Tag Archives: business networking tips

Because it is the Right Thing to Do

Kevin Willett by doing the right thing you tend to get the same things back.

Last week I had a friend ask for a referral. When she called the person I suggested, their phone wasn’t working. When she told me, I sent them a message so that they could get the problem fixed. My friend sent me a nice message thanking me for going out of my way to refer him and tell him about his phone. I have to admit I chuckled when I saw his message, because to me it was no big deal and the right thing to do. Sadly not everyone would have taken the time to reach out to him. When you are faced with situations like this, always try to do the right thing. You would expect the same from your friends and clients. This one simple tip will help you build your reputation and business. This is just a small thing, but if you give value to people, help them and they will often want to help you.

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.

Why You Should Be Active on LinkedIn

Kevin Willett says LinkedIn connections can create great opportunities.

I’m constantly amazed by how many networkers aren’t active on LinkedIn. I see people spending a lot of money to join various networking groups, but never taking the time to connect with their fellow group members on LinkedIn. For me, LinkedIn is essential to my success. Whenever I’m considering hosting an event in a new area, I use LinkedIn to reach out to people in the networking groups in that area, to see if they’d like to attend. I’m stunned at how many of these people aren’t on LinkedIn, or if they are, they haven’t bothered to connect with the other group members.

My friends, if you fail to do this, you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity. By connecting with the people you know, you have a chance to see their connections and to link up with these new people as well. Now, I’m not saying just log on and connect with everyone your friends are connected to. If you see someone on LinkedIn who may be able to help you grow your business or vice versa, ask your common friend for an introduction through messaging. It’s quick and simple. So this week, take the time to work on your LinkedIn profile and connect with your friends and business associates to help you expand your network. Also please make time each week to monitor your LinkedIn account. This week I received a confirmation that someone had accepted my invitation to connect and I couldn’t remember who the person was because I had sent the invite over 3 months ago. I have many friends say “I am on LinkedIn but I never check it” please don’t make this mistake you may be missing out on great opportunities.

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.

Sometimes There is Road Construction

Kevin Willett says do not let road blocks prevent you from taking your business to the next level.

I was heading to a networking event last week and when I arrived at the venue the road to enter the parking garage was blocked off because of road construction. I have to admit that I totally panicked and thought oh my God this is going to totally wreck the event because people won’t be able to park.  The only person who had trouble parking was me.

It made me think about how often we face obstacles in life and panic thinking I will never be able to get this done. I have learned that if something is important to me I will go around, over or through that proverbial road block. If it’s not important, I will use it as an excuse to give up. So next time you face the proverbial road block, take a deep breath and ask yourself, is this important to me? And if it is, then do what it takes to beat the road block because that is how you become successful.

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.

Be Consistent

Kevin Willett agrees with the old quote “Consistency is the Key to Success”.

My friends, networking is not something you only do when you need new clients. You must be consistent about attending events. I have a few friends who network like crazy when their sales pipeline is dry, then stop networking so they can meet up with all the people they met at the events. And then they start the cycle all over again by networking like crazy to meet more people. I think it makes much more sense to attend one or two events a week to keep people in your sales pipeline, rather than trying to attend five events in one week and then not show up anywhere for another month. You never want to disappear and make people wonder where you are.

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.

Be Approachable and Smile

Kevin Willett says that inviting newcomers into your conversations can lead to great things.

Have you ever walked into a networking event and nobody in the room would make eye contact with you? That has to be one of the most awkward feelings in the world. People want to feel welcomed when they arrive. So smile at them and say hello and welcome them into your conversation. I’ve made some great contacts just by being approachable and being the first person to talk to somebody new at a networking event. I have a friend who always talks about how I stopped in the middle of a story at an event and waved him over to listen and meet my friends because I knew he was new. We became friends that night because I showed him some love.

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.

Be An Advocate

Kevin Willett tells how being an advocate is a powerful referral tool.

People love to use me as their reference. I always go out of my way to be their advocate and tell a story about why people should do business with them. Be an advocate for your clients. It will go a long way towards building your relationships with them. When I meet people, I tell them I run this awesome networking group, but it’s much more powerful when my friends tell them the group is good and they should get involved. We all need advocates, so be one for your clients.

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.

Be First

Kevin Willett says don’t wait for other to give you what you want, make it happen.

When I was a little boy, I used to go to boxing matches. I’d always hear the expression “Be first,” which means punch first. I just realized that this applies to networking also. People often tell me they’re in a referral-based networking group, but they don’t receive referrals from certain members of the group. My first question is, “Have you ever passed them a referral?” Typically, the answer is, “No, I haven’t met anyone who needs their services.” I always encourage them to do three things:

  • First, search hard for a referral for them or introduce them to someone who may be a great referral partner (referral partners are people who can consistently pass references to each other, like a realtor and a mortgage broker).
  • Second, do coffee meetings with those people to educate them about your business and help them find referrals for you. One common answer I get is, “But Kevin, I’m a realtor. Everyone knows what I do.” Not true, my friends. Most of my realtor friends have niches they specialize in. There’s something unique about every business owner, so take the time to meet with those members and educate them about what’s unique about you.
  • Third, don’t be shy about asking for referrals. If you have clients who are happy with your work, ask them to introduce you to their friends who may need your services. I can often be shy about asking for referrals. But think about it. If I meet you, of course I’m going to tell you my networking group is great. What am I supposed to tell you, that it stinks? It’s so much more powerful when members of my group tell you that it’s great. Eighty-five percent of my clients come from referrals from existing clients. Now do you understand why you should ask your clients for referrals?

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.

Be Able to Clearly State What You Do and Who a Good Referral is forYou

Kevin Willett says the more specific you are the more business you can get.

This sounds pretty easy and straight forward, but often when I ask someone who a great referral would be for them, they tell me anyone with a pulse. My friends, we’re back in the epic fail category. If you tell me financial planners and CPAs are great contacts for you, I can start helping you right away. There’s an expression in networking that “everyone turns into no one simply because people don’t know where to start.” Here’s an example. If you’re a CPA and you tell me everyone is a potential client, I’ll agree with you, but I probably won’t ever give you a referral. If you tell me you specialize in helping people and businesses that have tax issues, then I’ll know to refer you whenever I hear of someone with that issue. Remember, the more specific you are, the easier it is to refer you. I have a friend who’s a painter. If you ask who a good referral is, he’ll tell you the exact size and type of the house he wants to paint, including how many windows the house has. His description makes you visualize this house. If he said anyone who needs painting done, would that make you visualize anything? If it would, it’s probably not too pretty.

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.

Celebrate Your Victories

Kevin Willett says it’s OK to applaud your accomplishments without sounding like a braggart.

Last week I learned that the cable TV show I host won a local award for best talk show. I was excited and happy of course and wanted to tell everyone. But I paused and I have to admit, I was reluctant at first to share it on social media because I didn’t want people to think I was bragging about it.

However, when I thought about it, I realized I am proud that the show won an award, and happy for the all the businesses and non profits I am able to help by having them as guests on the show. Why shouldn’t I announce it to make other people aware of the show so that I can help them too?

I see this happen a lot with my friends. They are often reluctant to celebrate their victories because they don’t want people to think they are bragging or they don’t want to make their friends in business feel bad.

I believe that as long as you are tactful about it there is nothing wrong with celebrating your victories.

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.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Kevin Willett says this is a great way to chat with someone who is not comfortable with small talk.

Many people don’t like to network because they’re just not comfortable with small talk. We’ve all had those painful conversations where we exchange one-word answers. When I’m talking with someone, I always try to find at least one question that will make the person smile and open up to me.

Let me give you an example. I was talking with a CPA at a networking event and, my friends, it was painful. I asked him three questions and he answered each with only one or two words. So finally, I asked him if he ever uncovered anyone stealing. Oh my God, his eyes almost jumped out his head and he went into this rather long and involved story about how he figured out a bookkeeper had been stealing money for years from her employer. I’ve been friends with him ever since, because I invested the time to connect with him. I could have just walked away, saying to myself, this guy has no personality. But I would have missed an opportunity to make a great friendship. So when you meet people, ask yourself one question: What would be important to this person? Then ask them about that. If you’re not sure what to ask, simply ask what they feel is their biggest accomplishment. You’ll learn a lot about someone from the answer.

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.