Are You Finding Friends or Forming Alliances?
A President’s Message by Kathleen Hawkins
As I ponder the member retention, growth and overall WOAMTEC membership statistics each week, I have to stop and wonder what makes one chapter more successful than the other? Is it the personality and skills of the leader, location of the chapter or the diversity of the attendees? Perhaps all three, but how come one chapter has lots of members attending , another lots of guests and another possibly not many attendees at all.
Though all 10 (soon to be 12!) of our WOAMTEC Women’s networking chapters are successful. I believe it has a lot to do with the energy and charisma of the group and the relationships people are forming within that chapter. What kind of synergy are you putting out? What type of dynamics are you creating in your chapter?
All to often, I see women coming to our networking luncheons with cards in their hand ready to tell the world what they need from them. Unfortunately, they never stop long enough to cultivate a relationship with the person they are striving to do business with. Are we searching for a one time sales transactions or cultivating relationships, forming friendships and striving to gain client’s for a lifetime?
Consider these five tips when attending your next networking luncheon:
1. Create an Introduction-Before introducing yourself to others, always ask their name and what they do first. This creates an open dialog and begins a positive first impression. Though appearance, hand shake, and dialog are important, cultivating a relationship will go further.
2. Create a list of the businesses you want to work with to make sure you meet with the key people for your business- Then, give the list to WOAMTEC Corporate and ask us to send them a Confident Women Magazine or invite them to a networking meeting. For instance, Jennifer with STE Communications may want to connect with Office Furniture companies or Copier sales companies because they have the same clients. Sylvette with Cakes by Design, Inc. may want to meet specific wedding vendors. Research who you want to meet prior to the event and work on getting them invited. This will also make your experience more successful and you more excited about bonding with them because they truly are a good lead for you!
3. Get Involved in your Chapter- Remember, just joining a networking organization is not profitable. You need to take an active role to create as much synergy as possible. The more involved you become the more likely others will remember and refer you.
4. Find a Mentor within your Chapter- A mentor can be an advisor or coach. Building a relationship with a person like this can only make you stronger. Observe how they promote their business and watch their behaviors. Learn from their experience and success. Learn how you can create powerful alliances with the other members and have your mentor work with you to think out of the box and see how you can help other members of the team. I give all the credit of the success of WOAMTEC to the fact that we have aligned ourselves with a team of powerful women who have attributed great ideas, skills, and talents to our vision.
5. Follow up with the People you Meet- Don’t just collect a business card and then do nothing with it. Follow up with the people you meet. Add them to your database, follow up with a thank you note, and remember to continue cultivating a relationship with them. Schedule a time to get together outside of a WOAMTEC meeting to get to know them and how you can work together better.
The bottom line is this….
Your goal should not be to attend a few meetings with the primary goal of getting new business. That is not what a WOAMTEC WOMEN is all about. A true WOAMTEC WOMEN can be defined as someone who genuinely cares about the people around them and strives to focus on others and their community while believing in the philosophy that what you put into the lives of others, always comes back to you. So at your next networking event, take the focus off of yourself long enough to place it on another. Take the time to find a friend or formulate an alliance. You might just be surprised at how much more you enjoy and benefit from the experience!
HAPPY NETWORKING! Make it a WOAMTEC day!
