As with the previous article on the importance networking for those in career transition I would like to post some quotes from the article on the importance of networking for business development in case the owner of the site will one day decide to delete the article. Once again I want to stress that though the article is written for attorneys by attorneys it is very true for many other types of businesses, industries and professions. Please, note that comments in itallics are my personal observations:
“The basics - knowledge and expertise in a given area … - are a vital component of any client development activities. Once the basics are established, however, you have to distinguish yourself through relationships and contacts.”
“The foundation of building a client base through networking includes maintaining existing clients through expanded business relationships to better understand the client and meet its needs.”
“A second foundation of building a client base is the acquisition of new clients. A common denominator in both of these building blocks to growing and sustaining a successful law practice (or any other business for that matter) is acquiring and sustaining meaningful relationships with clients, potential clients and others who can refer you business”
“Networking must be the personal responsibility of each attorney. It involves maintaining regular contacts with clients, lawyers, industry leaders, and accountants (any other stakeholders relevant for your particular industry). Success is predicated on building relationships, making contacts and systematically working on business development each day. Networking is "building relationships with anyone who can help you grow your practice." Boress, Cummings & Schneider, Best Practices in Building Your Personal Network for Attorneys (Sage Law Marketing 2004).
“Experts agree that effective networking involves determining your networking purposes and goals. You should identify possible contacts and develop a plan to ensure building upon these contacts. Be involved with organizations in which your best contacts, potential clients and referral sources are involved. Determine one or two of the best organizations, whether national or local …, trade association or other gatherings of prospective referrals, and set a plan in motion to become active in the group's efforts.”
“Once you have identified the correct organizations to plug into, maximize your visibility. Opportunities include working on programs or membership initiatives. Identify a moribund committee and breathe new life into it. Take responsibility for a job that no one wants and do a great job with it. Identify a gap in the organization's programming or activities and develop a plan to address it.”
“Effective networking involves a commitment of time, energy, and resources to produce meaningful results. An attorney (or any other professional trying to build his/her business) must care for the network, including personal contact with clients and potential clients through e-mails, calls, newsletters, and visits. One commentator equates effective networking with a gardener caring for his or her garden. If you come across an article or case that may be of interest to a client or potential client, send it to them with a note pointing out the importance of the material. Remember client birthdays, acknowledge important achievements, or determine a client's favorite hobby or sports team. Use this information to build relationships. The fact that you are thinking about the client will pay huge dividends. In this light, the use of technology to care for and feed your network cannot be overstated.”
“Effective networking should include building relationships with other attorneys”. (i.e. your own colleagues in the industry) As you have the opportunity to send business to others you meet …, you likely will see an increase in the number of referrals that come in. When the referral does come to you, ensure that you follow up with a personal thank you note.”
“Networking is the very foundation of all business development activities. As a business development tool, it requires maintaining regular contact with people for the ultimate purpose of developing business. Effective networking involves defining possible contacts, determining your networking purpose, developing a plan of action, and committing the time and energy necessary to produce meaningful results. …Commence your networking activities by taking one action each day to initiate and maintain a business relationship. This may involve a note to a contact you saw at lunch or forwarding an article …to a colleague.... By constantly reaching out and nurturing existing relationships and establishing new professional relationships, you will position yourself in a stream of opportunities, resources, information and contacts that will pay dividends for years to come.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Networking for Business Development, Part I of II
In my last post I wrote about networking for those in career transition but once you find a job (and this is relevant not for all but for many job types) or start your own business networking is extremely important for business development.
Here is a great article by Timothy M. Lupinacci and Rhenda L. Barnes, both working in the legal field, called "EFFECTIVE NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: BUILDING CONTACTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY",
http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/committees/CL983500pub/newsletter/200507/EffectiveNetworking.pdf
Though this article is written for lawyers by lawyers you can substitute a lot of occupations besides this one and the article will still ring true! If you are a tax accountant, financial advisor, IT specialist, marketing consultant, recruitment professional, sales representative (no matter what products or services you sell) or even a chiropractor, cosmetologist or a language tutor, etc. looking for new clients - this article is for you.
Of course, you might not do everything what is recommended there, say you won't probably take out your clients for expensive lunches, but you can deffinitely invite the prospective ones for a cup of coffee!
The selected abstracts from this article will follow.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Here is a great article by Timothy M. Lupinacci and Rhenda L. Barnes, both working in the legal field, called "EFFECTIVE NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: BUILDING CONTACTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY",
http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/committees/CL983500pub/newsletter/200507/EffectiveNetworking.pdf
Though this article is written for lawyers by lawyers you can substitute a lot of occupations besides this one and the article will still ring true! If you are a tax accountant, financial advisor, IT specialist, marketing consultant, recruitment professional, sales representative (no matter what products or services you sell) or even a chiropractor, cosmetologist or a language tutor, etc. looking for new clients - this article is for you.
Of course, you might not do everything what is recommended there, say you won't probably take out your clients for expensive lunches, but you can deffinitely invite the prospective ones for a cup of coffee!
The selected abstracts from this article will follow.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Monday, February 5, 2007
Networking for those in Career Transition, Part II of II
I realised that sometimes when you give a link to a great article it may not be there when people need it: it can simply be removed by the website owner. So to avoid the situation when the wonderful article I talked about in my January 21, 2007 post is lost (and all the valuable information with it), here are some important quotes from this article:
"Even if you aren't looking for a job, it is always important to keep adding to your network -- both inside and outside your industry. Why? Networking allows you to be in a position to win and be in with the decision makers who are making things happen. You can't take advantage of that unless you position yourself to win by staying in contact with your network."
"Go out of your way to meet every single person that you have the opportunity to meet. Meeting new people will be easier for some than for others, but it will be worth your while. If networking is hard for you, start on a smaller scale - but start! The other thing I must say is be genuine, because people know if you are a phony. For some, it may take reading books to learn to genuinely like and meet new people."
"Beware of networking errors. (1) Be sincere; (2) Don't ask for (or expect) payback; (3) Respect other people's time; (4) Follow through on promises; (5) Use special care with referred 'friends'; (6) Don't make disparaging jokes; (7) Err on the side of politeness and formality; (7) Don't wait to be properly introduced - practice a self-introduction; and (8) Say thank-you."
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
"Even if you aren't looking for a job, it is always important to keep adding to your network -- both inside and outside your industry. Why? Networking allows you to be in a position to win and be in with the decision makers who are making things happen. You can't take advantage of that unless you position yourself to win by staying in contact with your network."
"Go out of your way to meet every single person that you have the opportunity to meet. Meeting new people will be easier for some than for others, but it will be worth your while. If networking is hard for you, start on a smaller scale - but start! The other thing I must say is be genuine, because people know if you are a phony. For some, it may take reading books to learn to genuinely like and meet new people."
"Beware of networking errors. (1) Be sincere; (2) Don't ask for (or expect) payback; (3) Respect other people's time; (4) Follow through on promises; (5) Use special care with referred 'friends'; (6) Don't make disparaging jokes; (7) Err on the side of politeness and formality; (7) Don't wait to be properly introduced - practice a self-introduction; and (8) Say thank-you."
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Networking for those in Career Transition, Part I of II
The essence of my Guide is based on one universal truth: the first thing you have to do when you relocate to a new place is to start NETWORKING, especially in USA. It will help you with most of your needs: finding a job, starting or developing your business, making friends.
If you have not actively networked before this concept may seem strange and unfamiliar to you but you have to get acquainted with it and master it. Here is a link to a great article by the Esquire Group about the value of networking for those in career transition: http://www.esquiregroup.com/jobs_career_24.cfm
The main message of the article is : "Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Labor indicate that 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking (personal contacts)." And this one sentence says it all in terms of WHY you have to do it (and my Guide will give you detailed information on WHERE to do it). Also this article gives tips on how to network and avoid typical errors in the process.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
If you have not actively networked before this concept may seem strange and unfamiliar to you but you have to get acquainted with it and master it. Here is a link to a great article by the Esquire Group about the value of networking for those in career transition: http://www.esquiregroup.com/jobs_career_24.cfm
The main message of the article is : "Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Labor indicate that 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking (personal contacts)." And this one sentence says it all in terms of WHY you have to do it (and my Guide will give you detailed information on WHERE to do it). Also this article gives tips on how to network and avoid typical errors in the process.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Monday, January 8, 2007
About the Author
My name is Tatiana Sorokina and this is my first book. My journey to the West started when I moved from Russia to Budapest, Hungary to do my MBA in 1999. After graduation in 2001 I went one step further: I moved to London, UK to work. So when I was looking at the perspective of moving to the USA in 2005 I really dreaded the idea: too many life-changing events in just 6 years. But I didn’t have much of a choice: my husband was working in Chicago, IL at the time and one of us had to make the sacrifice.
My first feelings with regards USA were being lonely and being an alien in the New World. My friends, family, professional ambitions were left behind in Europe. My husband tried to help me as hard as he could but being a medical researcher he had no clue about Marketing/International Business field (my area of specialization), he didn’t know anything about business start-up or business development, women-related issues, etc.
So here I was standing at the crossroads and having no idea where to go and what to do next. Doesn’t this sound familiar? If you have relocated to USA or even within USA you probably felt pretty much the same way I did 1,5 years ago. According to various statistics 65 – 75% of jobs are found through networking, i.e. through people you know. That was good the news for a newcomer who didn’t know anyone.
Probably the same figures are true for your own business development. Now I meet a lot of people through various organizations I belong to and irrespective of the nature of their business most of them say that the majority of the clients they get are through referrals. If you want just to make friends in a new city you have to meet people somewhere somehow too.
It took me 4 months to persuade myself to go out there and meet total strangers and force myself to approach at least 1 person, make an introduction and ask for advice/help. I am sure many of you experience the same stress levels in these circumstances. A lot of you feel uncomfortable if not terrified just with the idea of networking and cold introduction especially in an unfamiliar country/culture. But I had to learn my hard way that you will not get anywhere without networking in America.
During the first 10 events I felt awful, then it started to get better. You definitely can learn how network and the whole process is so much easier when you know where you are going, what to expect, what is the structure of the event, what are the advantages for you, who you are going to meet, what is the environment, etc.
It took me more than a year to perform my research, analyze and filter the data, check out various resources so that you don’t have to! You would say that generally there are no easy ways in life but since I already “invented a bicycle” I will let you use it. Enjoy the ride!
If you want to contact me, please, write to: info@emadvice.com
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
My first feelings with regards USA were being lonely and being an alien in the New World. My friends, family, professional ambitions were left behind in Europe. My husband tried to help me as hard as he could but being a medical researcher he had no clue about Marketing/International Business field (my area of specialization), he didn’t know anything about business start-up or business development, women-related issues, etc.
So here I was standing at the crossroads and having no idea where to go and what to do next. Doesn’t this sound familiar? If you have relocated to USA or even within USA you probably felt pretty much the same way I did 1,5 years ago. According to various statistics 65 – 75% of jobs are found through networking, i.e. through people you know. That was good the news for a newcomer who didn’t know anyone.
Probably the same figures are true for your own business development. Now I meet a lot of people through various organizations I belong to and irrespective of the nature of their business most of them say that the majority of the clients they get are through referrals. If you want just to make friends in a new city you have to meet people somewhere somehow too.
It took me 4 months to persuade myself to go out there and meet total strangers and force myself to approach at least 1 person, make an introduction and ask for advice/help. I am sure many of you experience the same stress levels in these circumstances. A lot of you feel uncomfortable if not terrified just with the idea of networking and cold introduction especially in an unfamiliar country/culture. But I had to learn my hard way that you will not get anywhere without networking in America.
During the first 10 events I felt awful, then it started to get better. You definitely can learn how network and the whole process is so much easier when you know where you are going, what to expect, what is the structure of the event, what are the advantages for you, who you are going to meet, what is the environment, etc.
It took me more than a year to perform my research, analyze and filter the data, check out various resources so that you don’t have to! You would say that generally there are no easy ways in life but since I already “invented a bicycle” I will let you use it. Enjoy the ride!
If you want to contact me, please, write to: info@emadvice.com
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
About my Book
So you have decided to relocate to USA... You may come here for a couple of years to work or study or relocate permanently but in any case the first thing you will do is go to the book store and look for information about the country. That's what I did in 2005 when I got married and made a decision to move to Chicago where my husband worked.
The only guides about USA I found were tourist guides talking about how to have fun in this country for a couple of weeks. There were also a couple of books about history and traditions. But I needed to rebuild my entire life in a new place. There was no one and nothing to help me.
Well, you might argue: there is Internet! Yes, there is, but first of all, you need to know where to look for information and even if you know that you are overloaded with tons of data your brain cannot possibly deal with. It took me more than a year to perform my research, analyze and filter the data, check out various resources so that YOU DON'T HAVE TO!
Now all the important data is collected and sorted out in an easy to use "Legal Alien's Guide. Chicago. IL. USA". All the information is classified by categories: resources for various minorities, age groups, nationalities and purposes (job search, business start-up, social, etc.) Each organization/network/resource comes with my feedback: what it is good for, its adavtages, structure and extras.
The great thing about this Guide is that it is usable not only for people who relocate to Chicago. I use Chicago as an example but 2/3 of organizations I describe are present nationwide and you can find their chapters anywhere in USA.
Furthermore, this Guide will be extremely useful to Americans too. If you lived all your life, say, in Denver or NY you will be as much lost in Chicago as a legal alien. You will definitely need the help of the local resources that I provide in my book. Moreover, I have a colleague who relocated from Chicago suburbs to Chicago itself and was shocked to find out that life in Chicago is VERY different form the suburbs and she felt lonely and lost for several month while she was struggling to find her place in the city and rebuild her network.
I hope my book will be a great help to all of you stuggling to find your place under the sun in USA. I suffered my deal to make a transition easier for you.
The Guide is coming out in Spring 2007 and I will be posting up-dates on where and when you will be able to get it.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
The only guides about USA I found were tourist guides talking about how to have fun in this country for a couple of weeks. There were also a couple of books about history and traditions. But I needed to rebuild my entire life in a new place. There was no one and nothing to help me.
Well, you might argue: there is Internet! Yes, there is, but first of all, you need to know where to look for information and even if you know that you are overloaded with tons of data your brain cannot possibly deal with. It took me more than a year to perform my research, analyze and filter the data, check out various resources so that YOU DON'T HAVE TO!
Now all the important data is collected and sorted out in an easy to use "Legal Alien's Guide. Chicago. IL. USA". All the information is classified by categories: resources for various minorities, age groups, nationalities and purposes (job search, business start-up, social, etc.) Each organization/network/resource comes with my feedback: what it is good for, its adavtages, structure and extras.
The great thing about this Guide is that it is usable not only for people who relocate to Chicago. I use Chicago as an example but 2/3 of organizations I describe are present nationwide and you can find their chapters anywhere in USA.
Furthermore, this Guide will be extremely useful to Americans too. If you lived all your life, say, in Denver or NY you will be as much lost in Chicago as a legal alien. You will definitely need the help of the local resources that I provide in my book. Moreover, I have a colleague who relocated from Chicago suburbs to Chicago itself and was shocked to find out that life in Chicago is VERY different form the suburbs and she felt lonely and lost for several month while she was struggling to find her place in the city and rebuild her network.
I hope my book will be a great help to all of you stuggling to find your place under the sun in USA. I suffered my deal to make a transition easier for you.
The Guide is coming out in Spring 2007 and I will be posting up-dates on where and when you will be able to get it.
*******************************
Most helpful Chicago guide
http://www.legalaliensguide.com
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