As we enter 2012, we all are looking for new ways to connect that will result in new alliances, create new opportunities and allow us stand out in a crowded marketplace.  “Networking 2.0 from Contact to Contract” is a three-hour workshop and power networking experience that will surely give you the skills to do that. Coming up The Sacramento Business Journal, and the San Francisco Business Times are offering a one year subscription when you join us for this live interactive event.

I will teach you how to be loud and proud about who you are and the value you bring. We will cover creating rapport quickly, how to engage in meaningful conversations; how to be resource for others and build relationships online and offline. Whatever it is you are looking for clients, a job, capital for your business venture, this event is for you. You will learn how to turn contacts into contracts no matter where you come from in the business world.

In this program we will emphasize the difference between simply meeting people and actually creating influence with people. There is a big difference that people with influence know the difference. I will show you how to become a person of influence.  I have found with my 20 plus years of experience in helping people grow sustainable and profitable businesses that how we network with others is a vital part of how we develop the ability to easily add clients, get our calls returned and build a great reputation.

This is an incredible opportunity. Your investment includes: the interactive program where you will meet many of the people in the room, an autographed copy of my book, Make Your Connections Count, a year subscription to the business journal and the business journals Book of Lists.

Join me for Networking 2.0 in the Sacramento Area on January 31st.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/event/ 62361#register or contact Ravi Bazar at (916) 558-7881, rbazaz@bizjournals.com

Join me for Networking 2.0 in San Francisco on February 8th
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/event/60831
or contact call Shane Dorrian at (415) 288-4973 or email sdorrian@bizjournals.com

Join me for Networking 2.0 in the East Bay on February 7th
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/event/60821
or contact call Shane Dorrian at (415) 288-4973 or email sdorrian@bizjournals.com

Your business always needs something new and exciting going on or coming soon.

Last year one of the most exciting happenings in my business was I won the British Airways Face of Opportunity Contest. Which included a trip to London, networking with other winners, a half day conference and a trip from London to any other place BA flies.

Now it is your turn to win. Visit www.ba.com/contest for more details.

What brings this to mind today is I planned to tag a friend/client in a post on Facebook and she did not appear to be there. I finally found her after typing in her email address and learned that she is using her legal more formal name for her Facebook profile. Even though she is published under the shorter name and all her friends and clients know her by that shorter name.

Pick a name, one name, always spell it the same and use it everywhere. Be consistent. I even see people using a middle name or middle initial some places and other places not. I see women trying to use their married name for business and their maiden name for business- this no longer works. In this era or being able to find someone in an instant, it is important that you do not make it tough for people to locate you because they will quickly look to someone else and this can cost you business. Make a final decision, pick one and stick to it.

I know about this because I did legally and for business change my first name several years ago.

Let’s have some fun and give away a few prizes. Here is a Caterina trivia question: Can you tell me what my name used to be? Those of you that knew me before I was twenty are excluded from this. Your choice of a copy of one of our latest books from http://www.powerdynamicspub.com for the first three respondents that get it right.

Think of yourself as the admissions director to your own University of Facebook. You can only allow 5000 people to be accepted to your very exclusive institution. You want them to be the ones that most fit the kinds of students or friends you want. People that will be interested in the courses (your posts) and people that will most resonate with what the administration has to offer- your products and services.

To determine who is best suited for admission you need a strategy and a criteria. To create your strategy answer the following question.

Why are you on Facebook? For fun, to reconnect with your high school and college friends, to stay in touch with your current clients, to attract new clients, to increase referrals? You are the only one who can answer this question. I suggest you have a business focus.

2. Based on your answers for question #1 you can now create your criteria for who you let in your online network. If you know them personally and you like them –let them in. For people that you do not know personally they have to meet your criteria, meaning they fall into one of the groups of the kind of people you want to connect with. They meet your ideal client profile or they are a good strategic alliance partner for you. If you think they are super interesting or cool you can of course still let them in.

This also means if you come across people you would like to add to your network you can friend them too. I suggest always including a note about why you would like to be their friend for a higher approval rating.

You can only let 5000 people into your exclusive network admit them wisely. Happy friending.

Who you have met does not matter. What matters is who trusts you, respects you, remembers you, has a deep understanding of what you do, and wants to help you. When you have been able to create all this with one of your contacts, you now have influence. Influence equals ease in creating what you want in business and in life.

Follow these steps to create more influence with everyone you already know and everyone you will meet in the future.

Connecting
This is the networking part. In addition to meeting people at business events and in professional situations, you will also meet people socially at parties, at family gatherings and online. Make sure you are doing something everyday online and every week offline that helps you to meet more people.

Creating Rapport
Once you have met someone, you then have to begin to get to know them and build trust. Some easy ways to do this are to remember people’s names, follow up on any action you agreed to take, and invite people to go where you are going to increase your exposure to them. Also of course invite them to join your online network within 24 hours of meeting them. Additionally because so few people send notes anymore a “nice to meet you” note will go a long way to begin to build up your influence.

Communicating Your Needs
Only once you have a strong rapport with people, this is the time to make requests of them for business or contacts. If you ask people to hire you as soon as they meet you, you will probably see hesitation on their part and sometimes even resentment. It is naive to expect people to use your services or refer others to you until you have created influence.

Take a look now at the people in your network. Do you have a strong rapport with them? Do you stay in regular contact so they remember you? If you have, then it is time to make a request that people work with you or refer others to work with you. If not, go back to step one. Remember, the more influence you have, the more of what you want will come to you with ease.

Leave a comment below to let me know what your experience or challenges have been!