Best Practices for Networking

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“This person doesn’t benefit me.” 

“I’m not getting any business.” 

Have you ever said, or thought, either of these things about a networking event or while involved in a business organization? It’s not the first time I’ve heard them, which is why they merit a mention here.

When you say these things out loud or to yourself, it’s likely that your first reaction is that you’re in the wrong place, or the organization is faulty. But consider for just a moment that maybe the networking barrier in these scenarios is actually you. 
Continue Reading Overcoming one of the Biggest Barriers in Networking

I’ve done a number of posts here recently on best practices for networking and relationship-building at conferences, and you may remember that I’ve said, more than once, how important it is to avoid your room at all costs. 

But there’s a counter-point to that which I’ve been thinking about a lot as we have our ILN Annual Meeting on the horizon, and that is – DON’T SKIP ANYTHING.

Sometimes, when attending a conference, it’s very tempting (and often reasonable) to combine other business with the business of the conference – you may have clients in the same city, or friends that you rarely get to see, or a spouse who is with you, but not joining in on the conference, and you feel that taking an afternoon (or two) or a meal (or two) away from the conference won’t be such a big deal. 

You may think that because a conference is only a few business sessions combined with some social activities (as our conferences are), that the social activities are just the way you’re rewarded for attending the conference. You may even think that because you’ve been to a city before, and done some of the same things, that you don’t need to go on those trips, because you won’t be missing anything. Continue Reading Best Practices in Effective Conference Networking: Don’t Skip Anything

"Authenticity" has become a dirty word in the last few years.

It’s right up there with some of the other most hated buzzwords and phrases – "at the end of the day," "thinking outside of the box," "synergy," "value add," "circle back," "bandwidth." 

Are you cringing yet? 

But even though the word "authenticity" might make your skin crawl, it’s actually a pretty important concept – it’s a buzzword for a reason. 

Today, I sat in on a webinar with Nancy Myrland (@nancymyrland) and Patrick Baynes (@patrickbaynes), on "How Law Firms Can Leverage Attorney Use of Twitter." As they were going through their tips, Patrick noted that the idea of being authentic is key to all networking, not just social media networking. And he’s absolutely right.Continue Reading “Authenticity” Might be a Dirty Word, but it’s Essential to Good Networking