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 Business Networking in Austin Blog
By: Scott Ingram
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My blogging experience after 30 days. Now that I've finished my first official month of blogging I thought now would be a good time to talk about my results after the first 30 days.
First, it's been a great conversation piece. I've had conversations with a few people who've told me: "I've been reading your blog." Wow! Talk about instant rapport. I get a chance to ask them what they thought about some of things I've talked about, and they already know a fair amount about me. I've also found myself frequently saying: "I just wrote about that in my blog last week." Then I can talk about what it is I said. Each of those pales in comparison to the connections I've made with the people I've met who are also bloggers. I guess it's the shared experience, but these people seem to become instant friends. Bottom line, it's been a heck of a lot of fun!
The time committment is actually less than I expected. Maybe it's because I only post on average about twice a week. I find myself constantly getting ideas for topics to write about. I have a list of potential posts so long that I wouldn't have to come up with another idea for a couple of months. I'm not a particularly verbose writer, so I find that a typical post only takes me 20-30 minutes. Which means I spend less than an hour each week on my blog.
It's the personal stories that get the most traction. No single post has gotten as much attention as my post about "My poor neglected dog!" Sure this blog is primarily about business and networking, but it's written by me. I actually need to try and incorporate a little bit more Scott. I'll work on that.
Then there's the exposure. This blog is listed on a couple of dozen different blog directories. All of which have generated at least a couple of visitors. The listings also tend to be in very specific categories. So the people that are finding my blog through these directories actually have an interest in what I have to say.
All in all it's been an amazing experience. It's been less work than I expected. Has produced better results, and I enjoy it. You can't beat that.
Stay tuned. In my next post I'll talk about why blogging for business presents some unique opportunities.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | What is the right amount of networking? I’m often asked: “How much networking should I be doing?” Of course the answer to this question like some many others is. It depends. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that networking doesn’t just happen in networking meetings. However, when I’m asked this question the person asking is typically referring to the number of meetings they should attend.
I’m going to outline a couple of different strategies that I’ve used in the past (before I started networking for a living). Each person is going to be different. The biggest difference is probably going to be how much time is available. If you’re just starting out and don’t have many clients you’re probably going to have a lot more time. More than someone who is running an established business that spends a lot of time taking care of their existing clients. In both cases networking is important, it’s just different.
For my primary example I’m going to assume that you’re fairly established in your business or profession and are moderately busy. I’m guessing this is the average reader of this blog. You’re building your business and things are going well, but you can always use a few more sales.
In this situation I recommend a leveraged networking strategy consisting of approximately 2 meetings each week. The first meeting we’ll call your core network. This will be a weekly networking event where you really have an opportunity to build some very solid relationships. It’s hard not to build very good relationships with a group of people that you see on a weekly basis. The ideal size of this group will vary, and shouldn’t consist of more than 50 – 60 members. More than that and you’ll have a hard time developing really strong relationships. I’ll talk more in a future post about networking expectations. Generally speaking expect this core relationships development process to take at least 6 months to 1 year.
There are a lot of opportunities for these kinds of groups around town. Austin Executive Association, Austin Business Referrals, BNI chapters, CEO Network, National Business Exchange (NBX ), South Austin Networking Lunch, The Business Connection (TBC), etc. All of which can be found on the NetworkInAustin.com Calendar
For your second weekly meeting I suggest you get involved in a variety of organizations that typically get together just once a month. This would include groups like: Chambers of Commerce, industry associations, Breakfast Club Network, Independent Business Associations, Non-profit groups, etc. The idea here is to get some depth and to meet folks you wouldn’t ordinarily meet.
Here’s where the leverage comes in. In order to get referrals you’ve got to give referrals. The opportunity in this model is providing lots of referrals for your core network. When you’re out meeting new people each week at the Chamber of Commerce or association meetings be thinking of your core network. Who in these organizations could use their services? Refer, refer, refer. If you follow this model consistently over a period of time I promise you’ll be surprised at the results.
You’ll probably be able to develop relationships with several hundred people over the course of a year or so. A network of people who you’ve helped and who will be looking for ways to return the favor. We call this the law of reciprocity.
If you’re a more seasoned networker with a more substantial number of relationships you can probably get by with fewer traditional networking meetings. Your core network will consist of those that you already have ongoing relationships with. In this case I would suggest that you work more on cultivating these relationships rather than developing new ones. Focus on the top 10-20% of your relationships and make them stronger. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t work on meeting more people. It’s important that you get out at least a couple times each month to establish new relationships, and look for business opportunities for yourself and your core network. What I’m suggesting is that you’ve already spent a lot of time cultivating your existing relationships. Don’t drop the ball now. Work on making those connections stronger.
Ultimately the decision is yours. What benefit do you expect from networking? How much time can you devote to working towards that benefit? Take some time to answer these questions and develop your own networking strategy. When you’re done I hope you’ll tell me about it. I’d love to share what you’re doing with the other readers of this blog. As always I love hearing from you. E-mail me your thoughts: scott (at) networkinaustin.com
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Learning from Lance 
Whether or not you were following the Tour de France as Emily and I did (How did we live without Digital Video Recorder's before?). Watching Lance Armstrong win his 7th straight Tour victory offers some very interesting lessons.
Team work. Lance couldn't have won the tour alone. Not only did his massively talented Discovery Channel teammates help him over just about every mile of the tour. He also had an incredible support team; from coaches and mechanics to product developers and masseuses. Each one a specialist at the top of their game. All focused on keeping Lance at the top of his game. Certainly a lesson we can apply to our own businesses.
Hard work. During the television broadcast of one of the stages Chris Carmichael, Lance's coach, described how Lance trains for the mountains. After his explanation of this training regimen the actual race stage itself sounded like a piece of cake. That was probably the point. If you work hard, and do it in an intelligent way that takes you towards a specific goal it WILL pay off. Just watch Lance climb mountains.
Attitude. The way Lance mentally focuses on winning the tour is amazing. You can see it in his eyes, and almost feel it radiating from him. I'm sure that in his own mind Lance KNOWS that he is going to win. With an intention that powerful, and an undeniable belief in the outcome he couldn't lose.
Focus on a very specific powerful intention, put together a great team, and work hard in an intelligent manner to get yourself there. You WILL succeed!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Good Networking = Good Follow-up Networking is not a particularly difficult endeavor. It really comes down to a lot of common sense and the right attitude.
What really sets the good networkers apart from those who aren't as successful is the follow-up. You've go to do what you say you're going to do. Otherwise you'll find networking to be quite ineffective.
This starts with the meeting. It's generally best to confirm your meetings 1-2 days before they're set to happen. Give your fellow networker a call to confirm the time and place of your meeting. This step can save a lot of trouble. Occasionally I'll forget to write down an appointment, or write down the wrong time. You can also clarify that you meant the Kerbey Lane on 183, not the Kerbey Lane on Kerbey Ln. (based on a true story).
Show up to the meeting on time! This may seem like a trivial point, but it's incredibly important. If you can't be on time make sure you have their cell phone number. If I'm going to be even 3 minutes late I will generally call 5 - 10 minutes before the meeting to tell you that. Realize that the people you're networking with are generally very busy people, and their time is valuable. Respect them and their time. They'll respect you.
Then there's the real follow-up. Anytime you say you're going to do something for someone you MUST do it! Don't say you're going to do something if you're not. Again, this may seem like a very silly point but it's critical. Think about your own experience. How do you perceive someone who says they're going to get some information to you, and never follows through. Compared to someone else who quickly provides you with what you needed. It's a night and day comparison. Make sure you're doing this for those you're building relationships with. Heck, if you're going to be successful in business and in life you need to do this for everyone.
Personally I have a really crumby memory. For those of you who've seen the size of my phone you know it's that big because it's my replacement brain (much better memory). Another trick I use quite frequently is business cards. If I tell someone I'm going to do something for them I ask them for a business card. I'll then make a quick note on the back of that card to remind me what I need to do. At the end of the day I have a stack of cards with these notes. I know what I promised to do, and on the other side is all of their contact information.
Develop your own system. Find something that works for you so that you become incredible with your follow-up. I promise it'll be worth the effort.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Run, Drink Margaritas and Support the Town Lake Trail Foundation For those of you who know me well you know that I'm a runner. I have a group of friends that I meet most Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's under the Mopac bridge for a 5 mile run at O'Dark Thirty in the morning. The distance varies, but we also meet Saturday mornings for another long run. Just to make sure we've got it out of our systems for the rest of the weekend.
I just found out about an event that's going to allow us to combine many of our favorite activities... Running, Margarita drinking and supporting the Town Lake Trail Foundation, since we certainly use it frequently.
I'm talking about the Moonlight Margarita 5K Run and Party. For the uninitiated a 5K is only 3.1 miles. Even if you're not in the greatest running shape, this isn't too far to walk. Plus if you stick around for the party you'll be rewarded with Margaritas!
Check out the website for more details, but here's the skinny:
"First we run. Then we party! The race will begin and end near the trail at the American Legion Hall just south of RunTex on Lake Austin, where dozens of margarita machines and a full Mexican food buffet will await thirsty finishers.
Participation in the race is limited to just 3,000 racers. Only 500 tickets to the after-party will be sold, and they are going quickly, so we strongly encourage you to register now. Registration for the Moonlight Margarita Run is just $25. Tickets to the Margarita After-Party are just $40. Or you can take part in both events for just $60. On July 16, tickets will be $30 for the run, $50 for the party and $75 for both, but only if tickets remain available."
This is a great networking event in disguise. I know there will be a lot of really great people at the party. If you run in the 5K beforehand you'll have a great shared experience to talk about. And the best part... You'll be supporting a worthwhile cause!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | What's your Networking Agenda? Being a successful networker has a lot to do with your frame of mind, and what your agenda is.
First it's important to realize that sales and networking are two different things (this issue probably needs to be a future blog post). Networking is about building relationships and impacting others.
Where I see folks get into trouble is with their personal agenda. If your agenda when you're out networking is to make a sale you're going to have a very hard time. Too often we look at a room full of people in a networking event as a room full of prospective customers. This is a dangerous trap. If our agenda is to sell to these people we're going to miss out on the bigger opportunity. There may be a few dozen people in the room, but if we look at the number of people that they directly influence it can be in the thousands!
My agenda when I'm at a networking meeting is to do two things. First, build relationships. I want to get to know a couple of people a little bit better at each event. This often leads to us getting together one on one later to really begin to build our relationship. Second, I'm looking to help 2-3 people. This can take many forms. I might be able to refer them to someone. I may be able to suggest another meeting or opportunity that could benefit them. It can take a lot of forms. Really I just want to be able to make an impact, even if it's a small one.
What's your agenda? I'd love to hear about how you approach networking. What else has worked for you personally? Please e-mail me your thoughts: scott {at} networkinaustin.com
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Networking - Beyond Business Development Most of the time when we're out networking we're doing it because we're looking for referrals to new clients. We tend to be very focused on growing our business, and not on the other benefits of networking.
Building relationships through networking has some side effects that most other forms of marketing don't ever offer. Regardless of how else you're marketing or advertising yourself or your business the only thing you're likely to get, if you do it successfully, is more clients.
The relationships we cultivate through our networking efforts bring us so much more than that. This probably isn't a complete list at all, but it's a start:
Friendships - Think about some of the people you've met through networking. If you're truly building lasting relationships you're going to make some good friends along the way. I know I have!
Opportunities - So many times we don't know what we don't know. In talking with people and sharing with our network we're often made aware of opportunities we never would have known about on our own.
Resources - Probably one of the most impactful side effects is that of finding great people to help you. I doubt that you're very likely to find a really great Attorney, CPA or printer in the yellow pages. How many vendors have you found that you couldn't live without because of networking?
Giving back - I think most of us feel it's important to give back. It can be a real challenge to find good outlets for our money and our time. Often we never know whether or not we had an impact. By giving of ourselves and our contacts we can often give more, and have a much greater impact through networking.
What did I miss? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please e-mail me: scott {at} networkinaustin.com
Look for my next post where I'll talk about our "networking agenda"
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Referrals that keep on giving Which type of referral would you prefer...
1) 1 new client.
2) Someone who can refer you to 1 new client once or twice a month.
I don't know about you, but I'd pick the second option every time.
Too often we're focused on that next sale. That one new client. Imagine the leverage that we'd have if we focused on building relationships with people who could refer us not 1 new client, but dozens.
Now imagine the impact you could have on the folks that you're networking with if you referred them not just a single opportunity, but someone who could bring them potentially hundreds of opportunities over the course of many months or years. That'd certainly get me excited.
Now consider this information from both sides.
First, think about yourself. What type of person could have the potential of referring lots of new business to you? Next time you ask for a referral ask for this person, not a potential client. For example, a great referral for me is that incredible networker that you know. They obviously believe in networking, talk to a lot of people, are generally very well respected, and have the potential to refer dozens of people to NetworkInAustin.com.
Second, when you're out networking be thinking about who you might know that could refer a lot of business to the person you're speaking with. It's very likely that this person would never do direct business with this person themselves, but they could refer a lot of business. Your job is simply to introduce them to each other. It'll be up to them to build their own relationship and see if they can help each other out.
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Networking doesn't happen in networking meetings I realize this is a pretty outrageous statement, but the truth is very little networking actually happens in a networking meeting.
The reason I say this is because real networking is about building relationships. It's very difficult to begin building a relationship with someone with the many distractions present at the typical event. Between the dozens or even hundreds of other people in the room, food being served, presenters and speakers a real personal connnection is almost impossible.
Networking meetings are just the beginning of real networking and relationship building. It's at a networking meeting that you can make a few brief connections with a variety of people. Until a follow-up step is taken by you or your fellow networker you'll probably forget all about each other within a few days.
A networking meeting is a great place to identify people you'd like to begin cultivating a relationship with. You may want to review my previous post about Large Networking Events. I'll also be talking more about networking strategically in future posts.
Networking really starts with a one on one meeting. Getting together over coffee, or lunch and spending some time learning about your fellow networker is where a true networking relationship starts. This is not the time for a sales pitch! Instead take the time to learn about the person you're meeting with. What are they passionate about? What is their biggest challenge? Is there anything they need that you might be able to help them with?
Start really networking today! Pick-up the phone and schedule a meeting with someone you'd like to network with. It'll be time well spent.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Promoting your blog Getting exposure for your blog on NetworkInAustin.com is actually quite simple. Much like you would want your website to be listed on Yahoo and Google, you want your blog to be listed on the various blog directories and search engines. Fortunately the list is nearly endless, and submitting your blog is quite easy.
Visit any of the sites listed below and look for a "submit your blog" or "add blog" type link to get listed.
Blogwise
Technorati
Blog Search Engine
BlogTree
Blog Universe
Blogarama
The Blog Directory
Wil's Domain
Blogs for Small Business
Bloggerfind
You can find a much larger list of Blog Directories on Yahoo
After each entry to your blog you will also want to use a "ping" service. A ping simply tells the various directories that you've updated your blog and that they should come and read what you've written. The two that I use are:
ping-o-matic
pingpower
I'll discuss promoting your blog more in future articles and posts.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | For those of you who saw our picture in the Austin Business Journal this last week you need to know that they left out the most important part... The name of our dog! The caption reads: "Networking at a meeting of the Choose Austin First business coalition at DogBoy's Dog Ranch are (from left) Emily Ingram of Cafe Matisse, Scott Ingram of NetworkInAustin.com and Courtney Emken of DogBoy's Dog Ranch. Well the obvious star of the picture is Caesar!  As you can see he's completely worn out from the 10 mile run that Emily and I took him on before this event. One of these days maybe we'll figure out how to tire him out. Any suggestions? Scott M. Ingram NetworkInAustin.com | | |
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