Posts by Ilise Benun
How to Instantly Grab a New Contact’s Attention
One of the first questions you get when you meet someone at a networking event is “What do you do?” You need to answer this question not only at networking events but on job applications… on your website or blog… in promotional materials… and that’s just the half of it! Clearly conveying the kind of…
Read MoreNetworking Mistake: Using Jargon Without Thinking
If you were at a work-related function in, say, New York or Chicago, would you address people in Portuguese? Probably not. But you’d be surprised by how many businesspeople lapse into foreign “languages.” I’m talking about using technical or industry-specific jargon.
Read MoreNetworking Mistake: Neglecting to Follow Up
You already know that you must follow up with people you meet at business functions. This is Networking 101. But it bears repeating, because no matter how well we understand the importance of follow-up, few people actually do it. Maybe you think you’re too busy to follow up. Or you lose new business cards (they…
Read MoreNetworking Mistake: Labeling Yourself
When networking, one of your goals should be to invite the people you meet into a conversation.
Read MoreQuick Professional Networking Tip: 3 Simple Steps
here’s more to networking than meeting new people. In fact, networking has three distinct steps – and if you’re not doing all three, you’re not taking full advantage of your networking efforts.
Read MoreThe Small-Business Owner’s Guide to Blogs and E-Letters
“The Internet is the most important single development in the history of human communication since the invention of call waiting.” – Dave Barry Both blogs and e-letters (a.k.a. e-zines or e-mail newsletters) are ideal marketing tools for small-business owners. They give you two inexpensive ways to communicate with your customers, give them useful advice, and…
Read MoreTalking to Strangers
“Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine Tom could have remained silent. He could have given a polite nod or busied himself with reviewing the work he’d brought with him. But he didn’t. And now, he’s got a brand-new client that brings him $40,000 a year in extra revenue. You…
Read MoreBe Happy to Hear From Your Prospects
When I called my health insurance company the other day, to my delight, I had no trouble getting through to a human being right away. But when I told the guy what I wanted, he said, “That information is on the website.” “Can’t you just tell me what I want to know?” I asked. “Well,…
Read MoreWhen Word-of-Mouth Is No Longer Enough
“There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.” – Dale Carnegie You’ve been lucky. Most of your customers or clients have come to you…
Read MoreHow To “Work A Room”
There are tons of networking events to attend – too many, actually. Too many ways to meet people you’ll never see again, too many opportunities to collect a stack of business cards you’ll never look at again. But it’s well worth doing as much networking as you can, because you never know where a chance…
Read MoreWhat to Do When a Prospective Client Doesn’t Respond to Your Proposal
Five tried and true techniques that I – and people I know – use to speed up the process of starting a conversation with a prospective client.
Read MoreTip: Moving On
Many people have no trouble getting into conversations at networking events. What they need help with is getting out of them … without feeling like they’re abandoning the other person. If that sounds like you, here are two strategies to try: 1. When you are ready to move on, hand the other person your business…
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