I’ve been quiet. Very quiet. (Well, not on Twitter but on here, yes.) I’ll admit it. A lot has happened since I was actively posting in the Fall. One of these things is that I’ve been commuting regularly between South Florida and Atlanta due to the expansion of my business and speaking engagements.

Another big change is that I’m pregnant! At the time of this writing, I’m at 21 weeks… So I’m sure you can see how that could be slightly distracting.

Tomorrow, I’m on my way to New York City  to speak at Blogworld NY (on offline networking for bloggers) and next month, I’ll be back in Atlanta for Skirt’s Creative Conference .

A while back, I shared  3.5 easy steps to prepare for an event. In my own preparation for these upcoming conferences, I wanted to share with you even more ways to plan for and maximize your event experiences.

1. Connect with speakers and other attendees ahead of time on twitter so when you attend their session, you’ve built rapport and stand out.
2. Exchange phone numbers (or minimally emails) for people you ACTUALLY want to hang out with versus just twitter handled. Why? Sometimes twitter FAILS + you can’t reach ANYONE.
3. Don’t automatically add  people you meet at events to your mailing list without permission.
4. Respect your limits and don’t push yourself. Rest, drink water and even bring snacks so you don’t starve yourself or end up spending an fortune eating out.
5. Wear comfortable shoes. At the end of the day, few actually remember what was on your feet except you.
6. Bring a sweater: it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it… Nothing ruins a good session like freezing during a presentation or session.
7. Pack an extra cell battery or charger. You will probably run out of juice. I love the “iGo.”
8. Bring an extension cord! You’d be amazed how some facilities do NOT account for laptop usage and have little (if any) power outlets available… An extra perk is that it’s easy to make friends this way, too, or at least spark conversation.
9. Help speakers out: when a speaker poses a question to audience, don’t stay quiet! Engage and speak up! But be thoughtful in your replies.. Don’t ramble or use the opportunity talk about a VERY specific problem to you that doesn’t apply to the rest of the audience.
10. Update your calendar: If the event you are attending provides an online forum or calendar option, update your schedule for sessions you plan to attend. It’s motivating for speakers to see RSVPs!
11. “Sit next to different people all the time. And ’say hello’!!” Sam Fiorella @samfiorella
12. “Put “hello my name is” tag on back of your iPad!!” (or laptop!!) Sam Fiorella @samfiorella
13. “Most speakers don’t mind live-blogging & tweeting during sessions, but do look up occasionally, it’s nice.” Jen Wojick @thejenatx

What other tips do you have? I’d love to add the to the list!

One of the hot targeted questions I’ve been asked consistently at the last few conferences I’ve spoken such as BlogHer and Spark and Hustle has been how to prepare for an event.

As I’ve been preparing the last few days for speaking at and attending Barkworld Expo this weekend, these are some of the things I’ve been doing.

Here are 3.5 things to consider:

1. Make sure you dress appropriately. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression! Enough said. Dress how you want others to perceive you and your business.

   (For women – If you are one of the types who is challenged when it comes to mixing and matching your clothes, I highly, highly urge you to sign up for a free account at Fashion-Ade. This site mixes and matches your clothes for you. That’s what I’m talking about! You get to build a custom virtual closet, which is SO easy as they have prepopulated items (and you can add more for custom items) and it mixes and matches for you based on the look you are going for!!)

2. Research attendeesThese days, you can find out a lot about an event such as who is organizing it and who is attending (if they utilized an online invitation).

   Google whomever it is you can find attending, or minimally the hosts. This makes having conversations much more interesting and disarms people who have their guard up when you’ve shown legitimate interest in them.

   Another strategy I use is to find them on Facebook or LinkedIn and see what people you have in common. You would be amazed as who you have in common with and sometimes that in itself is all it takes to get your foot in the door.

3. Set a goal. I cannot emphasize this enough. People go to events without a goal in mind and then wonder why nothing came out of it…

   - How can you hit a goal if you don’t have one set?

   - Why are you attending the event?

   - Who do you hope to meet?

   - What metric of success will you use to decide that the event was time well spent?

3.5 … Bring a pen!! To truly stand out among other networkers AND remember the details of a conversation, take notes on either a business card or notepad . This will show you to be an attentive listener and will help making follow-up much more personal. I can’t tell you how many people are surprised by my note-jotting and then compliment my attention to the conversation… Talk about a way to stand out.

Have you tried any of these tips?  What other tips do you have?

Lately, most of my prospects are needing help with this – figuring out who is their ideal client… I mean REALLY figuring it out. Why? Because… how can you market to them, or get referred to them, or even identify them when they are right in front of you, if you don’t know who they really are?

Many are going to events and having business meetings yet struggling with making solid connections or referrals because they can’t articulate this.. This is the foundation of successful referral partnerships. How can you establish mutually beneficial relationships with strategic alliances if neither of you knows how to help each other?

I found a great list of questions for determining who is your ideal client. (For the entire list by Bonnie Jo Davis with David Virtual Assistance, click here)

Four of those questions are:

Is his or her business located in their home?

What problems does this person have?

Where can you find him or her?

Does this person belong to any organization such as a trade association or volunteer group?

I’m noticing people are going to events where their competitors are… but they are NOT going to where their prospects are. And they think they don’t want to work with their competitors, because they don’t know how to truly leverage that relationship, and then wonder why aren’t they getting referrals or making money from the events they are attending… Here lies part of the problem.

Based on simply the 4 questions above, you should already be having some big AH-HA moments…

Case study:

• Let’s take someone who sells toner.
• They are probably going to events where they figure they should attend with other professionals such as Chamber functions or structured, general networking events.
• However, in those circles, they are bound to run into others who sell similar services (or know someone who does.)

I would then work with this person to figure these things out:

• Where can they go where they will meet less competitors?
• Where can they  meet people with the problems their clients have?

I’d suggest less mainstream events or or smaller events, such as town hall meetings, niche happy hours or targeted trade associations gatherings… You need to research to make sure that the people you are looking to meet will most likely be at this event. The idea is to maximize your networking efforts, not waste time.

On top of that, Mr./Ms. Toner could also think of what other people WORK with their prospect. Who can they form a  strategic alliance or referral partnerships with others who target that same demographic…

• In this case, accountants or bookkeepers would be a great alliance.
• They can also reach out to individuals who sell to schools, office managers or even government entities who already have relationships with the decision makers.
• I would also suggest they connect with people who help businesses cut overhead and reduce debt because they are probably scrutinizing every expense they have.. .

These are just some examples to get you thinking bigger… There are so many opportunities but if you don’t know how to let others know how they can help you or refer you to a good prospect or introduce you to a strategic alliance, how can they help you when you are unsure of how to help yourself?

Based on the four questions above, can YOU answer them? Share the answers in the comments below. You never know who may be reading the comments section and make a good introduction for you!

Mercedes Benz, Tiffany and Company and Louis Vuitton are three companies we can all learn a little something from…

When one sees that iconic circular logo or a box that is pastel blue or anything with the repetitive LV monogramming on brown fabric, one often knows instantly what brand is being represented… And it creates a feeling, memory or other form of association.

And now, like it or not, right now you are a brand… You are 100% BRAND YOU. In fact, regardless of what you are selling, people are buying YOU first. And just like T & Co, Mercedes Benz and Louis Vuitton, you too can apply their branding approaches so that when people mention your name, see your name or see a color or logo, an intentional chain reaction occurs.

Here are 3 big brand strategies that solopreneurs, freelancers and small business owners  like you and I can apply to help us stand out in the marketplace.

1. Color Branding.

Tiffany and Company has ‘Tiffany Blue’.. And yes, it’s actually trademarked.

Louis Vuitton often utilizes the signature brown Damier and Monogram Canvas materials, both of which were first used in the late 19th century.

And it is no surprise that I like pink. What has happened as a result of the pink accents on my Twitter page, on my business cards and on my website is that when I meet people (or see others I know) and fail to wear pink, people almost feel betrayed. They say “I can’t believe you’re not wearing any pink.” Now, people in my network bring me pink items, such as a pen, or give me fun things like  hot pink silly putty from the promotional item company, Swag Club.

2. Customer Experience

All three of these brands have separated themselves from the competition by consisting providing a certain kind of a customer experience. Go into any location and you will be treated with an elevated sense of prestige because they know that you don’t judge a book by it’s cover. The same goes for the interactions you have with people in your network and strangers. If you constantly treat people with respect, intrigue and the willingness to help, they will sense this sentiment of generosity and openness and that will relay to how they recall you and your interaction. This is KEY when building your brand.

3. Know your ideal customer.

It’s so easy to market to everyone and anyone but if you were marketing to your ideal client, there is a greater likelihood of them buying… and that IS what you want, right?

Ask yourself:

What does your ideal client look like?

How much money do they make?

What are their pains and how can you solve this for them?

Where can you FIND your ideal clients?

These brands know who their target markets are, they know what they respond to and they will stop at nothing to maintain the level of quality and prestige that goes along with their brand so that when their ideal clients are ready to buy, they are there ready and willing to make them feel loved… and want to spend.

How can you take this information and apply it to brand YOU?

Take some time today to think about your color (or visual branding), your customer experience and your knowledge about your ideal client.

Are you really doing everything you can to stand out from your competition? Are you really going to the places where your ideal clients or are you waiting for them to find you?

What things do you do to brand yourself,  stand out from the competition and stay top of mind?

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On a side note, here is an interesting and little known bit of Tiffany and Company trivia from Wikipedia - In 1862 Tiffany & Co. supplied the Union Army with swords, flags and surgical implements. This gives me another form of appreciation for the company. Wow!

There is no doubt about it – we are in a relationship economy. We are networking to develop our spheres of influence, we are spending time getting to know others beyond hand-shakes, we are connecting on social networks… And why? Because we are ultimately hoping relationships will help us grow our businesses.

But one thing is becoming scarily common -people who receive referrals, whether for business or strategic introductions, are ignoring a vital component of this process – and that is to show appreciation for the effort that someone put in to help YOU. Even more, which is shocking, overlooking the importance of saying (minimally) THANK YOU for providing revenue-generating referrals. Even if they haven’t generated revenue, the need to show gratitude still exists!

Referrals are an act of generosity. They are not obligatory.

Think about the last 6 months… Have you received any introductions to potential alliances? What about referrals? On the flipside, have you gone out of your way to introduce people? Have you intentionally looked to create profitable referrals between others?

And most importantly, when’s the last time you showed someone appreciation?

Now would be a good time to get caught up on thanking those who impacted your success. Remember, late is better than never because it isn’t just the thought that counts but letting people KNOW you appreciated it that does.

Here are 7 ways you can show appreciation:

1 – Saying Thank you

2 – A small gift as a token of gratitude such as a giftcard to someone’s favorite coffee shop or a Blockbuster card for a movie rental.

3 – Greeting Card

4 – Giving a referral back

5 – Providing a set of movie tickets

6- Offering to take someone out for a meal (depending on the value or impact of the referral)

7 – Sending someone a cookie or fruit basket. (remember, you ARE trying to show appreciation!)

What other suggestions do you have to creatively show appreciation?

Do you have any personal stories about appreciation (or the lack thereof?) Please share!

As someone who mentors others on how to be memorable for the RIGHT reasons, I’m going to speak up on 2 touchy topics because you don’t want to be one of those who are remembered for the wrong reasons.

Touchy topic #1

Talking while other people are presenting. I see this happen all too often during business meetings, networking events and even at conferences. It is NEVER OKAY to have a full-fledged conversation in “whisper” mode while someone else is presenting. Period. Either write notes or text but don’t talk. It is SO distracting and flat out disrespectful. You don’t want to be remembered as that person who talked the entire time, do you?

Preventative measure:
just don’t do it. DO NOT DO IT. And if you are doing it and someone has the guts to ask you to not talk, please don’t scowl or talk poorly about them. Be a professional and accept that you were being so loud that someone had to say something. It’s not personal.

Touchy topic #2

This has to be the most uncomfortable thing possible for me to discuss… And that is bad breath. I bet you can think of at least 2 situations recently where you encountered dragon breath. Can you remember the person’s name? What about where you were? I can think of at least FOUR situations over the last 2 months where I had to speak with someone with horrendous breath… This can greatly affect your reputation! I’ve seen 3 of those 4 people since the first incident, 2 of them have chronic bad breath, and now I somewhat avoid them..

Preventative measure:
Always have gum or mints with you and make sure that YOU are proactive in preventing it. This is VERY important when networking!!!

If you are coffee drinker or a smoker, this ESPECIALLY applies to you.

What are some touchy situations that you’ve had to deal with? Have you ever had to address the above issues with someone? How did you do it and how did it go over?

I was reminded tonight at an event of a simple yet often overlooked way to command attention when introducing yourself…

“Don’t hand someone your card until after you have introduced yourself, shared what you do and hopefully developed some rapport.”

If you do, you run the risk of them losing their focus on you, looking at the card and trying to read it while you are starting to speak.

It’s instinctive to want to hand someone our card or brochure when introducing yourself as it reinforces your name and maybe depicts an image of what we do. It’s especially tempting when other people around you are doing that and you are simply going with the trend.

Next time you are introducing yourself to someone, take note :

At what point are you handing out your business card?

Is it at the beginning of the interaction or the end of the interaction?

Are you taking notes on the back of your card? You can provide this to them as a helpful reference about your conversation and make the card exchange more meaningful.

What things have you found worked (or didn’t work) when introducing yourself to keep the other person engaged and actually hear (and understand as well as retain) what you are saying?

Yes, you read that right. I just said invisible and networking in the same sentence. How could that be?

I love to ask about the concept of visibility when talking at events. When the audience is posed with the question of “what is visibility”, naturally, many answer that it’s “being seen” and yes, in a sense it is.. However, visibility is about much more than that.

Merriam-Webster defines visibility as “the capability of being readily noticed”…

Let’s re-read that. It is “the -capability- of being readily noticed.”

Understanding this and applying it was instrumental in me being able to quadruple the size of our previous business through online and offline networking. Why? Because I was intentional in making sure that I was in as many places as I could be both online and offline so that when a prospect was ready to “see” me, I was there.

In fact, it got to a point where people used to say to me “Taryn, I have a referral for you but I knew I would run into you during the week and wanted to give it to you in person.” They knew they would see me and counted on it, why? Because I was intentionally visible.

It is often discussed that consumers buy on their timetable and not on ours… The same applies to business networking and referrals. The trick to capitalize on this is to be everywhere you can so that you are always top of mind so that when the opportunity arises for you to capitalize on a moment, that you are there, ready to be noticed.

That being said, just because you are out networking does not mean that you are capable of being readily noticed. Imagine people who are on Twitter but only update once every few days. Do you think they are demonstrating that they have the capability of being readily noticed?

Do you know that person who goes to a networking event once in a while yet wonders why they can’t get business referrals? Or why it is that they are not often remembered? What about that person who is on Twitter or Facebook and feels that they are pointless and they cannot grow their businesses that way? Consider their posting habits or their event outreach…

Are YOU struggling with some of these concerns? It might be time to look at your own online and offline strategy and ask yourself the question  “am I truly visible?  Am I easily noticable? Am I accessible and memorable?”

If the answers are no, then you too might be inadvertently practicing the art of invisible networking…

Now that you know that, what are you going to do about it?

On Oct 29, I was a speaker at the business meets charity event, “Small Business Giving Big, on “How to attract referrals like a magnet.” In addition to being a speaker, I had the pleasure to sit in on the presentation by Bonnie Ross-Parker, America’s “Connection Diva.” She was talking on pointers for effective networking and she said something that truly resonated with me. I have always applied this to my networking strategy and teach it to my networking coaching clients but she summarized it beautifully and succinctly.

“If you rescue someone, they will love you forever.” Bonnie Ross Parker

Now, I am sure you can see the various ways that this can be applied in life and business… In this instance, she was referring to when you are at an event and you see someone standing alone… There are always people like that at functions… In fact, you might have been one of them at some point.

Her point is that, if you introduce yourself, make them feel welcome and even try to introduce them to some others at the event, you will surely stand out. This will make all the difference in their experience and they will also be open to learning more about you because you went out of your way to make them feel welcome. In addition, there is a great likelihood that they will not forget that experience because of how you went out of your way.

“Why show up [to a networking event] if you don’t want to be remembered?” – Bonnie Ross Parker

Have you ever had an experience where an individual went out of their way to make you feel welcome? Have you ever “rescued” someone?  What were the results of those experiences?

On Thursday, November 5, the Vice President of Training and Development for Hooters, Inc., Kat Cole, spoke to 40 business women at an a lunch event hosted by my organization, Women Intelligently Networking (WIN!). She started out as a Hooters girl and now runs an enormous division of a company that generates over one billion annually. Suffice to say, if anyone knows something about customer service, motivation, sales, training, stigma and standing apart, it’s her.

Not only is Ms. Cole an incredibly inspiring and entertaining speaker, she is also very business savvy and has her own independent consulting firm that works with CEOs on leadership. There were many practical business tips provided as well as lessons shared from her experiences.

Here are three of the big take-aways that I had:

• It’s okay to be opportunistic – when opportunity arises, do not feel bad about taking advantage of it.

• Master the art of non-verbal communication – Only 7% of what people perceive is based on the actual words you use… What are you saying with the other 93%? (I also wrote a previous blog post on – “What are you saying before you speak” that addresses some of this.)

• “If no one is creating energy around you, you need to create it yourself,” This was the philosophy of the founders of Hooters who realized that instead of waiting for other people to get excited about Hooters, they had to do it for them and generate the buzz. Instead of waiting for things to happen, make them happen!

What tips do you have for getting ahead in the business world? Do you have any lessons that you wish you would have known when you started your business?