Tag Archives: Business

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.

Did You Ask for Help Today?

Kevin Willett agrees with the song that says “we get by with a little help from our friends”

I find many business owners are often hesitant to ask for help and waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out things that our friends could help us with. Or worse, we simply don’t do things to grow our business because we don’t know how and we are too embarrassed to ask. One thing I have learned is, if you want to grow your business, as some point in time, you will need to ask for help. You must accept that you are not an expert in all areas of business. There is nothing wrong with seeking consultants or turning to successful business people and asking them for help. Some of my best ideas have come from my friends. Also, my friends have helped me not make mistakes when I think I have a great idea and I really don’t.

I often struggle with asking my clients for introductions to their friends. If someone is happy with your services there is nothing wrong with asking them to tell their friends about you. I always ask my clients to introduce me to their friends by email if they are interested in networking so that I can follow up with them. I have found this method to work best for me. Personally, I am not a fan of asking my clients to give me three people to contact who may want to come to events. I have been on the receiving end of these calls, and they are often very awkward when I have to tell the person I have no interest in their services.

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.

How to Improve the Results of Your Networking Activities

Kevin Willett says that doing your homework before and event, can really make you stand out.

It amazes me how few people take the time to research event attendees before going to a networking event.  This one simple tip can greatly improve your results.

A few weeks ago I went to a networking event at a school and each one of the employees had taken the time to research me. They asked me about my networking groups, my book, my radio and TV show. It was very impressive and made me feel special.

I have a friend who calls me before every networking event he attends and we discuss each attendee and the possibility of them doing business together. When he arrives at the event, I introduce him to the people that we decided on who may be a good fit for him. He takes the time to review their social media accounts and website before he attends so that he can comment on their business and experience. Because so few people do this, you will really stand out at the event.

Wouldn’t you prefer someone walk up to you at an event and address you by your name and comment on your business and achievements? I think we all would, so take the time to be that person.

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 Time Management Skills

Kevin Willett thinks everyone can benefit from time management

This semester I am teaching a class at the University and one of the topics is The Importance of Time Management Skills. A great topic, because students often struggle with managing their time. When I was preparing for the class, I realized that my friends who struggle with their business often have poor time management skills. Here are a few suggestions to help you manage your time.

  1. Are you a morning or a night person – I am a morning person. I do my best creative work early in the morning so I plan my day accordingly. I have some friends who are creative at midnight. It doesn’t matter when you are creative just schedule your creative tasks for that time.
  2. Remove distractions – I have checked my phone three times while I wrote this tip. Please close your social media accounts and put your phone out of your reach when you are working, it will greatly improve your productivity.
  3. Schedule your tasks on a calendar – I like to schedule all of my tasks on a calendar, allocating time for each one. Sometimes I will work too long on one particular task and it will throw off my whole day. By scheduling a set time for each task, it makes me more aware of how I am spending my time.
  4. Most important thing first – I try to ask myself two questions. What is the best use of my time right now and how do I make money. By asking myself these questions I am able to stay focused on what is important.
  5. Be flexible – sometimes you may have to change your whole calendar because something came up. That is ok just please don’t let it happen every day.

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.

What Does Thumbs Up Mean?

Kevin Willett says that business and emoji’s do not mix.

Last week I sent a message to a person on social media asking them if they were interested in attending networking events. He responded with a thumbs up emoji, which of course I thought meant that he was interested. When I later sent him further information, he responded by saying he was not interested. I encourage you to not respond to a message with a thumbs up or a ‘K’ or any other emoji’s. If you are busy, please wait until you have time to respond properly to make sure you are communicating the right message. Follow the same advice I give to my 3 year old nephew and use your words.

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.