The best quote of the day at a luncheon I attended yesterday was this one: “Stop pitching, start listening.” The presentation was on freelance marketing communications and how to get into, manage, and stay in the field. Much of teh discussion centered around service, rather than the product one sells. Hmmm….a common theme…. Let’s listen […]
Stop pitching, start listening Read More »
Let’s just follow this title with “don’t.” Everyone you encounter is really in your network. And everyone in your network is valuable. You never know who will lead you to new business or who you might lead to something. You never know who you are going to work with or work for. I remember parting
It is the basic tool of the networker. That 15- to 30-second collection of words that you say when asked about who you are and what you do. While many of us talk about it and use the term, how many of us have actually thought it through and have an elevator speech strategy? First,
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I walked the North Texas Golf Show on Saturday. While this isn’t IBS or CES, it is an example of trade show marketing in action. In addition to the few random observations I’ll record here, I couldn’t resist relating my friend Melinda’s question when I mentioned I’d be walking the show: “What does one do
As we all continue to network and connect with people, let’s not forget you are making and nurturing relationships. As with a garden, you need to tend water, fertilize, harvest and rework the soil. Water by regular contact with your network. Sincerely reach out to those in your circle. Top of mind is good. Give
Tending the garden Read More »
At this point in our business history, we are really all being asked to do more with less. We have to know when to draw the line, but it all about saving and not spending to excess in these tight time. I had a client ask me, for example, if I had to charge for
Sharpening the pencil Read More »
One of the satisfactions of networking is seeing it in action. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of putting people together for their mutual benefit as well as the well-being of a client of ours. Lynn Felhauer, the co-owner of The Graphic Edge, a graphic production company here in the DFW Metroplex, is
Watch those personal pronouns. If you haven’t noticed already, this author makes a point of trying to avoid the personal pronouns “I” and “me”. Maybe it’s because it is better to listen that to talk (“God gave you two ears and only one mouth”) and hear what the other person in a conversation has to
When I signed on with the agency I’m working with, they asked me to connect with the community and make our name known and visible. And along the way, gain clients. I took a three-pronged approach, one that could be applied to networking in general. The outreach I proposed and followed was to connect with:
A Strategy to Networking Read More »
Why is it that most shows, large or small, are being held in Las Vegas these days? I’ll be off to Vegas in a couple of weeks for the AWMA–a wholesaler’s show–at the Las Vegas Hilton. Right after that show the next week is GlobalShop and the Exhibitor’s Show. Earlier this year, Home Builder’s (IBS),
