Nadia,
I very much appreciated your presentation at yesterday’s Hartford Real Estate Exchange. Your comments clearly validated many of my own practices. I am often told that my energy sells and that I am passionate about what I do but frankly, I could not appreciate that until I was in your company yesterday to hear and see your passionate delivery and motivation. In my work and life I am “business yenta” and the power of the network is wonderful and yet on the spot, I was unable to give a great example yesterday. I do have one for you today….
I am working on a major development project in our region. The developer, who is out of Florida, called frantic this morning because he had four “super loads” of equipment to be delivered to a site in another state for another project. They needed to pass through Connecticut and Rhode Island to the site in Massachusetts. He had 4 trucks rolling and 2 were stopped at the Connecticut border. Connecticut only permits passage on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and they were not given all the permits until today. The state police did not believe that the two trucks at the border would get through the state by the end of the day so they were stalled to sit there until next Tuesday. Meanwhile, the developer’s permits for Rhode Island and Massachusetts for tomorrow and Friday would expire and there is a sizeable cost for a huge crane waiting to lift them off the trucks at the ultimate site.
Through my network, I was able to identify the key person who was not so senior that would result in political rumblings but someone in a position that could sign a waiver and permit them to travel through Connecticut tomorrow morning beginning at 9:00 am. In addition, my client will be able to continue for a couple of additional hours in the event they are not completely through by the regular 4:00 deadline.
Result:
My key contacts were called to hear about their success and my thank you notes are out;
My client is relieved and pleased. I have better credibility with them.
The State employees and my contacts are all feeling successful.
And I am so appreciative to work with such wonderful people and frankly VERY relieved.
To share one of my tips with you, I always say that in marketing and networking there are two considerations: ”What’s in if for them?” and “How do you make them feel?” You covered that in your presentation yesterday.
Thank you for the inspiring talk at the CREW meeting on 10/11. I truly enjoyed it! You are funny and very wise.
My firm is only 2 years old and I have called, emailed, faxed, and written prime consultants looking for subcontracting opportunities. I am an urban planner, civil engineer and attorney – very transactional (smile).
I think I could have made a lot more headway if I had have asked to meet with them over lunch or tea. In fact, the opportunities that have come my way have been made during lunch meetings.
Mass letter and email campaigns cannot replace face to face meetings and relationship building.
If you ever visit Hartford, CT, you should stay at the Goodwin hotel. It’s a boutique hotel with 2 level suites and a very friendly staff, who go out of their way to please.
My presentation to the Real Estate Exchange was on Networking, with a focus on “clubbing with the boys,” very pertinent since the program took place in the famous Hartford Club, the meeting place of many state senators.
Women in Commercial Real Estate often find themselves being the “only woman” in the board room or as Sandra Fitzpatrick, from Land America, told me “the only woman on the golf course”. Sandra says golfing is a great way to bond with the men in her life. I have asked Sandra to comment further on her success in navigating a company that does due diligence for commercial real estate investors. The one thing I find all successful women have in common is that they are aware that networking is critical. They are as comfortable talking to their male counterparts about politics as about talking about their kid’s college application. One of the audience members made the excellent point that connecting others has been pivotal to his success. And indeed we can never underestimate the power of “paying it forward.”
After my talk, I rushed to the airport to see if I could get on the earlier flight. It looked hopeful…..I was first on the standby list. I was about to get my ticket issued when a very frantic Mr. X came rushing up to the counter. So, with 2 seconds to go I lost the chance to get home two and a half hours early. Has that ever happened to you? I was disproportionately crushed. I literally had to take a moment to regroup, which made me think of attitude, and how we let life’s setbacks, be they big or small, upset us.
So, I ask, what has happened or is happening to you that is disappointing, and how are you dealing with it?
I decided that I would use the time to write this blog, rather than drown my irritation in a margarita. So if there is something in your life right now that is not working out for you, how are you dealing with it? I know missing a flight is minor compared to most obstacles we all face, but the point I want to make is the momentary frustration and disappointment I felt reminded me of frequent disappointment that is so much part of the human condition and of Stephen Coveys words: 10 per cent of life is what happens and 90 per cent is how we deal with it.
Tomorrow I give a presentation to CREW ATLANTA…….I look forward to Hearing from you
It is always wonderful to present a program for Turner because everyone works for different companies under the Turner umbrella. In today’s workshop there were people from CNN, Court TV (soon to be TruTV) TNT, TBS , Gametap, etc, etc. It’s great because it provides such variety in terms of networking.
We also spoke about the fact that I am South African, one of the participants, Nndike, is half Nigerian and another, Chris, could trace his ancestry back to England. The true melting pot, that is America, represented right here at CNN Center.
After the program, I rushed to the airport to go to Hartford for the CREW event. As much as I travel, stripping off my over garment and taking off my shoes will never be routine. As someone who has only lived in this country for 10 years, I am still awed by the amount of traveling we do for business. I will have been on over 20 flights in September alone……. So if any of you have any great travel tips……or networking feedback ….I look forward to hearing from you.
Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the afternoon with District Sales Managers and Regional Directors with Sanofi-Aventis.It is always a challenge to speak about Networking with women who already do it so well.So, as always I spoke about how to take it to another level, how, as Emmeril says, to “kick it up a notch”It really comes down to “mindset” especially as women; we tend to feel that Networking is expedient. We also discussed that we don’t like asking.What I have discovered, after years of teaching Networking around the world, is that you should “frame” your request in a way that feels comfortable for you. An example is: “I would so appreciate your thoughts on this, or do you have any ideas as to how I should proceed?”The other part of the program that was remarkable was how much “currency” we all have.We often think if we don’t have something tangible to “give” then we cannot ask. But our giving can come in many different forms and if we think creatively we have so much more to offer than we may have originally thought.While driving home, I was struck by the fact that it really does all come down to our perceptions of ourselves and sometimes just a word can shift our view on something.
What I always appreciate about these sessions is people’s willingness to learn. Here was a group of already successful women, who were open to expanding.
I also really appreciate the variety of my career. Today I will be producing guest segments for CNNI, and while it may seem unrelated, it is in fact where I put everything I teach into practice.
I am continually looking for alternative currency that I have to offer, and continuously navigating corporate America. The journey continues………..
Next week I work with CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) in Hartford….so look forward to sharing that experience…..
