Networking Tip: How can I become a better … ?

Another post about someone I saw on the main stage of the NSA convention in New York.

I have to admit that I was a bit sceptic about Marshall Goldsmith. Probably because he was “hyped” a bit too much in the last months as the coach of the Fortune 500 CEO’s when his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There came out. I still don’t know about how much about that is true, but I do know one thing now: he is GOOD !

It was a very inspiring session with a few simple, but effective exercises.

One of them is: ask your customer how you can become a better supplier.

You can make several variations on this one:
– Ask your life partner how you can become a better partner.
– Ask your employees how you can become a better boss or ask your boss how you can become a better employee.
– Ask your parents how you can become a better child or ask your children how you can become a better parent.

This is a very powerful question. And an excellent one to improve business and personal relationships.

So, my question to you is: who are you going to ask this question?

I know it can be a very intimate issue, but if you have any experiences with this that you want to share, please

post them here or send me an e-mail.

Have a great asking day !

Jan

Networking Coach Jan Vermeiren interviews networking expert Will Kintish

I already posted last week that I attended the NSA conference in New York in the beginning of August. Next to the excellent content and performances, this is a super place to network with my fellow speakers from all around the world.

This year I was so smart to take a digital recorder with me to interview some of my networking colleagues from other countries.

The first interview is with Will Kintish, leading networking expert in the UK (approx. 9 minutes).

Enjoy !

Jan

Networking Tip: Don’t ask for a favor, ask for advice

Last week I attended the NSA (National Speakers Association) Convention in New York City.

Four days of magnificent content, performance and networking followed by a visit to the United Nations with the IFFPS (International Federation For Professional Speakers). It was great !

I learned a lot so I will share some of that with you during the next weeks. I also was able to interview some of my network colleagues from all around the world. You will also get those interviews in the next weeks.

For this week I’d like to share a tip I got from the session of Christine Comaford-Lynch at the NSA convention, which also can be found in her book “Rules for Renegades“.

The tip: stop asking for favors, ask for advice.

In networking this is a great tip. Your network is your greatest AND cheapest resource. But many people don’t tap into the power of it by not asking for help, asking the wrong questions or asking questions in the wrong way.
Imagine someone asking you for a favor. What for a feeling do you get? Are you already sighing and thinking “How much time is this going to cost me?” This falls in the category “asking questions in the wrong way”.

And now imagine someone asking for advice. What for a feeling do you get now? Don’t you feel more willing to help this person?

So from now on: don’t ask for favors anymore, but ask for advice.

Have a great networking day !

Jan

Networking Tools: Virtual Collaboration Tools

After I posted earlier about networking and referral tools, I got a message from Vincent De Waele from Mobistar with a link to a post on the blog of Virtual Company.

This might be interesting for you if you are or will be working with people you don’t have the chance to see very often in real life.

On Technology of Virtual Collaboration (2). A First List of Tools.

Have a great networking day !

Jan

Get in Shape for September

On August 26 the second edition of In Shape for September will take place in Kasteel van Brasschaet.

No less than 13 top speakers from Flanders will inspire the participants to get their business, their carreer and themselves back in shape to make the last trimester of the year an outstanding one.

These are just a few examples of the topics and the speakers:
– Radical innovation in sales and marketing (Patrick Maes)
– Find time and how to deal with it (Paul Meert and Paul De Bruyne)
– Unconventional smart: Life Hacking (Bert Verdonck)
– Transformation as source of motivation (Wim Van Acker)
– Transform stress in energy (Tim Vermeire)
– Powerful Presentation Techniques (Sylvie Verleye)

Other speakers: Bert Van Driel, Jan Mouton, Katharina Mullen, Peter Tuybens and Nathalie De Regge.

I will also do a one hour session about Everlasting Referrals. So if you haven’t seen me speak before and you can’t make the introduction session about referrals on September 23 this might be an excellent moment.

Trends magazine wrote an article about the first edition (in Dutch).

By the way, this will not only be a day that will inspire the participants, but also a super networking day.

More information and registration: http://www.in-shape-for-september.be

See you there !

Jan

Networking Tool: Your V-Card

One of the networking tools you can use is a V-Card.

What is it?

A V-Card is an business card in electronic format. In other words: it is a contact card from your e-mail program with your own contact data.

Why should you use it?

Only few people use a Business Card Reader, take the time to put in the paper business cards they received in their e-mail program or copy the contact details from the signature at the bottom of an e-mail in a contact card.

As a consequence they don’t always find the people they need. Hence the danger is they forget about you or don’t know how to get in touch with you.

To solve this problem you can send an e-mail with your V-Card in attachment after your first meeting. The recipient can then easily save this V-Card in his e-mail program. In this way you help them to easily get back in touch with you.

A word of caution: do this only once. Don’t attach your V-Card to each e-mail you send. People go crazy when they get unnecessary attachments over and over again!

To your success !

Jan

PS: for an overview of other tools:
– Networking and referral tools (English)
– Netwerk en referral tools (Nederlands)