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Digg it UP - The 7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers
There is a small, yet palpable inherent risk in accepting credit cards. Aside from chargebacks, there always exists a possibility that a given credit card is stolen or presented without any authorization to use from the card holder. Even veteran merchants, processing for decades, can recount incidents where they have sent out product, subsequently learning that they have been victimized by credit card fraud.One day, I received a phone call from one of our retail merchants who sells furniture. She explained that she received a credit card from a so-called customer that was declined. This customer then presented a different credit card with the same result: transaction declined. The owner’s intuitive feeling was that “something was not right” – the customer may simply be over-extended, surpassing his credit card limits, or simply trying to engage in an act of deception.The business owner leaned toward the perspective that the customer may be involved in shenanigans when he told her to ship the furniture to Romania (next day, no less) although the billing address was in the United States. Before she ran a third car
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience
Did you know that at one time in this country that there were no fixed prices on anything. You would go into a store and find an item you needed then you would begin the process of negotiating the price. This might seem foreign to us today, but it use to be the rule. In a later article I'll talk more about the history of price negotiation in this country, but today I want to give you some pointers about how to negotiate well.To begin with you can negotiate the price on just about any item today. You would be surprised at just how many stores will gladly talk to you about a price reduction, but before we get to the techniques of negotiation,we need to remember some simple rules of negotiation.First never negotiate the price of an item that you do not intend on buying. It is unfair to the seller and to other shoppers who are serious about a purchase. Secondly, be reasonable and not greedy. The seller needs to make a profit to stay in business so don't make outrageous price reduction demands. He will be easier to work with if he believes that you are being fair and not just trying to cheat him. Thirdly, pl
By definition, the term networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships. It's not schmoozing; it's not just handing out business cards, selling, marketing or small talk. Those activities are part of networking, but unfortunately, many people's misunderstanding of the term causes them network ineffectively.
The following are The 7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, and they can stand in the in your way of developing mutually valuable relationships. So, next time you attend your Chamber or Association meeting, keep these ideas in mind so you can offer the most value to your fellow networkers.
Habit #1: Attitude
Much like the development of any skill, networking begins with attitude. Unfortunately, Highly Horrible Networkers have the wrong attitude. If you've ever attended a networking function before, perhaps you've encountered businesspeople who act in the following ways:
Attitude is fundamental to effective networking. In fact, it's the most important habit to understand.
Habit #2: Dig Your Well WHEN You're Thirsty
One of my favorite networking books is called Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, by Harvey McKay. It's probably the most well known text on this subject. The key to McKay's work is making your friends, establishing contacts and developing relationships – before you need them. Getting what you want by helping others get what they want first.
Enter the Highly Horrible Networkers, who only network because:
a) They need new customers
b) They have a new product or service to sell
c) Their boss forced them to do so
Take my friend Lawrence, for example. He's quite successful in the insurance business; however he recently approached me about using networking to obtain some hot leads.
“My numbers are down. My boss is on my back. I gotta get out there and start networking…or else! What do you suggest?”
“Networking takes time,” I explained, “and you can't expect to come into loads of business or dozens of potential clients without developing the relationships first.”
As you already learned, networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships…over time. If you try to dig your well WHEN you're thirsty, you may never find a drink.
Habit #3: Dealin' the Deck
Habit #3 is a dangerous one, and it happens all the time. Have you ever seen people distribute 173 of their business cards during the first 5 minutes of the event? They move as quickly as possible from one person to the next. They don't make eye contact, they don't ask to exchange cards – they just deal them out.
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience f
Many pass over the thought of themselves actually working in the industry due to the common mindset... "if one has talent they have a chance in music." If one wants weekly (or bi-weekly) pay with benefits one seeks a normal job in the 9-5 workforce. This is simply false. Most people love music to some extent. Those that are paying attention to their future and careers know or at least wish they can be involved with something they love.Many will admit they believe they don’t have what it takes to make it in the music industry and some will admit they don’t have a desire to be a musical artist. But many will also admit they need a job, and for longevity’s sake will admit they need a career they love. They love music and need career involvement in something they love.Well... it just so happens that the music industry employs millions all around the world in positions that are not directly artist related or even behind the scenes artist related. The fact is there are over 120 different careers with lucrative futures in the music industry. Now multiply that by the thousands of record labels, advertising agencies, la
Habit #1: Attitude
Much like the development of any skill, networking begins with attitude. Unfortunately, Highly Horrible Networkers have the wrong attitude. If you've ever attended a networking function before, perhaps you've encountered businesspeople who act in the following ways:
Attitude is fundamental to effective networking. In fact, it's the most important habit to understand.
Habit #2: Dig Your Well WHEN You're Thirsty
One of my favorite networking books is called Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, by Harvey McKay. It's probably the most well known text on this subject. The key to McKay's work is making your friends, establishing contacts and developing relationships – before you need them. Getting what you want by helping others get what they want first.
Enter the Highly Horrible Networkers, who only network because:
a) They need new customers
b) They have a new product or service to sell
c) Their boss forced them to do so
Take my friend Lawrence, for example. He's quite successful in the insurance business; however he recently approached me about using networking to obtain some hot leads.
“My numbers are down. My boss is on my back. I gotta get out there and start networking…or else! What do you suggest?”
“Networking takes time,” I explained, “and you can't expect to come into loads of business or dozens of potential clients without developing the relationships first.”
As you already learned, networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships…over time. If you try to dig your well WHEN you're thirsty, you may never find a drink.
Habit #3: Dealin' the Deck
Habit #3 is a dangerous one, and it happens all the time. Have you ever seen people distribute 173 of their business cards during the first 5 minutes of the event? They move as quickly as possible from one person to the next. They don't make eye contact, they don't ask to exchange cards – they just deal them out.
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience
Many companies allocate a portion of their marketing budgets to support non-profit organizations. This activity, which has become known as Cause Marketing, provides abundant benefits for both the funding companies and the causes being served. Cause Marketing—i.e., “Doing well while doing good”—adds a socially responsible component to a company’s marketing plan and can enhance brand image and reputation by accelerating corporate awareness within desirable market segments.Cause Marketing is fundamentally about believing—in what is good and what is possible. It enables a corporation to make meaningful statements concerning social responsibility, ethics and the public interest. There are hundreds of worthy social issues—e.g., the environment, education, the elderly, diseases, the homeless, children and poverty—that have received much-needed support from Cause Marketing. In turn, supporting a cause provides the corporation with the opportunity to garner appreciation and recognition from new constituencies who are interested in or loyal to that issue.One of the first organizations to practice Cause Marketing on a nati
Attitude is fundamental to effective networking. In fact, it's the most important habit to understand.
Habit #2: Dig Your Well WHEN You're Thirsty
One of my favorite networking books is called Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, by Harvey McKay. It's probably the most well known text on this subject. The key to McKay's work is making your friends, establishing contacts and developing relationships – before you need them. Getting what you want by helping others get what they want first.
Enter the Highly Horrible Networkers, who only network because:
a) They need new customers
b) They have a new product or service to sell
c) Their boss forced them to do so
Take my friend Lawrence, for example. He's quite successful in the insurance business; however he recently approached me about using networking to obtain some hot leads.
“My numbers are down. My boss is on my back. I gotta get out there and start networking…or else! What do you suggest?”
“Networking takes time,” I explained, “and you can't expect to come into loads of business or dozens of potential clients without developing the relationships first.”
As you already learned, networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships…over time. If you try to dig your well WHEN you're thirsty, you may never find a drink.
Habit #3: Dealin' the Deck
Habit #3 is a dangerous one, and it happens all the time. Have you ever seen people distribute 173 of their business cards during the first 5 minutes of the event? They move as quickly as possible from one person to the next. They don't make eye contact, they don't ask to exchange cards – they just deal them out.
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience
When do you tell employees about bad news? When do you tell them about good news?Many organisations have difficulty determining the answers to the former question and do not enough thinking about the latter question and few ask the question, "What do our employees consider to be bad or good news and what news are they interested in hearing?" at all.Further still, not enough thought is given to how the communication of news can shape the culture of an organisation.Bad news or even extremely good news is difficult to keep completely secret. Good or bad, pending major news announcements generally require discussions between senior executives, the human resources function, the finance function and significant groups of line management. Sometimes it requires the pulling together of a project team.Employees are not stupid. They notice when HR, finance and line management are having long meetings locked away in a room. They notice when people are pulled off their normal jobs to conduct a study. They notice when people they regard as friends stop talking about what they are doing.At some time, even
Take my friend Lawrence, for example. He's quite successful in the insurance business; however he recently approached me about using networking to obtain some hot leads.
“My numbers are down. My boss is on my back. I gotta get out there and start networking…or else! What do you suggest?”
“Networking takes time,” I explained, “and you can't expect to come into loads of business or dozens of potential clients without developing the relationships first.”
As you already learned, networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships…over time. If you try to dig your well WHEN you're thirsty, you may never find a drink.
Habit #3: Dealin' the Deck
Habit #3 is a dangerous one, and it happens all the time. Have you ever seen people distribute 173 of their business cards during the first 5 minutes of the event? They move as quickly as possible from one person to the next. They don't make eye contact, they don't ask to exchange cards – they just deal them out.
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience
Applicable knowledge is gained from experience, not textbooks. If you’re still in college, try to take courses that apply to your current/future business interests. Real entrepreneurs care about the importance of the information they are absorbing, not their grade in the class. Besides, entrepreneurs are already ahead of their classmates because they have one trait that most people lack, AMBITION. You don’t have to be a genius to avoid the Rat Race. You just need to have the willingness to take risks, be prepared to fail, and learn from your mistakes. The point that I am trying to make is that you should push yourself to absorb as much knowledge as possible in the areas of life that interest you. As the old saying goes, “do what you enjoy doing and the money will follow.”For instance, I’m passionate about Web 2.0 Internet startups. Every day, I read at least 20-30 blogs about the latest and greatest tech companies in Silicon Valley that are cranking out a unique range of Internet services and applications. After a couple months of reading these blogs, I decided that I wanted to connect more with this community in hopes
“Here's my card, call me if you need a designer! See ya later.”
“But…I…never even got your name!” you muse.
This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these Highly Horrible Networkers don't spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. It's quantity over quality, right?
Wrong.
Dealin' the Deck is one of the most common networking pet peeves. Whenever I give my program The Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers™, I walk out into the audience for a quick demonstration of this habit. I grab a stack of business cards and quickly jump from table to table tossing out dozens of them without as much looking at the audience members I'm handing them to.
Unfortunately during one speech, it backfired.
Literally.
Last year, I was demonstrating Highly Horrible Habit #3 when speaking at a local business meeting. While hopping from table to table as dozens of cards flew through the air and into people's laps and salads, someone yelled out, “Oh my God!”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked back at the head table and noticed that one of my cards landed in the centerpiece…
…which was a candle!
MY BUSINESS CARD WAS ON FIRE!!
I threw down the microphone, lunged at the table and snatched the burning business card from the candle! As I toppled over the chair in front of me I yelled something to the effect of “Oh my God!” shook the flames off my half burnt card and regained my balance to a roaring applause/laughter from the audience.
“And…uh…this just goes to show you ladies and gentleman,” I fumbled, “When you deal the deck of business cards without eye contact or consideration…uh…people may as well set them on fire – because they're not going to read them anyway!”
Whew! Nice save, huh? Yeah well, that client did NOT invite me back the following year.
Habit #4: Unprofessional Information
It's remarkable how often some business cards will contain unprofessional information. Have you ever received someone's card with one of those ambiguous, offensive and questionable email addresses with AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo? Not only are those email servers frustrating and ineffective for business communication, but just imagine how it looks when someone has to send business emails to:
I have nothing against AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo. But if possible, always send and receive emails using the address of your organization's website, i.e., scott@hellomynameisscott.com. If you must use free servers like MSN, SBC and the like, choose a simple username that doesn't question your professionalism, i.e., jackgateman@yahoo.com.
Habit #4: Sit with the Wrong Company
I'll never forget my first Chamber meeting. One afternoon I sat down with 6 other local businesspeople for our monthly networking lunch. Naturally, the first thing I did was look at everyone's nametags. (Not only to learn their names but to examine the effectiveness of their nametags' design and placement.)
But these were the nametags I saw: ADM Financial, ADM Financial, ADM Financial, ADM Financial, ADM Financial, ADM Financial, Scott. (Company name changed to protect the victims.)
Highly Horrible networkers not only attend meetings with their friends and/or coworkers, but they talk and sit with them the entire time! These are people with whom they've worked 5 days a week, 8 hours a day for the past 3 years! This is not a good technique to maximize your company's visibility.
This habit creates an elitist, unfriendly attitude. And think how uncomfortable this makes the one or two people sittin
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