Effortless Networking

I recently relocated (yes, I move around a lot — which means I have to build my local network from scratch on a regular basis! Why do you think I write about networking?).

Well, as I was chatting with my new neighbor, Anne Kirby, I discovered that she was up to some really cool stuff, where business networking is concerned.

Anne Kirby is the owner of HunterKirby Design and also one of the founders of The Creative House of Lancaster (CHL).

HunterKirby Design is a small design firm in Lancaster, PA. They offer web design, branding, photography and other desktop publishing services — and they primarily cater to small business.

Now, due to their involvement with The Creative House of Lancaster (CHL) — an innovative approach to business and social networking — they now have a pool of young, fresh talent to pull from that allows them to take on larger projects.

As Anne said:

“The CHL challenges us to be better designers and businesspeople. Together these creative individuals generate an energy that is hard to find in large, expensive design firms.”

Well, I convinced Anne to an immediate interview! Here are my questions and her responses:

What made you start the Creative House of Lancaster? Why did you not to join an existing networking group?

In the Spring of 2007 after attending some of traditional networking groups in the area a few of us noticed that so much potential was being lost by how exclusive the groups where, and the cost being something that a lot of start up businesses cannot afford.

Also, my colleagues and I didn’t like the fact that most people in these groups didn’t care to get to know each other on a personal level. If I refer someone to a client or fellow business establishment I wanted to feel comfortable referring someone who has the same business standards as our own and that’s sometimes hard to do if you’re only an acquaintance.

We also wanted to have fun networking while getting to know people not only on a professional level but a personal level as well.

How is the Creative House of Lancaster different from other forms of networking?

We are a social network group and there are no fee’s as long as members actively participate and are willing to take on more responsibility then other groups. We focus on bringing creative individuals together in a relaxed atmosphere with a strong emphases on having fun while building bridges, relationships and having a sense of community.

We feel that a true social network group does more then just meet and pass information along. We feel it’s our duty to give back to the community and get involved. In that way we differ greatly to your typical network group.

How did you get started with this group? What’s your vision for group?

My business partner Christina Martin and I happened to be at a local networking function and meet up with some other designs that followed similar business practices to us and we thought it would be nice to meet up with others like them so we could collaborate, network, inspire each other and pull resources together.

After long discussions we realized that a group like this didn’t exist in Lancaster so we decided to start our own.

We envision the CHL being a place where creative individuals can gather, collaborate, refer, inspire, mentor, challenge and push each other to do our very best, personally and professionally. We believe it should not cost anything to network, collaborate or just build friendships on a local level. We want the CHL to push past the typical network group by getting involved in the community and promoting our members.

Our motto is “Harvesting Renewable Talent” and we welcome all members with open doors and open minds.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

To give you a better sense of what The Creative House of Lancaster is all about, here’s our mission statement:

The Creative House of Lancaster (CHL) advocates the success of Lancaster County Small Businesses and individuals interested in art, music and design by committing its members to supporting each other in their business, personal and professional development and growth. We believe in taking creative and innovative leaps that redefine the local business community by harvesting local talent, promoting collaboration, fair-trade, teamwork, networking, mentoring, social communication, and nurturing a sense of community.

The purpose of CHL is to provide a forum for its members to build and maintain business and personal relationships, and to grow and develop professionally.

We’re doing this by providing opportunities for members to network with each other not just at networking meetings, but also by working together on special projects.

To you give you an idea on how we get involved in the community we are currently working with the East King Improvement District downtown to help revitalize the area.

These special projects help showcase the talents of the members and increase public awareness of the organization, which in turn attract and keep committed members.

These projects also provide an environment that challenges, inspires and promotes creative thinking among the participants.

We really thought this group would grow quickly but it has far exceeded our expectations and we are only 3 months old.

[For instance] 32 people attended the 2nd CHL meeting! After a few speeches and updates we opened the floor up for questions and socializing and let me say that the energy in the room that night could have lit the building. I’m not sure Lancaster has seen this kind of diverse talent gather in one place, and we’re so happy to see it evolve and unfold in such a short time.

Like I said [at our last meeting] we all can do great things if we pull our resources together!

###

Well, I couldn’t attend their last meeting — it was my birthday and I was celebrating it with my family. But I tell you, I’m looking forward to attending the next one. I don’t know about you, but to me this group sounds fascinating!

By the way, if you’re doing something new and different when it comes to business networking, and you’d like to share your story on this website, let me know.

Do you feel like a “pest” who’s out for her/his own gain, when you network?

Well, let’s take a look at how not to feel this way.

But first, the truth: You *are* out for your own gain when you network.

If you didn’t need anything, would you network?

I think not.

(And if you say that you network simply because you like to help others, I’d say you’re still out for your own gain — except in this case, you “gain” something at some level by helping others.)

Now, even though you are networking just to get something you want, it doesn’t make you a “pest”.

Here’s why:

Others are networking for their own gain too.

However, you can’t know what they want, unless they either tell you about it or ask you for help.

So go ahead and ask people what they’re looking for.

Offer to help in whatever way you can. (More on this topic and how not to over-extend yourself is covered in module 4 of the Effortless Networking program.)

Leave it up to the other person to take you up on your offer (or not).

And I bet this very simple action on your part will take care of this problem — the one about you feeling like a pest, I mean.

In fact, try it out.

Then come back and post a comment below to let us know how it worked for you. Is that a deal?

Till next week,
– Sri

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how best to thank people who refer business to you.

In another article, I suggested a book that provides an example of a system to thank people consistently. (The chapter on Principle #4 is where you’ll find details on this.)

So this week, let’s step through how you can create a system that allows you to thank people promptly, consistently and appropriately.

Basically, there are 2 steps.

1. Find out what people value and appreciate, and how they’d like to be thanked. If you know someone well, you probably know this information already. If not, you can find this out in a variety of ways. You can ask their friends and associates, if you know who they are. You can ask them directly.

If you want to ask people directly, and cannot do so in person, do a survey.

• “Survey Monkey” is an online tool that I use to poll people (in fact, I used it a couple of weeks ago to get your opinion on the format of these articles). The basic service is free, their paid option is very affordable, and I’ve found it very easy to use.

2. Use the information you gather from your “research” above, about what people want, to create a “thank you” program that fits your budget, style and preference.

Here are some ideas, tools and resources to help you design a system to thank people in a way they will appreciate it most.

For instance, if you find that a lot of people would like a financial reward, consider creating an affiliate program for your product or service. (If you’re not familiar with affiliate programs, it’s basically an arrangement where you a fee or commission to people who make a sale on your behalf).

If this is of interest to you, here are a couple of resources:

• ClickBank
  If you have a digital product (e.g. eBooks, eCourses, etc.) you can use ClickBank to create and manage your affiliate program. They handle everything for you, and the setup is very easy. This is the system I use to manage my affiliate program.
• Your Own Affiliate Program
  If you want a setup your own affiliate program (vs. using a third-party like ClickBank), or if you have physical products for which you want to offer an affiliate program, try this product from Paul Galloway. I haven’t used this particular product myself, but I have used Paul’s other products. And I’ve had very good experience with those. Also, the support he provides is EXCELLENT.

If you find that many people just want to know that what they’ve done for you has been useful, have a stack of “thank you” cards at hand, so you can send those out promptly.

• For a personal touch, consider having custom-designed cards printed (vs. sending generic, store bought cards). An inexpensive vendor from whom you can order these is VistaPrint.
• Depending on the person, you might also enclose a gift certificate in these “thank you” cards, as a little treat. For instance, I might include a gift card to Starbucks. This allows me to treat the person to a little something without being there myself. Here’s where knowing what the person appreciates is useful — so your gift card is for something that you know they’ll use and enjoy.

Enough ideas for today?

Well, till next week then…
– Sri

A few weeks ago I wrote about reciprocating — how best to give back to your network. Here’s another way to give back, and one that I use myself.

Often, my past clients and customers refer my products and services to their friends and associate. And I’ve always expressed my appreciation by sending them a personal thank you note.

However, a year ago, I decided to survey all my clients and customers to see how else I could show my appreciation, that would also be useful to them.

I got a lot of great information!

I found out that “one size doesn’t fit all”. Some people were interested in getting discounts off my products and services, others preferred a referral fee, and yet others were quite happy with a simple thank you note from me.

Using this feedback, I created a referral program (also known as Affiliate program), for my comprehensive “Effortless Networking” product.

I designed it to be open, so that anyone can participate in this program by signing up online. So people other than my clients and customers can also participate.

Those who actually have a copy of this program are obviously better able to explain to people why they’re recommending this product to them.

However, those who don’t own the product are still able to send me good quality referrals because they may have worked with me in another capacity, or may have experienced what I offer in another way (such as, through my articles, free Q&A calls, workshops, etc.).

In any case, I am able to thank each person who refers this product to others, by giving them a commission on the price of the product. And having found out that many people appreciate getting a referral fee, I give a generous 50% commission.

Of course, people can — and do — refer me business without participating in this program. However, this is *their* choice.

As I mentioned earlier, different people value different things, and I always want to offer them one or more options.

So if you haven’t done so already, ask people in general, and your sources of referrals in particular, how they want to be thanked or rewarded when they help you out.

Then use the information to build a program or system to regularly and consistently thank them — in a way that’s useful and valuable for them.

By the way, if you want more details about my referral program, click here.

Till next week,
– Sri