this is one of the areas where my personal approach can help. I help people overcome these fears, become much better speakers and presenters and for those who think they are good enough in these areas, I help people to really excel and step into their greatness as speakers and presenters. If you are interested in learning more about how I can help you with speaking or presentations please use this form to contact me.
What is more interesting to me is many more people have a greater fear than public speaking. This fear is the fear of networking. This fear is the fear of walking into a room or a setting where you do not know anyone.
Typically my articles are not sales pitch articles. Again, the area of networking is one of the areas where my expertise is leveraged to help people become excellent networkers. If you are interested in learning more about networking you can request a free copy of my audio Ninja Networking Secrets here.
The ability to network is critical in any business. It is especially important if you are a one person or small business owner. Odds are great that the majority of your business comes from referrals and networking.
Allow me to clear up one error many novice networkers make. The action of networking is not to collect business cards and hammer people with your sales pitch either right then and there in person or online with emails as soon as you leave the networking event.
There are two very important mistakes in taking these actions. The first is this – the objective of networking is to build relationships with people. Odds are good you will not be selling to anyone you meet. You will sell to their contacts once you build up a trusting relationship with them.
The second error is when you obtain a business card from someone this is not them giving you permission to email them and advertise to them or place them on your newsletter list. Yes, of course an email to set up a meeting or to follow up on a conversation is fine. Do not presume a business card passed to you equates to an optin for your email list.
In closing, recognize where you need to overcome your fears it may be in public speaking, presenting to groups or networking. Decide it is time to invest in yourself and to overcome these fears.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
Mitch I completely agree that building relationships is the ultimate goal of networking.
I love the part about “it’s not about hammering them with your cards and sales pitch.” So true!
I love networking. Just meeting people and hearing their story. Not to sell them, but to see how I can support them. It often turns into a mutually beneficial relationship. Being open to the idea of networking is the key.
It’s wonderful that you help people overcome their fears of speaking and networking. I’d love to talk with about how we could collaborate – I do the same but via supporting nutritional deficiencies and biochemistry. I think both approaches could be a great solution for many people.
Trudy
Mitch,
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on networking versus small talk. Many people are telling me they don’t LOVE organized groups and networking events because the energy feels shallow and superficial (this could be the group and it could be their energy/thoughts around networking). What are your thoughts?
Write on!~
Lisa