The Simple Two-Minute Trick That’s A GAME-CHANGER for your Business Or Career: Part ONE
Have you ever said, “I hate networking”?
Chances are, you have – if not out loud, then quietly to yourself through gritted teeth, as you walk into a work event.
Here’s the thing: most of what you hate about networking? Isn’t actually networking. It’s schmoozing and bragging – and it very rarely works.
REAL networking happens gently over time, and most over email.
That sounds a little less scary, right?
A fundamental rule of networking that’s effective (and actually fun) is that it’s a long term relationship – not a one night stand.
So while that first in-the-flesh meeting is important when it comes to making industry friends – just like a first date is important when it comes to having a romance – it’s what happens afterwards that makes the BIG difference to your network.
And it’s your network that’ll make the BIG difference to your business or career – and to whether you are scrabbling to find clients or your dream clients are scrabbling to work with you.
The simple two-minute trick that will build your network and make you stand out: …
The Anatomy of a Networking Email
Something happened to me a few months ago that was entirely unexpected. A happy accident. And a PERFECT illustration of so many of the ways of talking to people that I’m trying to teach you.
The MAIN point I’m trying to get across when I talk about networking, is that it’s NOT about schmoozing: it’s about having lovely conversations with people you like. Basically, it’s doing what you already do with your friends – just with some other people.
It’s why I want to reframe networking, by calling it MIFing, or Making Interesting Friends (sometimes I even amend this to Making Industry Friends).
It’s why I love to surprise (and delight!) my clients when I tell them that they’re already good at networking – they just need to realise that and use it to their advantage.
It’s why my tagline is “Networking that’s actually FUN”. Because, believe it or not, networking can actually be FUN. Fun for YOU. For real.
The story I want to tell you illustrates all of this – and I’ve included…
How To Write an Email Subject Line That Gets Your Message Read (VIDEO)
Remember when getting an email – any email – felt terribly exciting? Really early on, when you got your first email address?
Oh, heady days.
The vast majority of emails I receive won’t get opened. I have a filtering system so I don’t even have to look at most of them, but even of the ones I see – I delete about half without reading. Ones that have subject lines like PRESS RELEASE or NEW SINGLE BY LONDON BAND or MARSHA WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO CALL ME? I AM YOUR MOTHER FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, IT IS YOUR DUTY.
Ok, joking about that last one (called her this morning). But you get the gist.
The sad thing is, some of the emails I delete are probably good, and might be a band I do want to listen to, or someone I would like to know about. But if I’m put off by the subject line? No chance. And that’s only out of a couple of hundred.
Big-shots in your industry – as I explain in the video – get THOUSANDS of emails a day. So if you want any chance of getting yours read? It must have…
My BIGGEST Client Secret: The Best Way To Sign Off An Email (VIDEO)
So, this feels a bit scary.
There’s this one trick that I tell my clients. I made the decision a while ago that I wouldn’t ever put this in a blog, because I thought I had to save something just for them…
What YOU have to offer big shots in your industry (VIDEO)
Let’s say there’s someone you’re desperate to grab the attention of.
They get 1000s of emails every day. Yours needs to stand out.
You could send them a giant teddy bear, holding a heart, that says,
I BEARY LOVE YOU
Or…. You could ADD VALUE to them, in one of the ways I talk about in this video.
Yes, even you, my currently small-fry-compared-to-them-friend…
Important Rule When Emailing Big Shots
Most people are pretty busy.
Big shots in your industry are VERY busy.
When you email them…
This Is The Most Important Moment Of Your Life. Don’t Fug It Up.
People throw the word “unbelievable” around a lot. But sometimes something IS unbelievable. Like, you actually can’t believe it’s happening. To you. But…it is. It is.
For reasons that have been kept secret, you…
Are You Making This One HUGE, Common Mistake In Your Emails?
There was a time when getting free music was a really exciting perk of any job.
CDs were expensive and, when I was in radio, it was lovely not having to pay for them.
There was also effort and expense for a new band, in sending you their CD.
They’d probably had to save up to record the demo, more to get it mastered and pressed, even more for the physical copies and then a load of cash for posting.
It was easy to listen to everything I was sent, because I wasn’t sent much.
Now that I occasionally choose music for TV shows, I still get sent tunes.
Because bands no longer have to put any hard cash behind sending it (and can generally record pretty cheaply and easily), I get a LOT of music.
Far more than I would ever have time to listen to. So a lot of it slips through the net.
What is it that will make me take the time to check out an artist’s songs?…
The Lie All Grown Ups Tell Ourselves
There’s a lie we all tell ourselves.
Everyone does it.
And, when you finally discover the truth, it’s a triple-whammy;
– you encounter shock and disappointment, on top of what is already an unpleasant experience.
Here’s a secret fact about me:…
The Worst Thing You Can Possibly Imagine. Or Maybe The Best.
It’s deeply offensive.
I can’t believe anyone would even consider doing this.
Picture the scene:
You’re out at a work function. It’s a launch for someone in your industry – mostly, you’re there just to show face.
Just as you’re thinking of leaving, you spot your friend Liz, stood with another lady.
You go over to say hello.
Liz introduces you to Silke.
“With an ‘e’ or an ‘a’?”, you ask.
She tells you it’s with an ‘e’.
You ask Liz how it’s going with the apartment she just moved into.
“Fine”, she says. “But I really needs some thick curtains – the sun is searing my eyes open every morning!”.
It’s late, so…
