business card – Fedra Meetings & Events

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How to work a room

Posted on 7 Ottobre 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Knowing how to ‘work a room’ is a valuable talent.

Make it your mission to meet as many people as possible. Don’t spend all of your time with only one or two people. Even if you buttonhole CEOs, they probably don’t want to spend the whole evening with you glued to their elbow.

Introduce people to other people: everyone is there to meet people. By introducing people you know to others, you are helping the process and creating goodwill to boot.

Obviously, you are there to sell yourself, but don’t just turn into a speechmaker.

Ask questions to get others talking about themselves. Most everyone likes to talk about themselves. And, you could learn some valuable info that you can use later. For example, if someone mentions that their son is on the football team at school, at another meeting it makes a great opening to ask about how their son’s team is doing.

Reserve two pockets for business cards. One pocket is for your cards. The other pocket is where you put cards you receive from others. This keeps them separate and you don’t hand out someone else’s card inadvertently.

Turn your cell phone off. Interruptions are distracting and make it appear that you value your caller more than the person you are talking with.

The old adage of not discussing politics or religion holds true. With so many divergent opinions out there, you do not want to get embroiled in an argument you cannot win. It is the best way to make a bad impression.

And, lastly, industry receptions may look like a party, feel like a party and sound like a party – but they are not parties. They are social business events. If you drink too much and make a fool of yourself, people will remember that about you for years.

8 Tips to Be an Awesome Networker at Conferences

Posted on 29 Aprile 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Attending conferences is a great way to stay up to date and learn new ways to improve your business. Here some tips to follow to improve your network at conferences.

1. Create a list of prospects before the event

You should have a list of people you want to connect with before even arriving at the conference location. This allows you to do a little preliminary research to prepare for potential encounters — things such as identifying mutual connections or interests can help break the ice and lead to a smooth introduction.

Every conference website will have a list of speakers and some will even feature journalists and members of the media that are scheduled to attend. Another way to locate attendees is to search Twitter for conference related hashtags.

Having your networking targets identified in advance establishes a goal — you will network with more people this way rather than just wondering around aimlessly without a plan.

2. Stay at the event venue hotel

You might be able to save a few dollars if you book a hotel down the street or across town, but you will miss out on so much valuable networking time. You aren’t going to make any introductions or engage in small talk during the actual presentations — that happens before and after.

Leave your room early in the morning and get ready to network. Stick around after the sessions to continue your networking crusade. If you are traveling back and forth from the conference venue and another hotel you miss some of the most valuable networking opportunities.

3. Attend all planned social events

Some of the best connections are made at the hotel bar and during planned networking events — people are more laid back in a relaxed social setting. Mix in a few cocktails and guards are down, the vibe is welcoming and everyone is willing to mingle.

You should make sure to hang out there in the evenings and during downtime — even if you aren’t a drinker.

4. Practice selling yourself in under 30 seconds

When you are introduced to someone you want to be able to tell them about who you are and what you do — but most people don’t have time, nor do they want to stand there and listen to you talk for several minutes.

Master a 30-second self-pitch. They key is to make it interesting without it sounding like an overly promotional sales pitch.

What do you do? Where are you from? What are two interesting and memorable facts about you? Use this information and create your introduction — make sure the individual that you introduce yourself to is going to have a clear picture of you. They won’t forget you because your introduction was both clever and memorable.

5. Be armed with business cards at all times

You should have business cards on you at all times — keep some in your pocket and in your laptop bag. You should even keep some in your carry-on bag when you travel to conferences — airport lounges, rental car counters and baggage carousels all present networking opportunities prior to a big conference.

You don’t want to be the person that is just handing out business cards to anyone that will take one. I will initiate the business card exchange after an introduction if I want to connect with the person again after the conference. If not, I don’t offer my card.

6. Make eye contact, shake hands and be confident

Remember one thing — you aren’t the only person that is going to be out networking. There are going to be some people that are on the radar of every attendee. First impressions are everything. Make sure you make eye contact with your target, smile, be pleasant, shake hands and emit confidence.

If you are shy, at least pretend you are having a good time and enjoying yourself.

7. Be a listener, not a bragger or boaster

When starting a conversation with someone or joining in a group discussion make sure you don’t become the bragger or boaster. If you attend conferences regularly you know who I am referring to, as it never fails — there is always one person that wants to constantly tell everyone how great he or she is, and how their company is “crushing it.”

Show a genuine interest in everyone you are introduced to and listen to what they have to say. All rewarding business relationships are born when there is a genuine connection made — not a BS session followed by a business card exchange.

8. Follow up with everyone you met

As soon as you get home from the conference, reach out to all of the connections you made while networking. Send out an email letting them know how much you enjoyed meeting them and schedule a time to speak in more detail right away.

You are more likely to get them to commit to a phone call or meeting right after the conference than you would be if you reached out to them months or even weeks after. Get them to commit while your introduction is still a fairly recent memory.

What other tips do you have for effective conference networking? Share them in the comment section below.

How to Turn Business Cards Into Business Relationships

Posted on 22 Aprile 201619 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Business cards that symbolize fabulous connections and conversations can easily transform into annoying reminders of lost opportunities. So how can you turn business cards into cash?

First, the most common mistake is failing to collect cards. Many people give out their cards but fail to collect from others. Politely insist on getting the potential contact’s information so that you can follow up with him or her.

If he or she doesn’t have a business card (which is a rising trend), write down an email address so you can follow up afterward. You want the ball in your court so you have the capability to follow up. Don’t place the responsibility on the other person.

The second common mistake is failing to follow up at all. Intending to follow up won’t put money in your bank account.

To ease your follow-up efforts, have a system in place for the business cards.

There are many apps that take pictures of business cards, translate the text and add the information to your contact system. Snap a pic, recycle the card, and follow up. Quick and simple. I use Evernote for this.

Apps will also geotag the information so you can remember where you met. A simple option is to take a photo of the cards and email it to yourself or your virtual assistant. A low-tech option is to carry the cards until you get back to your office. If that’s your choice, be sure to have a specific place you put the cards. I’ve lost many valuable contacts to the abyss known as my purse.

Next, keep your connection engaged. The phrasing of your first follow up is as important as your first impression. Make sure you stand out and won’t be forgotten.

Avoid phrases such as, “I’m not sure if you remember me but we met at …” Starting that way puts you in a position of weakness.

Also, cut the word “just” from your follow up. Like, “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Justs” make your email (and you) inconsequential and ignorable.

To step up your follow up, be personal and interesting by mentioning something that you discussed at your initial meeting. Shared experiences, inside jokes or answers you found to their questions are great. Something conversational such as, “I love meeting a fellow Star Wars nerd!” keeps your email from seeming boilerplate.

Your top objective in following up is to get a response. There is one follow-up tip that has a 100% response rate. It’s a bit outside the box and takes a little more work, but it’s worth it: a video follow up.

With video follow ups, you don’t have to remind people who you are. They see you, hear your voice and instantly remember you. Plus, you are creating a more human connection because your nonverbal communication shares more than text can. As a bonus, you can tell if and when your contact has watched your video.

Video uploading services, including YouTube, have a number of views counter. I’ve had contacts watch my video messages a few times because they enjoyed them and shared them.

Your video messages don’t need to be highly produced. Just have good lighting and quality sound. I use a single lighting kit or natural sunlight for light. For sound, I use a Snowball microphone or simply my iPhone ear buds mic.

Don’t upload the video directly into your email. The attachment will be too big and get captured by spam filters.

Lastly, expedite the scheduling process for your next meeting with your contact. One of the biggest time sucks in modern life is sending emails back and forth to schedule something. To bypass that annoyance, I recommend having an online calendar tool.

Follow up is about personal connection. With these tips, you’ll be turning business cards into thriving business relationships.