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'Connecting is not Enough' - Tips and Tools to help you get a return from your networking
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Welcome to another edition of 'Connecting is not Enough', with a new addition this week. Scroll down to find out more.
Last weekend was an inspiring one for me. I attended the Annual Convention of the Professional Speaking Association of the UK, a packed two and a half days of great speakers from the UK and across the world. And, please take note Ed Miliband and political commentators, not one of them read from a script!
I walked away with a series of action points to move my business to the next level, new contacts to get to know better and deeper relationships with people I already have a strong bond.
At the kick off meeting of PSA Fellows, my good friend Sean Weafer said that he felt he was 'returning to my tribe'. There is truly nothing like sharing with friends running similar businesses to yours and with whom you have a strong mutual trust.
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A fortnight ago saw the global celebration that is Social Media Week. I was honoured that Constant Contact, the company behind the software used to send Connecting is not Enough, invited me to join a panel of experts discussing how companies should best approach the wide choice of social networking sites available to them.
If you are wondering about how to best tweet, how Facebook could possibly be relevant to your business or what on earth Pinterest is, this video of the panel's session may be helpful to you.
Multi Channel Social Networking Panel - Social Media Week London
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If you have any questions you'd like me to address either in this newsletter or on my blog, please either tweet me, post them onto our Facebook or LinkedIn pages or email them to me.
I always try to address as many as possible.
Happy Networking!
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Avoiding the quick exit / CardMunch
Networking Top Tips
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Networking events can take up a lot of our time. Breakfast meetings can run on until well into the working day while evening events mean getting home late. The temptation is, therefore, to leave as soon as the formal business has been concluded.
That can be a big mistake. Time and again I have seen the best conversations take place well after most people have left. People have relaxed, have got used to speaking to others and you don't tend to be interrupted as often mid flow. It is at the end of meetings that you often get into deeper conversation and find out more about people. It is also easier to approach the more 'in demand' people at the event, such as the speaker.
Don't be in such a rush to grab your coat and go, spend a little extra time networking and enjoy the dividends.
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I've recently been using a wonderful app for my iPhone and iPad.
Cardmunch is a LinkedIn app that allows you to photograph the business cards you collect from meetings and events. Once photographed, you upload the card and the details of your new contact are entered into a database, together with their LinkedIn profile and the contacts you share in common.
You can then upload them to your phone or, as I do, email them to yourself for easy integration into your CRM system or address book.
There is even a 'Connect' button for an automatic connection request on LinkedIn. Bear in mind though that this will send a standard, impersonal invite, so you need to couple it with a follow up email...which you should be sending anyway.
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How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals
Networking Video Tip
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As promised in the last edition of Connecting is not Enough, here's the full interview from last month's Sticky Marketing TV interview with me about referral strategies.
 | | Andy Lopata, Dave Harries and Grant Leboff discuss referral strategies |
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Bits & Pieces |
I have been very fortunate to get to know Vanessa Vallely over the last couple of years. Vanessa is a human dynamo, juggling a family and a high pressure City job with her own website We are the City, aimed at women working in London and attracting two million hits a month, and running The Network of Networks, bringing together women's networks in Docklands and the City.
In her 'spare' time (!), Vanessa is also Pearly Queen of the City.
Not content with all of the above, together with her husband Stuart, Vanessa last week launched Careers City, a new jobs board aimed at helping women in the City find their ideal job and push their careers forward.
Vanessa does a tremendous job in promoting the progress of women working in many male dominated industries. Please do help her by supporting this new venture and sharing it with anyone you feel would benefit.
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The Nelson Mandela Effect
In other people's words |
One of the key outcomes of the recent survey I sent you told me that you'd be interested in hearing networking tips and perspectives from successful business people and other subject matter experts.
As a result, I've been out and about conducting a range of short interviews with people I have a lot of respect for and who each have a different take on the importance of networking or the impact it has had on their careers.
To begin with I cornered Caspar Berry on a recent trip to Newcastle. Caspar was a child TV star in the show that made stars of Ant and Dec, Byker Grove. He took a different route to his co-stars, going on to write films and television programmes before moving to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player. His experience there led to a role as an advisor to the producers of the James Bond movie 'Casino Royale'.
Caspar used his winnings to build a video production company which he later sold to a plc. He is now a very successful (and very good) speaker on the subject of risk.
 | | The Nelson Mandela Effect |
In this interview, Caspar tells me of the importance of networking and his regrets at not understanding its power earlier in his career. He shares his top three tips, finding what's unique about you, frog kissing and what networking has to do with Nelson Mandela t-shirts.
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"They even teach Latin, Prime Minister"
Just for Fun
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I'm at the risk of raising the ire of some readers here! Whatever you think of him as Mayor of London, whatever your views of his politics (and I'm not commenting on mine here), there is no doubt that Boris 'Wiff Waff' Johnson brings some much needed colour to a very grey political scene. With Conference season in full swing in the UK and the Presidential debates under way in the US, few politicians have the ability to engage an audience from the lecturn in the way Boris Johnson does. Here are some highlights from his Conference speech this week.
 | | Best Jokes from Boris Johnson's Conservative Party Conference Speech |
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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 2011. All rights reserved.
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Recommended: How to sell through networking and referrals.
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...and Death Came Third!
The Definitive Guide to Networking and Speaking in Public
Buy Now
Compare on Amazon.co.uk
Kindle version
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Andy's Musings... | |
A selection of Andy's regular online columns and coverage elsewhere:
Huffington Post Constant Contact Social Media Week Constant Contact Social Media Week |
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In other people's words...
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"Andy was the guest speaker at the charity lunch organised for the Hoxton Apprentice Professional Women's Network. He spoke about networking, a subject in which we all thought we were well versed. But he brought such a fresh insight into this old subject that, judging by the scribbling going on in a room of 78 women, his advice will be acted on by the top-calibre executives attending his words so carefully. He was both professional, informative and amusing."
Lady Val Corbett, Director, Hoxton Apprentice ltd |
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