Effective Networking
Techniques
Prepared for Salem Networkers July 2012
Why Bother Networking?
• FACT: Most jobs are secured through personal
networking – NOT through applications!
• Meet people inside & outside your professional field
• Help someone – they may be in a position to help
you someday
7/28/2012 2
Presented by C. Lazinsky 3
Three-Minute Branding Tutorial
Refine Your Personal Brand
Presented by C. Lazinsky 4
So what is a brand?
General definition:
• A promise of value -- associated with a
company, product or service -- that is
relevant, enduring and credible
• It conveys deeply held expectations based
on experiences and perceptions
• A good brand holds “Equities”
Presented by C. Lazinsky 5
What are Brand Equities?
• Deeply rooted positive associations
• Customer experiences & perceptions
• Two types:
– Functional = price, performance, delivery
– Emotional = personal associations
Presented by C. Lazinsky 6
Difference Between Brand and Product?
• Products and services are tangible:
– An item, hardware, software, component or
process
• A Brand is intangible:
– The image, reputation, character and
personality traits that are associated with a
product or service
– Represented by a name, logo or symbol
Presented by C. Lazinsky 7
Product Brand Architecture
• Sometimes brand is defined by the company
– Products draw their intangible characteristics
from corporate name
– Marketing communications supports the brand
– Product “names” function as descriptors or labels
Sub-brands
7/28/2012 8
Sub-brands
Presented by C. Lazinsky 9
Product Brand Architecture
• Sometimes brand is defined by specific products
– Company name is incidental or unknown to customer
– Product name is the brand name, supported by marketing
– A name becomes a brand when customers develop definite
expectations of the company, product or service
Procter & Gamble
Refine Your Personal Brand
• Enhance your “personal brand”
– Resume, business cards, “elevator” pitch
• Everything a potential employer might see
– Online: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogging
– “Google” thyself! Be aware of any damaging
mis-information, before an employer sees it!
• Often comments you leave on a website may
appear for years afterwards!
7/28/2012 10
Networking Resource Sites –
Marketing & Technology • Mass High Tech online events calendar: http://www.masshightech.com/;
Community & Business Events
• Marketing Professionals Network: http://www.mpn-boston.org/
• Merrimack Valley Venture Forum: http://www.mvvf.org/
• New Hampshire High Technology Council - http://www.nhhtc.org/
• Acton Mass. Networkers Group: http://www.actonnetworkers.com/ – Resource book http://www.actonnetworkers.com/resource_book.html
• Public Relations Society of America job site: http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter/
• Simply Hired aggregator job site http://www.simplyhired.com/
• http://www.LinkedIn.com "Jobs search” feature
11
Specialized Search Websites
7/28/2012 12
• Chaloner Associates national executive recruiters for
marketing professionals (see "current searches":
http://chaloner.com/
• For pharmaceutical/biomedical and medical device
networking: http://meddevgroup.org/
• For technology and biopharmaceutical networking:
• http://nstc.org/
• "First Friday Bioscience Seminar Series"
• Mass Bio - http://www.MassBio.org
• Environmental Business Council, New England green
jobs and networking: http://www.ebcne.org/
• Venture capital + Entrepreneurs – Route 128 Innovation
Capital Group
What’s the Cost &
How Do I Register?
• Event cost varies from FREE to $50+
• Register on the website, or send
e-mail to organizer asking for
consideration
– Discount for first-time attendee?
– Discount with an affiliate organization or
as a job-seeker?
– Ask to volunteer your time in exchange
for admission
7/28/2012 13
We Introverts Must Work Harder
• Introverted leaders
embrace solitude
– Warren Buffett
– Bill Gates
– Charles Schwab
– Pres. Barack Obama
• Think First, Talk Later
• Focus on Depth
• Exude Calm
• Prefer Writing to Talking
• Networking may seem
difficult, but sitting
home alone is
ultimately much harder!
7/28/2012 14
How Should I Prepare?
• Practice your 30-second introduction
– Clear, concise, to-the-point
• Have sufficient business cards
– Hand out cards only to those you find helpful or
interesting
• Prepare a Networking Summary Sheet
– Hand out ONLY to others who are networking
– This is a more detailed summary of your skills &
target companies
• Resource article from Forbes “How To Network
in 2012” 7/28/2012 15
7/28/2012 16
How Do I Approach People?
• Introduce yourself to multiple individuals
– “Hi, my name is ______ and I help companies with _____
(accounting, project management, marketing,
administrative support, consulting services…)”
– “What’s your name and professional interest?”
– “Have you attended this meeting previously?”
• Why do you like it?
• Who else should I speak with?
• “Can you refer me to someone involved with
_______ (name of company or profession)?”
• Exchange business cards and move on! 7/28/2012 17
How Should I Follow Up?
• Invite specific individuals to connect on LinkedIn
later
• Or, send brief e-mail reminding where you met
• Include link to interesting article or website
• If they are of particular interest or can provide
connections, invite to meet for coffee or brief
networking discussion at mutual convenience
– Consult Google Maps for nearby coffee shop or
restaurant - include link to that location and suggest a
couple of options for day & time
• “If you’re available Wednesday, let’s meet
for coffee at Panera in Wilmington.”
7/28/2012 18
Optimize Your LinkedIn Search
• LinkedIn is the single most rapidly
growing means to connect!
– Recruiters – internal company &
independent
– Hiring managers, job seekers, consultants
• Review LinkedIn Learning Center for
Best Practices
• Focus your profile on specific
achievements, not just a list of job skills
• Advanced Search
7/28/2012 19
Use Effective Keywords
Find the keywords your target market is using:
o Identify recurring words/phrases in job descriptions
o Search for industry/functional peers on LinkedIn and review their profiles
o Network with contacts at your target organizations to uncover company-
specific terms
1. Find your keywords by visiting job boards, such as indeed.com, linkup.com
2. Copy & paste 5-10 job descriptions that fit your interests and experience
into a Word document
3. Remove headers and company information from the job descriptions. Paste
all 5-10 job descriptions at one time into one of the following word cloud
sites: www.Tagcrowd.com or www.Wordle.net
4. Identify the 3-5 ‘core’ keywords that appear the largest - integrate those into
the important keyword sections in your profile
5. Test it – type in your keywords in the LinkedIn search bar for “people” in
your geographic area – change the “Sort by: Relevance” at the top left to
“Sort by: Keywords” - ideally, you should appear on first two or three pages!
20
Example Cloud Keywords for
“Marketing Communications”
7/28/2012 21
• Use concise skills summary with “|”
separating each skill
7/28/2012 22
NETWORKING
=
CONNECTING
So get out and CONNECT!
7/28/2012 23