Monthly Archives: January 2018

Are You Adding Value to Your Connections?

Kevin Willett says just a few minutes of your time may pay benefits for years.

I have learned that the best way to stand out at a networking event is to try to add value to every person I meet by offering to introduce them to someone I know or by sharing knowledge I have that they may benefit from.  I have been able to build some great relationships by focusing on helping the person rather than trying to sell them anything.

Here are a few additional things you can do after the event to add value:

  1. Subscribe to their newsletter – I try to subscribe to newsletters and then send them an email with a positive comment.
  2. Comment on their social media posts – how often do you take the time to post a meaningful comment on a social media post? For most of us the answer is rarely. Stop and take the time to comment on their videos or blog posts, it’s a great way to stay in touch and build that relationship.
  3. Email them and offer to help – I emailed someone last week to check in and asked if I could do anything to help them. As luck would have it they were looking for a second opinion on a business issue that I was able to help with.

These ideas will only take a few minutes of your time, and they will go a long way towards helping you build relationships.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Where is the Line?

Kevin Willett wonders where the line is between persistence and annoyance

Yesterday I was having a discussion with a friend about how often you should follow up with people who have expressed an interest in being a client. Where is the line between being persistent and being annoying? I told her that I usually invite people three or four times, and if they don’t respond, then I send them one final note, simply saying ‘please let me know if you are interested in attending events or being a client’. Sadly, this doesn’t always work. People may still not respond and so they get removed from the invite list. Sometimes, I’ll run into them months later and they ask why I haven’t been in touch. I tell them they never got back to me! Often you hear people say it can take between seven and ten touches before someone does business with you.

So my question to you is how often do you follow up with people? I would be interested in your feedback.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Do You Have a Business Card?

Kevin Willett says the condition of your business cards matters.

I found myself in an interesting position this weekend. I was at the grocery store and I ran into a friend who told me he was trying to get his friend to join my networking group. He asked me for a business card so he could have his friend contact me. Sadly, I had three cards in my jacket pocket and all of them were badly damaged. One actually had a piece of hard candy stuck to it! Luckily I had cards in the car so I was able to solve the problem.  Unfortunately, I see people pass out damaged cards all the time. Please think about the messages you may be sending. When I get a damaged card I think this person doesn’t pay attention to details and they are pretty frugal if they think it’s ok to pass out a business card that had a piece of hard candy stuck to it. Is that really the image that you want to provide?

Simple solution is to purchase a few business cards holders so that your cards always look good. Now please take a moment to look at the business cards in your wallet, pocket, purse or wherever and throw them away if they don’t look good.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Are You Giving Up Too Easily?

Kevin Willett not to assume you know the answers when you haven’t asked the questions

Sadly for me the answer to this question is often yes. I was reminded of this fact yesterday. I was going through some contacts, to invite them to events, and I came across two people. The first one I had invited to events about six months ago and the second one was a former client. When I saw their names I said to myself, I really don’t think they are interested. I was tempted to skip over them but I caught myself and said ‘stop making decisions for people, reach out to them and ask’. Of course the first person said they wanted to come to events and the second person said they wanted to renew their membership. Now if I didn’t take the time to reach out I would have missed out on the opportunity. So next time you are tempted to make decisions for people and not ask them to do business with you, please catch yourself and ask them! You never know what can happen.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Introducing The Shapr App

Kevin Willett uses the Shapr App (http://m.onelink.me/bd2524d9) to help expand his Network

Today I want to introduce you to the Shapr App. The best way to describe it is to say it is a dating app for business. Each day the app will show you between 15 and 20 profiles. You then decide if you want to meet the person or pass on the opportunity. If both parties want to meet, you will get a message saying that you both want to meet. If only one of you says you want to meet then nothing happens. This app has allowed me to expand my network across the country providing me with new clients and partnership opportunities. I highly recommend this free app to all of my friends.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Learning To Say No

Kevin Willett says it is best to take emotion out of decisions

One of the things I struggle with is saying no to people or opportunities. I feel like I am letting them down when I tell them I cannot help them. Some days you may just be maxed out on time and cannot help. Other times the opportunity may not be ideal for you. I have learned to deal with this situation by asking myself one simple question. Will saying yes to this opportunity help me reach my business goals? If the answer is yes, I find time to do it and if the answer is no, then I decline the opportunity. I find this helps me take the emotion out of the decision.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Did You Really Want to Meet Me?

Kevin Willett says that when you have an opportunity, you should take it.

I have been using a networking app that is very similar to a dating app to grow my network.  Every day the app shows me 20 people that I can network with. If we both say we want to meet, then the app sends us a message telling us that we are a match. I will then reach out to the person saying I would love to chat with them by phone to learn how I can help them. Sadly, many people never respond and simply let the opportunity to connect pass by, which defeats the purpose of using the app.

I also see this happen at networking events. You meet a great potential client or referral partner and you both agree to meet but then you wait for the other person to reach out. Or when they do reach out, you don’t take the time to respond, which of course ends the potential business opportunity.  Please make sure that you follow through because failure to do so will hurt your brand.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.

Learning to Accept Criticism

Kevin Willett says to try and take the negatives and turn them into something you can use positively.

One of my biggest weaknesses is that I cannot accept criticism. I take it way too personally. A while ago I spoke to a group of twenty people about business networking, 19 of them loved it, and one disliked it. Of course I focused on the one person who didn’t like it. I know doing that is silly, but I simply cannot help myself. I think it is important to consider the criticism that you hear and ask yourself if you can learn from it. In some cases you can. But most of the time the person is just having a bad day and taking it out on you, so simply let it go and move on.

Also, I want you to be careful in how you give criticism. Sometimes it is super easy to be critical of others, but please select your words carefully and ask yourself ‘how would I feel if someone said this to me?’ Please understand that we are all at different levels in our career, so what might be common sense to you, may not be to others. I see this happen at networking events. Often someone may try to sell you their services right away without getting to know you. Rather than criticizing them, try to teach them how to build relationships before they try to sell their services. Most people will be grateful.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.