Networking & Community – Career Life Institute

5 Ways to Stay in Touch with Your Extended Network

When it comes to thinking about staying connected with your extended network, especially if you have a large one, it can almost be as daunting as, say, public speaking for a lot of people. But, it can be broken down into manageable steps. The most important thing with networking is that you stay in touch with those you connect with and you make every effort to keep a relationship going – even if you don’t “need” something at the moment.

Here are our five best tips for continued networking success.

1) Pass Along Articles of Interest to Your Contacts

One great way to stay in touch is to pass along anything of interest to your contacts. You want to continually demonstrate that you’re not only passionate about your industry (and follow it regularly), but also that you are genuinely interested in your contact’s best interest. It never hurts to reach out to someone you know and say, “Hi, John, I came across this article and thought of you. Perhaps you’d find the statistic on the growing demographics of 18- to 24-year-olds interesting for your research. I hope you’re well. All my best, Paul.”

2) Keep Your Network Posted of Your Updates

We recommend that you touch base with your contacts at least twice a year. A year can be quite a bit of time, and a lot can happen. If you are hired for a position, pick up a new internship, move to a new city or start a new blog, these are all reasons to update your network on what’s happening in your life. It’s also important that you use these opportunities to thank those that have helped you become who you are or get you to where you are today.

3) Remember Special Occasions

This can be a hard one. In a perfect world, we would all remember everyone’s birthdays and important events, but unfortunately, real life can get in the way of that. If there are certain members of your network who are your friends on Facebook, make it a daily habit to look at the “Birthdays” reminder to see if there’s anyone you should reach out to. And this doesn’t mean you should leave a generic “Happy Birthday” on someone’s wall; rather take the time to type out an e-mail and let the person know you’re thinking of them. It doesn’t take a lot of additional effort, and it’s an easy way to stand out from the “Facebook wall clutter.” In addition, keep an eye on big events announced by your contacts. If you want to get into public relations and you see that your friend launched a new campaign, send them a congratulatory note.

4) Create Google Alerts for Your Contacts and/or Their Businesses

One great way to keep tabs on a contact or his or her company is by creating a Google Alert. It’s free and takes less than a minute, and the service can send you valuable information on a colleague that you might have been too busy to notice. Then, when you see big news about someone or his or her company, take a minute to send an e-mail and follow up. If you’re not sure how to set up a Google Alert, check out our recent post on the CareerSparx blog, “Your Dream Employer? Do More Than Google Them.”

5) Follow Them on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn

Again, the idea is to stay connected with your contacts and what’s going on in their lives. If you see that a birthday is coming up or something important just happened, make note of what you see on your social media accounts and follow up via a personalized e-mail. Another tactic is to hit “like” if they post something produced by their company on a Facebook profile, or retweet a Twitter update for a big project of theirs. They will appreciate the support, and you will achieve your goal of staying connected and on their radar.

By following these five easy tips, you will be able to stay better connected to your network. And as you’ll see, it really isn’t as hard or as overwhelming as it seems. Best of luck.

Guest Expert:

Mario Schulzke is the creator of CareerSparx, an online course that helps recent college graduates begin their careers. For more information, download their free 61-page guide on how to start your career or check out the CareerSparx blog.

View the original article here

The Lemonade Stand Principle

I wonder if I was born an entrepreneur. Maybe I just learned, at an early age, that it was more fun to have money than not to have money.

My earliest recollection of my ability to earn money was at age 6, when I sold flowers which I took out of the nearby Lutheran Church garbage bin.

Faithfully on Mondays, the church secretary would put the flowers in the bin; and faithfully after school (first grade), I would take the flowers out, tear out the bad spots and sell them. I would go along the neighborhood streets, door-to-door, peddling my flowers minus the bad spots. I was successful at it. People would give me coins for my little bunches of flowers tied by a red string and when I would get to my last bouquet, I’d knock on the door of the home where the Catholic nuns lived. A very warm and loving sister would give me a small picture of Jesus, in lieu of coins, for my flowers. I did this every Monday like clockwork.

Later on, after selling all of my flowers I took my accumulated pictures of Jesus and gave them to some to the old folks at the nursing home next door to the church.

Somehow, at an early age, I had an “eye” for what could be special to someone else for which I could be paid. I must also have been undaunted, creative, imaginative and have had a measure of freedom from my parents. I am certain, though, that I tremendously enjoyed this. I made special friends.

Whenever the carnival would come to town, I’d go to the “penny pitch” and return home with enough ash trays, glasses, bowls and plates to set up shop. With my card table placed in front of the house, right alongside the sidewalk, I’d sell my wares for ten cents each. I made a profit and I always sold out!

Then I really got into business with my lemonade stand, which I would faithfully set up every Saturday morning and keep it up until 2p.m. At age 6, I was selling lemonade at five cents a glass. I remember making my table beautiful with a tablecloth (I also ironed at a young age) with the finishing touch of red and orange geraniums in a green Coke bottle.

Kids came, so did heir mothers. Even the scary old woman who lived in the proverbial darkened mysterious house down the street sent a note, via the passing mailman, that she wanted me to bring her a cup of lemonade. So I did and for my efforts she gave me twice the amount – 10 cents. That was an interesting lesson: I learned about going that “extra mile”.

I then expanded to include red Kool-Aid for 3 cents a glass because it was cheaper to make and I cheated a little on the sugar. The old woman gave me a 20 pound bag of sugar she no longer used and people liked my Kool-Aid. Later when lemons got costly, I added different flavors of Kool-Aid, even putting some dry Kool-Aid powder in small envelopes for 2 cents. Kids could buy it, pour it out onto their hands and lick the dry and sour powder. As summer came on I included frozen Kool-Aid ice cubes for one penny each. By then I was 8 years of age.

Some days were filled with many trips to the house to get more cold ice water of Kool-Aid ice cubes; other days I went to and from the house because I drank more than I sold! I stayed with this venture for three summers and most Saturdays during school.

I must confess, though, that my Mom put a halt to my entrepreneurial spirit when I charged 5 cents for neighbor kids to wiggle the stiff body of my dead cat Rusty who was on the porch in a box waiting to be picked up by the Humane society!

As I look back, I was in Lemonade Stand Training School, for I learned some lessons that are with me still. I learned:

I, independently, could make something happen.
I had earning power.
To use and sell products that I loved.
I could sell things for money or by trading.
How to negotiate (negotiate means that both partied are satisfied with the deal).
How to be generous. (I would give someone a whole glass of lemonade so they could taste it. Most people would, in turn, buy more. I also gave many free glasses to my buddies.)
To be consistent.
To have completed transactions.

The idea that I learned from my friend Leonard Orr-to have many sources of income-is a smart one and can liberate you from the dependency created by one source of income and the tremendous fear of having it taken away. It can be easy when you relax your mind, become inventive, move from the idea of “selling” to “offering” and let go of attachment to “making the deal”. You can be employed full-time and get involved with products or trade and “do it on the side”.

YOU CAN SELL IDEAS. HSU and CR (local colleges) sell ideas. If you have ever paid tuition, you have purchased ideas. You can sell ideas by giving a class, workshop, a seminar. You can be a consultant if you have something to advise or teach.

YOU CAN SELL PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. There are Avon ladies and Mary Kay consultants; vendors at the Farmer’s Market and North Country Faire; there are sidewalk sales and yard sales and garage sales; there are parties to show beautiful and unusual baskets, Tupperware and intimate apparel; there are Sunrider and Blue Green Algae to take for inner health and cleansing; there’s Toby across from Arcata City Hall selling flowers; and Don in the Arcata Plaza selling hot dogs and sausages.

He is a great entrepreneur. He expanded his business as he saw what people wanted: coffee, tea, hot chocolate and tofu hot dogs. He will even give you a shoe shine! There is no end to what can be available for you. Just select a service or product for which someone will be willing to pay you.

The workplace in 21st century will be a different configuration than we’ve known in the past. Our mentality of largeness seems to be turning around to more simple form. Did you know that home-based business comprises more than 50% of all new businesses in the U.S. and 75% of the new businesses in Canada? The rise in mail-order catalogues and multilevel marketing of products is testimony that people want to buy either at home or in a more personal manner.

The workplace in 21st century is also going to be one of the multi-careers and simultaneous careers. If you are able to change with the changes this can be an exciting time in making money to take care of your needs. Leonard Orr says that: we should stay with a career or product for at least 5 years or until we have become successful with that career or product so that we create patterns of success rather than failure.

So, I’ve created what I will call the “Lemonade Stand Theory” as a way to expand your income. If you think about it you have probably done it. For fun, jot down all of the jobs that you have ever had- all of the things you have ever sold. Then write down all of the things you have done without pay but that you could be paid for. You may be reminded of your capabilities and experience.

Naturally, you must have the “glue” that holds it all together. I think that is made up of personal energy, inspiration, self-esteem and the willingness to show up or have you or your product out where people will know about it, where they live or shop or hang out. Display it or have it available, or you be available and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Susan Yashoda Deschenes teaches classes in clientele building and in relaxation. She lives in Arcata and drinks lemonade to this day.

Playing for Change…

From the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music,” comes the first of many “songs around the world” being released independently. This is an amazing version of â€œStand by Meâ€ that I think will delight you as much as it did me!

This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by completely unknown artists in a street virtual studio all around the world!

It all started with a base trackâ€”vocals and guitarâ€”recorded on the streets of Santa Monica, California, by a street musicianÂ named Roger Ridley. The base track was then taken to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Grandpa Elliottâ€”a blind singer from the French Quarterâ€”added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley’s base track on headphones. Then Washboard Chaz addedÂ metal percussion.

The producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals, whichÂ were assembled into this finalÂ final version — allÂ done with a simple laptop and some microphones.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! (Thanks to Dr. Mercola for sharing this with me!!)

A Simple Secret For Getting What You Want

What is that special charisma some people seem to have that allows them to quickly and easily get what they want, especially when it involves influencing or motivating other people?

Many of these motivators have learned the simple secret of making sure their own needs and desires align with the needs and desires of the people they want to influence. We can take clues from their success to insure our own.

Every day we have multiple opportunities to positively influence the choices and behaviors of the people around us:

With our children, we may want them to do things in a particular way, like clean their rooms, do their homework before dinner, or choose friends we think are appropriate.
At work, it may be that we want good relationships, the choice assignments, a promotion or a raise. Or, if we’re unemployed, then perhaps we may be trying to convince a prospective employer that we’re the best choice for the job.
In our businesses, we want customers or clients to purchase from us. And to be so delighted with our products, services or opportunities that they remain customers.
With our families or housemates we want an enjoyable, supportive environment that is safe, creative, and happy.

We may want to influence the people in our household to get along, to have a positive and helpful attitude, or to work together. So how can we have this positive impact that gets us what we want and makes sure everyone is satisfied?

First, we must be clear about what we want, why we want it, and why it’s important to us. At the same time, if we want to influence others, we need to be clear about what’s important to them, how our desires fit (or don’t fit) theirs and how what we offer fulfills their needs. This is sometimes referred to as WIIFM – “What’s In It For Me” – in other words, what is the benefit for the other person? Regardless of your own needs/desires, you can only create mutual satisfaction when the other person gets his/her needs/desires met, too.

The easiest way to discover what an individual needs or wants is to ask. And there are several ways to ask.

To understand what’s important to a particular targeted group, you can do market research in a variety of different ways – conduct surveys, contact professional associations, read or research industry trends, look through magazines and periodicals that serve the group, and contact governmental organizations associated with the group. These resources can provide both “hard” (statistical) data and “soft” (anecdotal) data.

If you are looking for work, or considering changing careers, you can use a process called “Informational Interviews”. These interviews can provide you with valuable insight about specific companies as well as industry trends. You can also use that information to your advantage when applying for a position within your desired industry. You can read a little more about Informational Interviews in our article 'Interviews that Get the Job' at http://www.careerlife.net/articles/interview1/

If you are in business you can simply ask your existing customers and clients through in-person, telephone, email or postal mail surveys. One organization I used to work for sent postage paid returnable postcards after every incoming customer service call. They also regularly called a small percentage of the clients to get additional feedback on how they were doing and what the customers thought of the product they were supporting. This gave them continuous feedback about what was working and led to improvements that kept their customers happy.

Regardless of which methods you use, the important thing is to listen carefully so you can identify what the other person wants.

A friend recently recounted a conversation he and his daughter overheard in a coffee shop. Sitting next to them were two men, an older gentleman and a younger one in his mid to late 20s. My friends were on a trip, it was late, so they were having a quiet dinner. They noticed the two men, but didn’t pay attention to the conversation at first. Then they began to notice that the younger man started dominating the conversation.

Every time the older man would start to say something, the younger one would interrupt and talk insistently for a period of time. So they began to listen to the content.

My friend shared with me that it became obvious the younger man wanted a job with the older man and was trying to convince him of what a great employee he would be.

My friend, an entrepreneur and small businessman, said the younger man never gave the older man a chance to talk. My friend’s teenage daughter observed that it was as though the younger man didn’t know when to stop, and that he didn’t realize he was ruining whatever chances he might have had. She said it was obvious the older man was getting bored and wanted to leave, but the younger one kept trying to convince the older one.

This is a perfect example of someone who was disconnected both from the conversation and the needs of the other person. And an example where asking the right questions might have made a huge difference. But, only if the younger man had also taken the time to listen carefully to what the older man needed.

Instead, he seemed to make the classic mistakes of being so busy formulating answers that he didn’t really hear what the other person was saying, and of assuming he knew what was going to be said (therefore jumping in and not letting the other person complete his thoughts). The young man's need to dominate the conversation and to keep pressing his own agenda had the opposite effect from the goal he wanted.

How much more effective could this young man have been by setting aside his own urgency and focusing instead on finding out what the older man needed or wanted in an employee or on a larger scale, for his business?

When you encourage a dialogue, you create a relationship with the other person, allowing them to be an active participant. They are more likely to feel you have heard their concerns. And they will feel they have choices instead of feeling pressured or “sold”.

A dialogue is much more likely to give you the information you need to assist the other person in making a decision that will result in both of you having more of what you want. Or, conversely, in recognizing that your opportunity does not fit for this person in this situation.

As you more fully understand the needs and desires of the people around you, you will be in a better position to demonstrate how your solutions fulfill their business, career or lifestyle needs. And, you will be building relationships with people – which will ultimately ensure you also get what you want in return.