How to Rebuild Your Network

November 2, 2011June 6, 2017Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Have you lost touch with your network? Now’s the time to reconnect. And not by asking for a favor, “Hi Carl, I know it’s been 10 years since we last spoke, but…”

Instead, how might you be of value to this person? Know that value does not have to equal money. Here are some quick tips to get back in touch and provide value at the same time:

1. Send a congratulatory note. You’re reviewing your LinkedIn updates and saw your friend got a new gig. Your congratulatory note will likely result in a quick phone call or email back to you. You can then set up a quick meeting to reconnect.

2. Send a link. You just read a terrific blog post you know will benefit your network. Share it via social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) or via email if it’s especially beneficial to a key member of your network.

3. Volunteer. If you’re not working, you’ve got a little time on your hands. Volunteering not only helps others, but also helps you make new connections and stay positive. And if you’re working a lot, which is the reason you haven’t had time to stay in touch with your network, volunteer for a cause that coincides with your work or business goals. Perhaps you can be the United Way ambassador or spearhead the American Cancer relay for your company. You’ll meet new people this way and also build bridges inside your own organization.

4. Serve on a board. Boards need great people with expertise and ideas. Sound like you? What nonprofit board can you serve on? Boards can be a great way to connect with community leaders, while doing something positive for a cause you believe in.

5. Check out your local Chamber of Commerce. What can you do for them? One of my clients (who had an MBA in Information Systems) volunteered to revamp her chamber’s website. This led to meeting top guns from local businesses who were chamber members. One of those businesses hired her.

Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get what you want.” This makes networking much easier because you’re not asking for a job, you’re helping your friends.

Next step, stay connected by touching base regularly. This helps you fuel your network to fire it up. Your network will be there for you when you need it, because you never lost touch. Good luck!

How to Create a Networking Plan that Works

August 15, 2011November 15, 2019Wendy Terwelp 4 Comments

Would you like to get more results when you network? Here’s how to create a networking plan that works:

1. Schedule a regular time each week to network. We all get busy, even when unemployed. (Those “honey-do” lists seem to grow.) By scheduling regular time in your calendar to network, it not only gets done, but you’ll feel more confident and comfortable in networking situations, avoid the hermit syndrome, and meet people who want to help you. Know that people want to help you and see you succeed.

2. Schedule 10 minutes each day to use social media, including providing status updates, relevant links that demonstrate your thought leadership, and quick emails to those who’ve updated their statuses with wins. For example, if you read your LinkedIn updates and a friend has landed a new position, send her a brief congratulatory note.

3. Determine which offline, in-person groups you will join and how often they meet. Take an active role in the organization, such serving as the chapter ambassador. This helps you meet more people and overcome some of the jitters of being in a new group.

4. Set networking goals for yourself. For example, when attending a new group, set a goal to meet three new people. Write this goal in your calendar where you’ve scheduled the meeting.

5. Prepare and rehearse your sound bite. Networking can take place any time, any where. Be prepared.

6. Update your network regularly with the action steps you’ve taken. If a friend referred you to a contact and you set up an informational interview, let your friend know that you made the connection and got results.

Make your job search your new full-time job. Scheduling networking activities will not only help you feel more productive, but help you land your next job much, much faster.

Want more networking tips? Check out Rock Your Network^®, the book.

10 Things Social Media is NOT

July 8, 2011July 8, 2011Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Guest Blogger, Dana Van Den Heuvel, MarketingSavant

Social media. Very few two-word phrases conjure up so many expectations and misconceptions as these two words put together. For as much as social media can do, there is still plenty that it can’t. Here are the top 10 things that social media can’t do, along with a mind map on the things that you can do about the 10 things that social media can’t do…

Social Media Isn’t and Will Never Be Totally Free: If you want results, build deep experience within your own team to reduce cost
Be Your Marketing Strategy: Social media is not a strategy. In fact, in a few years, we won’t be talking about it with the reverence we now have for it, rather, it will be assumed that it’s part of everything you’re doing, if not the center of it all.
Guarantee Sales: Social media cannot and will not likely ever be a sales engine. It’s a marketing and communication engine. It supports sales and like most all other forms of marketing, it’s up to you to convert.
Succeed With a Half-Assed Effort: Social media requires dedication, and like anything else, you get out what you put in. Consistency is the first key to social media success. Get consistent, and you’ll see results. Build a plan to publish social content in the 1-7-30-4-2-1 rhythm and you’re more likely to succeed.
Change Your Company For You: Social media requires active change management and a corporate culture to support it. Get the right people involved to lead and support the effort – that will change your company.
Replace Advertising/Sales Team/etc.: You still need to meet people in their medium and social media is just ONE of the ways to build business for your brand.
Be Your Only Go-to-Market Method: Your best bet is to build an integrated approach where social media builds on your other channels. Budget across channels, and include social in that budget.
Deliver Quick Success: Social media is NOT (usually) quick. In fact, it’s really only done well as a long-term commitment. Focus on delivering genuine value to a devoted base of customers first and activate that base only after you’ve built trust and social capital.
Be a One-off Project: Ongoing conversation is what makes social so powerful. Get out of ‘campaign mode’ and into ‘conversation mode’.
Create Conversation from Nothing: You MUST create/re-imagine/curate great content to get great conversation.

Click here to download Dana’s mind map of the above.

Dana Van Den Heuvel is the founder of the marketing consulting firm, The MarketingSavant Group. An award-winning marketing blogger, Dana is also the author of the American Marketing Association’s “Marketech Guide to Marketing Technology” and their “Guide to Social Network Marketing” and the creator of the AMA’s TechnoMarketing training series, Advanced Social Media training series and B2B Social Media training series. Dana is also a member of Rock Your Network®.

Five Quick Tips to Rock Your Network® Online

June 1, 2011June 1, 2011Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

1. Pick Three: There are MANY social networks online to choose from, I recommend picking three so you can manage them effectively. For job seekers, I recommend: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Yes, I said Facebook.

Facebook’s fastest growing population is adults age 35 and older. They have 600 million users, 200 million members use Facebook primarily on their smart phones. With LinkedIn, there are more than 300,000 recruiters as members and 100 million members.

2. Create a branded bio: Tell a story in your profile (bio). Don’t just regurgitate your resume information. Know that chemistry helps you land and KEEP a job. Likability counts, so be interesting.

3. Know what you want: When you start networking online, it’s important to know what you want from the activity. If you want a job, be sure your profile is on brand and professional. Have a professional headshot as well.

4. Join a group: Know that in order to make the most of an online group, you’ve got to take an active role. You can take a leadership role in online groups. You can answer members’ questions and provide your expertise.

5. Be relevant and add value: Social networking gives you a chance to demonstrate your thought leadership and set yourself apart from your competition. As an executive and leader, it is even more critical to demonstrate your expertise online.

For example, these experts say…

Every executive should be on LinkedIn. We look at LinkedIn before ever looking at a resume. — Wayne Mitchell, executive recruiter, Career Thought Leaders Conference & Symposium, March 2011

The Facts: 83% of employers now use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find new hires, according to a survey by recruiting platform Jobvite. Of those, by far the largest number, 89%, rely mainly on LinkedIn, followed by Facebook at 28% and Twitter at 14%.

In a survey of more than 500 human resources managers, Office Team found that 36% of respondents believe it’s at least somewhat likely that resumes will eventually be replaced by profiles on social and business networking websites. —Wired Workplace, 2011

Take Action: Review your current social media and identify at least three action items from the above list you can implement immediately. Make an action plan to effectively manage your online network. If you’d like more tips, join my upcoming class, Rock Your Network Online, starting next week Tuesday, June 7.

Wendy Terwelp has helped thousands of clients get hired faster and be rock stars at work since 1989. A recognized expert on networking, both online and off, Wendy was dubbed LinkedIn Guru by The Washington Post and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Fast Company, The Business Journal, Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, NBC, ABC, and more as well as numerous radio and television shows. She has published hundreds of articles on the web and in print and wrote the ultimate networking book, Rock Your Network®. Rock your career and buy the book at http://knocks.com.

How to choose a networking group

May 4, 2011May 4, 2011Wendy Terwelp 3 Comments

You’ve been to so many networking groups, clubs, socials, business after 5’s, breakfast meetings, etc. it’s overwhelming. Plus, you now have so many business cards you can wallpaper your bathroom. Sound familiar?

Here are some tips to help you pick the right group for you – and dump the groups that are no longer a right fit.

First, ask yourself some tough questions:

1. Who needs to know about you to help you reach your goals?

2. Does this (name them) networking group serve your target audience?

3. Does this group have members who ARE your audience – people who know or serve your industry or company targets?

4. How much time does active membership in each group take?

5. How often do they meet?

6. How big is your personal commitment?

Know that if a group is not working for you, it’s OK to cancel your membership. However, it’s NOT OK to break ties with those people in the group you enjoy most.

Next, pick three!

If you’re just starting out or trying to whittle down your obligations, pick at least three types of groups.

Peer Group: For brainstorming, education, and commiserating. Nobody gets you and your situation like your peers.

Prospects: A group that is your ideal target market or who knows or works with your ideal target market.

Professional business group: Hiring decision-makers often Google your name before meeting with you. Membership in a professional organization can boost your online presence.

After choosing your three groups…

You’ll need to know when a group’s a great fit for your career – and when it’s not. With some groups, you’ll know after the first meeting it’s not a food fit; others take time to gel. For example, if you’re active in the group and meeting the right people, it may be a good fit. The goal is not to collect business cards. The goal is to build relationships that grow with you, your career, and your business. It comes down to this:

If you’re not building relationships in the group, and you’re just going for the food, it’s not a good fit.

Want more networking tips? Read Rock Your Network ®.

Got ideas? Share how you decide if a group’s a right fit for you.

Image created by SnapHappy Creative LLC.