What's your best tip for MCC or networking newbies?

Thank you for all the advice.  I just began networking late last year and have really enjoyed the people I've had the pleasure to meet and in some cases, work with.

Looking forward to expanding that circle even more in 2009!

My best advice is come ready to meet great people and be interested in learning about them and their businesses.  Don't come to MCC live with the intention of selling anything to anyone... this is irritating.  Don't be the "card passer"... meaning that MCC or any networking event is not about how many business cards you can pass out or collect.  If you meet one great connection then your time was well spent. 

Talk LESS and LISTEN more!!

Last piece of advice:  Have Fun!  MCC is full of talented and dedicated professionals and it is a joy to be around them.

Be visible and involved - and never do anything if your motive is strictly to get a customer. Successful networking is about relationships. You cannot build a relationship if it's foundation is a desire to sell the other person something. Look at ways you can give to others instead (even if you are a new entrepreneur you would be surprised how much you can help others). Once you believe you can help others get out inthe community and start building relationships.

Listen carefully. People will tell you what they need - who they need to meet. Listen for the connections you can help them make - particularly those that are outside of your area of expertise - and then thank them for giving you the opportunity to be of service to them.

Stay in touch - but don't be a marketing stalker. Take time to get to know people personally, maitain "light" conversation with them, and over time, a relationship will develop.

Networking groups, and particularly networking meetings, aren't about finding prospects and business.  Sounds like heresy, doesn't it?  But it's true.  Networking groups, and particularly networking meetings, are about connecting with people.  Creating real relationships - and the more yourself you can be, the deeper the relationship can be.  People really do want to know the real you. 

I have found that the people I refer the most are the people I respect, and like, the most - not because of what they do, but because of who and how they are - and I only got that through repeated interactions and meetings with them.  Not once, but month after month after month as we both showed up, sat together at lunch, broke bread and talked.  About all sorts of subjects!  Sometimes it's business, sometimes it's kids and dogs. 

Every person I meet is a potential friend.  I go into every interaction to find out what is great about that person, and how we can connect, as people. 

So don't go to "drum up business".  Go to connect.  Go to relate.

My suggestion is to go to the events, meet some people, and build trust.

They will then be comfortable referring you.

Networking is like farming-plant seeds everywhere you go.  Get out there and have some fun meeting people!  People don't bite but they do what to be heard.  Dale Carnegie said it best-Talk to a person about themselves and they will listen for hours.

Terry Bean often talks about a wholesale vs. retail prospect.  Retail meaning someone you will sell and wholesale meaning someone who will refer retail to you.  At networking events you are looking for the wholesale prospect. 

I also look for people who can assist my clients of friends.  Making that connection gives rise to a true sense of accomplishment.  It in itself is a reward.  In order to do this listening and asking questions is required to discover if this person is able to fill the need.

As Benjie said this is not a short term fix.  It is like farming.  You need to feed and care for the relationship for it to bear fruit.

Also, check the discussion about books for other views.

Hi Terry

For the past few years I have given a talk call the Dos and Don'ts of Networking and have recently created an 8 page handout with over 60 networking best practices.

This handout is now a free PDF file on my web site  www.dempcoaching.com.

It can be found under the "useful resources" section under articles.

I hope this helps the MCC membership,

Barry

All of you are in the right place. MCC is the best place to network. Let me give you a couple of best practices.

Keep an eye on the calendar. Attend live events as well as working the discussion boards.

Give answers to questions.

Ask SPECIFICALLY for what you want.

Attend Terry's MCC learn.

Scroll through old discussions and asks to see who you can help.

I am always available to answer questions and I hope to see you at a LIVE event soon

Terry Bean really is the VERY best at networking--a true genius.  Just going to the MCC meetings and watching him work his magic is a great teacher in and of itself.

I personally find miracles happen when I take a "geniune" interest in people and ask myself, "How can I be of service?"  If I'm not connecting with a person, I don't fake it--I just talk with someone else who interests me.  I hope people do the same with me. 

It's also important to remember that everything that comes out of our mouths and everything we do can have a lasting impression--GOOD OR LOUSY!

My best advice would be to focus the majority of your efforts in networking to industry specific networking - Find groups that focus on your industry or what industry your looking to meet and work with for your business.

A lot of networking is and can be a lot of different areas - therefore muddying up the whole experience. Pin point exactly what your looking for and who your looking to meet - your goals in sales, etc and find the groups, events, websites, locations, etc based on that.

• Terry Bean teaches you exactly on, about, and how to do this without wasting time and money in networking. tbean@networkedinc.com

- Keith Stonehouse

My advice is to get involved and attend the events. At yesterday's Royal Oak luncheon, Terry shared EFFECTIVE networking introductions and then coached each one of us to improve ours in front of the group. It was SO valuable to me. A networking introduction is different than many others and Terry really crystalized it for me. I received far more value than the cost of this lunch. I have the 4 bullet points burned in my brain now and will always use this method in networking. His method narrows the field but doesn't reduce so much it's meaningless. In fact, it's the opposite.

   I have a question on networking.  How do you network in a situation like Motorcity connect live event when many people group around the folks they know. What steps can you take to include yourself into the group without being rude or obnoxious?

A quote from Zig Zigler, a networking guru  before anybody called it networking.

" You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want"