Category: Networking

Building Connections

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

Building connections.

We talked about networking a while back. For more about building connections, read on. This time, in Utility Avenue’s Spotlight, we feature Victoria Allison — Business Entrepreneur, a virtual assistant, and founder of Slow Dancing With Alzheimer’s.

Have you ever wondered what it means to build a connection? Do you market your business right off the bat, or do you wait until someone asks you a question about your business? There are many avenues to take, but it takes the right one to make a lasting connection.

In today’s world, we crave human connection. It is not enough to be seen; we need to be heard and understood. We need to know that people care about us as individuals. When you are pitching your business, it is not about you. It is really about your potential client and his needs. That potential client has an unmet need, and it is your job to find out what that need is. Get to know their why.

Often, building connections is about getting to know others on a personal level. This is why Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can be effective when marketing. Other professionals post about what gets them excited on a personal level. Questions are asked, and answers are given. Somewhere in between this interaction, tidbits of personal information are retrieved from both parties. Live streaming videos have become popular in the last few years and especially now in a COVID stricken world. The one reason? Personal connection.

How can you promote your business on social media platforms, you ask?

Join Facebook groups that pertain to your niche.

Introduce yourself, and spend time answering questions in the group. It will go a long way. A suggestion would be to answer at least ten questions before even thinking about promoting your business.

This is organic marketing. Building a connection with someone comes first. You become more valuable when you can share your ideas.

Post Instagram pictures of both things that interest you and things that involve your business. Make sure to insert your links on your posts so people can easily find your website. Pinterest is another excellent tool to direct people to your website. Your rich pins can generate clicks and bring traffic to your site.

Lastly, when you have subscribers, it is helpful to thank them for following you. After all, if it weren’t for them, your business may not be as successful without them. This can be sending them a personalized email saying thank you, a mailed birthday card or anniversary card. You can also find small giftables to send them through the mail. This will ensure that they will stay with you, and your subscribers will feel special. This is how you keep loyal clients.

Final words about building connections

As you can see, building connections takes work and a lot of it.

You may need to block off time during the day just to build relationships, but you will see that it is so worth it! When you genuinely listen to your client, provide them with real solutions and make them feel special, you are sure to not only create new connections, but you will keep those that you have already made a connection with.

More about Victoria Allison

Victoria is currently a Dementia and Alzheimer’s Program Manager with experience in sales and marketing in the Senior Living community. She has been in the Senior Living Community for 3 years. Her favorite thing about her job is building relationships. Building relationships is what Victoria does in her Virtual Assistant business. She loves following through on tasks that give clients that special personalization!

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoria.allison.985

Pinterest www.pinterest.com/vallison352/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoriaallison91

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Utility Avenue’s Spotlight focuses on promoting inspiring businesses every week. For a chance to be interviewed, contact us at support@utilityavenue.com with the subject Spotlight.

Spotlight: Patricia Rogers’s Message for Entrepreneurs

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

A message for entrepreneurs.

I met Patricia Rogers, CEO of Unity in Service, Inc., at a networking event with Bill Walsh.

She is a business development strategist, best-selling author, and public speaker. She is also an event coordinator and marketer. In Utility Avenue’s weekly spotlight, she sends an empowering message for entrepreneurs to live the dream.

I am a Correctional Lieutenant after 29 years of service in law enforcement. The best decision that I made was the decision to prepare before retiring so that I could finally meet the woman in the mirror.

After reading Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, I learned that it only takes one sound idea to achieve success, and this was a defining moment for me.

Retiring was my time to discover who I was and why I was put here in the first place. Most rewarding was discovering my talents and hobbies and turning them into a business that would impact the lives of so many. I found that I genuinely had the entrepreneurial spirit. Besides, I have a passion for inspiring the lives of other entrepreneurs.

Unity In Service, Inc. “Where People Need People” was born, doing what I enjoy by setting a platform that allows entrepreneurs to be seen and heard from the stage while developing even more wealth and building relationships that take their businesses to a new level! The annual conferences that we host “Entrepreneurs Living The Dream“ sets a standard for the entrepreneur to leave with more than they came with. We put the spotlight on our participants and attendees because they said YES to the call.

My Passion is spotlighting entrepreneurs and public speakers so that they can be seen and heard by the masses.

I am teaching, encouraging, and providing a stage for them to grow!

People Need People!

Empowering Entrepreneurs To Live The Dream

Technology is the driving force in the world today, but I want to remind you that some old habits are worth hanging onto, such as verbal communication, eye contact, picking up the phone as opposed to an email or a text. Try getting out of the chair that sits in front of the computer! People are waiting on you to get up, suit up, and show up to a LIVE Event!

Networking is one of the fastest ways to build genuine relationships that will take you to a new level in your business and life in general.

People connect with those they get to know, like, and trust. I call that the human touch. Connecting and serving others is invaluable.

Today, I want to leave you with four tips:

  • Say yes to opportunities that connect with others.
  • Be authentic and let others get to know the real you.
  • Communicate effectively and leave an impression.
  • Network with intention and follow up with a call.

Remember, fulfilling your dreams involves other people, and when other people fulfill their dreams, it involves YOU! As Miles Munroe said, “The value of life is not in its duration, but the value of life is in its donation!”

CEO Patricia Rogers

Email: info@patriciarogers.com

Website: PatriciaRogers360.com

Website: patriciarogers.com/spotlightsyou

PS- Right now, on June 25th, at 3:00 pm, she is hosting her event “Popping Videos Training”, back by popular demand to train about how to use smartphones as a branding tool. Link here in case you want to join.

Utility Avenue’s Spotlight focuses on promoting inspiring businesses every week. For a chance to be interviewed, contact us at support@utilityavenue.com with the subject Weekly Spotlight.

Spotlight: Networking, by Giovanni Savo

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

What is Networking?

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Why do we network? What is it about going into the world, live or virtually, to find other people to connect with?  The awkwardness of the first few minutes, the elevator pitch girl, the canned opening lines, the throwing business card guy, the guys who just go to drink, the guys who only go to find a date. What is this all about? What is this ritual that we partake in after a full day of work, on aching feet, and with tired smiles?

Networking is pure magic when your heart is in the right place, and you go to make authentic connections in a plastic world. The feel of a sincere handshake, a real smile of someone who is fighting for their dreams, is such an incredible feeling.   

The magic of networking is the giving of yourself when you want to ask for a connection. The beauty of networking is when you want a lead and need a close but give one instead: when you go to listen to people about their business, their challenges, their joy and pain, and you connect authentically to their stories.  

We live in a microwave culture. Everything is done in 2 minutes. When you take this approach to networking, you have a network of zero value and built like a house of (business) cards. The art of communication is being lost. The selfishness of right-now me and immediate business is so counter to building a lasting, long term relationship that it shocks me that so many people do not see this.  

A genuine networking relationship is based on competence, trust, and respect. It takes time to build a stable and valuable connection. The beauty of networking is that you come across beautiful people: dreamers, go-getters, funny, smart, and witty. These are people who will add value to your life, both in business and personally.  They would proudly refer you to your friends and family without being asked.  They call you and give your number to a friend or client who is waiting for your call.

Networking is work. ‘Work’ is in the word itself. It is a process that takes time. It is never-ending, and it might sometimes be heartbreaking. But it is so worth it. Because when you come across someone from your tribe and you vibe with them, the bond is real, and it amplifies your connection. 

I have spent the last 4+ years going to events at bars, coffee shops, speed networking events. More than once, I was the only one at an event. I have attended organized events, crappy events, virtual events, and some that have walked in on and then right out.  But, over this time, I have met some incredible people who are now dear friends. They have enriched my life and have left a real mark. I have done business with some and referred business to others. 

Building a network is hard work. There are also fundamentals that you can rely on to start and focus your efforts to yield good reliable results. It is a process that needs to be practiced and worked.

  • Try various platforms that showcase and broadcast events in your city.
  • Try different types of events, different formats, and even different times of the day.
  • Practice the art of listening.

Connecting and listening to people is the key to success. When you walk into an event, have the mindset of “who am I going to meet today that will change my life?” and “who am I going to meet so I can change theirs?”. Follow up, follow up, follow up. This is so critical to success in networking; it can’t be overstated.

In my next guest post, I am going to write about networking skills and how to use them.

Final words about networking

In summary, some people approach networking like a hunting expedition: looking for a kill, a score, a sale. When I look at these types of networkers, I see a slaughterhouse of broken promises, speedy deals, and empty relationships. For me, networking is like farming, cultivating, working, sacrificing, providing energy, passion, and nurturing relationships. When I look at my network, I see a flourishing garden, full of promise, potential, endless abundance, and beauty. This ever-growing network is full of amazing people from all walks of life, all industries, all levels of skills, diverse and competent.

I hope you find joy in the work, the commitment, the time, and the results of building your network. In the future, you will have priceless friends, and you will become a valuable addition to people’s lives as well.      

Contact Info:

Giovanni Savo: Proud husband and father of 3 children.  An entrepreneur for 25 years as a small business owner in retail and wholesale.  Now five years into my journey as a Financial Coach,  where I work with people to navigate their finances and accomplish their goals and dreams.

Email: giosavo21@gmail.com

LinkedIn: @giovannisavo

IG: @giosavo21