Networking Tips

Quick Tips: Maintaining Your Personal Brand When Connecting

Maintaining your personal brand for connection purposes can be tricky. Here are a few quick tips that you can put into action immediately:

Review your email address to ensure it would not be considered “too funny” or offensive to a potential business colleague. I have seen some really crazy email addresses over the years- literally blog and book worthy! However, I am sure that is not an issue for all of you reading this.

What I have seen by even the most seasoned professional is what I call a “cross over” email address. Maybe it is the personal account that you use for a hobby or role in the community. “HartfordSoccerDad” tells me you are committed to your family and the community; however, chances are has nothing to do with the positions you are exploring. “Preciousmoments 23” is brilliant marketing on eBay if you sell Precious Moments figurines, but definitely not helping to support your personal brand through your connection strategy unless that eBay power seller status is a part of your brand/story.

What you DO want to be certain you have done is create an email address- a free one from gmail- JUST for networking! Clean- clear- including your name or a name/description: BrynJohnson. BrynZJohnson. Johnson Communications Manager. And it allows you to check ONE email address that has all activities that are connection/career related…. And only connection/career related.

VOICEMAIL

Also the same sort of suggestion applies to your voicemail…loading your favorite song on your voicemail might not to be most professional way to stand out. The darling voicemail messages with your children singing hello are wonderful for family and friends but not for building your networking circle. One thought is to use only your cell phone for connecting. You can change the voicemail message to include only a professional message by you that matches your personal brand- in tone. Plus you are the only one who can access the mailbox. State your full name on the message… if people get a voice mail without an identifiable name, they get confused or second guess themselves and often hang up and call back . You do not want to give them the opportunity to hang up because if another call or meeting interrupts them, they may never call again.

PHONE CALLS

Of course, this brings us to the last tip- when and how to answer the phone. Funny because we all know how to answer the phone, right? But when it comes to your connection strategy and the consistent messaging of your personal brand, you want the environment to be perfect when you pick up the call. Because you know that when the call comes in and it is surely that contact you have been waiting for, you are going to be sooooo excited to answer….

Please make sure when you answer the phone you are in a place that where you can talk. In fact, my rule of thumb is that I must be in a place where I can talk and take notes- which means NO DRIVING, shopping in Target or walking down the sidewalk of the city. This could be the only time you get the critical information of where and when your one-on-one meeting will take place, what time the interview is or at what number to reach them. Don’t let that be the time when you are in the middle of picking up kids from soccer practice or ordering in a loud restaurant…Just DON’T ANSWER! Let them leave a message, and then you call them back at a more appropriate time.

Just a few ideas for you. Quick tips for connecting while maintaining a strong personal brand.

Back to School Connecting

New school supplies.
Special school shoes.
Fall clothes that will be too hot to wear for a month.
Homeroom assignment.
Stories of our summer escapades.
The yellow school bus conversations.

I have so many cherished memories of “back to school” time. Yes, I was one of those kids who could not WAIT to get back to school and see everyone. The comforting routine of classes, homework and clearly defined expectations made me safe in the world.

However, in retrospect, I see it was also all about the CONNECTION.

School was about old and new friends, social activities, and a shared language and experience. It made small talk easy. It eliminated so much of the social anxiety for boys and girls because you could always talk about a teacher, an assignment or a school activity.

How is it that so many of us have gotten away from that behavior? Is it simply because many of us no longer go to school?

My career coaching clients are always asking for networking tips- for ideas on how to break the ice with someone they want to get to know- for ways to expand their circle of influence and opportunity.

Well, some of you reading this ARE full-time or part-time students! Bravo! You have a built in networking system. Get out there and meet people. Start simple. Say hello and compare notes.
Some of you reading this are parents or grandparents of school-age children. This can be a huge advantage for you and your networking efforts. Yes, you might just be running in and out of the school, waiting in the parking lot with the car running, worrying that you are late for his or her activity because of a meeting that ran over… but what if you took a moment to breathe. View the landscape. All that volunteering you are asked to do could be the opportunity you have been looking for to meet some new people. Standing outside the school or on the sidelines of the soccer field is a great time to engage with another parent, aunt or grandparent beyond the perfunctory “hey”. You have a common “back to school” language that you can use to begin your connecting.
And if you do not fall into the student or parent category right now, there are ways for you to take advantage of the “back to school” thrill in the air. Sign up for a class- something you have been meaning to do for years: knitting, fiction writing, kickboxing, pottery, computer science, guitar, home repair, CPR, ice skating … it really doesn’t matter. Make this the year that you check it off your list! You will be joined by a group of local people all interested in the learning the same thing. Instant conversation! Instant connection. Instant networking.

“Back to school” is all about new beginnings. All about connection, teamwork and expanding your mind. Add a little of this into your life and watch your circle of influence grow. And perhaps buy a new pair of “back to school” shoes to treat yourself!

[photo: my niece many years ago on her first day of school]

Are You Ready? : Networking Tip

Every event is a networking event.

Every business meeting. Every conference. Every community forum. Every bridal shower. Every long supermarket line. Every group of parents standing around waiting for kids after school. They are all events. Each an opportunity to network.

It’s not just the truth according to the Brain of Bryn. It is THE truth.

My recommendation. BE READY!

Ready with your business card. Ready with your pitch. Ready with your career ideas. Ready with your latest priorities in terms of career progression.

WARNING: YOU WON’T LEAD WITH ANY OF THIS.

You simply need to be ready with answers to questions such as: What do you need next in your career? Who do you need to be introduced to? What information do you need to research a potential opportunity? What do you do best? How do your skills translate? What industry are you exploring? Where are you moving?

With answers to these questions in your arsenal, you will feel far more confident when you approach someone with a smile or handshake, greet someone with a wave or strike up the small talk.

No one likes to “network” with someone who pushes a business card in their face, leads with “buy my stuff” or “what can you do for me?” or feigns familiarity in order to get a much-wanted connection to that person’s network. IMMEDIATE turn-off.

However, investing time to have the conversation naturally move in a direction (now or during a future conversation) that allows you to talk about your career transition and reveal more about you, etc. is a completely different story. You want to be ready. When that person you just met or got to know better says, “How can I help you?” or “What do you need?” all that preparation will serve you well.

Confidence. You will know what to ask for. The networking jitters will fall away. You will be able to articulate where you are in your career transition and identify how your next steps might progress with that person’s help.

You delight them with being YOU. And the opportunities for genuine conversation and networking simply spring forward.

Complete the Triangle: Small Talk

The connection for which you’ve been waiting. Your friend, family member or former colleague made a much-needed introduction for you. Congratulations!

Now, it’s time for you to shine!

However, before you head out to that coffee date or jump on the phone for the conversation, take the time to complete the triangle.

You see, many people skip this simple little preparation step and it accounts for so much of the awkwardness and lack of confidence in the exchange.

Don’t forget that there are THREE people in this conversation. You. Your new connection. The person who introduced you. The triangle.

Be ready with a little current information about the friend or colleague you have in common. How their kids are doing, where they work now, what projects they are working on, how their renovation is coming along, how the football team they are fanatical about fared this season, etc. Basically, you want an up-to-date and simple answer to the inevitable question that goes something like this… “oh I love Joe and haven’t talked to him for ages, how is he doing?”

When the question comes, you want to be prepared with an answer. It does not need to be much. It doesn’t matter if you get it from a recent email exchange with Joe when he agreed to make the introduction or from stalking him on Facebook. Just do not let this moment end in an awkward silence.

Then be ready to share a reason you really appreciate that common connection– his humor in the workplace, his passion for coaching his daughter’s soccer team, or the meaningful words of wisdom he shared with you when you got promoted 10 years ago. You get the idea.

It is all about the small talk. Be prepared.

Complete the triangle. Then, it’s time to get down to business.

10 Reasons I LOVE Twitter in my Career and Business (part 3)

Favorite Brands and People: I follow the brands I love, the celebs I love and the thought leaders I want to hear from. I talk to brands- like local coffee shops, 3M, Fresh Direct and Zipcar- to their customer service team and their marketing team. Hotel room upgrades, free coffee, post-its, rebooked flights and book excerpts are just a few of the “gifts” I have received via Twitter from various brands.
Insights into People: You get to see the random thoughts of people you know. It is so funny to see what they are thinking about beyond their career and their main message. People with their favorite sports teams, pets, music, movies, and causes- great connection points for further conversation and relationship building. Take note: this is GREAT small talk fodder for those of you who struggle with what to say in a networking situation.
All Organic: I talk about what I love- connecting, my cats, coffee, post-its, planning, strategy, Muppets, social media, my family, NYC and the list goes on. And here is just one more little bit of Twitter Trivia about me- I once stayed up late on a Sunday night to watch my twitter “odometer” move from 4,999 followers to 5,000. Such a proud moment since I grew this community organically (now over 6K) with no big technology intervention to go out and find thousands of people for me to follow and to manipulate them into following me. All organic. Just how I like it!

Put these tips in action right away to enhance your digital persona! Plus here are links to my first 3 reasons for LOVING Twitter in my career and business and 4 more reasons to LOVE Twitter!

#twittertips #twittertalk