Tina Gleisner

Massachusetts Conference for Women

Called a friend earlier this month and learned she was exhibiting at the 2007 Massachusetts Conference for Women so in typical fashion, I volunteered to help so I could learn more about events and exhibiting. The conference brought together an amazing group of high powered women who have succeeded in a wide range of professions, as business owners and employees.

A great format to give you many different perspectives on any topic - each session was comprised of 4 panelists plus a facilitator. Here is the list of amazing women (mostly) speakers, many of whom are authors and/or published nationally.

My favorite speakers include:

• Rene Syler, anchor of CBS News' The Early Show and author of Good Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting
• Liz Lynch, founder of the Center for Networking Excellence and author of 102 Secrets to Smarter Networking
• Rosalyn Taylor O'Neale, entrepreneur and founder of Barnes, O'Neale & Associates. She's an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, educator, and author of 7 Keys 2 Success
• Catherine Kaputa, founder of SelfBrand, a NYC based brand strategy firm and author of U R A BRAND! which I'm reading right now

 

Networking at Events

I attended the Massachusetts Conference on Women a few weeks back and met an amazing number of successful women. Women who have started their own businesses, have written books and/or been published in national publications. They're also interested in giving back to women as they did on some incredibly powerful panel sessions, i.e. the last one I attended was on Legacy - What Do You Want to be Remembered For (something like this).

Liz Lynch was one of these women and her company is the Center for Networking Excellence LLC. Her books 102 Secrets to Smarter Networking and I'm watching fascinated as to how she stays in touch with the people she met at the conference. She's using a "7 Days to Smarter Networking e-Course" where she sends out a daily email with some networking hints.

Here is a recap of today's lesson (almost feels like I'm back in school):

• Arrive early as that is when the energy is highest. With just 15 minutes you should be able to make 3 to 4 connections (maybe I'll do better after writing this).
• Eat beforehand as it's awkward to shake hands and ex change business cards when you're also juggling food plus a drink.
• Bring business cards to build your professional image. I actually keep extra packs of 25 or so in my car, my husbands car (finally) to avoid running out of cards. If you don't have business cards yet, you can get free ones at Vista Print.
• Wear clothing with pockets to make it easy to reach in and get a business card. I keep my cards in a rubber band in my right pocket, and then cards I receive are easy to keep separate
• Project a positive image as Liz says "Winners are drawn to other winners."

Always remember that networking is about building relationships for mutual benefit. I try to tell women that are nervous about going to events alone, to simply go up to someone who is standing alone and introduce yourself. By focusing on helping someone else, you'll forget to be nervous yourself.

Marketing to Women

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend the 2007 (3rd annual) Massachusetts Conference for Women. I'll be writing more about this conference over the next few weeks as I picked up books by some of the speakers. Right now I just want to log the items in the "goody bag" as unfortunately, I didn't do this for The NH Mirror fashion show in October and have regretted it ever since. Here's what's in the bag:

• Canvas bag (functional but not exciting) with State Street on one side, other sponsors 2nd side
• Luna Sunrise "blueberry yogurt" nutrition bar
• Premiere (1st) issue of a new Women's magazine, Lola, published by Boston Globe Media. The editor, Kara Baskin (editor@lolaboston.com) promises a "magazine of substance that respects and reflects the intelligence, feistiness, and dynamism of the Boston woman.
• An upscale key chain from goruneasy.com ... from Reebok by the look of the site
• BJ's one day shopping pass for the club closest to you
• Postcard from IRIDESSE Pearls with list of locations
• Postcard from EMD Serono Inc, a leader in US biopharmaceuticals ... looks like a recruiting tool
• Magnet from the Massachusetts Women's Resource & Referral Network
• Material (2 sheets, both 8.5x11) on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care ... sales tool
• Anti bacterial hand sanitizer (small bottle) from Raytheon, one of the event's sponsors
• Nice (3.4 oz regular package) of Blue Ocean Hand Cream  ... strange but I couldn't find a web site on the packaging or after several different Google searches

I didn't connect with too many of these items but maybe because I don't live/work in Massachusetts. There were quite a few more items (at least 20) in The NH Mirror goody bag and knowing they were LOCAL and WOMEN OWNED businesses (almost all) made me really think about them more, i.e. until I made some type of connection.

How to Ask Customers for Referrals

We enjoy interacting with our customers and do an excellent job of focusing on their needs. It is also fair to leverage these conversations to help build our business. Here are typical excuses for not asking for referrals ... and ideas to help you overcome these hurdles. Because your customers already know and trust you it should be easy for them to refer you, and the odds of winning new customers is greater when this happens.

• You think referrals should happen automatically? This is wishful thinking as very few people do this and it is a learned skill. Your customer may not think of this (unless they are in business and involved in sales themselves) ... until you simply ask them.
• You are afraid to ask (but it does get easier with practice, especially when practice brings success)? Wait until your customer has experienced your products or services. Most often they will say "Of course I'd be happy to."  One way to determine if they're ready to refer you is by asking for a testimonial which I'm starting to do for My Handyman.   
• You don't know how to ask? Listen for the perfect opportunities to ask. When they tell you "We love your product" or even better, "Thanks for helping me find a solution to this problem." That's the perfect time to ask if your customers know anyone else who would love your product.
  
  • One idea I haven't tried yet ... "If you were in my business, what 3 people would you call?" Any type of question that helps you learn how your customers feel should work - go for it.
• You are uncomfortable about asking a favor? If you believe you bring value to one customer, then  asking if you can provide similar value to someone they know, should be a win-win for everyone.

The ideas shared here are not mine along, but a summary of an article written by Barry Farber who is a noted speaker and author.