Effective Networking

Techniques

Prepared for Salem Networkers July 2012

Why Bother Networking?

• FACT: Most jobs are secured through personal

networking – NOT through applications!

• Meet people inside & outside your professional field

• Help someone – they may be in a position to help

you someday

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Presented by C. Lazinsky 3

Three-Minute Branding Tutorial

Refine Your Personal Brand

Presented by C. Lazinsky 4

So what is a brand?

General definition:

• A promise of value -- associated with a

company, product or service -- that is

relevant, enduring and credible

• It conveys deeply held expectations based

on experiences and perceptions

• A good brand holds “Equities”

Presented by C. Lazinsky 5

What are Brand Equities?

• Deeply rooted positive associations

• Customer experiences & perceptions

• Two types:

– Functional = price, performance, delivery

– Emotional = personal associations

Presented by C. Lazinsky 6

Difference Between Brand and Product?

• Products and services are tangible:

– An item, hardware, software, component or

process

• A Brand is intangible:

– The image, reputation, character and

personality traits that are associated with a

product or service

– Represented by a name, logo or symbol

Presented by C. Lazinsky 7

Product Brand Architecture

• Sometimes brand is defined by the company

– Products draw their intangible characteristics

from corporate name

– Marketing communications supports the brand

– Product “names” function as descriptors or labels

Sub-brands

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Sub-brands

Presented by C. Lazinsky 9

Product Brand Architecture

• Sometimes brand is defined by specific products

– Company name is incidental or unknown to customer

– Product name is the brand name, supported by marketing

– A name becomes a brand when customers develop definite

expectations of the company, product or service

Procter & Gamble

Refine Your Personal Brand

• Enhance your “personal brand”

– Resume, business cards, “elevator” pitch

• Everything a potential employer might see

– Online: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogging

– “Google” thyself! Be aware of any damaging

mis-information, before an employer sees it!

• Often comments you leave on a website may

appear for years afterwards!

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Networking Resource Sites –

Marketing & Technology • Mass High Tech online events calendar: http://www.masshightech.com/;

Community & Business Events

• Marketing Professionals Network: http://www.mpn-boston.org/

• Merrimack Valley Venture Forum: http://www.mvvf.org/

• New Hampshire High Technology Council - http://www.nhhtc.org/

• Acton Mass. Networkers Group: http://www.actonnetworkers.com/ – Resource book http://www.actonnetworkers.com/resource_book.html

• Public Relations Society of America job site: http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter/

• Simply Hired aggregator job site http://www.simplyhired.com/

• http://www.LinkedIn.com "Jobs search” feature

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Specialized Search Websites

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• Chaloner Associates national executive recruiters for

marketing professionals (see "current searches":

http://chaloner.com/

• For pharmaceutical/biomedical and medical device

networking: http://meddevgroup.org/

• For technology and biopharmaceutical networking:

• http://nstc.org/

• "First Friday Bioscience Seminar Series"

• Mass Bio - http://www.MassBio.org

• Environmental Business Council, New England green

jobs and networking: http://www.ebcne.org/

• Venture capital + Entrepreneurs – Route 128 Innovation

Capital Group

What’s the Cost &

How Do I Register?

• Event cost varies from FREE to $50+

• Register on the website, or send

e-mail to organizer asking for

consideration

– Discount for first-time attendee?

– Discount with an affiliate organization or

as a job-seeker?

– Ask to volunteer your time in exchange

for admission

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We Introverts Must Work Harder

• Introverted leaders

embrace solitude

– Warren Buffett

– Bill Gates

– Charles Schwab

– Pres. Barack Obama

• Think First, Talk Later

• Focus on Depth

• Exude Calm

• Prefer Writing to Talking

• Networking may seem

difficult, but sitting

home alone is

ultimately much harder!

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How Should I Prepare?

• Practice your 30-second introduction

– Clear, concise, to-the-point

• Have sufficient business cards

– Hand out cards only to those you find helpful or

interesting

• Prepare a Networking Summary Sheet

– Hand out ONLY to others who are networking

– This is a more detailed summary of your skills &

target companies

• Resource article from Forbes “How To Network

in 2012” 7/28/2012 15

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How Do I Approach People?

• Introduce yourself to multiple individuals

– “Hi, my name is ______ and I help companies with _____

(accounting, project management, marketing,

administrative support, consulting services…)”

– “What’s your name and professional interest?”

– “Have you attended this meeting previously?”

• Why do you like it?

• Who else should I speak with?

• “Can you refer me to someone involved with

_______ (name of company or profession)?”

• Exchange business cards and move on! 7/28/2012 17

How Should I Follow Up?

• Invite specific individuals to connect on LinkedIn

later

• Or, send brief e-mail reminding where you met

• Include link to interesting article or website

• If they are of particular interest or can provide

connections, invite to meet for coffee or brief

networking discussion at mutual convenience

– Consult Google Maps for nearby coffee shop or

restaurant - include link to that location and suggest a

couple of options for day & time

• “If you’re available Wednesday, let’s meet

for coffee at Panera in Wilmington.”

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Optimize Your LinkedIn Search

• LinkedIn is the single most rapidly

growing means to connect!

– Recruiters – internal company &

independent

– Hiring managers, job seekers, consultants

• Review LinkedIn Learning Center for

Best Practices

• Focus your profile on specific

achievements, not just a list of job skills

• Advanced Search

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Use Effective Keywords

Find the keywords your target market is using:

o Identify recurring words/phrases in job descriptions

o Search for industry/functional peers on LinkedIn and review their profiles

o Network with contacts at your target organizations to uncover company-

specific terms

1. Find your keywords by visiting job boards, such as indeed.com, linkup.com

2. Copy & paste 5-10 job descriptions that fit your interests and experience

into a Word document

3. Remove headers and company information from the job descriptions. Paste

all 5-10 job descriptions at one time into one of the following word cloud

sites: www.Tagcrowd.com or www.Wordle.net

4. Identify the 3-5 ‘core’ keywords that appear the largest - integrate those into

the important keyword sections in your profile

5. Test it – type in your keywords in the LinkedIn search bar for “people” in

your geographic area – change the “Sort by: Relevance” at the top left to

“Sort by: Keywords” - ideally, you should appear on first two or three pages!

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Example Cloud Keywords for

“Marketing Communications”

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• Use concise skills summary with “|”

separating each skill

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NETWORKING

=

CONNECTING

So get out and CONNECT!

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