June 24, 2016 by

Make Certain You Eat Your Fruit Everyday!

Fruity Pebbles - Eating Fruit?A person who is a casual acquaintance, named Roger, attended a unique networking event hosted by me in New York City. He was my guest along with three other people. During the closing fifteen minutes we break away from the conference table and mingle with each other in true networking style.

Roger came up to me to thank me for the invitation and to say what an excellent group of people to meet. Unfortunately, he said, I am already committed to a networking group for this year. My questions were then about this other networking group. He said, well actually, I have been a member of it for over ten years and it does nothing for me. In fact, I stopped giving referrals to anyone three or four years ago because no one ever gives me any, that work out, you know, turn into business.

I asked him “Why do you continue to go and continue to be a member of this group?” Well, Roger stated, as if the answer was so obvious why would anyone ask? “Some of the people are now my friends, the day and time work and fit into my schedule so why not? After all, everyone knows me now? The fee is only a few hundred bucks a year.”

Let me stop this story for a moment to be picked up again soon.

A few days ago in reference to something completely different, my wife, Dr. Patty Ann, made this statement – “Why it is just like someone eating Fruity Pebbles Cereal in the morning and saying – well of course – I had my fruit today!” Dr. Patty Ann Tublin

Now this was an amazing statement for what we were discussing. Even better was that this quote was going to be utilized in an article written by me somewhere really soon.

Who knew it would happen this quickly! Thanks DPA!

Back to Roger and his networking group. I said “Roger, look it is great you have attended our meeting today. Thank you for coming here. If you would like to speak with me for an introductory, no cost, call for twenty minutes, we can continue this conversation. Right now there are other guests who must be greeted by me. One quick question though, is anyone in your current networking group someone you conduct any business with or in fact have you ever conducted business with anyone from your group?” Well, Roger said, “that is a long story, may I have another one of your business cards?”

The short answer is no – no one – ever.

Now Roger is on my calendar for his introductory, no cost, call for twenty minutes. Do you see how he thinks he is networking – yet – he is not networking at all!

Kind of like eating fruity pebbles for breakfast and thinking you had all of your fruit for the day!

Are you networking or is your networking not working? Contact Mitch here for your Introductory, no cost, call for twenty minutes today.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced, certified executive coach, business consultant and professional speaker based in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Networking, Networking Tagged With: , , , , ,
November 14, 2014 by

Your Time Spent Networking Is Valuable

time-spent-networkingTime is one of our most valuable and not replaceable aspects of our lives. You either utilize your time constructively and with purpose or you do not. In either case once the time is passed it is gone. When you attend a networking event how do you judge if your time spent attending the networking event was a successful use of your time? 

Let’s take a look at three people who spoke with me after a networking event we all attended. The event was an intentionally intimate, small gathering with 24 attendees. The meeting was for 90 minutes.  Plenty of time to have a meeting agenda and network effectively with a group this size.

The first person we will review is Peter. He is in his mid-twenties and he works for a large wealth management firm in the area. Peter basically said the networking meeting was the worst one he ever attended. He was immediately thrown off guard when everyone was asked to turn off their smart phones. He did not understand why the phones could not be silenced or placed on vibrate. Why did they have to be turned off? The next item which upset him was the obvious age difference. He was certain he was the youngest person in the room by a good fifteen years or more. Peter felt he had nothing to talk about with anyone.

The next person we will review is Lisa. Lisa is in her early forties and she works in Commercial Real Estate leasing and rentals.  She found the group to be the perfect target clients for her business so she started to pitch every single person she met with her portfolio of available office space. Lisa asked each person she met almost immediately where their office was located, how many square feet they had, what they were paying, and when their lease was up. At the end of the meeting Lisa told me she was very annoyed. This was her target client group and not one person agreed to set up an appointment to look at alternative office space with her.

The final person we will review is Barbara. Barbara is in her mid fifties. She is an attorney with a specialty in estates and trusts and works in her own practice. Barbara says she is a student of networking. At the conclusion of the event she was beaming. Four people had already set up appointments with her to meet one on one in order to discuss how they might be able to help each other. Four other people agreed to either email or call each other in order to set up an appointment to meet one on one. Barbara was ecstatic with her results! One third of the room were already going to meet with her and walking into the room she only knew one person in advance.

In summary, what do we learn from these real life reviews after a networking event?

First is to have an open mind and be yourself. Recognize that you are there to connect with people and not to utilize your smart phone and ignore the people right there next to you or across the table from you.

Second is the objective of networking is to create relationships. It is not to pitch and sell directly to the people you are first meeting. It is a turn off.

Third is to have conversations with as many people as possible and have as an objective to make appointments to meet one on one to connect with each other at another time. This will permit the relationship to build and to offer to understand how to help each other in their businesses.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Networking, Networking, Relationships Tagged With: , , , ,
November 7, 2014 by

Do You Fear Networking?

fear-networkingMany 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.

Filed Under: Networking, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,
January 22, 2014 by

Do You Ask For What You Want?

askforwhatyouwantIt really makes no difference at all what business you are in – you must be comfortable when you are networking.  Let’s begin this conversation by discussing what is networking?  It is anytime – let me repeat this – It is anytime – you are out and about with the opportunity to meet people?  Anytime, anywhere?  Yes, that is correct.

More formal and obvious networking is when you attend an event or a meeting designed for the express purpose of networking.  Less obvious and more casual would be when you are waiting on line to enter the movie theater or waiting on line at the Apple store.

Either way these are networking opportunities.

The goal of the first time meeting with someone from networking with them is to set up a one-on-one meeting. If you are both at a more formal networking meeting, this is not the place to have a lengthy conversation about each of your businesses. The goal is to first meet and connect. If this happens and seems to be good, agree to book a date, time and location for a meeting. The point is to begin to establish a trusting relationship with this person. How long this takes is generally up to the personalities and the interactions between the two parties.

Let’s assume you have established the trust and earned the respect of your networking friend. You know they want to help you. You know what you want are referrals for your business. Do you directly ask the question? “I would appreciate a referral or two from you for my business”. Are you asking for what you want?  Now it should go without stating it you will be there for your networking friend to provide them with referrals or what they need. It is possible they would like to have some assistance and they are seeking a really good website to be created for them and would like a name of someone.

If you actually want referrals given to you for your business you need to ask for them. The person or the group you are networking with are not mind readers. Similarly the person assisting you needs to communicate to you what they are seeking too. For all you know there is a belief that your business is doing so well and you are so booked up, that there is not a single spare moment and therefore you could not possibly need a referral.  How do you know what others are thinking about you and your business?

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Networking Tagged With: , , , , ,
May 10, 2012 by

Networking, working? Or Notworking?

Are you a networker? Do you go out to specific events at least three or four times a month with the specific goal of meeting new people and connecting with them?

You may have read a recent article “Know Who Your Ideal Clients Are For Success in Business”… The discussion of who is your ideal client and how do you define the right customers for the success of your business is an important topic. One of the specific reasons this definition will have such an impact on the ultimate success of your business is it will begin to drive everything else you do. This definition will help to determine your marketing strategy all the way to how and where you network.

The next time you are speaking with your dentist, or your accountant, or your chiropractor ask where they go to events. Typically the events they attend are industry specific events. There will be other dentists, or accountants or chiropractors there in attendance. The only remote chance of seeing a referral from these groups is if someone they know is relocating exactly to your community and their office remembers who you are and where your business is located. In general, industry specific events will help you to discuss best practices within your area of specialty, learn new methods or technologies and potentially create a network of specialists who you might call if you are in a unique situation.

If you then ask your dentist, accountant or chiropractor where they generally obtain the majority of their new clients. Odds are good they would say referrals from current and former clients. This is where this gets interesting as none of them are actively networking to meet new clients.

These three examples are of professionals in private practice who have generally isolated themselves. Who will they turn to for example, with a business related question which is not an aspect of their specialty?

A networking strategy is important for anyone at any level of business. It is of significant importance to the solo- preneur or small business owner who must make each of these functions count. Look through your calendar and determine the exact types of networking events you should be attending.

Consider creating a strategy around your networking and intentionally form relationships which are mutually beneficial. Some of these relationships will be specific to your area of specialization. These conversations will keep you in the loop. Other relationships should be formed to add value to each other. You hope these will result in new connections and clients.

When you are in need of an answer to a business question, or you require an experienced professional to offer a second set of eyes and ears on a project you should consider the Thirty For Thirty offered by Mitch Tublin.

Filed Under: Business Networking Tagged With: , , , ,
October 26, 2011 by

Marketing to a Few or to The Masses for Your Business Success

Try a little exercise as you look at the various types of marketing you are exposed to in a given period of time. A week would be a perfect time period.

What are the types of marketing examples you see which are speaking to the masses? How often do you see their message, and in what type of delivery methods?

In a similar way, view the marketing examples you see which are speaking to a narrow niche. Now consider your business and how you market.

Are you marketing to the masses, or do you market to a narrow niche?

How often do you hear someone describe their business at a networking event or to their ideal client by saying, “I work with anyone who has a pulse?” They may not say these exact words, but it is basically what all of us are hearing.

There is no doubt for certain business categories that having a wide audience and marketing to the masses is the best route. But for the majority of small business owners the ability to define a niche will permit your marketing to be more effective and affordable. In fact, for certain service business categories, where the price point for delivery is quite high, it is only necessary to secure a small number of new clients each month.

Once you are clear on your niche category, as you write your copy for your website, your ads, or anything you are working on, are you the only person testing and writing everything? Or do you have the ability to test the voice of your ideal client by seeking out a few proofreaders from your ideal client group. All of your marketing must be easily understood by your ideal client group.

If you are ready to redefine your business marketing, contact Mitch Tublin here www.thementorguy.com today.

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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