 Get into the Habit of Networking!
by Nicole Clark, npower Consulting, Inc.
SisterSpeak was fortunate enough to cross paths with entrepreneur and business woman Nicole D. Clark of Merced, California over the internet superhighway! In the article below, she extends a 21-day challenge to each of us to expand our network! For those of us who need to brush up in this area or overcome our fear of engaging others, Nicole offers great guidance and practical steps to connect in ways that benefit our business as well as those of others! Take the challenge!
| Get into the Habit of Networking! |
For any activity to become a habit, 21 consecutive days of repeating the actual activity is needed in order for the activity to become a natural habit.
We at nPower Consulting, want you to network with people in such a way that it becomes a habit for you - not a task or a chore or a needed activity as part of your professional goals;
we want networking to become natural to you, just like any habit you currently have.
For the remainder of this month, we propose a challenge to you. We want you to develop a natural habit of networking.
For the next 21 days, we challenge you to make a new connection with ONE new person, each consecutive day.
Will you take on the challenge?
Why (you ask)? What are the benefits to this challenge?
Here are some benefits:
- You will add 21 new people in your network.
- 21 new people will know you; will know what you do professionally; will know what you are passionate about.
- You will learn what 21 people do professionally or career wise, and you will learn what they are passionate about.
- 21 new people will know how you can be of service to them.
- You will discover how 21 new people can be of service to you.
- 21 new people can help you stretch your limits, and help you reach your goals.
- 21 new people will have a resource into the industry in which you work.
- You will gain 21 new resources into the industries in which they work.
- You will gain access to 21 new sets of resources to potentially leverage. Go to http://www.npowerconsulting.net/etips2007wk04.html to learn about leveraging resources.
- You will gain a few new friends.
- You will gain new clients or customers
- You will be exposed to many opportunities of which to take advantage.
These benefits may not all come within the next 21 days or they very well may, but they all will eventually happen.
Why take half a year, a year, or longer to meet at least 21 new people? Take the challenge and start meeting new people now!
Where will you find these new people?
- They will come from the business cards you may have collected but never made contact.
- They will come from the meetings or events you attended and met someone, collected their contact information, yet never made contact with him/her.
- They are the service people you come into contact with on a daily or weekly basis.
- The cashier in the checkout lane at the grocery store.
- The bank teller or your bank's branch manager.
- The cashier at the coffee shop you frequent.
- The lobby attendant or receptionist in your building where you work or live.
- The train conductor who takes your ticket each morning.
- The person who sits nearby you each day on the train or bus you take.
- The person you see working out at the gym each time you frequent.
- They are the people whose emails you read from advertisements and discussion groups, or blogs you read on the internet.
- They are the people you want to meet or need to meet in order to accomplish a goal.
- Ask a person in your network to introduce you to someone new who may be of assistance to you.
- Don't forget to ask the person who helps you and the new person you meet how you can be of service to them.
How will you start dialogue with these people?
Easily!
- To the person whose business card you collected, you can say or send email stating, "Your card is sitting on my desk collecting dust. I dusted it off and saw your name, so I thought I'd give you a call/send you an email ..."
- To the person who is of service to you on a frequent basis, you can say, "I see you and thank you each time I come here. It would be more courteous to know who you are besides what's on your nametag. I'm ...."
- To the people you see on a daily basis, you can say "So often we see each other, but don't actually know each other. Hi, my name is ..."
Introducing yourself can be easy. You just have to start.
After you contact each new person, determine how often you will keep in contact with them. We have suggestions on how to do that. Go to http://www.npowerconsulting.net/etips2006wk51.html to read our suggestions.
Please, consider our challenge.
Start a blog or add to your current blog your acceptance of our challenge and your progress.
Each employee at nPower Consulting has accepted this challenge, so you will not be alone.
Will you be bold and perhaps double or triple the challenge?
Will you boldly advance this challenge - focus on making contact with the very people you need to help you accomplish a particular goal?
We also want to hear from you regarding the challenge. Let us know your progress. Most especially, let us know your results! Email us at 21-day-challenge@npowerconsulting.net with your progress or give us a call at 209-230-1130.
We will feature as many of you who accept and complete the challenge in our April newsletter.
Depending on the number of responses to our challenge, we may even feature your progress on our web site.
Should you accept our challenge...don't give up! If you miss a day or two, keep at it.
Good luck!
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About the Author: Ms. Clark is the Owner and Principal Consultant of nPower Consulting, Inc. in Merced, California. Visit her web site at www.npowerconsulting.net to learn more about her business.
nPower Consulting, Inc. is dedicated to teaching how to network effectively. We teach you how to network well, both professionally and socially. Through the use of workbooks, workshops, seminars, weekly email tips and monthly newsletters, we teach you to become a more professional and powerful networker. nPower Consulting, Inc., P.O. Box 2345, Merced, CA 95344 www.npowerconsulting.net
© 2007 nPower Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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