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November 2002              Linda K. Liebold          www.CoachToSuccess.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Networking Part I:  Creating and Managing a Networking Contact List Next month:  Part II:  Increasing and Activating Your Network Creating and Managing a Networking Contact List Part 1 Networking is a great strategy, whether you are looking for a new job or a new friend, promoting a product or a new business.  However, many people fail to realize that they already have a great network even before they attend one of those “meet and greet” events designed to enhance networking.  Begin your networking with the people you know.  Diana Robinson, author and Personal Effectiveness Coach, suggests creating a “networking mindmap” of your contacts.  You start by “putting yourself in the middle of a sheet of paper.”  Then you “draw lines outwards in all directions, ending in a basic (contact) source.”  A source can be Friends, Neighbors, Business Associates, Vendors, Clients, and so on. You then “draw more lines as you think of more sources.”  Diana recommends including such items as “Education” which may “branch into High School, College, Grad School, Training School, perhaps even Elementary school…” She then suggests listing all the people who come to mind.  Other sources may include: friends, family, neighbors, business associates, former colleagues, clients, vendors, Chamber of Commerce, YWCA, and so on. With each source, list the people you know.  When I first tried this technique, I was truly amazed to discover how many names I had generated.   (See my sample Mindmap in Fig. 1.)
Constructing a Networking “Rolodex System”  Once you have completed your mindmap, gather and note information about each contact.  Harvey Mackay, author of Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty:  The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need, states, “Unless you have about a gigabyte of available memory in your cranium and can bring up information on demand, you have to write it down.”  He suggests setting up a “networking rolodex system.”  I’ve taken his advice.  Here are the categories I include.  Review these, choose the ones you want, and then add your own.  Date of Entry Name Phone/Fax/E-Mail/Website Title Company/Organization Address Make sure this information is current and accurate.  Next, come up with more individual, personal information.  Consider the following categories -- and create your own:  Initial Meeting Jot down the place where you met him/her; who introduced you; mutual friends; an activity you shared; when you last saw one another.  Birthday If you know it, include it. Just about everyone likes to be remembered on his or her birthday.  Family Know the names – but watch out for births, deaths and divorce!  Hobbies and Interests Note their passions: skiing, tennis, golf, history, music, chess…  Education – Graduate School, College and/or High School Attended Some people are very attached to their alma mater – and if you happen to have attended the same school, you have something in common. Memberships   Discover the professional organizations, political groups, clubs to which they belong.  Mutual memberships are great.  Career History Keep track of any promotions, demotions, and former employers. Achievements List special achievements, awards, publications – and remember to update the information regularly.  “Wow” This is the one Harvey uses that I like the most.  He describes it as “the stuff nobody else ever thought of, but which, if you can pull it off, is unforgettable.  Nothing makes a network sparkle more than an exact handle on what makes other people really happy.”  Creating an Effective Networking Management System  How do you keep track of all of this information – and be able to put it to use?  There are a variety of computer software programs from which to choose. I use  Microsoft Outlook.  Other effective programs include ACT! Goldmine and Up-to-Date.  If you’re not computer savvy, you can use index cards.  Just make sure you set up a logical filing system so the card you’re looking for can be found easily.  Building and Activating Your Network  Look for next month’s issue of Leadership & Life Tips, featuring effective ways to build and activate your network.  Recommended Resources  Mackay, Harvey, Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty:  The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need, Doubleday, 1997.    Putman, Anthony O., Marketing Your Services, John Wiley & Sons, 1990.   Robinson, Diana, Top Ten Lists, www.ChoiceCoach.com, 2001.    Share Your Tips If you would like to share your own networking tips and recommended resources, please send them to: Linda@CoachToSuccess.com and they will be included in the December issue of Leadership & Life Tips.  Complimentary Coaching If you would like a complimentary, 30-minute, no obligation coaching telephone session,  send an email to Linda@CoachToSuccess.com. ------------------------------------------------------------- © 2002 Linda Liebold All rights reserved. Feel free to forward this e-zine to others. Reproduction for publication is approved, provided the copyright information is included along with the following attribution: From CoachToSuccess.com, an e-zine by Linda K. Liebold, M.A., 410-544-3655 , Email: Linda@CoachToSuccess.com and website: www.CoachToSuccess.com   ------------------------------------------------------------- Leadership & Life Tips is a monthly e-zine featuring professional and personal strategies for success.  Each issue offers thought-provoking and practical tips, tactics, and resources to motivate and empower you to  be the best that you can be in your career and in your life. If you wish to subscribe please send an email to subscribe@CoachToSuccess.com, or to unsubscribe please send an email to unsubscribe@CoachToSuccess.com.