Dublin City Enterprise Network For Women.
The July event of the Dublin City Network for women took place in the Clarion Hotel IFSC on 12th July.
The meeting featured a talk on 'How to network yourself and grow your business' by Marc Thornton of DTA Marketing. Marc gave a very motivating and practical talk on why networking should be an important part of marketing activities and how you can get the most from it by following some of his tips. Below is a summary of Marc's talk and some useful tips for networking.
How to network yourself and grow your business
Networking is a great marketing tool. Marketing consists of not only the marketing activities that you see but also the thinking that goes on behind the scenes. Marketing is about anticipating needs and responding to them. The NEED comes first. You may find that there is no longer the same demand for your product or service – what can you do to respond to the needs that customers do now have? (Marc gave the example of accountancy practices building up their insolvency practices). Where are the growth areas? Your product/service needs to be well thought out and the end results are your marketing actions. Networking is one of those actions and essentially free.
Marc gave a number of networking tips:
1. Set personal goals
This could be to collect business cards, see how people are getting in on business, etc.
2. Take your networking tools
Business cards (use both sides, be innovative, use large print)
Don’t forget to ask people for business cards – more personal than just giving yours out. It can be a good idea to make some notes on the cards such as the event you were and any requests or comments.
3. Dress smartly
4. Prepare your elevator pitch
Personalise your pitch depending on who you’re talking to
Ask questions so that you have an idea of how to approach them/what to mention
Build your elevator pitch on some key words:“Pillars”, These are buzz words that describe very clearly what you do. Three is ideal but you could use 3-4 words. Avoid general terms such as Value/Friendly/Solution. Action words are good. Make sure that the words/expressions are consistent. Don’t use negative words! Try the granny test, ie, would your granny understand the words?!
5. Make sure that the event will have an impact on your business. Keep the focus on your business and don’t waste time.
6. Try to remember names. There are various techniques you can use:
Evoke the senses
Write it down
Repeat it
Get a visual image that you can associate with the person
If trying to remember a name, go through the letter of the alphabet.
7. Don’t be afraid to keep moving around. Be a butterfly! Take all opportunities to move around and talk to people when at big seated events.
8. Invest time in getting to know people on a personal level.
9. Be prepared to give something to others. For example write down promises and deliver on them. Photocopy or scan articles and send them on. Keep your promises!
10. Send a follow up email to people you meet.
To network effectively, you need to be prepared to approach people!
Marc recommended that people use Social Media as part of their networking. He strongly recommended a You Tube video “Is Social Media a Fad” Marc also mentioned LinkedIn as a very useful tool. Some companies now allow staff to spend 10-15 minutes a day on LinkedIn as part of their marketing. You should try not to use the standard LinkedIn connection request – personalise it. Facebook business pages work well but keep separate from your personal one.
For more information, contact Marc at marc@dtamarketing.ie.
Not surprisingly, there was lively networking after the talk over wine and finger food as we tried out some of Marc’s tips. You’ll find photos from the night on the network’s Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/DublinCityEnterpriseNetworkforWomen
The Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women is an initiative of the Dublin City Enterprise Board as a way of supporting women in business. The network meets on a monthly basis and these are the events planned over the next few months:
Date
13th September - Meet the Entrepreneur, Speaker: Amanda Pratt, Creative Director, Avoca
11th October - Stop being fearful - Start being fearless! Speaker: Michael Comyn, MD, FlyFearless.com
For futher information about the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women email the network manager Pauline Logan at: network@dceb.ie