Networking Effectively by Scott Bradley

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I just recently launched my new site where I will be blogging from now on. I appreciate each and every one of you as a loyal reader of Networking Effectively and look forward to sharing more with you on my new site.

Here is the link to my new site where I will continue to post useful and helpful content.

http://www.ScottBradley.name

Best,

Scott

My buddy @DanSchawbel has written an awesome report on blogging and personal branding.

I highly recommend that you go pick yourself up a copy as there are many many golden nuggets that he shares in the report.

I read it last night and even I learned some new things!

Click Here To Get The Report

This week I wrote an article for The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur on the 7 Reasons Why The Recession Is Good For You .

In light of all of this "doom and gloom" talk we all are hearing in the news, I want to share this article with you as my loyal readers because I appreciate each and every one of you.

Feel free to share it with your network if the message resonates with you!

Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: I work directly with Mike, the author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur who runs the site, and manage all of his social media marketing initiatives

I just read Jan Vermeiren’s new book “How to REALLY use LinkedIn”. I often get the question why some people are raving about LinkedIn, while most don’t get it.

With Jan’s permission I share a part of the book.

For me the most powerful concept behind LinkedIn is that it finds the right people AND the connections you have with them. It makes the networks of the people we know visible. LinkedIn shows us our second and third degree networks and the paths towards them. This has tremendous value.

Why? Many people already have difficulty keeping track of their own (first degree) network. It is impossible to know who our network knows. LinkedIn makes this visible. This is extremely powerful especially if you start with the end or goal in mind. Many people make the “mistake” to only look in their own network when they are looking for someone to help them. In this way they are limiting themselves tremendously.
What if we start with defining the best person, find them and then find out via whom we can get introduced to them?

For example let’s suppose you are looking for a job at Coca Cola in your country (or you want to do business with them as a supplier or partner).

What most people then do is think of who they might know at Coca Cola. Then they can’t think of anyone and give up. Or they call the front desk, ask for the HR Manager and are stalled by the receptionist. Or the HR Manager says she is going to call back, but never does. Frustration!

Let’s now start with the goal in mind. You define the HR Manager as the person who can help you best reaching your goal (a job, a contract or expertise). Then you use LinkedIn and do a search with “HR Manager, Coca Cola, and your country”. The result is that you don’t only find the exact name of the person, but also the connections you share with this person.

When you then look at the mutual connections you have, you might discover that this person is connected with your neighbor. You didn’t know this because Coca Cola never has come up in your conversations. He has never mentioned anything about it and you never told him that you were interested in working for or with Coca Cola. After discovering the connection on LinkedIn and talking to your neighbor about it, you find out that he has worked together with the HR Manager in the past. When he hears about your goal he agrees on writing an email to introduce you to the HR Manager. Five days later you are invited to have a talk with the HR Manager and land the job or contract.

Without LinkedIn you might never have known that they knew each other!

Once you understand this tremendous power of LinkedIn, the question is: how can I tap into that power without spending too much time. That’s what the rest of “How to REALLY use LinkedIn” is about.

To celebrate the launch of the book on March 17, there is a special launch package with a LinkedIn Profile Self Assessment, a LinkedIn Activity Self Assessment, access to advanced webinars and more for anyone who buys the book on that day: www.how-to-really-use-linkedin.com/en-buy.html

Because I feel it is my duty to continually provide you with good content as readers of my blog, even though my posts are somewhat infrequent, I wanted to share this little tip with you that can literally save you thousands of dollars on your credit card bills.

Please let me know your thoughts on this video, and after you implement the same strategy, put in the comments the results you were able to received!

*Make Sure That Your Sound Is Turned Up*

Liz Lynch was kind enough to send me a copy of her book Smart Networking, and she is just that…one smart networker! Her tag line says it best, "Attract a following in person and online."

I really enjoyed her book and recommend that you pick up a copy.

From the previous "networking books" I have read in the past, this one has a different and unique tone.

Not only does it go over the networking techniques we all know and love, but further delves into the likes of how to use social media to make powerful connections and increase your "networking gravity" as Liz calls it.

You will definitely get some great information out of this book including…
*How to effectively "pitch" yourself to new connections that you make.
*How to get over the initial fear of networking and putting yourself out there
*How to use the many free resources and tools on the internet to expand your network and do more business.

My review only touches the surface of this 180pg book, so I would recommend that you go and pick yourself up a copy at amazon .

Happy Networking and have a great rest of your day!

With all the bad news about the economy I thought it would be appropriate to share something with you that will not only brighten your day, but further brighten your entire month!

This video below is of Mike Michalowicz, The Head Toilet Paper Entrepreneur himself doing a 17 min video about WHY NOW is the best time to start a business, and HOW to do it in this type of economy.

With the media going crazy over the election and the bad economy I found this to be a bright spot amid all of the craziness we are facing as a nation right now!

Enjoy and feel free to share with your friends!

You meet someone from the company where you always wanted to work – at a career fair, at an on-campus info session, at a party even. Now what? Maybe they don’t have a job right now. Maybe you aren’t available right now (e.g., still in school till May of next year).

Timing is everything. Matching candidates to jobs is as much finding the right candidate as it is finding him or her at the right time. If you are a great candidate but there is no job, there is no match. Maybe the company will remember you when a job arises, maybe not. Maybe the company will ask about you when you’re available, maybe they’ll forget by then.

How do you persist without pestering? Don’t make every communication a check-in about jobs. Turn the tables, and focus on helping your contacts. It takes the pressure off of making the perfect pitch (you’re no longer pitching!). Yet, it yields enormous benefits of keeping yourself out there and building a reputation as someone who is helpful and motivated.

Say thank you. Thank them for that call, meeting, or email correspondence;
Give a results update. If they gave you advice, tell them what happened;
Send an article. Put a Google Alert on your dream companies so you are up-to-date;
Congratulate. If you hear good news about them or their company, point it out;
Make a referral. If you know someone good, pass that on;
Make a match. If they are a foodie and you try a good restaurant, pass that on;
Wish holiday greetings. Happy New Year is a perfect annual follow-up opportunity;
Solve a business problem. Offer an intelligent or creative idea.

When it comes to networking, people tend to obsess over the approach – how do I meet people, how do I get contact info. But the key is the follow-up. Anyone can get that first contact, but not everyone can build lasting relationships. Practice the follow-up tips above, and you will build a solid network over time. You will be naturally plugged into that hidden job market and stay front of mind when the right job arises. Timing is everything.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a co-founder of SixFigureStart www.sixfigurestart.com, a career coaching firm. A former recruiter in both retained executive search and corporate HR, Caroline has recruited for Accenture, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Citibank, Disney ABC, Pfizer, Time Inc and others. Contact Caroline at 212-372-0277 or caroline@sixfigurestart.com

I wanted to post this video for you to enjoy.

I was planning on doing this speech on graduation day at Boston College for the business school but was not chosen from the pool of candidates.

I know this has nothing to do with networking, but I wanted to share it with you because I feel it has a powerful message you can relate to.

Please leave your comments and thoughts regarding the movie.

I am looking forward to your feedback.