Networking for fun and profit

Dress well, remember a few names and faces, and you're the center of attention

It's always easier to make that next big sale or take that next big career step if you have some reliable outside help. Let's face facts. It's not what you know; it's whom you know that makes the difference. Join me for this month's dive into the morass we call the Web in search of zero-cost, non-commercial, registration-free resources aimed at providing you with practical information about cementing those interpersonal connections that can add some important variety to your work life. Remember, we search the Web so you don't have to.
Who was that guy?

You'll know if you're networking effectively when you're meeting new people at a rapid pace. You'll be connecting people and others will be connecting you with someone. Being effective means remembering who they are, where you met them, their wants and needs, and other such details. 'Remembering Names'by Barbara Van Dyne, found at http://memorytalk.com/remembertip.html, is a list of various tricks you can use to keep your mental Rolodex well oiled and functional when you receive that unexpected call from someone who claims they met you once.

If, on the other hand, that someone contacts you in person, your problem becomes one of remembering a face. In that case, you're going to need to connect a name with a face, which is a good reason to remember http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~mueller/TOTAL/total.html, a Web page about total recall. Scroll to the bottom and click on 'How to Remember Names and Faces.

Dressing for success
It's human nature to scan and evaluate any stranger who approaches us too closely for any reason. We can't help giving the face and mode of dress a once-over as we rate the person as positive or negative overall. First impressions form just that quickly, and others are rating you in the same hardwired way. Although you can't do much about your mug, you can certainly control your glad rags.

In the interest of your enhanced sartorial splendor, I offer you 'Ask Andy About Clothes' , a Web site 'devoted to men's clothes what to wear, how to properly wear it, and the history of why we wear what we do. Operated by Andy Gilchrist in Manhattan Beach, Calif., it provides a real education about dressing for success when you're out networking. Point your haute couture mouse at http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/ and knock 'em dead the next time you walk into a room of strangers.

Of course, you'll be wearing a tie. Being so prominent when you approach people, I assume you're going to want it to be perfect. That's why you might want to dispatch that Teutonic desk rodent to a German site, http://www.krawattenknoten.info/krawatten/Krawattenknoten/tieknot.html, that shows 19 ways to knot your noose, including a bow tie.

You're probably aware that the people with whom you're going to be networking are going to notice your shoes. Running shoes are out. They don't go well with a suit. You need leather. And Lynne Schulz knows about leather. As the proprietor of Schulz Shoecare in Murray Bridge, Australia, Lynne has a Web page that provides a general treatise on the care and feeding of leather for shoes. Walk over to http://www.lm.net.au/~schulz/shoecare.htm and dress up your lower digits.

Of course, those shoes will need to be polished periodically. When you think of the epitome of highly polished shoes, the military comes to mind. It just so happens, there's a Web page that reveals the secret to a mirror finish on leather-covered feet. March your mouse over to http://www.cadetstuff.org/archives/000200.html, where you'll find 'How to Spit-and-Polish' , by MID James Elliott RNR of the Civil Air Partol.

Networking for sales
The only thing worse than looking for a job is actually finding one. From that point forward, you've got to perform day in and day out. But networking also can help when you find yourself being forced to cash a regular paycheck. Consider the business maxim that says enhancing revenue is much easier and more fun than cutting costs. Applying your newfound networking skills to promoting your company and its products will, in the long run, help amass sufficient resources for your retirement years. Think about it for a moment. We're all in sales in one way or another.

If you start promoting your business this way, you may want to take the advice Doug Staneart offers in his article, 'Increase your Sphere of Influence: How to Network. The goal is to become the focus of attention whenever you walk into a room. You'll get the same response your mouse will receive if it visits
http://www.high-impact-leaders.com/articles/increase_your_sphere_of_influence.html.

Self-branding
Every company wants to have a good public image. Every company also has any number of employees who spend only a relatively small part of the day on the premises. When they're not tethered to the workplace, how those employees interact with the dozens of people they confront on the outside reflects on the company. Employees can be, in effect, goodwill ambassadors with the ability to promote the business.