By Tony Sanders

It’s a new year, and besides your goals to lose weight and save money, I’m sure growing your business and expanding your network is also on your list. As you plan to attend many of the great networking events around the state, keep in mind why you’re there. You’re not there to show off your flashy, freshly printed business cards from VistaPrint. You’re also not there to go on a soliloquy about great your business is. That said, here are five tips on how to make the most out of your next networking event:

1. Define your goal

What is your goal when attending a network event? Here’s a tip: If it’s to close a sale, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Of course your overall goal is to make a sale, but the chances of you meeting someone and signing a deal all in the same day are highly unlikely. Your goal should be to find one or two people who could benefit from the problem that you solve and start building a relationship with them.

2. Know what you’re looking for

Do you know who your ideal customer is? What about the problems they face on a day-to-day basis? Knowing what you are looking for in a prospect is extremely vital to your sales success. This will help shape who you talk to, what you say and even what type of questions you ask. If you know what you are looking for out of a prospect, you will know the perfect prospect when you speak to them. More importantly, you’ll know who to not waste your time with.

3. Be memorable

Almost everyone at networking events is playing from the same playbook. Smile, shake hands, pontificate about how great they are, say “We should get coffee some time,” exchange business cards and then move on. It’s the worst kind of speed dating for entrepreneurs. I want you to do the total opposite. Well, I still want you to smile and shake hands, but I don’t want you to talk about how great you are. No one will remember the person who did the same thing every other person did during an event. To be memorable you have to zig when everyone else zags. Instead of talking about how great you are, become curious about the other person. Ask them about their business and their entrepreneurial journey. Find out what types of problems they face and what keeps them up at night. At the end of the event, you’ll be remembered as the one person who actually cared about something other than themselves.

4. Listen more, talk less

Attending a networking event is not about you. You’ve heard it said before: “People don’t care about what you can do, only what you can do for them!” The great Zig Ziglar would say our prospects’ favorite radio station is WIIFM — “What’s In It For Me?” In order for you to make the most of your next networking event, you have to become skilled at asking questions and resisting the desire to want to talk about your own business. Even if someone asks you about your business, give them a short answer and immediately follow up with a question of your own. If you find yourself doing all the talking, I guarantee you’re doing it all wrong.

5. Always follow up

According to The Marketing Donut, 80 percent of all sales require five follow-up calls after the initial meeting. According to Scripted, 44 percent of salespeople give up after one follow-up. Are you getting the picture? Following up is extremely important for more reasons than I could write about in one article. However, here’s a major point that most salespeople and entrepreneurs miss: The sale isn’t going to close itself. Don’t just say, “We should get coffee some time” — actually do it! Follow up with every prospect you come in contact with. Your business and your bank account will thank you.

Tony Sanders has worked in sales or owned a business since he was 13 years old. He’s sold and consulted for Fortune 500 and 1000 companies as well as many small-business owners in the Indianapolis area. Tony shares his personal experiences and thoughts on business, sales and social media on his website TonyRSanders.com. He also provides one-on-one sales coaching and sales consulting in the Indianapolis area.

By Amy Stark

What type of life do you think physicist Stephen W. Hawking would have experienced if he had lived in the 15th century? Do you think he would have been able to share his genius with the world in the 1600s? Imagine for a moment what Hawking’s life would have been like if he had lived in the early 1800s rather than now. It’s likely that past the age of 25, Hawking wouldn’t have been able to communicate with anyone. Throughout most of recorded history, Hawking’s life would have been the stuff of nightmares with an almost certain early death. For more than 40 years, innovative technologies have provided the now-70-year-old physicist with the ability to communicate.

Much like Hawking benefits from his computer-generated voice, we all can benefit from the most important communication innovation since Gutenberg’s press in the 1400s. With our mobile and electronic devices — like cellphones — plus a connection to the internet, we now can access the expressions of physically, mentally, socio-economically and geographically challenged individuals from around the world. It provides a space allowing collaborative efforts to solve problems — some that have plagued mankind since the beginning of recorded history.

All communication devices used predecessors as springboards for innovation. The printing press provided an easy way to collaborate in the creation of the telegraph. It stands to reason lots of information shared via telegraph played a role in the adoption of the telephone. The twisted pair of copper wires AT&T laid across the U.S. put a phone in virtually every home. All those landlines came in handy allowing you to connect to the World Wide Web via modems. Now there are satellites connecting the deepest parts of the Congo to the global conversation taking place all day, every day with more than five billion cellphone subscriptions.

Who was the first among our species to draw a picture in the sand or on a cave wall to communicate a message to someone? Who first decided to use the innovative technology of a pen to write on paper to share ideas among elites and clergy? We can thank Gutenberg for the ability to share ideas among a more diverse group of people. Books and newspapers were tremendous innovative technologies giving a more representative collective voice.

What new technologies will springboard from using mobile devices and a connection? The internet can provide the space to transport anything not made of matter, including ideas, music, literature, beliefs, history, religion, knowledge, wisdom, etc. All of those things listed can be translated into bits of data with the potential to reach a million minds at the speed of light. At the beginning of the 21st century, Professor Peter David Blanck presented a statement to the U.S. House of Representatives saying that “increased accessibility to private internet websites and services may have yet-undiscovered benefits to society.” Innovative technology gave Hawking a voice, but he’s just one person. Imagine how many ideas have been lost over time because there was no outlet for their expression. We must tap into the wisdom of the internet and trust that the most diverse group in our history will create better solutions to move us forward.

But the internet can be used for good and evil. It is a neutral playing field where there’s a constant battle of ideas going on all the time. Can we allow this innovative technology to be overrun with those who choose hate over compassion and war over peace?

We are at the convergence of global internet coverage and more cellphones on the face of the earth than toilets. This ever-increasing access to the voice of people from cultures around the world allows for a better sampling of our collective genius. Right? Haven’t we always relied on diversity and adaptability to ensure our continued evolution? Now we have an opportunity to collaborate globally — resolving issues that have plagued us for millennia. That’s why I encourage all the smart folks I know to get out there and fill the internet with their wisdom. In the face of all the bad news lately, it’s best to embrace this innovative technology, trusting it will help us move forward to a brighter future.

Amy Stark​ is founder and CEO of​ Digital Dames Inc.​​, professor of digital media marketing at the University of Indianapolis, author of “The Tweeter’s Almanac, The Great Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine” and co-founder of the Social Media Dames Movement. Professor Stark is passionate about helping women learn how to leverage the power of digital communications to benefit themselves, their families, their careers and the world.

By Iris Cooper

The red polo with your company logo looks great, and so do the business cards, but your sales manager (with the polo on) was drunk at the ballgame. The address on the building is missing a number, and the front door creaks. The receptionist in the foyer has a frown on her face most days and keeps customers on hold forever. 

These conditions are all a part of your brand. Your brand is the soul of your business and incorporates every component of your internal and external messaging. Yes, your brand is just that deep! The good news is that you have the power to change these conditions to reinforce the quality and trust that your company stands for.

To test your brand depth, conduct a brand audit. Ask a trusted, impartial colleague to search for voids or deficiencies in your brand based upon your mission and values. Some of the benchmarks might be:

External image consistency: Does everything (stationery, business cards, advertising, etc.) with your logo look the same, down to the color and font? Do you take pride in the external and internal conditions of your workplace? Do your key employees conduct themselves professionally when they are at public events? What about social media? Are the messages accurate, consistent and aimed at the target customer? Have you selected a set of keywords to describe your product or service?

Corporate knowledge: Do all of your employees know the history, mission and goals of the company? Could they stand in for you at an external meeting? Do you have regular staff meetings to keep them current on company matters?

Community alliances: Does your company support a community cause that lets the public know that your business goals transcend net profit after tax? Is it obvious that you and your employees care about others? Do you have an advisory board or an influential mentor?

Media emergency plan: If a serious communication problem occurs, would your employees know how to handle it? Who is the spokesperson if a TV reporter knocks at your door? One credible voice is the only way to treat an emergency. What happens if your information system is hacked or breached?

Brand reinforcement: What happens regularly to reinforce the brand? Staff meetings, company outings and retreats can help to build pride in the brand and loyalty from the staff.

Customer connection: Does your brand align with the values and goals of your customers and, if so, how and when? 

A Christmas card from the dollar store with a stamped signature is shallow and crude if that is all you do. Your brand is the personality and character of your business, so investing the time to measure its depth is necessary for sustainability. 

So again, I ask, how deep is your brand?

Iris Cooper owns JustAskIris, an entrepreneurial coaching firm, and she founded Glory Foods, a multi-million dollar food marketing company. Contact Iris at iris@justaskiris.com.