I attend a lot of networking events and conferences each year and I’m amazed at how unprepared some people are for the experience. You never know who you’re going to meet, what you’re going to hear and what opportunities might present themselves. Life is full of wonderful surprises; yet, there are people with no business cards, no elevator pitch and (in some cases) no interest in being there. I started thinking about the difference between showing up and actually being present.
I began reflecting on my almost 25 years in and around the wedding and event industry and here are some of my best practices for you:
- Bring an open mind – you never know who you’re going to meet or what you’re going to hear
- Accept that someone else may have a better idea – no matter how long you’ve been doing what you do, someone else may have a different perspective, one that can help you
- Bring an attitude of helping – give first without expecting anything in return. Volunteer for the associations and you’ll get much more back by not asking, rather by showing your own generosity
- Be present – it’s really hard to stay present, whether it’s an industry event or your child’s soccer game. But being present helps you clear your mind and you just might come up with your next best business idea by not thinking about work
- Un-clique – cliques aren’t always trying to be exclusive. They’re simply gravitating towards people they know, like and trust. To get on the inside takes more than just showing up once with a handful of business cards. That said, it also takes someone on the inside of the clique to reach out and invite new faces to come in. Why not be that person and invite others into the conversations?
- Be humble and gracious – ask others about themselves and their businesses. People love to talk about what they do and if you don’t always have to be the center of attention, you’ll find that others will gravitate towards you. It’s hard, as you want to talk about what you do, but wait for someone to ask.
Did you ever look in the mirror and notice something you never noticed before? Or maybe there’s something about your personality that you never realized until someone makes you aware of it. That’s exactly what Alan will do for your website. We spend so much time looking at and updating our websites we can’t see it clearly from a viewer’s perspective. Hiring Alan Berg is the smartest investment you can make for your website. He will find everything that can be improved on your website big or small and show you how you can easily fix it. Alan not only shows you what needs to be improved, but more importantly he shows you the why behind it. No matter what level your website is at right now, hire Alan now and watch your business grow!”David Rothstein, David Rothstein Music, Chicago, IL
Another client wrote this about our consulting and sales training sessions:
I have been using Alan’s consulting services for just over 3 years. I have found his knowledge and insight to be invaluable to our business. Since we began, our net profit has tripled from his guidance in helping elevate our marketing appeal and refining our sales process. Thanks Alan, you helped me buy my new Cadillac!”Ryan Angott, Infinity and Ovation Yacht Charters, St. Claire Shores, MI
If you’d like to have me speak for your association, group or conference, or do private on-site sales training for your company (or a mastermind event for a small group of your industry friends), call or email me for date availability and pricing, or use the short form on this page, 732.422.6362, international enquiries 001 732 422 6362
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