Category Archives: Business Networking Tips

What If Nobody Is Watching?

Kevin Willett says no matter the viewers, we all build our businesses one client at a time.

I always talk about one of the best ways to market yourself is by using short videos. I love FB live. I love using Zoom to interview clients in my short 3 Questions With promotions. Videos are great! But what if nobody is watching? I try and do a FB live business networking tip video every morning. One day this week I had over seven hundred viewers. The next day I had fifty. But you know what, that’s OK. That day I got a client out of it!

Using videos allows prospective clients to connect with you. They can see your personality and learn more about your business before making that initial phone call or connection. It’s easy to get discouraged when doing videos. We all want to be a viral superstar. Maybe that will happen and maybe it won’t. You may be tempted to give up, but remember you are building your brand and that is important. Some videos will be more popular than others. The number of viewers is not as important as who is viewing and just maybe you will get a new client out of it. Isn’t that the main goal?

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

No Such Thing As A Friendly Ghost

Kevin Willett says Casper notwithstanding, ghosting is anything but friendly

One of the challenges of being a business owner is when people tell you no, they do not want/need your services. It’s tough to handle sometimes. But it is part of business. What is worse than someone telling you no? Someone ghosting you, not getting back to you, ignoring you. This is especially hurtful when you have spoken to someone and they tell you they do want your services. It has happened to me. I’ll invite someone to networking events and they tell me they are excited to attend. I’ll send invites and receive no response. I’ll email and no response. Why didn’t they just say no? They didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Well they have just wasted my time by making me work for them to come to events they had no intention of showing up to. They have wasted their own time by deleting my invites and emails. How does that help either one of us? Just say no! When I receive a straightforward negative response, I always thank the person for their honesty. This sometimes surprises them. “I can’t believe you thanked me for saying I did not want to attend your events!” They have just made my life easier by telling me there was one less email I’ll have to send that I will not get a response to. Of course, I’m thankful you just saved me time and effort!

If there is something or someone you need to say no to, then do it. Do not ghost them. This only causes anger; time wasted and hurts relationships on both sides. You could be viewed as unreliable and hurt your brand. Saying no is hard but is best for everyone. Don’t waste a business owner’s time by having them send emails, prepare quotes, or make calls on your behalf. Saying no hurts now but, be respectful and they will appreciate it and will benefit your brand in the long run.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

How To Nurture Business Relationships

Kevin Willett knows many ways to help build and maintain new business connections

I see people struggle with business relationships all the time. When you connect with someone new, you don’t want to seem overbearing or aloof. What is the best way to get to Know, Like and Trust with this new connection? My first piece of advice is to provide value to your new contact. How do you do that? I try to introduce my new contact to some of my old ones. People I think may be able to do business together or help each other out. Secondly, if you see an article or story that you think may help your new connection, let them know about it. Tell them where you saw it or send them a copy. Thirdly, ask to do a video interview with your new connection. You can record the zoom and show it to your friends to let them virtually meet your new contact. Maybe they will connect and do business together. Fourth, I like to share pictures on social media. Post a picture and tag the other person and their business pages. People seeing your post can click on any links you provide and check out the new person for themselves. These are simple ways to add value and show connections you appreciate and want to grow with them. No sales pitches, no pressure, just a slow build to help this person become comfortable with doing business with you and your connections. Of course, always follow up, keep in touch, do what you say you will in a timely manner are also standard ways to build that business relationship.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

Forced To vs Opportunity To

Kevin Willett says the changing world is offering you and your business opportunities

What is the difference between these two phrases? A Lot of businesses have had to make major pivots in the way the due business this year. As I talk to different people about these changes some are using the phrase “I have been forced to…” others are saying “I’ve taken this opportunity to…”. The difference is in attitude and vision. Change is never easy. Think of the things happening around you and your business in this 2020 Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity and you will feel so much better. Catch yourself when talking to clients and friends saying opportunity instead of forced. Your outlook will change, and your business will be all right. 

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

That is Not My Name

Kevin Willett says be careful taking short cuts

The other day, I was sending a multitude of emails out. Same message going to many different people, so of course copy and paste was my preferred method of composition. We have all been there, in a rush not fully focused, and we mess up. I sent out a bunch of emails in a row and forgot to change the name at the top. I received a reply to one of the emails I sent “THAT IS NOT MY NAME and I am not interested in your event!!!”.  I would like to tell you that this was the first time this ever happened to me, but I would be lying. I could also tell you this would be the last time I did this, but that would probably also be a lie. Was it an honest mistake? Yes. But it comes across as being careless and disrespectful. I totally understand this person’s anger and frustration with me. I am glad the other email recipients cut me some slack, but they didn’t have to. The moral of my story today is to try to slow it down just a bit, recheck your emails before sending and stay focused on the goal. You won’t win clients by being careless. You also won’t be perfect all the time. But please make the effort.  

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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 Still Think You Don’t Need to Network?

Kevin Willett says having a strong network will get you through good times and bad

We have had some tough times recently. Businesses and individuals are struggling to stay afloat. I have had several people reach out to me for help with either job searches or business sales. “Kevin do you know anybody who…” is something that I am hearing a lot of. Other than their struggles, the one common thing among these people is that they do not have strong networks. They never felt the need to go to networking events. They never felt they needed to connect outside of their immediate circle. The people who built solid relationships with their clients, the ones who have a strong network behind them are the ones who are surviving and keeping their businesses going. I know as the networking guy, this seems easy for me to say, but it is true. I have had to adapt my business like many others. From this I hope everybody learns the importance of building our networks. Even when business is good you need to keep building your network, keep your network strong. I don’t want to see anybody, when times get tough, wishing they had the connections to see them through. Make those connections when ever you can even if you think you don’t need to! We can’t see into the future and you never know when even one of those connections you have could come in handy. Need help making connections? Not sure where to start? Contact me and I’ll try to get you started!

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

Who Are You Hiding From?

Kevin Willett believes you are stronger than your fears

Are you one of those people that have a fear of speaking to groups? Recently I had a student skip a class because he had to do an oral presentation. He called and left me all kinds of excuses as to why he could not present. In the end, I asked him for the true story, and he told me he was scared. I understand that, but he was to be graded on this, so he had to make the presentation anyway. Why kick the problem down the road.  The same goes for you and your business. What are your fears that may be preventing you from growing? Is it doing a FB Live video? Is it reaching out to clients for fear of rejection? Presenting your product to groups? Maybe you fear even starting a business.

The more we put something off, the harder it is. We all have fears to face. By trying to stall it increases anxiety and makes the fear more important than it should be. Stop hiding behind them and instead face your fears head on! You will feel much better, be more productive, and grow your business if you do!

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

Now is the Time to Grow Your Network

Kevin Willett agrees with the Scout motto: Be Prepared

I have been impressed lately with the amount of people connecting with me on social media. More impressive is the fact that a lot of my new connections are coming from younger people and recent college grads. Why am I impressed by this? These people are seeing the need and taking the opportunity to expand their networks during these crazy economical times. By growing their networks now, they will be ready for the end of the pandemic and the uptick in the economy. Current business owners can learn from these actions. Maybe business is slow for you right now. Take the opportunity to reach out and connect with future business partners, clients, referral partners etc. If you have the time, put it to good use. Be ready to grow.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

The Second Most Dangerous Statement

Kevin Willett says do not hide from change, embrace it

If the first most dangerous statement in Networking is “why do we do things this way? Answer: because we always have.”, then the second most dangerous statement is “I don’t go to networking events because no one is buying my services right now”. This was a statement I heard often at the beginning of the pandemic. This is all about your mind set. I have seen two different people with the same type of business, one with great sales and one not so great. Why are they different? It’s all in the attitude. Things have changed a lot this year, including networking. Now is not the time to wait for in person networking events to come back, because that might never happen. It may be the way you have always done it, but now is the time to adapt. Change your mind set.  The way I have adapted is with online networking.  As a business owner, we need to keep our connections current, we need to keep networking to meet new people, we need to keep growing our businesses. Right now, it is not possible to do things the way they have always been done. If you wait, it may be too late. It may not be easy but, make the changes you need to keep moving forward.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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

Now I Know Why

Kevin Willett says we can not predict the future so be prepared

We all know connecting with people through networking is important for growing your business. We try to connect with people who meet the criteria of what we are looking for in a client or referral partner. What about the people we meet or see on social media that do not meet the criteria? Should we connect with them too?

One of the mistakes I made when I started my Business Networking Group, Friends of Kevin was only connecting with people who had business to consumer needs. Business to Business type of companies I would pass over as I did not think they were a match. Five years later, I started the New England B2B Networking Group. It would have been a little easier if all those B2B businesspeople I met in the early days I had connected with and stayed in touch with! Same goes for people across the country that tried to connect with me. I thought, we are never going to be able to help each other or do business together. Now it’s 2020 and in person events are on a long hold. Video networking is hot right now. Someone in Texas can do business with someone in Massachusetts very easily.

We should all be a little more open to connections we make. Maybe you will be planning for a future business model you don’t know you are even interested in yet. Now I know why I should have taken a small amount of time to follow up with people who did not fit my immediate business needs. We can not predict the future and don’t know what crazy twists and turns life and business will throw our way.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

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