Professional Networking USAID Moldova

Professional Networking offline and online - A Primer
Ovidiu Bujorean
www.linkedin.com/in/bujorean
Chisinau, Moldova, July 15, 2011

Session Outline
Session introduction.
Personal intro
Why professional networking?
How would this benefit you?
Professional Networking
When and where?
How to make friends?
Who does it? What to do?
Offline networking. At events. Wing-men strategy.
Online networking. Linked in. Twitter. How to build it?
Tech tools to network better and build your network
Additional resources
Questions

Personal intro

Session Introduction
Ask or remind yourself:
What are the objectives of my venture?
What do I hope to accomplish during this event?
How can I get there?

Session Introduction
This session will help you to:
Identify people that you should talk to
Establish contact and speak with them at an event
Follow up with them promptly after the conversation
Learn or expand the use of linkedin and/ or twitter.
This session assumes you:
Developed your elevator pitch.
Prepared your presentation materials. (biz cards, ppt.)
Will do your homework before you attend an event.

Professional Networking
Why building a network?
When and where?
Who does it?
What to do?

Why actually do it? Few reasons…
Networking – helps you achieve your goals.
Events – high concentration of resources.
Every person you meet – impacts your life.
Work smarter and harder. Not alone…
Build access to resources ($, talent, ideas)
Develop partnerships & get customers
Learn & accelerate growth

When and Where?
When?
Build it before you need it.
Be proactive.
Focus on quality contacts.
Where?
Offline events: conferences, training programs, seminars, etc.
Online: linkedin.

Smile
Remember& use the person’s name often
Seek to help first. At least offer to help.
Be a good listener
Be genuine
Show your passion for your venture
Be realist about what you can expect
Always follow up on your promises
A must read is Dale Carnegie best seller
“How to win friends and influence people”

Who?
People you know:
You.
Wing-man/ Wing-woman.
Wing-men/ Wing-women.
People you (should) know:
Organizers.
Speakers. Sponsors. VIP’s.
Other attendees

What? 7 things to do…
Objectives. Pitch. Biz Cards. Look good.
Identify top10 people. Prioritize.
Research bios. Starters. Outcomes.
Befriend &brief organizers &wingmen.
Get introduced or introduce yourself.
Interact with your top 10 people.
Effective thank you note and follow up.

At the event/ reception

At the event/ reception
Arrive early
Check the name tags
Be nice to the host. Why?
Locate the best food
Know the people you want to meet
Carry water is power
Deliver value to anyone you meet
Be a network resource. Connect people to other people

Networking at events. Stories.
1999 Jim Bagnola, The Leadership Group
1999 State of the World Forum, Tom Ekin
2003 Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum,CaroleGrodzins
2006 HKS Leadership Conference, Frances Hesselbein
2007 New Zealand, MIT Sloan Project
2008 MIT CIO Symposium Wing men in action
2009 Sam Leblanc, Irish student

Trimeca Reception
Your Objectives:
Procure the list of attendees.
Select your top 7 people to speak with.
Research them briefly if you can.
Recruit your wing-man and brief him or her.
Generate 3 follow up coffee meetings.

Trimeca- Positioning at event
Arrive earlier and offer help to the organizers.
Check the badges and the list of attendees.
Write the names of key people on back of biz card.
Get into a good mood.
Offer to bring drinks to people.

How to follow-up effectively
Write thank you note the same evening of meeting.
Email/ letter should:
Be brief and to the point
Contain 3 ideas (thank you for your time, one idea from the conversation, request for a follow up coffee meeting)
For VIP’s, a handwritten thank you note is better.
For peer attendees – if you had a good conversation, linked in

Where do I start building my net?
Know your medium term goals.
Start with your resume.
Identify most important events/ programs and people that attended same events.
Create a list with 20 people you would like to connect
Find the super-connectors and become their friend

Do’s and Don’ts on linkedin

Linkedin navigation - example

Additional resources
Books:
How to win friends and influence people – Dale Carnegie
Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi
Power Networking – Donna Fischer
Tools: Linked in, Learn that name, Bump/ Dub, Gwabbit
People hubs: organizers, trainers, VIP’s.
Personal Coaching: to build your network support system

Wrap-up
People you meet can impact your work.
Preparation before event makes all the difference.
Working with a wingman makes your life easier.
Effective follow up is critical.
Linked in and Twitter can help you build your net.
Stay in touch with your new friends. Update them.

Questions?
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email:ovidiu_bujorean@sloan.mit.edu
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bujorean
Twitter: ovidiubujorean

Professional Networking USAID Moldova

by Koroli on Jul 19, 2011

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Professional Networking USAID Moldova — Presentation Transcript