Here’s success story from Cindy Caldwell, a creative consultant for Randstad Creative.
To put things in perspective: Cindy’s big breakthrough came after attending just ONE Effortless Networking Q&A call.
This proves that the solution is simple. And you can do it too.
Here’s Cindy’s story in her own words:
One week after participating in one of the [Effortless Networking] Q&A sessions I attended a “High-Speed Networking” Event.
I figured it might be a good way to get me out of my comfort zone and apply some of the techniques we talked about in our call. I positioned myself so that when people rotated every five minutes, I was staying put and people came up to me to talk. This was fantastic and I found it very easy to talk to most people.
It was a great way to practice saying what I did, without being pressured to give a sales pitch (in fact the group that runs the event — Networking for Professionals, advises against any sales pitching during the exercise).
So, what did you do differently, Cindy?
One of the main things I brought with me from the Q&A call was “Ask for what you want.” It seemed other people I met were following this practice, because without any subtlety people were asking me, “What do you want? What did you come here for?” And I was able to give them set answers, “To find appropriate clients and talent. To find referrals. To get the word out about our business.”
From this networking event,
- I wound with 25 new contacts who I had had a conversation with that night
- I also interviewed a talent on the spot
- found a realtor for me personally
- got an invitation to join another networking group, and
- made an appointment to have lunch with a software professional and
- introduced him to my IT recruiter.
Wow — that’s an amazing list of accomplishments for one event! What were you doing before you found this new approach?
Before joining [the Effortless Networking] newsletter group and attending that one Q&A call, I was doing the usual cold calling and visits. This was working, a little. But it felt so unnatural for me. I would go to the occassional event, but feel I couldn’t have a conversation with people unless someone else went with me.
Was there a particular networking concept or principle that helped you find this new approach?
Know What You Want. This could be as simple as “I want people to know about my business.” But the more specific you are, the more apt you’ll get what you want. And in an environment like the “Hi-Speed Networking” you get exactly 2 1/2 minutes to tell someone what you’re looking for.
When and/or where did you get this insight or learn this concept?
As I said, the [Effortless Networking] Q&A session…they are so helpful. Even if you don’t have a specific question in mind, I would advise anyone who has some difficulty in business social situations to sign up.
Is there anything specific that helped you apply this concept?
Going to an event that was made for networking (not boozing it up, not standing around in little cliques) and applying the techniques I learned such as “Asking for what I want” and saying simple things like, “Have you met anyone here that might interested in what we have to offer?” was a real confidence booster.
Because of this networking event, I was invited to join Powercore, in which a member of that group asked me to join another (more intimate) professional group, and because of that group, I was invited to another free event this week. The more I get out there, the more my natural contacts will develop.
Cindy, this is excellent! So tell us about your business.
I am a creative consultant for Randstad Creative. Randstad Creative/IT is a division of Randstad Work Solutions. Randstad is the fourth largest staffing organization in the world with over 2,200 offices in 13 countries.
Randstad Creative/IT is a fairly new division and we have offices in Atlanta (that’s where I am), New York, Philadelphia, Boston and DC. You can learn more about our services on: www.us.randstad.com
What do you offer your clients or customers?
Randstad Creative offers top creative talent, assessed by professional agents, in areas of expertise such as: Graphic Designers & Production Artists, Web Designers & Developers, Printing & Pre-press, Art Directors, Creative Directors, Copywriters, Proofreaders & Editors, Technical Writers & Instructional Designers, Traffic & Production Managers, and Marketing & Public Relations. We offer a range of flexible workplace options: short term or long term contract work or direct hire.
Who are the people who *most* benefit from your services?
Two kinds of people: Those creative professionals looking for work and creative professionals looking to hire. Our clients tend to be Creative Directors, small business owners, Art Directors, production departments, but we also will help out human resources as well.
In what way(s) do they benefit?
We take the work out of finding good freelancers and potential job candidates for you!
We do NOT get paid on a commission, so we would never just send you a “warm body” just to send someone. We work very hard at getting to know you and your environment, as well as our talents’ goals. Randstad Creative agents are also creative professionals.
My background is in print & web marketing and writing & editing. My fellow agents come from production, photography and graphic design backgrounds.
In-depth knowledge of the creative industry ensures we can best evaluate talent portfolios and resumes. We additionally qualify talent through interviews, behavioral event questioning, testing and detailed reference checks.
If anyone wants to contact you for more information, or to send you a referral, how might they do so?
Please call or email me with any questions:
Cindy Caldwell
+1-404-351-7885
cindy.caldwell@us.randstad.com
If I can’t help you, then I will find you someone who can–we have many offices in North America and Europe. We handle all sorts of placement from creative and IT to administrative and light industrial.
Thanks for sharing this story, Cindy. And congratulations!
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Cindy’s spectacular success is based on the simple concept covered in Lesson 1: Know what you want.
This concept may seem “simplistic” at first, but as you see from Cindy’s experience, it’s actually very powerful.
Try it yourself!