A Worthwhile Source of Networking Contacts

In my previous life I spent 25 years as a teacher and had all sorts of roles in all sorts of very different schools. It is without doubt one of the greatest jobs in the world but, being an inquisitive sort, I decided to have a change and now have my own business.

In spite of what the media try to tell us the Business World and Education World have a great deal in common. In Business we are always striving to find new outlets for our products and to make new contacts: in Education teachers are always looking to find that extra edge that will help their students learn, or offer them an additional experience to enrich their lives.

There is one area where this shared desire to improve collides and that is in Statutory Work Experience. Every school in the country has to offer 15 year olds two weeks of work experience placement in a local business. In a secondary school near you there is a coordinator building a list of businesses to place 200+ teenagers every year.

By offering your business as a work experience placement you can achieve several things.

• A student who has had an enjoyable experience will be an advert for your business. I personally have done business with a firm of solicitors simply on the strength of the the tremendous way they treated my teenage daughter.

• Teachers use local services as well. During the placement a teacher will be given responsibility for overseeing the student. Often they will elect to supervise a student they know well. By simply praising the child concerned (when appropriate) you will create a positive relationship.

• The school coordinator will have a list of businesses where other students are placed, its quite reasonable to ask to be put in contact with these. Just say you want to "find out about and share best practice" which is one of the top ranking public sector catch phrases that opens all sorts of doors. You can then establish a line of contact with another business.

• And Finally....... You will be enriching a young person's life. That young person will never forget a happy work experience placement; indeed I know of several students of mine who have gone on to take up work with their placement business after school.

My Sister in Law loves Network Whoring!

Follow the link to businessnetworkingnow.com. the website of BforB East yorkshire

What I hate about Business Networking!

This is the name of the post I encountered on the internet today. It certainly caught my eye and I suppose has done the same for you otherwise you would not be here. Actually a better title would be "How Good Manners Make Business Networking Worthwhile."

The author transformed his business networking experience by doing something that I always do whenever I meet anyone anywhere and collect a business card. The same day, or as soon as possible, I send each person a quick e-mail along the lines of:

Dear....... It was really nice to meet you at........... today, It would be nice to find out more about your business. I hope that we get a chance to talk again soon.

I usually try to add some reference to the conversation we had, such "good luck with.... "or even a topic of personal interest "Let's hope Portsmouth don't get relegated again .. ". It takes five minutes and builds a sense of "Know Like and Trust." Simple but effective, and it won't be chore if you are genuinely interested in people. Here's the link.

The Sixty Second Pitch

A common feature of structured networking events, particularly speed networking events is the sixty second pitch. "You only get one chance to make a first impression" is a well worn cliche, overused, but it has a ring of truth nonetheless.

A sixty second pitch is one long first impression. You can make mistakes and rectify them. With experience and practice you can gauge the reaction of your audience, lower the tone of your voice, slow down or speed up. There is excellent advice in this article from business networking techniques.com.

The philosophy to adopt during the sixty second pitch is that you are there to give. Offer yourself as a colleague who will add value to your new colleagues, be generous, aspire to be someone they can Know Like and Trust, and they will be inclined to return the favour.

Something to read and share

Here's a quick link to an interview with Andrew Thorpe. Well worth a read.

Thanks to my colleague Stuart Walton for bringing this to my attention