In this post I interview Liz Lynch, networking strategist, speaker, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online, and founder of the Center for Networking Excellence. Liz shares her thoughts on why sales reps need to create their own personal brands to succeed in the New Sales Economy, how she uses her social networks to create more opportunities and the ways building her personal brand has brought her success.
Chad: You mention on your website that your first networking event lasted about 4 minutes - how can sales reps become better at networking in person and online to increase their sales?
Liz: There's so much fear that can paralyze people-fear of looking stupid, fear of rejection- this holds people back from reaching out to make those connections that can really have an impact on their businesses, lives and careers.
There are a number of steps to overcoming this fear. First, is to get out of your own head and put your focus on other people. The more genuine interest you can take in getting to know others, the more they'll warm up to you and the more comfortable you'll feel.
Second, do whatever prep work you need to do in advance to feel at ease. Practice your elevator pitch so you can say it smoothly and without thinking, have some conversation starters in your back pocket.
And finally, just jump in and do it. Even though I did run out of my first networking event after 5 minutes, I did go to other events after that and grew more comfortable as time went on.
Chad: What has creating your personal brand done for you and how can sales reps benefit from creating their own personal brand?
Liz: The power of a personal brand for me has meant that opportunities seek me out. People come to me already primed to work with me, willing to pay the rates I'm charging. There's no chasing, there's no convincing. That really saves me time and shortens my sales cycle.
When sales reps develop their own personal brand, they'll find that deals are more numerous and easier to close. And because prospects want to work with them specifically, and not just any old person who does what they do, they can charge more. When a Hollywood director wants Brad Pitt in his movie, he pays whatever he needs to to get Brad Pitt.
Chad: What would your response be to the sales reps who think they are to busy closing deals to create their own personal brand?
Liz: Without a personal brand you are a commodity. A rising tide lifts all boats, but when times are more challenging, the few prospects that are still spending will go with the names they know. You may be doing well now without a personal brand, but you risk falling off the radar screen at some point if you don't develop a strong presence and differentiate yourself in a meaningful way. And since you can't build a personal brand overnight, it's better to get started now.
Chad: You're definitely a thought leader when it comes to using social networking - how can sales reps use social networks like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook to have more conversations and reach more prospects?
Liz: You bring up a very critical point, it's about having conversations. Connections happen through conversation, that's a two-way exchange by the way, not one-way. You have to find ways to talk to people, not at them. Using Twitter to continually broadcast promotional information about yourself is not going to get you far. People will eventually tune you out, like we're all skipping through the commercials on TV with TIVO and DVR.
The real key to using social networking is to be social - interact with people, don't push anything. Congratulate them on a success, connect them to useful information, help them advance their own agendas. That's how you gain awareness, attention, rapport, and get them interested in listening to what you have to say.
Chad: How can sales reps confront the changes that are taking place in the world with the rise of social media and begin to position themselves to benefit from these changes?
Liz: We're all suffering from information overload - we have more information coming at us from more sources and devices - we need help sorting, filtering, and making sense of it quickly. Our prospects are in the exact same position. So anything we can do to stand out, be noticed, be recommended by someone the prospect trusts, the easier it will be for us to break through the clutter. And this all happens through networking and personal branding.
Chad: If you could recommend one thing to sales reps what would it be and why is it important?
Liz: Build a reputation as a solutions provider, not just as a salesperson. If I'm a person you want to have in your network, do you want me to think of you as someone who's always trying to sell me something, or someone who's always willing to help me? Believe me, if I think of you as the former, I won't call you very often, if at all!
But if I see you as someone who is genuinely helpful, we'll end up talking more, and it's only through conversation that can you really build relationships with people. And when the time comes for me to buy a service like yours, you'll be top of mind.
Chad: Is networking in person more of an art, science, or a mix of both? Is it a skill that can be learned?
Liz: It's absolutely a skill that can be learned. I'm proof positive of that. And I think there's a bit of both art and science. I do offer a lot of the science in Smart Networking in trying to break things down for readers into step-by-step formulas, like how to put your elevator pitch together, how to ask for help from your network to give you the best chance of success. That kind of preparation can raise your confidence level.
The art comes when you're interacting with others. You have to be in the moment and fully present in the conversation to be able to flow with it naturally, where you're able to actually hear what someone is saying because you're not so consumed by what you're going to say. I found that having the science down in advance and doing the prep work frees you up to enjoy more of the art in the interaction.
Chad: What are some of your favorite social networks and how do you use them to connect, create more opportunities and increase your business?
I like the troika of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter because they do different things - together they give a wide range of ways to build and strengthen my network. LinkedIn is the first place I go to research the backgrounds of people I may be meeting so I can get a sense of who they are professionally and whether we have any common experiences. People don't put up as much of that type of information on Facebook.
But I do like Facebook for the "stealth promotion" aspect of it, posting things to my profile page that give others a glimpse into what's happening in my business. You also have a chance to post photos, videos and other things that can help you engage with your connections. And Twitter is my favorite for promoting other people. It's so easy to reply, retweet, link to resources that others have posted, and help them spread their message.
Thanks for the great insight and answers Liz!
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Liz Lynch shows busy professionals and entrepreneurs-introverts and extroverts alike-how to get 24/7 networking results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort. As a top networking strategist, speaker, and author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online (McGraw-Hill, 2008), Liz has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, as well as on ABC News, Fox Business News, CNBC.com, Forbes.com and Businessweek.com. She holds an engineering degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University. For more smart networking tips and resources, and to test your own "networking attraction factor" www.NetworkingExcellence.com.
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