Showing posts with label Should. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Should. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Sunday, 21 October 2012
5 Places You Should Be Networking for Your Business This Summer
I don't know about you, but once the thermometer hits 80 degrees the last thing I want to do is put on a suit and go to a networking event. Here in the Midwest, we try to squeeze in as much fun as we can in our seemingly too short summer. But that doesn't mean your networking should slow down in the summer. In fact, it should be hotter then ever; everyone's in great mood and there's a lot more sunshine! You just have to go where the people are. Here are 5 great places to network when the sun is out:
Cookouts - Whether it's for your neighborhood association, your kid's little league team, or your church picnic, summer cookouts are full of people that you just kinda know. Like all of these networking ideas, people don't really go to cookouts to talk business, so don't be the guy or gal who only talks about business. There's nothing wrong, though, with getting to know people better - ask them the kind of questions you'd ask any new networking partner. You'll be amazed at the connections you can make over the grill.Vacation Spots - People travel all over the country, heck, all over the world, on summer vacation. One of the fun things about travel is the people you meet when you are there (and sometimes in the airports on the way). Don't be afraid to strike up conversations with the people you meet while vacationing, both the locals and other travelers like yourself. Even if you don't make a business contact, you'll have fascinating conversations. And because of the power of the internet and social media, these days you can meet someone thousands of miles from home and still stay connected with them!
Ballgames - There's nothing like sitting in the stands, watching a game, and having a couple of hot dogs. Unless you go in a big group, there's a good chance you'll be sitting near someone you don't know for at least three hours (more if it goes into extra innings). Why not be friendly and introduce yourself? At the very least you'll have a friend for the few hours of the game - if they're rooting for the right team; and you never know who that person is and where a conversation could lead...
Street Fairs - The summer is full of art fairs, music festivals, barbeque rib cook-offs, and more. Be open to meeting new people while you're there. You already know that you share a common interest - you're both at the same festival! So when you're waiting in line to get some cotton candy, say hi to the person behind you.
Restaurant Patios - There's something about enjoying a cool beverage while sitting on a patio in the summer that puts everyone in a positive frame of mind. It's a great place to meet new people. Or even better, use the opportunity to invite one of your existing contacts to grab a beverage with you and do your networking outdoors. Then you can enjoy the weather and do business at the same time!
I'm sure there are even more places to network in the summer, but these will give you a start. The trick is to keep your eyes open to the possibilities and not push off your networking until later! Enjoy your summer!
David J.P. Fisher is a business coach and president of RockStar Consulting. He is the author of Step by Step Networking, a guidebook designed to teach the foundation skills necessary to make business networking an important and profitable part of your marketing plan. You can find more information at stepbystepnetworking.com or by emailing him at david@stepbystepnetworking.com
Saturday, 8 September 2012
5 Reasons You Should Network With Other Creative Professionals
Why should you network with other creative professionals?
Sometimes 24 hours just doesn't seem like enough time to get through that never ending to-do list. With the pressures of continually finding new clients and getting the work finished with a quick turnaround, why should you leave time for networking with other creative professionals, and how can this be advantageous to you?
1. They face the same problems as you do
Whether you know it or not, you are a wealth of knowledge, and so are your creative counterparts. From problems getting payment from a difficult client, to sitting spending hours stubbornly trying to figure out a masking technique on Photoshop may be self-gratifying in the end, but it not the most efficient way to work when there is a client waiting. A quick shout out on social networking sites/forums could instantly point you in the direction of a great tutorial, or get someone to share a neat trick for achieving the result you want in a fraction of the time. Plus it is an engaging way of maintaining an online presence.
Friends and family are of course a great support to you, but no one else understands the technical difficulties faced when shooting a sporting event than another sports photographer.
2. They can help you bring in more work
Ever considered or experienced the scenario where a client may approach a creative professional, only for them (to be fortunate enough) to be too busy to take on the project? Well you could be their top referral- "I know a great designer who could help you... " and in the near future, the favour could be returned. Often enquiries can also come along that are not quite relevant to your field or your niche, and so are passed along to someone who specialises in this area.
Many people also sub-contract their projects out to other creative professionals, e.g. a graphic designer has created t-shirt designs for an up and coming fashion website, they now need a photographer to shoot their work for publishing on the website (which the client still needs built). The client will often ask the people working for them for such recommendations.
3. They are a source of inspiration
You should actively look through the portfolios/articles/links of your counterparts if you don't already do so. There is a wealth of inspiration out there. Also look at the more successful among us for examples of the language they use to represent and conduct themselves on their website/social media/emails. What is the consistent tone/length/information? Is there something you could tweak regarding the way you communicate both graphically and textually?
4. They can critique/mentor you
There are many stories of this sort of collaboration and a beauty of it is that it is rarely one-sided. You can help each other get up to speed on different techniques. Appraising each other's work is a common and valuable exercise and encourages you to look at work more closely; the devil is in the detail. This sort of interaction improves your communication, adaptation and listening skills.
5. As a means of keeping on top of current trends and topics in your industry (and that of your clients)
You've been working away with your nose to the grind stone, but when did you last come up for air and take time to pick up on current trends and topics relevant to your field? Being bang up to date on the subject will enable you to offer clients the freshest ideas and work you can, if that is what they are after, and a sound knowledge of what is current in their industry will inform you of how best to marry the two.
At tendify, our aim is to support the creative industries and improve the process of prospective clients both finding and appointing creative professionals.
Got a design project in mind? Pop over to tendify and find out how we can help...
