Need A Social Kick In The Rear? Career Site

Need A Social Kick In The Rear?

28 Aug, 2011 Career News Rear

Sometimes we need a gentle nudge. Other times (a few of us) need a solid kick in the rear pockets.

Is that you?

If youre not sure, ask yourself these questions:

1. How many one-on-one networking meetings did you have last week or the week before?

2. What is your monthly average?

3. Who are you meeting with each time? Is there a purpose or are you just trying to look busy?

4. What results are coming from each meeting?

5. How long does each meeting last?

Whether you are social networking for a job, to build a consulting business or to build awareness of your small business or nonprofit, social networking can play a big role in the effort.

But sometimes it just feels like work. And sometimes it feels too social. Like you are getting very little done in all those hours in the coffee house.

One of the biggest issues I see with aspiring social networkers is a pretty simple one. They just arent doing it enough.

So how do you give yourself a private and personal kick in the pants each and every day? Well, heres an idea I used back when I was a little pup doing the sales portion of my marketing training program with Carnation Company back in the late 80s.

Heres a little audio background on the idea:

So based on my Distribution 500, heres an idea you can use to kick off a strong next 30 days of social networking.

Ready?

Were going to call it the Social Networking 100. Our goal is to meet one-on-one with 100 people over the next 4 weeks.

Can you do it? Yes, and heres how.

1. Download the simple excel template: The Social Networking 100

2. Add your name or company logo to the top

3. Plan a start date and begin setting appointments with your network

And here are some helpful points to guide you:

Meetings should be no longer than 30 minutes. State that up-front so expectations are set.
Where possible, plan them back-to-back at your favorite centrally located coffee house. This saves you time and gas $.
Each meeting should have a purpose like Help John network into (his target company) or Ask Sarah for help with resume
Each meeting should have a result. This keeps you purposeful and helps you track the success of your meetings later in the month.
Meeting should be in-person when possible, but a phone or Skype call can work.
If one of your key results is to penetrate target companies, try this simple idea: a target company list you can hand to your network. They check off who they know and offer to introduce to you (and having them do it creates engagement). You take it back, write their name on it and follow-up via email as a reminder. Because as my friend Thom Singer says: some people just dont have follow through DNA. So you have to help them. Heres what that might look like:

Make sure you also hand out your networking bio that includes your specific job search objectives. If you are going to meet all these people, be sure to fill up their minds with specifics about what next role youd like to have.

OK, so I can hear you already: Gosh, sounds like an awful lot of meetings. I dont know that many people!

How do you fill up your calendar with five meetings a day?

Set follow-up meetings with influencers you met a few months ago (so you can stay top-of-mind)
Make it a goal to find five people in your industry or function at each networking event you attend. Offer them a 30 minute spot on your calendar this week or next.
At each meeting, tell people about your networking 100 and ask them if they have a few people in their network you can meet.
Invite former co-workers, vendors or customers for a quick coffee.
Join some new groups on meetup.com or find a charity that needs your unique brand of smarts. And network for meetings there.
Need a few more ideas? Try PlateWorks a simple download on the tools page to help you build a job search network.

Will this be easy?

No.

Will it get you out of the house, off the computer and into the hearts and minds of your network?

Yes.

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