This time of year is ideal for sharpening and honing your networking skills. There is not a better time to start building long-term business relationships. Christmas offers a chance to meet new people in a relaxed and social atmosphere whilst maintaining a professional relationship level.

However it is important to uphold your professionalism to make optimum use of the networking opportunities.

Nine common mistakes people make when networking over the festive season include;

1. Not Planning Prior To The Event.

Work out what you want to achieve from going to the festive event. Is it just to relax, have fun and unwind after a busy year? Is it to say thank you to your clients, meet new people or build long-term relationships? Your approach will differ in all these situations. Have a plan prior to attending the event and try to reach set goals. An example might be to obtain three new key contacts or to reaffirm an existing relationship.

2. Running Out Of Business Cards.

There is nothing more embarrassing or unprofessional than when someone asks you for a business card and you can’t produce one. Always carry too many rather than too few. Being prepared gives you more confidence and entrusts confidence when developing new relationships.

3. Making A Beeline For People You Know

Most people have a great fear of walking into a room full of people they don’t know. See this as a challenge rather than a handicap and avoid going for the easy option of meeting people you know well first. Certainly acknowledge these people but leave them until the end of the function to catch up with. This will maximise your chances of meeting new people.

Make a goal to meet five new people at an event. Don’t try and meet everyone of the 100 or so people at an event. Making a lasting impression with a few rather than a shallow interaction with many is far more beneficial.

4. Talking Too Much

Avoid talking too much about yourself. This is probably the biggest turn-off for prospective clients or alliance partners.

5. Not Listening

Business is all about providing solutions to people’s problems. How can you understand their problems if you don’t ask questions and listen? Use active listening skills to build rapport and gain a true understanding of their issues and concerns.

6. Hard Sell

Networking events are your opportunity to develop relationships. Avoid the hard-sell and get to know the person you are speaking with. Once the relationship has been established the business will come. Initial hard selling may have the opposite effect and drive the person away.

7. Lack Of Clarity

Research shows that 95 per cent of business people are often asked, particularly at a networking function “what do you do?”

Many have difficulty articulating what they do, particularly in conveying the benefits of their position to a prospective client. Having a ‘personal branding statement’ (PBS) really helps in this situation. It helps to clarify how you or your business can solve their problems and takes all the stress out of answering this question!

8. Over Indulgence

As with all things in life, moderation is key. In this context it includes limiting consumption of alcohol to an acceptable level and being mindful when introducing yourself to people. Remember you are a professional regardless of the situation or time of year. Respect those around you and your personal and professional responsibilities.

9. Not Following Up

Many people simply fail to follow-up on the prospects or business leads they meet at festive networking events. Put in place a system to follow-up, otherwise many of your networking efforts will be wasted. This can be as simple as an email or phone call to acknowledge your interaction and does not have to be business related. A relationship which might not seem to be initially good for your business may lead to you being referred on, one of the strongest marketing tools used to generate more business.

Good luck networking and building your social capital!

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom’s blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

You’ve been there. You are introduced to someone you have never met before. You and the other person go through the social niceties, talk about the weather, the prospects for the athletic team of choice, fashions, even “back in my day” but invariably the subject comes up, “What do you do for a living?” It is the moment of truth. It’s time to “toot your horn.”

I asked that question recently and the reply was a generic, “Oh, I’m an accountant.” The answer made me feel that being an accountant was like being a commodity - that, if I didn’t know better, all accountants are alike, just like all long-grain rice is the same. But the fact is that, unlike rice, all accountants are not the same. Some are cost accountants, tax accountants, Certified Public Accountants, and auditors. Some specialize in working with individuals, small businesses, large, or mid-size companies. Some are solo practitioners while others work in large, multi-national firms. Some are expert in very narrow fields; others are generalists. In other words all accountants are certainly not alike.

If I was considering changing accountants there was nothing in the statement, “Oh, I’m an accountant” that would make me consider selecting that person to be my accountant. I didn’t get the passion, the joy, the interest in the profession in that statement. If the person I was introduced to was interested in attracting new clients he should have given me enough information to judge whether I should consider that person. He should tell me, in very few words, what makes him stand out, why his clients like his services enough to continue using him, what value or specialized knowledge he brings to his clients.

Some people call that introductory statement an “elevator speech” or an “audio commercial.” Whatever it is called, it is a mini-script that, if it is well rehearsed and sincerely delivered can be the beginning of a new business relationship. If you are interested in attracting more business, script your own audio commercial and be ready to “toot your horn” the next time you have the opportunity.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, “Front Lines with Larry Galler” Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com

Let’s face it, when most people think of IT professionals, the image that comes to mind is the guy or girl with the glasses huddled behind a myriad of computer monitors, incapable of communicating with anyone other than their keyboard

In today’s competitive IT marketplace, this person also is exactly the type that no employer wants to bring on board and will, in fact, avoid at all costs. Strong communication skills are one of the most important traits employers are looking for either within the corporate environment or in consulting projects. In many cases, IT professionals are the only ones that really know exactly what they’re doing, if they can’t communicate well with co-workers, upper management and even prospective employers, the extent of their technical expertise is of no consequence and consequently rendered useless.

If you’re one of those people who are immediately felt the hair rise on the back of your neck when you read the introduction above, you’re probably putting together a list in your mind of all the reasons you don’t believe that strong communication skills are important in the IT industry. In response, I’d like to challenge you to jot down a list of all the people you know who have recently been promoted within the IT industry. Odds are, in 90% of the cases, you will admit that those people were not the ones that had the best technical skills.

In fact, I’d be willing to bet that as you’ve watched people around you move up within your organization, you’ve made the comment, “I’m more qualified than he/she is.” Be honest, the majority of people who choose IT careers are more comfortable sitting in a cube or office with a piece of hardware than they are sitting in a room of people. It’s one of the reasons you were drawn to and probably have been successful in this industry in the first place and it’s probably going to be the reason you continue to watch others pass you by for promotions, management positions and in some cases, even independent consulting projects.

The emphasis on strong communication skills for IT professionals has increased dramatically as the field from which employers have to choose from continues to showcase outstanding technical expertise. Technology professionals, however, are no longer being relagated to the background. In many cases, their recommendations and concepts are having a direct and effective impact on overall corporate strategies. Consequently, if you don’t have strong communication skills, you might get a job but you’ll probably be stuck in it for a long, long time.

While the stereotype of a techie, such as the one described above, is often over exergerated, it is something that you will have to be able to overcome or disprove either in your current position or perhaps in an interview or bidding process. If your personality tests return results like introvert, reserved, or analytical, odds are you’ve got a few obstacles to overcome. In many projects, you will be asked to explain the value of your work to others within the company.

These other department heads usually have strong communication skills. While most MBA programs are currently addressing communication skills in their programs, for the IT professionals that haven’t had the training, the lack of these skills is detrimental to job security and advancement opportunities.

If you’re reading this article and can identify with any of the situations mentioned or are already considering spending some time to fine-tune and polish your communication skills, there are many tools available to you in the marketplace. It would be to your benefit to see whether or not your current employer offers and will pay for these types of classes. If not and you realize the importance of strong communication skills in your future success, you’re going to have to find your own.

An example of such a program is “People Skills for Techs” offered by Foster Success. This is a course that focuses on developing listening skills and providing feedback to upper management. There are many online courses and seminars available that have been designed specifically with IT professonals in mind. A quick search on the Internet should help you find something in your area. If you’re not interested or can’t find a particular seminar that appeals to you, however, you may consider hiring a coach or finding a mentor. There are a myriad of companies and independent personal coaches available to help you work on your skills in a more private and individual setting. These programs, however, usually tend to be a little pricey. Mentors, as opposed to coaches, are usually easy to find and often won’t cost you more than a lunch, drink, or cup of coffee.

Take a look at your colleagues and take a few minutes to rank their communication skills. If you find someone that seems to have it all together, arrange for an opportunity to talk to him or her about it. In most corporate environments, your co-workers are happy to help. If you have trouble finding someone within your own department, however, don’t be afraid to step outside your box. Any one in sales, for example, is usually more than willing to share their communication secrets and in many cases, will be willing to trade information.

In addition to the suggestions above, we strongly suggest that you expose yourself to as many other tools as you can. The easiest way to do this is by picking up a few of the excellent books that are available today. Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a must for every reading list. Another excellent title is Secrets of a CEO Coach: Your Personal Training Guide to Thinking like a Leader and Acting Like a CEO by D.A. Benton. As you’re reading, consider how you can incorporate the techniques into your own personal situation.

The bottom line is that quite simply, despite the level of your technical expertise, you will not be able to compete with someone else who is actually able to communicate its importance.

For more Visualization visit http://www.exforsys.com/content/view/1481/316/

Exforsys offers free training and career help specializing in C, C++, C#, Java, J2EE, .NET, PeopleSoft, SAP, Siebel, Oracle Apps, Data warehousing, Oracle/SQL Server/DB2 and Testing.

Please visit http://www.exforsys.com for more Training Tutorials, for IT Interview questions visit http://www.geekinterview.com, for articles and resources visit http://www.itquestionbank.com

• “Make Every Moment Count” is the title of a CD that a pharmaceutical company gave away at their exhibit booth at two major conferences.

Half of the CD covered the company’s new product news and “how-to’s”; the other
half featured tips from a speaker at those conferences. The gift was announced with
on-the-seat cards during the speaker’s sessions.

• A fullflilment house inserts a speaker’s “Communicate Clearly” tips sheets on top
of the informational updates that the fulfillment house mails out on behalf of their
corporate clients in the fields of insurance, credit and healthcare.

The tips are a welcome relief from the important, but highly technical reading below
it.

The speaker provides the camera-ready tips to the fulfillment house that offers
them as an extra benefit to their corporate clients.

Those clients pay for reproduction. Each sheet has a line at the top, “(name of
company) supports your personal success.”
• The largest beer producer in India introduced an upscale beer for women.
Hanging from a gold cord around the neck of each bottle is a card entitled, “Live
Well” that promotes a free 3″ x 3″ book of 100 lifestyle tips for women buyers.
Buyers get the book from their store when they turn in ten bottle caps. The book is
co-authored by an American woman speaker and a popular Indian woman
journalist.

These are examples of cross-promotions among speakers and people from different
industries or professions. Like all successful cross-promotions, they are aimed at
better reaching and/or serving a mutual market.

Successful cross-promotions build customer-attracting visibility and value.
Unsuccessful joint promotions can create irritation and lose credibility.

Some speakers are avid cross-promoters. Several have written about partnering and
joint promotions including Jeff Slutsky and Ed Rigsbee. Some informally or formally
share speaking leads. Some refer to each other in their speeches, articles, ezines,
web sites, books and media interviews. Some sell each other’s products.

To truly stand out in an over-advertised world, some speakers and other
consultants are beginning to partner with people a step or two outside the meeting
industry.

For your partnering opportunities, look more closely at your key stakeholders,
including your “hot list” of fans who have heard you speak, meeting planners,
speakers bureaus, exhibitors at trade shows where you appear, other speakers,
vendors who support the industry.

Now look at the markets and organizations that are important to them. In each
case, you may have a way to partner with a stakeholder - or with an organization
that is important to that stakeholder - to better reach or serve one of their markets.

Your “product” is your message, delivered in person, or in some other package.
More credible than traditional advertising, your helpful and inspiring stories, tips
and examples can naturally attract prospects to you and to your cross-promoting
partners.

Do you speak to manufacturers?

• What if your pertinent tips appeared on their packaging, along with your contact
information?

• What if your product was inside the package of a big ticket consumer product?
For example, techno-savvy speakers’ pertinent ideas could add a human touch if
they appeared on or inside computer hardware or software packages.

Two Lexus dealers will be placing a speaker/singer’s CD, “It’s a Beautiful Life”, on
the front seat of their newly sold cars.

For many years, speaker Bob Popyk has produced sales publications for retailers and
other distributors of big ticket consumer products, ranging from boats to musical
instruments. His clients are the manufacturers of those products. All these
publications pull people to his “Creative Selling” magazine.

Agilent Technologies sponsored my presentation for their clients and prospects.
Each attendee received a card pack with their technology tips on one side and my
communication tips on the other.

Offer your clients the opportunity to co-author articles with you for their
professional or industry publications. Tell them some of the titles of your timeless
articles so they can choose one to revise.

Via email, send your client the article she selects, with places marked to insert
examples and quotes from their industry.

Include brief instructions for completing the revision.

Ask her to send the version back to you for your final approval.

Offer to submit the article to the appropriate industry and professional
publication(s).

Now, more than ever, people are open to innovative ways to capture attention, offer
genuine value without price-cutting and reach new markets. Your suggested cross-
promotions can demonstrate your care for customers and your capacity to be
cutting edge.

Kare Anderson is the author of LikeABILITY (see Grand Store at
http://www.SayitBetter.com), Make Yourself Memorable and SmartPartnering. A popular
speaker on SmartPartnering and on how to be more frequently-quoted to become
your kind of customers’ top- of-mind choice, she also publishes the SayitBetter
newsletter, with 32,000 subscribers in 28 countries.