Holiday Networking
Aaahhh … the crisp weather, holiday parties, and greeting card lists — it
must be December. People — even the most avid networkers – often take their
focus off their networking strategy during the holidays. To do so is a grave
mistake — it is one of the most critical times to maintain top of mind
awareness. Regardless of what you do for a living, your future success in
today’s relationship-driven economy depends on the number of quality contacts
you have and how often you make contact with them.
For job searchers, many hiring decisions are placed on hold until
after the holidays. Many people put off buying decisions because it is
the end of the budget year or because they are focused on the task of
holiday purchases. However, when the decision makers roll back into the
office after the holidays, they have a new sense of focus and often a
new set of goals and resolutions – they are suddenly inspired to pick up
the phone and act.
The most skilled networkers often find that they have to make hard
choices because they have conflicting commitments. The trend for holiday
events is now for them to be pushed up into November and early December
because there were so many conflicts around mid-December. However,
everyone got the same idea and now there are fewer formal networking
events in December. It creates a complicated situation for the
inexperienced networker who relies on those events for their networking
activities.
Here are some tips for creative networking during the winter holidays
so that you maintain top-of-mind-awareness on January 2.
Holiday Newsletters
If you aren’t doing a holiday newsletter currently, this is an
outstanding time to start. They don’t have to be elaborate but people
are really interested in what is going on with you and it’s a nice
change from the plain greeting card. If you are shopping for a job
change, this is a great place to tell people what kind of job you are
looking for. If you own a business or are in a sales role, mention what
you do and who your target client is. Your greeting card list —
especially your family members — is full of your biggest fans. They want
to help you succeed but they often don’t know the information that can
help them refer you.
Go Digital with Your Holiday Newsletter
There has never been an easier time to bring up a website for your
holiday newsletter. I include mine on my company website. I’ve
discovered that once I get the reader to my website, they are often
inspired to browse the other information out there too. A website
newsletter provides unlimited space too for photos, news, resumes, and
more. Depending on your company, you may want a public newsletter link
where anyone who visits your website can check out what your company is
doing — customer results, success stories, new products, or community
service projects that employees are doing. You can also have a more
hidden link for your personal contacts so that they still end up on your
website.
No website? Bring up a
MySpace page if you don’t already have one and send your newsletter
readers there. Adults are beginning to use
FaceBook more as well. This is also a great time to create or update
your
LinkedIn or
Classmates.com profile. Networking in the digital age is all about
web presence. Google your name and see how many places you show up on
the Internet.
Now I know some critics are saying — what about security issues? Of
course, be careful. Duh. However, your information isn’t as private as
you think. Type in your phone number in Google or Yahoo and you’ll get a
map to where you live. Our children today are putting the full names,
addresses, and more on their MySpace pages. You have to evaluate the
risks and protect yourself during even the simplest transactions.
Network with Family Members and Friends at
Holiday Get-Togethers
Regardless of how we celebrate the holidays in December, we have
opportunities to attend gatherings with people outside our normal
circles. In networking, number of contacts equates to power. By approaching these
activities with networking goals and an agenda in mind, you can make
these events more enjoyable and productive.
I set a goal to meet five new people at every event I attend and have
a brief conversation with them. It is so tempting to settle in and talk
to people I already know — especially if I haven’t seen them in awhile.
I will often greet those I know right away and then break away quickly
to accomplish my goal. Once I meet my five new people, I spend more time
with those people I already know.
Maybe you aren’t a social butterfly and these parties seem more like
an evening in a torture chamber. Looking back at my corporate career, I
missed the opportunity to talk to people I didn’t know at the company’s
divisional get-togethers. When you engage in meaningful conversation
with new people — or even people you think you know, you
can learn new things about each other that can be beneficial. You can
get connected to new friends, fun hobbies, fulfilling community service
opportunities, new job opportunities, and new clients. Normal daily
office transactions (and even some of the usual networking socials)
often don’t give us the opportunity to get to know people at a deeper
level — but that deeper level is where real business relationships are
forged. The responsibility lies with us to take the responsibility for
leading the conversation. Don’t know what to say?
Click here to read my e-zine article on making meaningful
conversation called The Language of the Power Networker.
Arrive at Holiday Socials Early and Stay Late
If you arrive early, you’ll meet more people. You will also get a
chance to connect with people during the most critical point at any
potential networking opportunity — it is what I call the Gold Zone.
That is the first 20 percent of the event. People are less likely to
settle into their clusters or cliques before that time so it is easier
to engage them in quality conversation.
You can position yourself as the greeter or the host (because the
real host is probably busy with event details). Reaching out to welcome
people as they arrive makes even the shyest people feel like they have a
role to play instead of just standing by the wall clutching a beverage.
Arriving early is the best strategy when you are faced with an event
that serves alcohol. You can get some quality networking in before
anyone gets too relaxed and forgetful. Just remember to follow up with
anyone you meet within 24 to 48 hours afterwards to remind them that you
met. Skip the alcohol yourself or definitely stop at one drink. Anytime
I’m networking, I consider that a business meeting and I wouldn’t drink
alcohol at a business meeting. There are always some special
considerations, of course, but in general, use caution with alcohol. You
just never know what is going to turn off your next potential client or
boss.
Pack Your Business Cards and Remember to Ask
People You Meet For Their Cards
There is often a greater tendency to forget the people we meet during
the holidays. Sometimes the holiday amnesia is caused by the
overwhelming number of obligations in December. Other times, the very
presence of alcohol at the holiday parties fogs memories. People may not
remember you, but following up in 24 to 48 hours after the party will
help refresh their memory.
Perhaps you don’t have business cards because you have a job that
doesn’t require it. You still need some personal cards. Just go to
www.VistaPrint.com. Use their cool templates to design some
inexpensive and professional looking cards.
Rave About Your Networking Contacts to Your
Friends
Networking is as much about giving as receiving. When you are
engaging in meaningful conversation, you not only find out what
connections people have that will help you – you also find out what
needs other people have. There is no better gift that you can give one
of your business contacts than a nice warm lead — truly the Gift of
Networking. Think of it as matchmaking — if you connected your best
friend to her future mate, you’d be a hero. It’s the same thing in
business — someone who is looking for a new employee loves to have
referrals to job searchers who you would bet your reputation on. You
have corporate friends who need referrals for businesses that provide
great customer service — connect them so that it saves them time, money,
or hassle and you are a hero. All it takes to give the gift of
networking is to be in the right place and take a genuine interest in
those around you.
Enjoy your holidays and look at the whirlwind of activities as a
great opportunity to build your business relationships. You will benefit
and you will also discover ways to benefit others. Relationships really
are the currency of business today and making new contacts is it starts.
Happy holidays!
