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Are you a member of LinkedIn? Are you using it effectively?
Hopefully if you are a regular reader of this newsletter you will have more of an understanding and strategic approach to using LinkedIn than many people I come across.
The majority of people on LinkedIn, as with all social networks, have a basic profile set up when they joined, a handful of connections and not much else.
I know that time restrictions and the wealth of functionality on sites like LinkedIn prevent people from exploring the site in depth and understand how to really make the most of it. For this reason, I have written a simple guide to using LinkedIn as a Referral Tool, with four steps from setting up your profile to asking for connections through the site.
You can read this four step guide to using LinkedIn as a referral tool here.
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This week I have been interviewed about driving referrals to your business by Paul Green of business success site Nabo.biz and also run a webinar on Leveraging the Power of your Network for the webcast site Brighttalk.
Both the interview and the webinar are now available for you on my website, along with my recent interview by Richard White of The Accidental Salesman.
You can access this range of networking and referral strategy interviews and webinars here.
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You may have noticed a slight change to the latest newsletter, with a new column on the right hand side, in which I share some recent articles I have either written or been interviewed for which have appeared on the internet.
I have included the English translations of two recent interviews for Romanian publications. If you'd like the original Romanian version, please let me know.
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If you have received this in error and don't want to receive future editions, please use the unsubscribe link at the foot of the email and accept my apologies.
If you like what you read, please feel free to forward it and invite others to subscribe.
Happy Networking!
Andy
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Give us a clue
Networking Skill Tip | If you connect two people in your network together by email, make sure both parties know the reason for the introduction and their relevance to each other.
You may feel that you are doing someone a favour by introducing them to a key prospect, for example. But if that prospect is not expecting the introduction and there is little detail in the email connecting them, they may not be receptive.
Pick up the phone first if possible. If not, email the prospect first, explain the connection and ask for their permission to make the introduction.
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Who do you already know?
Networking Strategy Tip | Before you start rushing out to networking events and joining networking groups, take a step back and ask yourself two questions:
1 - What do I want to achieve from networking?
2 - Who do I already know who might be able to help me?
Networking events and groups help you build a network of people around you to help you meet your goals and overcome your challenges. If you already have relationships with people who trust you, know what you do and want to help you, that's where you should start.
You can then choose where else to network based on the gaps among your existing connections.
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Keeping LinkedIn
Online Social Networking Tip
| You may well receive an email every week that you delete with a tinge of annoyance. Don't!
The email I refer to is an update of what people in your LinkedIn network have done in the last seven days. You can see who has updated their profile, who has connected with whom, or who they've been recommended by.
You can see new projects people are involved with or articles they have written.
This provides you with a great prompt to stay in touch with people, offer support and encouragement or generally remind them you are thinking of them. It's a great opportunity to keep on connecting with your network and develop relationships.
So why would you delete it?
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"Is that a good network?"
Video Tip |
Last issue's video tip was a clip from a recent talk I gave in Romania where I talk about the importance of who knows you.
I delve into this subject in more depth in this clip, where I talk about an audience member at another event who waved a Blackberry with 2,000 contacts at me and asked "Is that a good network?".
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| Andy recommends... | |
My friend and co-author of our best selling
book "And Death Came Third!", Peter Roper has been a very busy man in recent
times. He is this year's President of the Professional Speakers
Association and works very closely in the family business with his elder
daughter Sara Beth.
They have spent a lot of time recently
re-branding their business and are now working exclusively with clients who
really want to be the best at speaking and presenting.
Peter and Sara Beth both claim to be "Mad
about Speaking" and provide surgeries for any aspiring speaker, trainer, consultant,
presenter and in fact anyone who needs to present in business.
They also provide a fantastic service helping organisations 'present' on the web, working with companies that want a social media platform but don't have the time
to do it themselves.
They are running free webinars throughout
the year to help improve your speaking and on social media platforms - simply
email Peter on peter@positiveground.co.uk if you would like an invitation to attend.
Details of Peter and Sara Beth can be found on
their website or you can listen to one of a number of their award winning
podcasts.
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| Just for Fun |
Thanks to Ignacio Hernandez of Currencies Direct for this one. A wonderful expression of great teamwork and how four hands can sometimes be better than two!
Click on the image to see some impressive guitar playing from Tico Tico
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I hope you've enjoyed the newsletter and look forward to your feedback.
If you're serious about developing a networking and referrals strategy that can take your business to a new level, or you are interested in booking me for a speech or training session for your team, find out more details on our website or you can contact me on:
Tel: 07930 417833
Skype: andylopata
I look forward to hearing from you.
Andy
� All material copyright H & A Lopata ltd 2010. All rights reserved.
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Why you shouldn't just sit back and enjoy the sunshine
| With the Summer holidays upon us, too many companies risk sitting back on their laurels and enjoying the August sunshine.
After all, clients are on holiday, many of your own staff are away, so why bother?
Of course, the most successful businesses don't sit back and look for excuses during this period. Instead they up their game and use the time as productively as possible.
August is a great time to upskill your teams and prepare them for the run in to Christmas. 2/3 of the way through the year, it's time for new ideas and a fresh approach.
We have a range of workshops that, among others, offer teams a new outlook on why they need to network, how to get a return from their networking, networking for their career and generating referrals.
We have some attractive pricing for companies who want to run sessions in August, so please get in touch and have a chat to see how we can make you enjoy the Summer, whatever the weather.
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Andy's Musings...
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A selection of Andy's regular online columns and coverage elsewhere:
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In other people's words:
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"Andy gave a highly
enjoyable interactive talk at a Swedish Chamber of Commerce networking event.
His ideas changed my attitude towards networking and as a direct result of his
talk one of the other guests recommended me to a client of hers and within two
weeks she was a client of mine!
A big thank you to Andy
for an inspiring and educational talk, with immediate benefits!"
Daniel Wise, Executive & Business Coach
"Andy is a highly persuasive catalyst for change
whose ability to spot synergy between people from different fields is matched
by his personable style of motivating them to work together for a common goal.
He is an accomplished speaker with a proven track record of leading by
thoughts, words and deeds."
Chris
Roycroft-Davis
Former
Managing Editor, The Sun
Read more testimonials on my LinkedIn profile
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