Tag Archives: business networking tips

Are You Afraid of Rejection?

Kevin Willett explains why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for what you want in business.

Yesterday I was going through some of my social media connections and I came across a guy that I wanted to invite to attend some of our New England B2B Networking events. But I have to be honest, I said to myself this guy is really busy and successful, there is no way he would want to attend my events. I started to go past his name on the list when I caught myself and said ‘why are you deciding what he wants to do? Why don’t you invite him and see what happens?’ I think you all know how this ends. I sent him an email and five minutes later he responding saying that he had heard great things about my group he was wondering why I hadn’t invited him. I almost missed out on this potential client because I was afraid they would say no or not even bother to respond. I see this happen all the time. My friends say ‘I would love to have company X as a client’. When I ask them if they have ever reached, out they give me a bunch of reasons why company X wouldn’t do business with them. Honestly, I always laugh and say with that attitude you are correct they won’t do business with you.

So next time you are tempted to not ask for something you want, I want you to say to yourself ‘what is the worst thing that can happen if I ask them?’

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.

The Importance of Taking the Time to Nurture Our Business Relationships

Kevin Willett talks about the importance of not letting connections fall by the wayside.

Yesterday I was having coffee with a friend and she asked me for a referral for a service she needed. I smiled and said yes I have the perfect person for you, let me check with her to make sure it’s a match and I will introduce you by email.

When I called this person to offer her the referral, I realized I hadn’t spoken to her in three years. She hadn’t kept in touch. Now luckily for her I like her and know she does great work, so I had no trouble referring her, but it made me think about how often we take our networking connections for granted. Most of us have said something like ‘he knows me; he will call me if he needs me’. Really are you sure? In most cases this simply isn’t true. If you don’t take the time to nurture the relationship then sadly they are probably sending their referrals to someone else, someone who spent the time getting to know them better, someone who kept in touch.

Today I want you to take the time to follow up with the people that you met at the last networking event you attended. Connect with them on social media and if it makes sense, schedule a call or coffee meeting. You may be surprised by the impact it has on your networking activities and your referral rate.

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.

We Don’t Boo Bad Players

Kevin Willett talks about the upside of people not liking your business.

I was watching the France vs. Portugal football match yesterday. Early in the match Cristiano Ronaldo became injured and went to the side lines to try to recover. Each time he tried to re-enter the game the opposing fans booed him. The announcer said “remember we don’t boo bad players”. When I heard it I laughed and thought that is was so true. If you are a sports fan you always boo the best players on the opposing team.

I think this is also true in business. We have a tendency to boo successful people and businesses, especially if we see them as a threat to the success of our own business. So next time someone speaks badly about you and your business, rather than getting upset, take it as a compliment and remember ‘we don’t boo bad players.’

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 Careful Using Automation on Social Media

Kevin Willett explains why a personal note is better than automatic replies on social media.

Yesterday I had a person connect with me on Twitter. I often get requests for the service he offers, so I sent him a tweet asking if he does business in Northern MA and Southern NH. I did not receive a response.  A few hours later, I received an automated tweet saying how great it was to connect with me and to please keep him in mind if I knew of anyone who needed his services. Now I have already done a video on why sending a message like that is a bad idea. The video is called Why I Won’t Hit You Up If I Need You. You can view it here https://youtu.be/pYzHO9ux_ss

When I saw the message I laughed and said to myself, I tried to help you and you ignored me. Sadly this happens a lot when this type of an automated response is received.  Just to be clear, automated messages such as ‘out of the office’ or thank you for contacting me, I’ll get back to you ASAP’ are ok. These imply an action to come or a courtesy of letting you know why the person is not responding right away. The message I received made me think the person did not care who I was, but ‘hey send me some business if you can’. Think about how many people connect with you on social media on an average day. I bet it’s not a lot. Are you telling me that you couldn’t find 10 minutes to send them a personal note thanking them for connecting with you? So remember please be careful when using automation and always take the time to check your messages.

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.

Arrive Early for Networking Events

Kevin Willett explains how showing up early to a networking event can help the host in many ways.

The hardest part of hosting a networking event is the 15 minutes before the event begins. We hosts can get nervous thinking nobody’s going to show up. If you arrive about 10 minutes early, the host will appreciate it. For myself, having someone to talk with takes my mind off of wondering how many people will show up and whether a good time will be had by all. What is in it for you? First, you can often spend some quality time with the host. I can only speak for myself, but when I have 10 minutes to talk with someone before an event, I usually end up introducing them to a lot of people simply because their story is fresh on my mind. Second, it allows you more one-on-one time with other early arrivers. Also, the host often needs help with some last minute preparations, so being that helpful person will go a long way towards building your relationship with the host. I’d like to thank everyone who shows up early for my events. Thanks for keeping me calm and entertained.

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.

Know the Facts Before You Yell at Someone for Missing a Coffee Meeting

Kevin Willett explains why it’s best to know the whole story.

I had an interesting experience on Monday morning. I was supposed to meet a guy for coffee at 11am. I tried to confirm the appointment on Friday and received no response. On Monday morning I sent him a message saying that ‘I never heard back from you, so I am guessing we are not meeting today’. Now I have to be honest, I was mad that he couldn’t find two minutes to send me a message. Well a few hours later, I received a reply. He sent me a message saying that he had been admitted to the hospital. Here I was upset that he wouldn’t answer me and the poor guy was ill! That is why I always try to send someone a “friendly” message when they miss an appointment.

Our tendency is to send something sarcastic or angry when we think someone blows us off.  If you send someone an angry message, and something legitimate happened to them, then you look like a bad person. The better approach is to say something like ‘Hi, I think we crossed signals. I thought we were meeting today at 10am. I hope everything is ok. Please give me a call to reschedule.’ In the end, no matter what the reason, it’s best to not yell at someone for missing a meeting. Accepting, remaining polite and moving on makes you a better person and better businessman.

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.

Say Yes to Your Friends

Kevin Willett says helping friends when you can may reap surprise benefits.

Many of you know that for the last few years I have danced in the Nutcracker with my friend Roshni from the Northeast Dance Center. Dancing in the Nutcracker is WAY out of my comfort zone, but I did it because Roshni is a great person and she needed my help. Because I said yes, I was able to meet a whole group of people that I never would have met otherwise, and today one of them became a client. Now please understand, I am not telling you to help your friends to get clients. I am telling you to help them because it is the right thing to do and it makes you a good friend. Sometimes though, the universe does reward you with a new client.

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.

Record an Away Message on Your Phone

Kevin Willett explains how you could be missing out on important messages.

I have been making some calls this morning to promote our upcoming networking events and I am surprised by how many people don’t have a missed call message on their voicemail. Their message consists of them or a computer voice repeating the phone number. “You have reached 978…..”. There is no name, no business name, just the number.

Now maybe it is just me, but that always freezes me. I think to myself, is this person still in business? Did I dial the correct number? Often when this happens I simply hang up rather than risk leaving a message for the wrong person. Are your potential clients hanging up on you because they feel the same way I do? Why risk it? Take a few minutes today to record a proper voicemail message. But before you do, give some thought to the message. Have you ever left a message for someone and their voice mail message sounded like you were bothering them? Please make sure your message is upbeat and easy to understand. Don’t miss out on any more voicemails.

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.

The Check is NOT in the Mail

Kevin Willett explains that when is comes to money and business, honesty really is the best policy.

Have you ever told someone that their check was in the mail when it wasn’t? My question to you is why did you lie about it? Why didn’t you simply tell them the truth that you were waiting on some checks to come in, and as soon as they did you would email them and let them know that you have sent them their payment?  When you lie about simple things like this, it makes it really hard to trust you and refer you to others. Sometimes it is not just the lie. What if the company you hadn’t paid yet was relying on that money to meet their own bills, or to hit a budget goal? Being able to know that it wasn’t actually on the way may have helped them make other plans. Please remember this tip next time you are tempted to lie to your business partners. Honesty really is the best policy in business.

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.

Vision Networking

Kevin Willett explains how you simply don’t know what the future holds for you and your business.

I had an interesting coffee meeting last week with a guy who has some business interests in CT, MA and NH. Right now I am not hosting any networking events in the towns that he does business in, and he is not attending any networking events in the towns I host in, but we both wanted to meet because we know that eventually we will expand our reach into each other’s areas. We each had a vision of where we wanted to be.

A mistake I see people make all the time is they lack vision. They think about what they are doing today and don’t consider the future. When I started New England B2B Networking Group, I never imagined that I would host 22 events monthly. Honestly there were a number of people I didn’t meet with because I said  I am never going to host events in their town, so there is no need to meet with them. That was a big mistake and it slowed down my growth some. Please don’t focus on just what you are doing today. Make time to meet with people that might not fit into your plans today, because you simply don’t know what the future holds for you and your business.

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.